Vixia HF S200                                          GL2

When I first started my video career I used a Canon GL2 camcorder which at the time was state of the line gear. This was back in 2007. The place I started was the local public access station which filmed events for the community of Concord and Carlisle MA.

The GL2 was a great camera that was easy to use when you start off. It had easy buttons that can be used to do some quick filming for when you need to be quick. This camera has some cool features that you could use to make your video more easy to view during the recording process. You can see through either the eye piece or you can open up the small viewing screen located on the left hand side of the camera to view the image being filmed. When I first started out I found it easy to slip in a new tape to start a new recording this is because it has an automatic drive open with just a press of a button. The drive would open up the tape slot and then eject the tape.

As the years advanced so did the gear and all of the formatting and ways to view when filming. One of the biggest differences between this camera and the one that I use now is that all the footage can get stored on an SD card.

 

Now in the year 2017, 10 years later I am using a canon vixia HF S200 to film and record videos and events. The canon vixia HF S200 is an easy to use portable HD video camcorder that can take up to a 64 GB SD card for recording. Another difference between GL2 and the HFS200 is the way you can play back a recording and then the way that you can go back to start filming. With the HFS200 you can go to the play back menu and select the clip and play it back and then just go straight back to recording with no other procedures. The GL2 what you would have to do is go to the play back format in the camera and then rewind the tape and what the section that you want to watch. Once you are finished watching the clip you have to make sure that you fast-forward the tape to make sure that you do not record over things that you might of needed.

In the end they are both great cameras and will work great for any kind of filming that you want to do.

https://www.cnet.com/products/canon-gl2/review/

https://www.cnet.com/products/canon-vixia-hf-s20/review/

https://www.rcgroups.com/forums/showthread.php?492110-Media-recording-test-Mini-DV-tape-vs-SD-card