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: Compact, Outstanding Output, Works With Mac (Final Cut Express)
Summary: 5 Stars
I bought this camcorder a little less than a month ago and have been very happy with it so far. I've used it mainly indoors (in bright light and low light), shooting video of my children.
Here are some thoughts:
- I decided to buy this camcorder over the HF10 (which has 16GB internal memory and is black) since I didn't want to mess around with having to select which memory I wanted to choose for storage and playback (also, the difference in price for the HF10 isn't justified by the difference in features, in my mind).
- camcorder is very light and very compact ... the girth is comparable to a soda can. I opted to remove the hand strap and simply use the wrist strap ... this makes it feel even more compact. (I may also get a neck strap when I'm traveling to make it even more obvious that I'm a tourist - ha!)
- I suggest buying a long-life battery, additional charger, and extra SDHC cards. The included battery lasts about an hour. No SDHC cards are included, so you might as well order some along with the camcorder. Get the largest size you can afford, especially if you're not diligent about removing content from your camera.
- I've tested with Final Cut Express ... content is easily imported and manipulated. The video files are HUGE, so I opted to get an external 2TB drive to store video (I really need to back that up, don't I?)
- video quality in indoor, well-lit conditions is superb ... lower light conditions produces slightly grainy results, but still amazing.
- the on-board menu is easy to navigate. I'm sort of a "set it and forget it" kind of guy and I don't plan on messing around with the menu too much, except to change time zone information when traveling. Believe it or not, the camcorder even has an "Easy" button ... it tries to figure out the best settings for your particular shooting conditions.
Overall, I would recommend this product due to it's price, compactness, operability with my existing software, ease-of-use and above and beyond all else, the outstanding 1080p HD video quality. Be aware that you'll need to buy SDHC cards on your own and you may also wish to consider buying: extra batteries, extra charger, and additional external hard drives to store the massive amounts of data you will be generating (for me, to the tune of ~1GB/min of video. To be clear: I get 2 hours of recording time to a 16GB SDHC card ... the 1GB/min I am referring to is the resulting file when I hook up the camera and uncompress using Final Cut Express).
Customer Review: Listen
Summary: 5 Stars
I've done more research on mass-marketed high-definition camcorders than any person with a job really should. After weeks of combing and considering the pros and cons of AVCHD vs. HDV, HDD vs. tape vs. flash, I decided on the HV30, since I was persuaded by arguments about and examples of video quality, especially in low-light. Got the HV30 and, indeed, the picture quality is stunning. The sound, though, was a great disappointment. Since I'm fond of capturing quiet moments - the subtle sounds of, say, my four-month-old daughter sleeping - the high-pitch whine of the tape motor present in my recordings with the HV30 proved to be a deal killer. (I'm well aware of wide range of solutions to this problem, from external microphones to post-production techniques, but I'd ideally like to avoid carrying around additional equipment and I only have so much time to spend on this hobby - I'll leave in-depth editing to those more dedicated, working towards different ends, and/or without family commitments.)
I should have stuck to my gut instincts and bought the HF100 the first time around. After sending the HV30 back (thanks to Amazon's excellent return policy), I purchased the HF100 and am simply delighted. Video *and* audio are pretty darn good if not excellent. Maybe someone can split hairs and demonstrate the "artifacts" present between video recordings of this AVCHD camcorder vs. an HDV one, but I simply can't see a difference when played at normal speed. The difference in sound recordings between this flash-based camcorder and comparable motorized machines is, to my ear, both obvious and dramatic. So if you're sensitive to white noise or if you're interested in minimizing/eliminating sounds from the recorder, think hard about the kind of camcorder you buy and what you're willing to tolerate or accommodate in terms of additional equipment or post-production.
A final note/aside on my own take on the HF10 vs. the HF100: I appreciate the allure of the black-body HF10 in terms of aesthetics, but I actually find the dual flash memory feature to be a turn-off. I'd personally rather just manage a single, removable media card. Seems like a minor inconvenience to deal with both internal memory and removable cards when recording hours of footage before transferring/backing-up to a PC (while traveling, perhaps?). I'd preferably swap and label cards. But this, of course, is a matter of individual preference and habit; I include my thoughts here in case anyone hadn't given this aspect some consideration.
