Professional Results with Canon Vixia Camcorders: A Field Guide to Canon G10 and XA10 1st Edition

First, let me say I have the Kindle version, which I read mostly on my iPhone. It plays pretty well there, as well as on my iPad. I mention this because a few books I've tried are complete disasters when switched to Kindle; this is not. I really like having it on my iPhone, because I know I'll have it there for reference when I'm out on a shoot.The Canon manual is a joke, as usual--it tells you what the buttons do, but not why or how. Bass covers every switch and function but he does add info on how to use the various functions, what's best, and so forth. Very helpful. At times he makes suggestions I've found very useful--for example, in low light: forget the zoom, put the camera to wide-angle and f/1.8, and zoom with your feet, which is fairly safe since image-stabilizing works best in wide-angle. Or, when there's not enough light for accurate focusing, set the camera to manual focus at rely on the large depth-of-field to keep you in focus. Works great shooting bands in dark bars. I'm coming from a stills background, with only a little experience shooting video on a 5D3. Bass speaks my language; he compares gain to ISO, discusses lens structure, 35mm equivalents, and so forth.I also appreciate that he's not afraid to voice an opinion--for example, that the Canon shotgun mic isn't of professional quality, or how to integrate the G10 with DSLRs, or which lights, tripods and other gear to buy. Since he teaches this stuff at Temple, I'm inclined to believe him. This isn't just a book on the camera; it's an education in shooting better videos. And lastly--I've been through most of the book twice, and so far I haven't found anything that doesn't work the same on my G20. If there's a difference somewhere, it's minor and it shouldn't prevent you from buying this book now rather than hoping for an update.Overall, I can't recommend this enough for a newbie video shooter.

Whether you're an experienced cameraman with a vast working knowledge of F Stops and Shutter Speeds or just starting out, this book is a must have and the perfect companion to the G10 and XA10 - It explains EVERY function of these cameras in PLAIN ENGLISH in a way that won't confuse the beginner nor bore the experienced photo pro.The factory manuals are great, but in addition to being 10000000000+ pages in 12+ languages, the manuals can easily confuse the owner since they are almost always written by pro's who forget not everyone has a vast working knowledge of photography and video.This book covers ALL of the basics and camera modes/settings. From full Auto to Manual mode, it's covered. The author makes it even better by providing crystal clear directions and clear diagrams. My copy is barely a month old but is falling apart from the use I have gotten out of it.Buy the camera, skip the mind numbing manual, get this book and start shooting in more than just generic auto mode. Had I not bought the book to compliment the camera I'd probably of set fire to the manual and sent the camera back. There is simply too many cool and mind blowing things you can do with these cameras that the manual doesn't even get into - This book does. I figured it would be another book written in pro language, by a pro and (solely) for a pro - It's pro written but geared towards EVERYONE - Definitely one of the better 'how to' guides out there. F2.2 at 1/48th of a second sound confusing? After a week of testing and reading it won't, because this book explains the what and why of it - Def worth 5 Stars!

This is a great guide to the Canon vixia hf g10 and was really impressed over all. I would have given it 5 stars . The only thing that I feel was missing was actual settings for different filming scenarios . The author explains everything perfectly though. I learned a great deal about cinematography . Great little guide over all.

This book explains the many functions of the cameras involved. I have a Canon HF G20 and found this book very helpful in learning what the various settings do and why. Some complain that the Canon manual doesn't go into enough detail. Well, it shouldn't. It's a guide to the camera, not a how to manual. I found the manual very complete and easy to follow for the most part.This book goes well beyond that and does so extremely well.Something I haven't seen mentioned in other reviews is that this book goes way beyond being a manual for the cameras. It's a book that gives many valuable lessons on shooting videos in general. If you owned a different brand of camera and can get past the Canon references, you would be well served buying this book for its tips on general shooting. From lighting to camera placement to why things are done the way the are, such as the rule of thirds. Turns out we have been trained to look at pictures over the centuries by portrait artists and the like and so we expect objects in our videos and photos to be in certain places or they don't look quite "right."Even if you don't own a Canon video recorder, you would do well to buy this book. Chock full of useful information for everyone.

This book is a great resource to have if you own one of these two cameras (or as I do, one of each). We all know that reading the manuals included with Canon cameras are overly technical and presume a previous level of camera knowledge that many folks don't have. This book walks you through all of the functions of these two cameras (which are both almost identical except for professional audio input features and infared in the XA10). I personally found several useful functions which would otherwise have been left undiscovered and unused had I not read this book. The author also gives very in-depth explanations of basic good habits to cultivate; elaborating on lighting, composition, capturing good audio, and recommended accessories. Since the G10 and XA10 are destined to become the next HV20 for low budget digital filmmakers, I would say this book is invaluable to those who desire a deeper understanding of these great little cameras!

Es un must ai tienes esta camara tiene todoa los tips y son sencillos de aplicar muy buena guia

El manual de instrucciones te dice cómo se activa cada opción, pero no para qué sirve. Este libro profundiza en cuestiones que el usuario probablemente no sepa y resulta muy útil. Aunque mi cámara es otro modelo, la XA20, el funcionamiento es el mismo, con leves diferencias. Eso sí, hay que leerlo con el diccionario a mano.

After purchasing a Canon XA10 videocamera, I was looking for a book similar to the many "Lantern Guides" that are published for DSLR's. Unfortunately there isn't one from that publisher. This book provides the same kind of guidance and so much more. While doing a great job of explaining how to use the Canon G10/XA10 to make videos, author Warren Bass also provides an excellent basic tutorial in the craft of making movies with these cameras. Without ever feeling that you are in a lecture, the book provides a great education in professional video to those, such as myself, who are new to video and want to make good productions. If you own one of these Canon cameras, I highly recommend this book. If you don't have a camera, get the book, learn about the art of videography and you'll want a good video camera like the Canon XA10.

This book is a must for any owners of these cancorders. As has been said, the owners manual is nothing but a quick guide. This book covers everything, in fact if you are moving from amateur to semi-pro, this would be a great book just for that prupose. Everything the camera does is covered in deatail along with why you would want to use that feature. It also indicates when a feature is not worth using so its not a book written as an advert for Canon.It is well written and includes som interesting history of film making (some people will say this should not be in the book, but I found it broke up what otherwise would be a pureley technical book).It can be read on its own, but I prefered to have the camcorder with me so that you can follow the menus etc. at the same time.

Das Buch das man sich definitiv gleich zum Lieferumfang in der Verpackung mit seiner Canon Videokamera gewünscht hätte. Nicht nur dass die Kamera auf verständliche und praxisgerechte Art erklärt wird, aber es gibt jede Menge Tips zum Filmen mit Digitalkameras, Belichtung, Ton, Storyboard und mehr gleich mit dazu. Macht definitv Lust auf mehr Filmen :-)Ich habe zwar die Canon G25, aber das Buch passt zu 98% auch zu diesem Modell.