Canon VIXIA HF100 Flash Memory High Definition Camcorder with 12x Optical Image Stabilized Zoom
by Canon
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Digital Cameras Photo Reviews of Canon VIXIA HF100 Flash Memory High Definition Camcorder with 12x Optical Image Stabilized Zoom
Customer Review: HF100 Review HF100 VS HF11 and AVCHD vs HDV All what you need to know about HD Camcorders
Summary: 5 Stars
With this review I will tell you everything you need to know to pick best camcorder for you
First of all about the HF100
Sound,Size,Video,Value are all perfect to be honest the video is crystal Clear and the sound is unbeatable even without an external mic
There is no viewfinder but the LCD is extermely bright,Battery 1Hour~, and its very light/small camcorder i simply put it inside my jeans
You need to know that HF100 do not record in SD (Standard Definition) or 720p "it only records 1080 videos"
So if you want the options to record in SD or 720p then you might reconsider another Camcorder
So lets start first of all Yes I wrote HF11 in the title its not a Typo Canon just announced TODAY (22 July 2008) that they will release HF11 very soon "September" (Only in Japan for now as I write this review) Which use 24MB/S instead of the 17MB/S max that the Current HF100 use (That's around 30% video BITRATE Boost over HF100/HF10)
So before I starts Some might say The hell with HF100 I will just wait for HF11 which have 24MB/S AVCHD
Well you need to understand First what does the 24MB/S means
1-There is a million Camcorder that use HDV tapes with 25MB/s recording yet HV30 wins hand down without any other camcorder getting close to its quality/price because HV30 lens, sensor, etc are way better than other camcorders in the market, Same goes here HF100 and HF11 both have the EXACT SAME lens, sensor, optical zoom, pixels 1920x1080i (or p) and even the body design!!!! So don't expect serious changes in video quality at all (Lens, sensor, etc matter the most than the codec of the video) what was changed in HF11 is that Canon added 32GB memory and new processor to record the new 24MB/S AVCHD (which of course require faster processor to play/record in the camcorder) (I am not saying 24MB/s is useless however I AM saying that HF11 wont be the camcorder to use the true power of the 24mb/s avchd
2-You CAN NOT copy these files to a DVD and share them with family/friends because All DVDS have "18MB/S LIMIT" and sharing 4-5GB files over the internet is something people try to avoid, yes you can edit the video and lower the BITRATE to 18mb/s however this will take a lot of time (AVCHD isn't walk in the park when it comes to editing) and the quality wont be as good as the HF100 17MB/S because HF100 video is unedited
Almost any BLU ray player can play normal AVCHD DVDS! (The PLAYSTATION 3 plays them too) and since BLU ray burners are very expensive (300-600$) and Each disc is around 10$ you don't want to deal with BLU rays for now (Unless you don't mind giving free 10$ discs to friends/family) DVDS cost like nothing these days for 10$ you can buy 100 DVD
3- 24MB/S = you need Bigger hard drives to backup/save your data
17MB/S 2hours and 5min for 16GB
24MB/S 1hour and 25Min for 16GB
4-Bigger files = Require better PC for playback/editing (But not huge jump like HDV to AVCHD editing/playback requirement)
5-HF11 is priced for 1300$ (HF100 is half the price) why waste more money for Same Exact camcorder even if you buy the HF11 trust me next year a new Camcorder will be released which will use the true power of the 24MB/S AVCHD but as of now HF11 lens and sensor is very limiting and wont use AVCHD 24MB/S real power Canon is just using the 24MB/S for Marketing~ save your money and get HF100 if you want memory based camcorder
Now AVCHD vs. HDV (HV30 VS HF100)
HV30 = Best Tape HD camcorder
HF100 = Best HD Camcorder that use Memory to record videos
HF100 pros over HV30
1-Its smaller
2-Record in full HD 1920x1080 (HV30 max recording is 1440x1080)
3-You just copy the files to your PC however with the HV30 you need to plug the camcorder to the pc and LIVE capture (HF100 is way faster and better tech also you can use your pc and browse the net while you wait for HF100 video file to be sent to your pc , but with HV30 using your pc while you live capture from the tape can cause slowdowns and frame drops in your video )
4-You can take your memory of the camera and insert it on any PC/PS3/blu ray player and watch your videos (With HV30 you need to plug the camera... because it use tapes)
