The Canon VIXIA HF W10B has a lot packed into a small device. These days video recording can be made with cellphone cameras, DSLRs and point and shoot cameras, however, nothing beats the 40x optical zoom that the Canon VIXIA HF W10 brings. It is small and not heavy enough to tire the hand. I like the waterproof so I don't worry taking it to the pool, I don't know about the ocean yet but I'll be trying the beach water soon with this toy. The Canon VIXIA HF W10 only comes with 8GB of internal memory so it tends to fill up quickly with long videos. It take HD videos but no 4K but for the price it is well worth it. The video and sound quality are excellent but not 4K quality. The still images are not impressive but good enough for memories. Unfortunately, it only has a standard size memory card slot as opposed to microSD, but still good to expand the memory. I added 128gb to mine so I got plenty of space. Battery life is very good and comes with a very odd USB charger. There's no real on and off button so the function is left to the opening and closing of the touch screen. The touch screen has all the function and buttons needed to operate this small device. This is a very good basic video recording device with an excellent 40x optical zoom.

It is made for simplicity of usage without worrying water splash. Scope of review does not include quality of image as it is standard common for all, and focused on the usage and practicality. Good: 1. Simplified functionality through touch screen 2. Has only two physical buttons. 1 for Zoom In/Out, second for video recording start/pause or in photo camera mode to take photograph. 3. Light to carry, small, can grab in different angle 4. Definition of video and photographs are acceptable range. (for some this could be Thumbs Down) Thumbs Down: 1. During zoom in it bit hard to focus on the object 2. Under dark it does record acceptable but not great if you are used to the clarity of definition from higher range definition. 3. The charging cover attachment appears weak. As it cover has the function of stopping water contact for insert of sd card, and connectivity for charging and HDMI. However one is not careful can accidentally detach it, then totally not useful for water. 4. Battery is not replaceable. Experience: Use experience is practical from moment of opening the touchscreen to recording. Unlike other device, as open the touchscreen, it is on mode ready to start recording. All of functions of control is via touchscreen, and as you record can change some of attributes. But as the purpose of the camera would be mainly for under water, it seems to make sense having all the control centralized in the touchscreen as you can edit afterward. In one case, to test the practicality, I attached it in my wrist while riding the bike. Although first it look bit big, as you ride bike can record while still controlling the bike. Naturally, it take some prep and adjustment, but wasn't big of deal. Its recording was reasonably stable, could be better if can have stable position to record. The experience of using the touch screen to see and adjust recording, it would be bit frustrating in the beginning due to its size and all the control in the reduced space. But can overcome as get used to. Regarding recording video, although I haven't worked technically on it, it seems very good for the range of price point As soon as touchscreen opens, it start capturing the sound in stereo mode and has indicator bar that tells you which side has more sound. Upon recording, it is crispy sound for recording of main object within 12 ft to 20 ft. Use under water, only had time to use under a swimming pool and for that short experience, after having left out of water, it does perform without any issues. The slop that contain SD card, connectivity area were all dry as nothing happened. In bottom line, good practical camcorder to use without regular water damage but due to quality of touchscreen that center all the function, and its material, I recommend if price point less than manufacture suggested price.

I have mixed thoughts about this camcorder. Its claim to fame is in being waterproof, shockproof, dustproof and freeze-proof. As a rugged outdoor camera, it gives you a lot more options than those ubiquitous action cameras or any cell phone. It does this by being a full-featured consumer camcorder. You can take video and stills with a 40:1 optical zoom, time-lapse, tele-macro, self-timer and so on. It can be fully auto or provide manual control over focus, exposure, white balance, backlight compensation, etc. It does all this while being capable of shooting underwater and tolerating drops, snow, sand and general abuse. What are my reservations? I found the 40:1 zoom is only useful up to about 20:1 while handheld. Go beyond that and it better be on a tripod, and the focus seemed to hunt at times. The stabilization has three levels, but it’s digital and cuts down the image area as it becomes more aggressive. It’s possible that optical stabilization wouldn’t be able to withstand the shock and drop resistance, but there’s still a quality loss. As far as quality, this camera shoots in 1920 x 1080 HD in either 60i or 60p. If you want 4K, you’ll need to look elsewhere and spend a lot more. The 60p mode gives nice smooth video, and that’s what I mostly used. However, there are no size or quality variations when shooting 60p, and some of the special features only work in 60i mode. On the plus side, the internal battery lasts up to 5 hours it has 4GB of internal memory and will accept SD cards, but only up to 128GB. Don’t wait until the last minute to charge it up. A full charge can take up to 6 hours. The build quality seems good and it’s quite small and easy to carry. The only buttons are the start/stop and the zoom rocker. Everything else is controlled through the touch screen. The screen feels a bit unresponsive, but that’s due to it being a pressure response and not a capacitive screen. That apparently was necessary to be able to use it down to its maximum of 5 meters underwater. To make use of its variety of features, it’s really necessary to download the full manual and do some reading. It comes with no software, but when you connect it to your computer, it shows up as a mass storage device. Any video editing system which accepts AVCHD format will handle the .MTS files it generates. The stills are standard jpg. The technology feels a bit dated because it is. In reality, this is a rebadged JVC Everio camera that’s been around for several years. It seems to me to be a big miss not to have provided an easy way to directly upload files to social media. Canon could have done a little updating to make it more current. The bottom line to me is that this is very much a niche product. If you want to take videos in places you wouldn’t risk a regular camcorder or your $1000 phone, it fills that bill. You do need to be a bit tech-savvy and understand video editing.

