Canon last week announced three new high-end consumer full HD camcorders named the VIXIA HF11, VIXIA HG21 and VIXIA HG20.

The HF11 features both a 32 GB of internal flash memory and the ability to add a removable SDHC card for memory expansion. The HG21 and HG20 both feature hard disk drive memory, 120 GB and 60 GB of capacity respectively, while also supporting removable SDHC cards. Footage can be easily transferred to an SDHC card from the internal memory when it becomes full, but a fast SDHC card is likely required for direct recording.

One of the highlights of the new camcorders is the ability to record at 24Mbps bit rate, which is the maximum bit rate of the AVCHD format used in these cameras. AVCHD is a high compression codec based on H.264, allowing for higher image quality with lower bit rates compared with MPEG-2 formats.

The format isn’t for everyone though, as it is more CPU intensive to work with in the post-processing environment. This can be seen in the fact that Canon’s own professional camcorders do not use the format, opting for MiniDV Cassette instead. Home users may find themselves appreciating the AVCHD though, as it provides for longer recording times, with the VIXIA HG21’s 120GB having 11 hours of record time at full bit rate.

All VIXIA camcorders feature Canon Core Technologies, comprised of a Genuine Canon HD Video Lens, full HD (1920 x 1080) image capture, DIGIC DV-II Image Processor, Instant AutoFocus, and SuperRange Optical Image Stabilization for reduced shake in images. Also as part of these new camcorders is a 2.7” widescreen LCD and 12x optical zoom.

The expected release date will be September and the suggested retail price of the Canon VIXIA HF11, VIXIA HG21 and VIXIA HG20 camcorders will be $1199, $1299, and $949, respectively.