Pros
-Good image quality
-WiFi functions
-Wide angle of view
Cons
-No live Internet streaming
-No optical zoom
-No microphone input
Key Features: 1/2.3-inch CMOS with 12.8Mpixels; 160-degree
field of view in video mode; Close-up zoom-in mode; MP4 recording at up to Full
HD at 24Mbits/sec; WiFi remote control functions
Manufacturer: Canon
Canon LEGRIA mini Review
What is the Canon LEGRIA mini?
The LEGRIA mini is an innovative new camcorder from Canon.
Since the demise of the Flip, action cameras have been the main focus of
development in the camcorder market. But Canon hasn't paid a lot of attention
to this trend. Instead, we have the LEGRIA mini, which heads off in such an
original direction it's hard at first to describe what kind of camcorder it is.
Probably the best way to get a handle on what the LEGRIA
mini is would be to acknowledge that the word "selfie" is now in the
Oxford English Dictionary. That's not the only kind of video recording the
LEGRIA mini is aimed at, but it is the primary role. So the camcorder format
has been completely rethought, to produce a design that is unlike any we have
seen before.
Canon LEGRIA mini: Design & Features
The LEGRIA mini actually looks like
a tiny portable
projector. The lens is on one edge, protected by a manual lens cover, with the
2.7-inch LCD panel on the top. This seems like an odd arrangement until you
realise that the screen folds up and can be angled to face the rear or the
front, as required. There's a built-in stand on the bottom next to the screw
mount.
The stand lets you angle the lens upwards, so you can get
yourself perfectly into the picture. The lens itself is the equivalent of a
16.8mm wide angle, providing a 160-degree field of view. There's no optical
zoom available, but there is a close-up option, which equates approximately to
a 4x zoom, and reduces the field of view to 71 degrees.
Inside the LEGRIA mini is a relatively sizeable 1/2.3-inch
backside illuminated high-sensitivity CMOS with 12.8Mpixels. However, Canon
doesn't go beyond Full HD for the LEGRIA mini's recording modes. Unlike the
GoPro HERO3 Black Edition, there's no 4K option here. The top quality setting
is 1,920 x 1,080 at 25 progressive frames per second, with a 24Mbits/sec data
rate. The MP4 video format is used for recording.
You
can also capture footage at 720p with a 4Mbits/sec data rate, and there's a 640 x 360 option available when streaming to a mobile device, of which more later in this review. Canon has chosen to use Micro SD for the recording media, to save space, with a 32GB module being enough for just under three hours of footage at the top 24Mbits/sec quality setting.
can also capture footage at 720p with a 4Mbits/sec data rate, and there's a 640 x 360 option available when streaming to a mobile device, of which more later in this review. Canon has chosen to use Micro SD for the recording media, to save space, with a 32GB module being enough for just under three hours of footage at the top 24Mbits/sec quality setting.
Although there is no 4K option, 8.99Mpixels are used in
movie mode, and 12Mpixels when shooting stills. The close-up zoom acts like the
advanced and intelligent zooms of mainstream camcorders, cropping into the
sensor to achieve the telephoto effect. This still uses 2.07Mpixels in movie
mode, so true Full HD resolution is not lost, putting it above the digital
zooms used by most fixed-lens camcorders and smartphones.
Although there are no high frame rate recording formats
available, the LEGRIA mini does have a couple of alternative options. You can
shoot at four times the frame rate in VGA resolution, or twice the frame rate
at 720p, with both played back at 25p. Alternatively, all formats can be
recorded at half or quarter speed, which creates double or quadruple real-time
during playback.
Canon LEGRIA mini: Operation, Video Quality and Verdict
Canon LEGRIA mini: Operation
The LEGRIA mini isn't exactly burgeoning with manual
settings, unlike most Canon camcorders. Apart from auto mode, there are scene
presets for Food and Fashion, Sports, Night Scene, Beach, and Snow, plus Macro
mode and a Programmed AE option. The latter allows you to choose between
daylight and tungsten white balance presets, or fully manual. You can also
adjust exposure between -3 and 3 EV in increments of 0.25, or choose a point
within the frame as reference.
But there is no option for manual focusing – the focus is
essentially infinite from 40cm onwards. There are also no options to alter the
aperture or shutter speed. But you can record a frame at intervals of five,
ten, or 30 seconds, or one or ten minutes. These will then be stitched together
into a time-lapse recording. Alternatively, the video snapshot mode grabs a few
seconds of video each time you press record, a bit like Vine.
If you want to position the camera upside down it can be set
to detect its orientation and rotate the frame accordingly. Canon also offers a
variety of creative effects. You can superimpose animated stars, bubbles,
musical notes and other graphics over your scene as you record. You can also
draw on the frame either before or during recording. We have never been fans of
these kinds of in-camera effects, but they make a little more sense with the
LEGRIA mini.
Another key feature of the LEGRIA mini is its Wi-Fi
connectivity. This is essentially the same as that provided with Canon's other
Wi-Fi-enabled camcorders, such as the Canon LEGRIA HF R46. In recording mode,
you can connect your Android or iOS smartphone via a free app, and remotely
control the camcorder. The app lets you trigger recording on the camcorder, or
stream video onto the smartphone.
However, in recording mode you can only connect to the
camcorder directly via Wi-Fi – you can't hook it up to an existing WLAN.
This means there is no live streaming over the Internet
available, unlike with the JVC ADIXXION GC-XA2, which we feel is a grave
omission for the intended user. You can use an existing WLAN in playback mode,
though, so it's possible to view recordings on another smartphone app, via a
browser, or even via DLNA on a smart TV. You can also upload directly to
YouTube and Facebook.
Canon LEGRIA mini: Video Quality
One area where the Canon LEGRIA mini punches clearly ahead
of the candy-bar camcorders and smartphones is image quality. In broad
daylight, the image is very clear, with excellent colour fidelity. We found the
auto white balance didn't cope that well with gloomier indoor conditions,
although the tungsten preset put this right.
Once this was enabled, the LEGRIA mini performed very well
in low light. If you plan to record yourself in non-ideal artificial lighting
conditions, it's clearly more than up to the job. However, although the
built-in microphones are decent, there is no facility to connect an external
microphone.
Should I buy the Canon LEGRIA mini?
If you do fancy making videos where you are the presenter,
the Canon LEGRIA mini does have some specialist abilities that make it a better
choice than a lot of mainstream camcorders, or just using your smartphone or a
web cam. The video quality will be noticeably better than a phone, particularly
in low light conditions, and the flexible screen will allow you to ensure
better framing, too.
However, the LEGRIA mini is the same price as an entry-level
mainstream camcorder, such as the Canon LEGRIA HF R406, making this a rather
niche product. The camcorder market is constantly having to reinvent itself
these days, with the Flip, action cameras and smartphones all providing reasons
why a mainstream camcorder isn't worth buying. The LEGRIA mini is a valiant effort
to provide a camcorder for the way people are now shooting video in the
Internet age, but it's not entirely successful.
Verdict
The Canon LEGRIA mini is a bold innovation that will find
some friends in the video blogging community, but the lack of live streaming is
a serious omission for the intended user.
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