If you're in the market for your first camcorder, this one should make your shortlist. This camera is incredibly simple to operate; literally anyone can figure out how to use it. By default, opening the screen turns the camera on and closing it turns it off and stops the recording (this can be changed in the settings). The record and zoom buttons are placed right where they should be making one-handed operation a breeze. Plus, the built-in 8GB flash memory allows you to start filming the moment you take it out of the box. At the default setting of 1080i, the camera can take up to 54 minutes of video or 5780 photos before it runs out of space. If you turn the video resolution up to its maximum settings, you can still capture 34 minutes of video using only the on-board memory. If you require more storage space, all you need to do is insert a microSD card (up to 128 gb). The camera fits nicely in my hand and is feels very light without feeling cheap. You shouldn't have any problems if you choose to carry it around with you all day. On top of this, the camera is available in a brilliant, almost anodized looking blue like the one I chose. Obviously, everything product looks good in the professionally lit, studio taken photos the manufacturer provides; they're supposed to. That's why I've included a photo I took with my cellphone the moment I received it. No special lighting or editing, just the camera sitting on my porch steps on a mostly sunny afternoon. It does actually look as good in person as the studio shots make it seem, if not better. Besides the awesome blue color, what helps this camera stand out is that it's waterproof to 16.4 feet and shockproof to 4.9 feet. I was curious to see how accurate these claims were so the first time I used mine was at a pool party. As soon as I arrived I turned the camera on, pressed the record button, and immediately chucked it into the deep end of the pool. Admittedly, the deep end only goes down 6 feet but the camera worked flawlessly even at the bottom. The camera spent a bunch of time underwater in the pool and even some time underwater in the hot tub. I was surprised how well the camera handled transitioning from above to below water and vice versa. The microphone picks up sounds adequately even while submerged. Also, the lens is pretty good about shedding water when you resurface; I only had to blow off some stubborn drops a couple of times. The flip-out monitor is a touchscreen that you use to see what you're filming, adjust settings, and to review your footage. Not only can you easily see what's on the screen in direct sunlight, the touchscreen works perfectly even when both the camera and your hands are wet. It does require a firm press to respond but it's well worth the trade-off. It also has a high refresh rate; I didn't observe any stuttering of anything in frame while using the monitor as the viewfinder. These are important aspects considering how this camera is designed to be used. At the end of the day, I had nearly filled the internal storage with 47 minutes of footage and I still had 70% of the battery remaining. The camcorder can be operated in either video mode or camera mode. Pressing the record button starts/stops filming in video mode and takes a picture when in camera mode. Whichever mode it was in when you turn it off is the mode it will be in when you turn it back on. However, there is an onscreen button you can press to take a picture regardless of which mode you are in. While I'm at it, I have to talk about the 40x optical zoom, image stabilization, and the auto focus. I've included a random photo of some windows which by itself doesn't seem all that special. What makes it impressive is that I took that picture using the camcorder freehand with the zoom all the way up to 40x. Those windows were on the second story of a house over a tenth of a mile away from where I was standing. I'd have to imagine that the picture would have looked better had I been using a tripod but it's still far from the worst photo I've ever taken. In the settings, it is possible to turn on an additional 160x worth of digital zoom for a total of 200x magnification. To be honest, I haven't tried the digital zoom because 40x has been more than enough. Plus, optical zoom always looks better than digital zoom anyways. As for the image stabilization, I immediately turned it to its highest setting since I don't have the steadiest hands. At the pool party, the camera was passed around until everyone had a chance to try it out for themselves. I am pleased to report that the image stabilization is quite capable of keeping the majority of the footage usable regardless of who is operating the camera. I'm not saying that it is not possible to overwhelm the stabilization; you just have to be trying to do so. In regards to the auto focus, it reacts reasonably quickly and is able to focus in on things less than an inch away from the lens. Plus, you can set it to be track faces, color, or even a particular area. It can also be turned off completely if you desire. With all that being said, this camera is not perfect. The maximum resolution is 1080p