5-With HF100 you do not need external microphone for acceptable audio sound which make it very portable since its already smaller than the HV30 however the HV30 without External microphone is completely not acceptable at all you can hear the tape noise and trust me its very LOUD
6-HF100 use AVCHD H264 Codec "To Me" it have better colors it depends on your taste some people do not like the cool blue effect that AVCHD videos use
7-With tapes you have 1hour limit for recoding then you have to switch your tape but with HF100 you can keep recording for hours (Depends on your battery + memory size)
8-With memory based camcorders you can shoot in 1sec!! But with HV30 you cant record fast you need to wait for tape to get active first
9-You can record with any settings/frame rate you want with memory based camcorders but with HV30 recording multi settings/frame rate in the SAME TAPE can cause problems when you capture the video on your pc
10-you can backup your AVCHD files and make them "playable video discs" to any DVD or (BLU ray in the future "now if you are rich") without any EDITING at all!! But with HV30 you are required to Edit/capture , with AVCHD its just drag and drop then burn voila !
11-You can record over hundred and thousands of videos in the same memory without any problems and its free but with HV30 "tapes" first it costs money to buy tapes and secondly you cant repeat recording in the same tape after 3-4 times you will see lot of video quality drops the more you record over same tape also keep in mind that with HF100 all what you need is your camcorder and you are ready to go, but with HV30 you need lot of tapes with you if you going in trips and tapes are big which will kill the idea of having a portable camcorder
Now lets talk about HV30 pros over HF100
1- It have a Viewfinder which a lot of people prefer over the LCD
2- It can record in SD (standard definition) and 720p (HF100 can only do 1080)
3-It use HDV format which is way easier to play or edit in pretty much any pc nowdays
4-HDV format have worldwide support programs wise because its very old almost any video editing program can edit HDV, not the same for AVCHD which is new (Sony vegas 8 pro edit AVCHD just perfect but its very limiting to have few programs that really work with AVCHD unlike HDV any program is fine with it kinda, i guess by the end of the year everything will be solved remember AVCHD is new format"
So after reading all this you should know that waiting for HF11 isn't really good idea and which camcorder is better for you HV30 or HF100
And that's about it I hope it was helpful to you :)
Update "AUGEST 14" Camcorderinfo.com just confirmed what i was saying from the start about the HF11 you can read there review at there website (heres what they said about HF11)
"Out of the lab, we put the HF11 and HF10 side-by-side in some difficult shooting situations
and examined the playback footage with an extremely critical eye. After much deliberation,
we came to the conclusion that most people can't tell the difference between the two.
You'd have to spend an insane amount of time and energy--as we did--to see a variance." -Camcorderinfo.com
HF11=1299$ HF100=649$ (Half the price of HF11 save your money people ;p)
Customer Review: A Capable HD Camcorder
Summary: 5 Stars
This is my first camcorder. Before my purchase, I did some extensive researches on what camcorders to buy and most of the materials lead me to get a HD camcorder to be future proof. Further research throws up more confusion as you have a choice of recording medium for HD camcorders - DV, HDD, DVD, Flash memory. My initial choice was between Canon HV20 and Canon HG10. I like the Canon HV20 for the quality of the videos, ease of editing but do not like DV as I feel that it is probably going to be obsolete in a few years' time. I like the idea of having a HDD in a camcorder for the convenience and ease of transfer of the recorded materials but noted that it may be susceptible to loss of recorded footage in the HDD due to vibrations or dropping the camera. While I proscratinate, my prayers were answered when Canon launched the HF10 and HF100. It uses flash memory which is more stable than HDD and in view of the falling prices of flash cards, is getting cheaper by the day. After reading the review on the HF10 in www.camcorderinfo.com, I was sold on the camcorder.
