The power's in your hands
There's a flaw with the controls of most camcorders. Most camcorders have tiny, inconveniently-placed controls that have to be pushed into the camcorder. Those buttons practically require a stylus to use. But the Canon VIXIA HF M31 puts the power at your fingertips. It's got a touch screen, so many of the camcorder's controls can be accessed simply by touching the full-color LCD. It's a welcome improvement over manual-button only camcorders.
Steady, now
Very rarely is blur used intentionally in video, and when it is, it's generally an effect for a movie. Blurry video is not, by any stretch of the imagination, a boon to school plays, ball games, or home parties. But, human beings are not capable of perfect steadiness while holding a video camera, even in the best of circumstances. However, there is a remedy. Some camcorders, like this VIXIA HF M31, have optical image stabilization. This convenient system detects the slight movements that are unavoidable when holding a video camera, and actually shifts the lens to counter your shakiness. This ensures your shots will come out stable for great-looking replays. While you might not even notice the O.I.S. unless you didn't have it, you'll be certain to love it.
The new normal: HD
Just because you're not filming the next Avatar doesn't mean HD is a waste. After all, you watch wacky reality shows in HD, so why should your family videos be less important? When people watch your next home production, are they going to say "Wow!" or will they ask when it was filmed? The 90's are over, so ditch the grainy look. With the VIXIA HF M31, you can natively record video up to Full HD 1920 x 1080, the best video resolution that's commercially available. And when you do feel like taking on a more artistic video project, you can recreate the look of film with 24p and 30p video modes. Get with the times; go HD.
The looking glass
One of the best features on this camera will likely go unnoticed by you for years. Why you ask? Well, because it's something that only shows up with time. The lens on this digital camcorder is glass. Why does that matter? Well, on most cameras in this price range, a plastic lens is used to lower the cost. For the most part, the plastic lenses work just fine, and while they might not be quite as great, there's usually not a significant difference between the camera with the glass lens and the plastic one. But that changes with time. After you've owned a camera with a plastic lens for a while, you'll begin to notice a slight yellowing of your footage. That's great if you're shooting a movie with a sepia effect, but for the soccer games, school programs, and birthday parties you want to capture, not so much. Plus, a plastic lens is easier to scratch. Considering the quality and value of this VIXIA, it's a pretty safe bet that you'll have it for a while. Invest in a camera that will last with the HF M31.
What wonderful contradictions
The VIXIA HF M31 can take video snapshots. If that sounds like a contradiction, you're right. Usually you either have a single snapshot or a video clip. But in this case, you'll love the contradictory combination of the two. Basically, you can take two-, four-, or six-second video clips, and add music for a great moving slideshow. This is the sort of effect that would have taken hours of video editing to build a slideshow with before. But now, it's super easy, and simply amazing to see your pictures come to life right before your eyes. But the contradictions continue. Let's say you're watching a video, and you see something that would make the perfect snapshot. With most camcorders, that means uploading the footage to your computer, finding the spot, and using the software to get a snapshot. But with the VIXIA HF M31, it's a lot simpler than that. As you're playing back your footage, simply press the snapshot button, and a frame will be saved to the camera. Aren't contradictions fun?
Forget your memory?
So you went to the play almost an hour early to get a good shot for filming. You set up the tripod to ensure that you capture every line with an inhumanly-steady hand. You charged the battery to ensure you'd capture everything from the moment the curtain lifts to the final bows. You're really excited to show your friends and family the footage once the play is over. The auditorium quiets, the lights dim, and a single spotlight shines on the curtain. You press record, and . . . no tape inserted. Well, there goes your whole plan. Luckily with the VIXIA HF M31, that's not a problem. It uses SD memory cards, so you could just get a 32GB card and record show after game after event without running out of space. But if you forget your cards at home while transferring video to the computer, or just don't feel like using them, no worries. You're still covered by the camera's 32GB of internal memory. That's enough space to hold about four hours of Full HD video, or up to twelve hours of standard-definition content. So if you forget the card, rest assured, you're covered. And since it's flash memory, it's much less likely your internal hard drive will be damaged by the jostle of everyday life. And if you're thinking that transferring video or photos to your computer would be a pain, consider this: you can easily transfer content from the internal hard drive to memory cards. Two words: Disaster. Averted.
What's in the box?
Your purchase of the Canon VIXIA HF M31 from Vanns.com includes all of the following: A remote control, composite A/V cables, a USB cable, a power adapter, a battery, a component video cable, Pixela ImageMixer 3SE video editing software, a music CD, a Digital Video Solution disc, and of course, the camcorder itself.
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