Vixia HF G60 - Are these start up noises normal

[WedgeW]

I purchased an HF G60 a few weeks ago. So far I'm quite enjoying it.

When powering it on, in addition to the audio clip played by the camera, it also makes some clicking noises. I'm guessing these are normal, as I haven't noticed any issues with the camera. But since I didn't pay attention to the sounds it made on the very first start up, and so I don't remember if it made them at first, I thought I'd ask.

[Mark35mmF2]

Hey there,

Some of these cameras can make some odd noises when the Image Stabilization system engages or maybe if the lens zoom was not in the widest position when powered down and you're right that if it is not affecting image quality or performance otherwise it may not be anything to worry about. But one thing you might check just to be sure is calling in to Canon tech support when you have the camcorder handy. That way you can compare with their model in the office and hold the camera to the phone when you turn it on so they can verify if it is normal or not.

The Vixia department opens on Monday at 9:00AM EST at (800)652-2666

[shadowsports]

Greetings,

Whats normal?  We cannot tell from a written description.  Maybe you can post a video of the sound(s) for us. 

[WedgeW]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RCvfPbWq3x8&feature=youtu.be

There are a couple of pops on the right audio channel in this video, which are just from my phone.

[shadowsports]

Are those noises coming from the front of the camera?  Are you loading an ND filter?

[Inapickle]

If that's all it is, I'd say that's normal i.e. just the lens element moving from rest state into forward position and making adjustments. My HF-G40 does the same. I'd be more concerned if the noise persisted and/or you were getting black screen issues.

Inncidentally, how to you like the HF-G60 ? I'm thinking of 'upgrading', but the smaller 3" LED screen puts me off a bit. The 3.5" OLED screen on my HF-G40 is a joy to use.

[WedgeW]

I'm not experiencing any issues with the camera. So I was leaning towards the sounds being normal. But not remembering if it made them the first couple times I turned it on, I was being...cautious (some might say paranoid) and wanted to make sure. Good to know those sounds are to be expected.

As far as how I'm liking it, so far it's great! My last dedicated camcorder was an Optura 50 back in 2005 (the days of Mini DV). So it's been nice to catch up with the times a bit.

Compared to the G40, having a .5 inch larger screen would be nice. And, from what I've seen in reviews and sample footage on Youtube, and comparing that to what I've shot so far, I don't think the low-light performance is quite as good (minimum illumination on the G60 is 1.7 lux, as opposed to 1.2 on the G40). But, again just judging by what I can find on the internet, it seems pretty close. (Plus I'm shooting on the Wide DR mode, which might not be the best mode for low light situations. Still need to run some more tests.) Also you can't shoot in AVCHD on the G60, just MP4. (For me it's not an issue, but might be for some.)

But the 4K picture is really very nice. Detailed, but not overly sharp. And since it uses the full 4k sensor when recording in 1080, even the 1080 recordings look impressive. I'd actually intended on doing all, or most, of my shooting in 1080. But I must say, after recording some test footage in 4K, I bought some more SD cards because for important things it's going to have to be 4K. (Max frame-rate in 4K is 30p, but since I want to shooting in 24p regardless, that's not an issue.)

Compared to the G40, the inclusion of built in 3-levels of ND filter is very convenient for outdoor shooting when I want to keep my shutter speed from getting too fast. And you don't have to open the touchscreen to access the SD cards (which I can imagine having to do would be inconvenient at times).

I haven't found much in the way of sample footage of the G60 on Youtube. So I'll try and upload some and post the links here.

[Inapickle]

Wow, that's quite an upgrade !

Thanks for the feedback. Actually I learn from Canon that the HF-G60 won't be distributed in Canada. I did check-out an XA50 in a camera store the other day - basically the same camcorder plus handle, XLR inputs and Infrared mode, which I don't really need. I'd want the Mini Advanced shoe for mounting a DM100 microphone. Managed to grab a few clips in store (4K and HD) on a SD to examine at home and compare with my HF-G40. I was very impressed with the image quality. Native FHD on the XA50 was clearly superior to the HF-G40 and 4K down-scaled to HD in post looked even better, and with no aliasing.

Difficult to judge the low light performance, but the shadows were much cleaner in Standard mode on the XA50. Don't really care for Wide DR on the HF-G40. Some prefer that look but the expanded dynamic range (as perceived, largely in the highlights) comes at the expense of reduced local contrast and softened (lost) detail, with increased (blotchy) noise levels in the shadows. Didn't have much time to play with it on the XA50. Set in Auto AGC mode the shadows were cleaner than I expected - definitely less noise than the HF-G40, but some pixelation on black surfaces and ringing artifacts on high contrast edges (lettering, for example) - no doubt a byproduct of the noise reduction processing. Set at +15db AGC (Program AE) the Wide DR clips were notably darker than in Standard look, and also than Wide DR on the HF-G40. Clearly these 4K models apply much higher levels of gain. Shame Canon dropped Highlight Priority mode. On the HF-G40 I find it much more useful than Wide DR.

What I would like to see is how well the HF-G60 autofocus performs (in FHD/60p) when filming moving subjects - team and fast moving sports especially. The HF-G40 is very good for following action with a LANC zoom remote. I'm also considering the Canon GX10. It got a lukewarm reception when it was released in 2017 (alongside the XF400) with complaints that the 4K image is too soft. But I've seen some darn good footage shot in 4K 60p. For my taste the 4K video coming of many cameras is just too pin-sharp and unatural, and prone to aliasing when down-scaling to HD.

Anyhow, enjoy the HF-G60. I'm sure you made a good choice. Yes, it would nice to see some decent unedited footage shot in good, natural light with people. Best I could find from the HF-G60 were:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IjxSCOOqpbs

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=agzdnhLnmRA

Neither giving details of the camera settings they used and a lot of it shot on zoom.

[WedgeW]

Front-ish. I'm not loading an ND filter. It doesn't make the sounds when I turn it on to playback mode. So I'm guessing either the nd filter or the lens.

[Inapickle]

If the lens hood flip barrier is closed (or lens cap fitted), you might also hear the lens mechanism trying to adjust to blackness. Likewise if the camcorder was zoomed-in when it was powered off, the lens will go back to that position when powered on again (doesn't reset to full Wide). Personally, I don't think it's anything to worry about.