I bought the HF-100 instead of the HF-10 as I like the gun metal grey look and also with the price difference, you can buy a couple of 16G Class 6 SDHC Transend cards. I also do not like the glossy black of HF10 as it is a figure print magnet. Although I am residing in a country where the TV system is PAL, I do not mind the NTSC model from Amazon as it is much cheaper than what I get back home (about USD500 price difference) and nowadays most people own a multisystem LCD or plasma panel anyway. The only drawback is that there are certain pull down issues for NTSC models (which do not bother an amateur like me) and that the warranty is only valid in the US which I do not reside.
I have the opportunity to try out the camcorder and my initial thoughts are that it is very user friendly. In fact, I tried thre various functions of the camcorder without much of a quick glance at the user manual. I tried the Easy mode and was happy to find that even with this mode, the video turned out nice and sharp without any editing. I like this mode as it enables my wife and friends to use the camcorder easily. For the same reasons, I normally have the set my DSLR to auto mode before I get someone to take a picture of me when I travel.
I decided to turn off the Easy mode and played with the 3 different recording modes - 60i, 24p and 30p. In a bright environment, there is not much difference. The colours in 60i do however seem to look more saturated. In a lighted environment, the 24p and 30p showed their usefulness as the videos captured are brighter than the 60i, contributed no doubt by the slower frame rates. Colours as a whole are rich and tend towards slightly on the cooler side. I do not usually use the Cine mode together with one of the 3 aforementioned mode as I prefer brighter & saturated colours and shoot landscape very often. Cine modes do give you a slightly smoother and less saturated colour range means that it probably handles skin colours better. In any event, you can make whatever adjustments which suit your taste. The camcorder is certainly customisable to your needs. However, in an environment where the lightings are a tad dim, I noticed grains on the video which suggest that this is not a videocam which you want to use in dark indoors. I cannopt fault the camcorder too much as it only costs USD700 and you cannot expect capabilities like those of a professional camcorder. Given the proper lightings, it will not disappoint you.
My only criticism is that the stabilisation is not too effective. Maybe it is due to the light weight of the camcorder, which ironically is one of the reason why I bought it. To reduce vibration, I tried not to zoom in when I pan the shots. Although the autofocus is fast, be careful when you pan the scenes too fast as the speed may cause the autofocus to hunt and you will find that your videos will not be appear to be well focused as the camera moves. You can overcome this by using the camera at its widest settings and pan only in a slow and smooth motion. Further vibrations can be eliminated when you mount your camcorder to a tripod.
The camcorder can also take pictures at 3MP. The picture quality is acceptable although you cannot compare with a mid range PNS or digital DSLR camera.
As for the batter life, try to get an extended battery which allows at least twice the shooting time. The extended battery offered by Canon does not flush well with the camera and is in black. So aesthetically, it does not go well with the body colour and shape of the camcorder.
I also like the camcorder for having an automatic lens cover. However I bought UV filters as an additional protection for the lens although it may not be necessary. However I do shoot in windy conditions and byt he sea and do not want the dust or sea water to settle on the lens.
As for editing, so far I have yet to do very extensive editing. I tried the software provided by Canon and it is essentially only good for viewing the recorded materials. I invested in a Corel Ulead Studio 11.5 as it is cheap and I wanted something simple to use before I progress to sometime more advance in future. So far the software runs fine on my PC which is a 4GB Quadcore machine.
As a whole, I do like the camcorder very much taking into consideration the low price. I would summarise my likes & dislikes for the camcorder as follows:-
Likes
Affordable
Light weight
Comes with 24p and 30p
Uses flash memory
Hand strap not very comfortable
Sharp pictures in brightly lighted environment
Dislikes
Only stereo and not 5.1
Flash card can only record 1 hr of video
Rocker switcher for zooming feels loose and cheap
Location of flash not ideal if using convertors
AVCHD editing still not too stable.
Lousy software provided
No mini HDMI cable provided
Grainy video quality in dimly lighted environment
I give it five stars despite some shortcomings as it is a very good value for money camcorder.