and 60 fps. Personally, I would've preferred an integrated shutter-style lens cover opposed to the clip on cap that comes with it. The cap has a tendency to float into frame when filming under water and will continually bounce off your wrist when filming above water. The built-in speaker is quiet even at maximum volume and doesn't sound very good. If you are filming in quieter settings, the microphone picks up the auto focus servos as well as the ones for the optical zoom. When you are reviewing photos and video on the camcorder, files only appear according to which mode you are in. Photos can only be viewed while in camera mode and video can only be seen in video mode. The footage gets grainy and color accuracy decreases dramatically in low light situations such as filming at dusk and there is no night vision. At the end of the day, this is a simple to use camcorder with great battery life that would make some decent looking home movies or vlogs. The water and shockproofing will keep the camcorder safe in most situations, it is light enough to comfortably take with you wherever you go, and the auto focus and image stabilization work well enough to make you seem like a better filmographer than you actually are.

Over all I am happy with the camera and its performance. If you are looking for a good camcorder that can go anywhere, provide decent images and is simple to operate this is the one to get. I chose the blue version and it really stands out due to its blue metallic body. This camera is actually a cross between a full-sized camcorder and an action cam. It gives you the portability and weatherproof capabilities of an action cam and the optical zoom capabilities and side LCD monitor of a full size camcorder. The camcorder build feels rock solid and fits nicely in your hand. Its about half the size of my other camcorders so it’s easy to pack and go on all the family activities. It has many advanced features but also works just fine on auto for those who just want a simple point and shoot camcorder that is outdoors friendly. I like being outdoors and in the past I have had cameras ruined by sand and water. Because this camcorder is weather proof it is good to go whether you are headed to the beach or the trail. Things I really liked: • It’s Weather proof so it can go anywhere you go and still record good video. • It has a nice sized LCD monitor and yet its small enough to fit in my hiking short’s pocket. • The 40x optical zoom allows you to get up close when far away. It also has digital zoom capabilities but I found that it has limited use unless you are using a tripod. • The image stabilization works up to about 20 x with reasonable image quality • The camcorder has Macro capabilities like my SLR so I can get up close images • The camcorder feels natural in your hand is easy to operate • The lens assembly is threaded so you can add filters and lens protectors if you like. • The side LCD monitor can be rotated so you can see the monitor while recording yourself for v-logging purposes. • The facial recognition and auto focus worked well in and out of the water. See the photos. Things that made me pause • The menu system isn’t the most intuitive luckily there is a good manual on line. • There are a lot of icons on the menu screen that indicate various functions. It took me some time to understand what they were and their functions. • No external microphone connection • No mini HDMI adapter or cable. If you want to play your videos on your TV you will need to purchase the cable or pull the memory card out of the unit. • To charge the battery or access the hdmi port you have to open the “water tight” seal on the back compartment. I am not sure how reliable that seal will be over time. • To take a photo when recording video you have to press the camera icon on the side LCD monitor. This means you have to change your focus to find the icon and use your other hand to press the screen to take the shot. • The sound quality of just ok. This camera is so close to being the perfect travel companion but It misses the mark in two areas. It doesn’t support 4k which is a debatable issue. I have other 4k camcorders but due to battery consumption and file size I will often shoot at a lower resolution. The highest resolution this camera supports is 1080 which is still good quality video for the typical user. The second issue is that the battery is not replaceable so when the battery runs out you have to either plug it in or use the usb cable and charge it using a power brick while on the go. Note that to power the camera you have to open the water sealed compartment so you need to be careful if you are charging it in the open. I attached a couple of photos. The one photo is under the water in my pool and as you can see the focus and image quality are quite good. Another photo shows the camera as it is coming out of the water. The lens is still half in the water. This shows that the autofocus has already locked in above the water line because the flowers in the back ground are clear. The last photo is an up close shot of a flower. The autofocus really did a good job with that photo.