Canon Vixia HF R21 Troubleshooting

The camcorder is not showing any signs of power.

The battery will no longer produce a charge (the battery is out of “juice”). Before use, ensure that the battery is fully charged.

A faulty connection between the camcorder and the battery may be impeding the flow of power to the camcorder. Ensure that the battery is inserted properly by referring to [this guide] on how to remove the battery and insert it properly.

This issue may occur because the battery pack purchased is not designated for the Canon Vixia HF R21. Canon highly recommends using battery packs made specifically for your camcorder or damages and malfunctions may ensue. For this model camcorder, the specific battery model is Battery Pack BP-110. Battery packs not recommended by Canon cannot be used with this camcorder.

Plug the camera into your computer. If the camera functions properly while plugged in but turns off when disconnected, the battery may be faulty. Remove the battery from the camera and inspect it for any visible damage or acid leaks. If no damage can be found, you may need to contact the manufacturer for a replacement battery. Refer to [this guide] on how to remove the battery properly.

Hold down the power button to turn on your camera. If the camera fails to respond, it is possible that the power button is faulty or stuck. Refer to [this guide] on how to remove, clean, and replace the button.

Audio playback is distorted or nonexistent when using the internal speaker or the speaker on another device.

The camcorder will only accept any microphone with a 3.5mm stereo plug. Specifically, the microphone should have the following: 3.5mm stereo minijack -64 dBV (with 600 Ohms microphone)/5 kohm or more. Canon does not offer any specific recommendations to the brand of microphone due to the large variety in the market.

There may be nothing wrong with your audio except for the possibility that the camcorders settings have been changed. Check out [this guide] on how to adjust the audio settings and see if that fixes the audio issues. If problems continue to occur, contact the Canon support center.

If the video plays sound through the internal speaker, but does not play back sound when headphones are plugged in, the audio jack may be faulty. Check out [this guide] on how to replace the audio jack. Alternatively, upload the footage to your computer and listen through another device.

The camcorder contains a microphone built into the front of the device beneath the lens. Upload your video to another device. If the device does not play back sound at all or the sound is distorted, the internal microphone may be faulty. Check out [this guide] on how to replace the internal microphone.

If the video only plays sound when played through another device or when using headphones, the internal speaker may be faulty. Check out [this guide] on how to replace the internal speaker.

Even though the battery is being charged, the camcorder continuously shows low battery or will not turn on.

If your camcorder is not being charged properly there may be an issue with the battery. Battery capacity decreases over time and through repeated usage. When decreased usage time between charges becomes significant, it is time to replace the battery.

Cold environmental conditions may hinder the batteries ability to supply power to the camcorder. Place the battery in your pocket or hands for a short time before reinserting it into your camcorder. Refer to [this guide] on how to remove the battery and insert it properly. If this does not work, your battery may be defective. In this case, refer to the “Camcorder won’t turn on” section of this guide.

If there is no power or no charge being relayed into the battery back when it is plugged into a power source via the CA-110 power adapter, the adapter is defective and a new one must be purchased online.

Plug the camera into your computer. If the camera functions properly while plugged in but turns off when disconnected, the battery may be faulty. Remove the battery from the camera and inspect it for any visible damage or acid leaks. If no damage can be found, you may need to contact the manufacturer for a replacement battery. Refer to [this guide] on how to remove the battery properly.

Even when the camcorder is showing that the power is on, the screen still shows no picture and remains black or the image is distorted by other things.

The screen may be difficult to see or appear black if you are using it in a bright area with direct sunlight. If this is the case, move to a dark or shady area in order to see the screen. Similarly, increase the screen brightness settings on the camcorder.

If the subject is dark and the background lighting is bright, make sure backlight compensation is on and vice versa if the subject is too bright. For a quick fix, access the “Setting Backlight Compensation” in the main menu of the camcorder. After this, change the “light”, “gain up”, and “brightness adjust” found under “Setting Backlight Compensation” in order to see the subject on the screen.

If this occurs, the focus lens is stuck or “locked” at the front of the camcorder. Because of this, the camcorder will freeze on a black screen and you may hear a ticking noise. For a quick fix, tap the battery end of the camcorder and try to slide the lens to the back of the device. Try this a couple times over. If this does not work, refer to [this guide] on how to disassemble the camcorder and fix the stuck lens.

Dirt, oil, or other debris can accumulate on the lens and negatively affect image quality. Open the lens cover and gently wipe down the lens with a microfiber cloth. If the image quality is still poor, then the lens may be cracked or scratched. If this is the case, it will need to be replaced. Check out [this guide] on how to do so.

The camcorder is unable to save or modify files due to an error regarding its External Memory

Before using the camcorder, ensure that there is a memory card in one, or both, of the two ports. The memory card slot can be found on the inside of the camcorder after opening up the screen. It can be found underneath a square cover labeled “SD CARD”.

If you are having issues with recording, your memory card is more than likely full and needs to be replaced. Save your recordings and then initialize the memory card. The camcorder has an 8 GB internal flash drive with two slots for an SD card. The different SD cards that will work with the camcorder are the SD, SDHC and SDXC memory cards. If you continue to have problems with the recording because of your memory card contact the Support Center.

If a memory card is incompatible with the camcorder or an adapter is required in order for it to fit, the camcorder is more likely to experience malfunctions. In order to avoid this, be sure to use a memory card that is made by a major manufacturer and closely adheres to industry standards.

Certain scenes and images can be accidentally deleted by the user. They can be easily retrievable by using a recovery software online. If that doesn’t fix the issue then the memory card needs to be sent to a professional.