Customer Review: AVCHD Is Hard To Work With
Summary: 5 Stars
One thing that was left out in all the reviews is that if you want to edit the AVCHD clips you've recorded, you'll need a high-powered PC or MAC. The specs called for in the supplied software indicate that the user must have a Pentium D processor at minimum to edit clips. My PC was four years old with a Pentium 4 HD processor, and it was not able to play back the video clips smoothly enough for me to even edit them. I have an Nvidia GeForce 7600 video card with 512Mb of RAM and also 4Gb of RAM on the motherboard.
Also, the software only burns to DVD-R disks and my PC had only DVD+R capability, so I had to buy a new writer to burn the AVCHD DVD's which did play in HD on my Sony PS3. As far as MAC's go, there is no way to burn a DVD in full 1080i high-def on a MAC...even with Final Cut Pro. Yes, it will import the AVCHD files and you can edit them, but you cannot actually burn the edited movie in full 1080i high-def onto a DVD without having to use a 3rd party piece of software.
I visited the local Apple store and after 2 hours of them playing with it, they produced a DVD for me to take home to play on my PS3...and guess what, the PS3 would not even recognize the disk!
Don't get me wrong, this camera takes beautiful, full 1080i high-def video, but once you've downloaded the files to your computer, it's almost impossible to burn those AVCHD files back onto a DVD for playback in full 1080i high-def unless you've got a Blu-Ray disk player such as the Sony PS3. The people at the Apple store indicated that Final Cut Express would import the AVCHD files, but would then convert them into an intermediate codec which ends up downgrading the clips to less than full 1080i high-def.
They told me to actually burn the edited movie onto a DVD in full 1080i high-def, I'd have to buy Roxio's Toast 9! Is amazed me that even their $1000 Final Cut Pro required the purchase of an $80 piece of software to complete the process!
The AVCHD format is the future, but I'm afraid there's just too little in the way of a simple workflow to actually be able to import, edit, and then burn these AVCHD format movies onto a DVD for playback in full 1080i high-def on ones HD TV set. I have spent a month researching this, and decided that I was just not willing to upgrade to an entirely new computer with an Intel Duo Quad Processor to work with the AVCHD files that these cameras produce.
The new Sony Vegas 8 Platinum will burn the AVCHD files to a DVD, but again, check out the required hardware specs on Sony's website and you'll see that the minimum requirements for hardware are probably much more than what you have unless you bought your PC within the last year.
Based upon all of this, I finally decided to return the camera and wait until this newly adopted AVCHD format is easier to work with. By the way, for most of us, a Blu-Ray disk writer and the BD blank media are just too expensive to buy. Most people will most likely want to burn high-definition DVD's instead, that will play in full 1080i high-def; 30 minutes on a single layer DVD and 60 minutes on a dual layer DVD.
You will see that virtually all of the software currently available; including Adobe's just released Premier Elements 4.0 will NOT burn AVCHD files onto a DVD! In fact, it does not even support AVCHD files created by Canon HD camcorders that are in the AVCHD format! And Sony's Vegas 8.0 Platinum also does not support Canon's AVCHD files.
It's all way to difficult for the average consumer. Pretty much your only option to see your movies in full 1080i high-def will be to attach the camcorder via an HDMI cable (not included) to your HDTV. This will allow you to watch your raw un-edited footage directly from your camcorder. However, the HDMI cable you'll need costs about $40-$50! And don't think you can use a standard HDMI cable...no, it takes a special one which has a MINI-HDMI at one end and a standard HDMI to plug on the other!
WOW...what a pain. The marketing information is very flowery in its description, but the reality is far different. Do your research and you will that the products out there for editing these AVCHD movies simply fail to mention anything about actually BURNING the results onto a standard DVD for playback in high-def on a regular DVD home player. Why? Because you cannot! You MUST own a Sony PS3 to do this!
In short, "buyer beware" on any HD Camcorder which records in the AVCHD format. And as a topper, each camera manufacturer who supports AVCHD format does so in their own way, so the editing software that will import AVCHD files from one brand of camcorder MAY NOT import is from another.
