We remove the VIXIA HF S21 from the box and find its compact yet beefy build gives a professional feeling immediately. The VIXIA HF S21 appears to break away from the pack with its sleek body design, manual focus, revolutionary instant auto focus, massive storage capabilities and HD format. The lens is always an important primary detail, and the VIXIA HF S21 won't disappoint with its large lens and manual focus. Fully equipped with all the audio and video outputs for even the broadcast pro, this camera comes loaded, including the ability to attach lens accessories. We were impressed before it was even turned on.

Powering on the camera leads to fingers running across the feature-rich camera body with satisfaction. Canon spared no expense on buttons, dials and switches with this VIXIA HF S21. Component out, two SD memory slots, HDMI out and an 8-megapixel snapshot function starts us off in the right direction for a great camera.

Gently fastening the petite battery to the VIXIA HF S21 for the first time leaves one sad, as the battery is packaged with no charge. Locating the DC input may also be a challenge, yet spend a moment looking over this beauty, and any camera operator can soon find the connection tucked elegantly beneath a tiny foldaway flap.

Let the Shooting Commence

Now it is time to see if this camera can live up to its outward appearance. With its handy pullout viewfinder and its crystal clear 3.5" touch-panel LCD screen, which may both be active at the same time, this camera seems to more than meet the expectations. Running through all its operations, the camera performs well. The focus is crisp and clear, as one would expect from Canon. Canon boasts of a revolutionary Instant Auto Focus, and we can gladly say they succeeded with this camera and its fast, accurate auto-focus. Manual focus is a must for professional-style videography, and Canon hits a home run again with the VIXIA HF S21's precise focus dial. With no lag, the focus dial allows you to get exact results and the perfect desired look. Great rack focuses are nicely achieved with this compact camera. A neat little feature displays the focal length on the LCD for precise and simple focus calculations. Simply stand ten feet from your subject, and dial your focus into 10 feet. If you wish to rack focus between two objects a foot apart, just twist the focus dial and read the numbers. If you like shooting in a narrow depth of field, then you'll love working with the Canon VIXIA HF S21 and the look when zoomed in fully.

Performance

Low light, bright light, contrasting lighting, fast movements... HD footage shot on the VIXIA HF S21 truly shines on its 3.5" high-resolution LCD with touch-panel features. Don't call Fox Studios too quickly, though: once the footage is imported to an editing station, the footage reveals a slightly dull color and low saturation. This is common with Canon's video series dating back to the L1 and XL1. One solution would lead you to post production editing software, where even an inexperienced editor could simply fix the brightness and contrast. Keep in mind the importance of a crisp image with clean focus vs. rich colors. In post, you are always able to adjust the colors if you have a good base video to work from. If your footage has a soft focus or oversaturated color, then you are stuck, leaving you no ability for corrections in post without deteriorating the footage. Using the clearest, most accurate images leads to the best results in editing, and the Canon VIXIA HF S21 provides exactly that. When adjusting the brightness and contrast, be sure to adjust your levels as well. Fixing the blacks in level options allows you to increase the brightness without creating huge contrasts resulting in heavy shadows.