Canon VIXIA HFS20 and HFS21 include 8.59-Megapixel Full HD CMOS Image Sensor captures video at 1920 x 1080 resolution. Records up to 12 hours of crisp high definition video to a 32GB internal flash drive or directly to two removable SD memory cards with Canon VIXIA HFS20 and records up to 24 hours of crisp high definition video to a 64GB internal flash drive or directly to two removable SD memory cards with Canon VIXIA HFS21.
| Specification | Canon VIXIA HFS20 | Canon VIXIA HFS21 |
| Optical Zoom | 10x | 10x |
| Digital Zoom | 200x | 200x |
| Sensor size | 1/2.6 inch | 1/2.6 inch |
| Sensor Type | CMOS | CMOS |
| Lens | 43.5-435mm | 43.5-435mm |
| Aperture | f/1.8-3.0 | f/1.8-3.0 |
| Focusing System | Instant AF, Face Priority AF, TTL (through the lens) | Instant AF, Face Priority AF, TTL (through the lens) |
| Programmed AE | Smart Auto, P, Av, Tv, Cine, Portrait, Sports, Snow, Beach, Sunset, Night Scene, Low Light, Spotlight, Fireworks | Smart Auto, P, Av, Tv, Cine, Portrait, Sports, Snow, Beach, Sunset, Night Scene, Low Light, Spotlight, Fireworks |
| White Balance | Auto, Daylight, Shade, Cloudy, Tungsten, Fluorescent, Fluorescent H, Manual | Auto, Daylight, Shade, Cloudy, Tungsten, Fluorescent, Fluorescent H, Manual |
| LCD | 3.5-inch High Resolution Touch Panel Widescreen Color LCD (Approx. 922,000 dots) | 3.5-inch High Resolution Touch Panel Widescreen Color LCD (Approx. 922,000 dots) |
| Max Shutter Speed | Movie: 1/2000, Photo: 1/500 | Movie: 1/2000, Photo: 1/500 |
| Image Processor | Canon DIGIC DV III | Canon DIGIC DV III |
| Image Stabilization | Dynamic SuperRange Optical (lens shift) / Standard SuperRange Optical (lens shift) / Powered IS | Dynamic SuperRange Optical (lens shift) / Standard SuperRange Optical (lens shift) / Powered IS |
| Audio | Dolby Digital 2 channel (AC-3), 5.1-channel (with optional Canon SM-V1 5.1-Channel Surround Microphone) | Dolby Digital 2 channel (AC-3), 5.1-channel (with optional Canon SM-V1 5.1-Channel Surround Microphone) |
| Recording Media | 32GB Internal flash drive or SD memory cards (2 slots) | 64GB Internal flash drive or SD memory cards (2 slots) |
| Dimensions | 2.9 x 3 x 5.5 inches | 2.9 x 3 x 5.8 inches |
| Weight | 1 pounds | 1 pounds |