Even the Pixela SE software that Canon supplies (which is bare bones, but does work) will ONLY work with files from these "HF" series camcorders from Canon! Oh, by the way, the Instruction Manual for using the Pixela SE software that Canon includes with the camera IS NOT available for download on Canon's website, but rather, one must buy the camera first and it's included on a CD which you'll find in the box! Only the Installation Instructions are posted on Canon's website! Why you ask? Well once you see the manual you'll find out that the hardware requirements probably exceed what you own, rendering the software almost unusable.
Again, let me repeat...this is a fabulous camcorder and the HD video is spectacular! It's the bigger issue of "what do I do with the files on the SD card now that I've shot the video?" that will stop you in your tracks.
Customer Review: Review from a professional videographer
Summary: 5 Stars
I'm a long time part-time professional photographer and videographer and former television news photographer with many years of experience using a variety of professional and prosumer equipment. I've also owned three camcorders for personal use, including the highly regared Sony TRV900, a very capable three-ccd model. So my standards are quite high.
I purchased the HF100 for a great price at Amazon knowing that this model was being superceeded by a new model. I bought it for my wife to use on vacation. But I've been so impressed with it, I've taken it over. It's a great camera in a tiny package that can grow with the user's ability and create very professional looking video. (Nothing about the HF200 seemed to be a huge improvement, at least looking at the just released specs.)
Pros
The video quality is excellent, very sharp with few compression artifacts, excellent saturated (but not over-saturated) color, and high dynamic range (the ability to capture both light and dark parts of the scene with detail). Personally, I feel the low light capture ability is good, especially with the ability to shoot at 24 progressive frame rate. It's better than my previous three-chip camera. The lens quality is totally amazing: sharp and contrasty, even when shooting into bright light, with no visible chromatic aberration through almost the entire zoom range. This is incredible at this price and at this size.
Size and weight
For most situations, the camera is much more likely to be along with you than a larger one, and because of that, you'll get many of life's best moments because you didn't leave it at home. There is some compromise to this, however. It takes more attention and skill to shoot with a steady hand, and there is less surface real estate for buttons and switches. So many of the less frequently operated functions are on menus and slightly more difficult to find. But, this isn't much too give up.
Lots of manual control
Anyone can pick up this camcorder and shoot acceptable video by just hitting the "easy" button. But, as your ability progresses, this model can grow with you, allowing you to finely control or tweak almost everything: aperture, shutter speed, frame rate, color saturation and sharpness. It also offers a microphone input (something Sony doesn't in this class) something that's very important if you decide to add an external microphone for really professional audio.
Other thoughts
I thought I would miss a viewfinder, but so far, the really bright LCD screen has been adequate for shot composition even when bright sunlight is hitting the screen.
Battery life
Others have complained about it, but, I think it's quite amazing to get an hour out of this tiny, tiny battery. I've purchased a larger 819 battery to have both an always charged spare and a battery with almost twice the capacity. Plan on getting a second 809 battery at the very least.
AVCHD and computer requirements
This format has finally come of age and has even greater potential. But, if you plan to edit on your computer (which of course you will) be prepared to buy a new computer if yours isn't really new and powerful. I have a three year old workstation with dual Xeon 2.8 processors and it doesn't cut it. Despite what the software companies say, I think I'll need a quad core or i7 processor to be able to handle these files efficiently.
Some tips for more professional looking video (if you care)
Most amateur-looking videos look that way because the camera motion is so jiggly--always shaking and moving with lots to panning of stationary scenes. My advise: don't zoom or pan while you're shooting. Set up your shot, and only move the camera to stay with the subject. Use the zoom lens (or your feet) to properly compose the shot before you start shooting.
Get and use a decent tripod. I know, it's a pain to carry around (especially since it weighs way more than the camera) but it will make a huge difference in the look of your videos. Next level up in quality is to get a fluid video head for smooth camera movements. Still want to improve? Get a Steadicam Merlin ($900).
For sound, several good on-camera microphones will improve the sound quality tremendously. I highly recommend the Rode VideoMic and Sennheisser MKE300 or 400. Both are directional do a good job of reducing near-camera noise. Even better sound can be obtained with an off camera stereo mic like the Audio Technica 822.
Wait a minute! Now I've got $2,000 worth of stuff attached to this little $600 camera. None of this is necessary to get great, nice looking (but obviously amateur) family videos. But if you want to make your own "serious" productions, this camera is so good that you can do it with a few accessories.
Summary
I think this camcorder will meet the needs of a variety of serious amateur and professional users. It's an especially great value during this closeout period.
Customer Review: Best of the AVCHD Camcorders
Summary: 5 Stars
I spent a very long time researching small SD based high def cameras and ended up choosing the Vixia HF100. This after owning a Panasonic SD3 for a brief period last year. After a full weekend playing with the HF100 I am quite pleased with my decision.
My motivation for choosing this camera over the competition was Canon's very wise decision to include a standard microphone input (and manual audio controls). Why other manufacturers are removing this feature from consumer camcorders baffles me since good audio is such an important part of making good video! Canon also includes a mini hot shoe on the top of the device, and there's already a mini shotgun mic available (Canon 2591B002 DM-100 Directional Stereo Microphone for HF10 and HF100 Camcorders).
In many ways the HF100 is not much different from its competition. It's about soda can sized (although not as tiny as the new Panasonic SD9), has no view finder, and records video onto SDHC flash memory. Flash memory is so cheap right now that spending the extra money for the HF10 (with the on board storage) really isn't worth it.
VIDEO QUALITY & OPTIONS
Excellent and consistent with other cameras in its class. Color quality is rich and perhaps a little over-saturated (as most consumer cameras are) but there are settings to wind back the saturation a bit (like switching into cinema mode). Artifacts are minimal but remember that AVCHD is a highly compressed video format. Those looking for the absolute best quality in a consumer camera will want to look at an HDV tape based solution. There are settings for manual white balancing as well.
Low light performance is so-so.. Gets a bit grainy but you can make adjustments to compensate both in frame rate and shutter/aperture settings. There's also a mini-video light that can be turned on but it won't have room-filling range to it.
The camera has multiple video quality options but you'll want to select the highest quality as it's not on by default. I am getting about an hour of video on an 8 gig SD card in the highest quality mode.
The camera also includes three frame rate options: 60i, 30p, and 24p. All of these are processed at 60i so you'll need an editor that can remove the pulldown for true 24P.
BATTERY LIFE
Like every other camera in its class, the included battery is pretty lousy. It charges quickly but you'll only get about an hour or so of recording time. Canon does make an extended battery which I plan on purchasing soon.
CONNECTIVITY & EDITING
I am a Mac guy so those of you using Windows will have to comment below on your success with it. On the Mac side both iMovie '08 and Final Cut Pro 6 recognize video from this camera even if I'm just popping the SD card into my USB card reader.
If you're coming from the HDV tape-based world, capturing video from an AVCHD camera takes a little longer than you'll be used to. I've found multiplying the original video length times two is usually about the length of time it takes to capture with iMovie on my Mac Pro (I haven't timed Final Cut's conversion yet but will update this review soon). I'm sure this will improve over time as computers and software get faster, but don't expect instant gratification when you're ready to bring some video over to edit.
CONCLUSION
I bought this camera to supplement some of the work I do shooting HDV video on a 'prosumer' Sony HDV camera. If you're serious about producing HD video you might still want to consider an HDV tape based camcorder like the Canon HV20 or HV30. You'll get better and more consistent quality along with nearly universal editing compatibility. Those cameras transfer video back to the PC or Mac over firewire, a standard that's been around for over a decade. The HDV cameras can also run live video back to the PC for editing or webcasting, something you can't do currently with an AVCHD cam.
If, however, you're in the market for a small flash based camera look no further. The inclusion of a mic port along with the multitude of shooting options make this a great choice for beginners and enthusiasts alike.