Customer Review: Excellent camcorder - requires external software`
Summary: 5 Stars
I purchased this camcorder about 3 days ago and have made 2 dvds and uploaded a couple YouTube videos. I really like it:
- Size - small & light - fits nicely in hand - on-off button requires a second hand to use - the 'start video' button may be pressed accidently
- ease of use - quite easy to use - has an 'easy' mode that you can select or de-select at will. Not a great selection of user-defined modes for the casual user, but sufficient for my purposes
- video quality - excellent in good light - adequate in dim lighting. I noticed that it shows better on my hi-def TV than on my computer monitor, probably need to adjust the color balance on computer monitor... The zoom in and out works very smoothly - much nicer than other camcorders I have used in the past 19 years.
- editing - took me a couple hours to figure out editing. I used the bundled software initially - but it is minimal in features, and I have used Pinnacle Studio and Premiere for at least 8 years... I tried Sony MovieStudio and couldn't get it to import. I tried Ulead 11.5 and still couldn't get it to import. I tried to import and convert using the bundled software, and that worked, but was not easy. Finally, I found a website that suggested the newest Pinnacle Studio - 11 - upgraded to that and it works like a snap. Easy to import multiple files, rename video clips that you import, editing is easy, output to whatever format you desire. Burns DVDs with great menu and titles options.
- hardware - battery life limited - I got the extra-strength battery as a backup, 2 16G cards, and am getting the external battery charger. The plug-in charger takes a long time to charge.
- others - i like being able to review the clips I just shot on the camcorder and delete ones that were mistaken 'start recording' button pushes... I also like being able to import bout 20 minutes of video files in a couple minutes, having them available to edit on computer shortly thereafter. MUCH faster than copying DV tapes using firewire... also nice having the clips broken down already into individual files for each start-stop in the tape - i think this makes the rendering easier... I also like the instant-on of recording - where it starts recording within a second of me pushing the button. No need for HD to spin up, or tape to start... just record to flash.
Would LOVE to have this in the shock-proof and water-proof model that the competitor makes, but will just have to be careful
Customer Review: The right camera for my video blog
Summary: 5 Stars
I needed an HD camera to create videos for my video blog on Costa Rica. I went to a local electronics store and started testing by picking up different camcorders and getting into the functions and menus. The one I found the most intuitive and logically laid out was the Canon. I recommend you read the manual but it's pretty easy to use out of the box. The zoom control out of the box is very sensitive. If you want slower and smoother zooms you can adjust the sensitivity setting in the camera's menu. I recommend using the highest frame rate 60i to avoid getting jagged lines during movement.
I use Sony Vegas Platinum pro as my video editor. I take the memory card out of the camera, insert into the smart media slot in my laptop. Presto! Instant access. I have had no problems with compatibility between Vegas and the Canon.
I also purchased the Canon wide angle lens. You get so much more in the frame. If you you like taking video of landscapes and the outdoors I would recommend you buy it. I bought Hoya filters as well. You should at least buy a UV filter to protect the internal components of the camera. UV radiation will wear out and damage the photoreceptors inside. I also bought the Hoya warm filter which provides brighter colors and gives people more of a "tan" look.
The camera seems sturdy. I am in Costa Rica taking videos for my interactive video blog and the camera is none the worse for wear. I am very pleased with my choice. If you want to see the quality of the videos go to [...]. I am using a Hoya warm filter and in most cases the wide angle lens.
I also bought a rain cover for the camera. This is a must if you are in a tropical climate like I am. The camera is also compatible with a shoe for a tripod.
The audio quality is fine but wind will cause a lot of noise if you are recording outdoors. I recommend either doing an overdub later in your editor or using a microphone. You can plug in a microphone to a 1/8" jack. You can set the sensitivity and gain of the microphone in the menu. I picked up an audio-technica mic with a connected cable for $[...] bucks and it sounds excellent. It's amazing how cheap all this technology has gotten. I travel around Costa Rica with this camcorder, headphones, laptop and microphone. I do all the editing and make all the music with my laptop. This would have all been impossible twenty years ago. We live in amazing times.
Customer Review: It is nearly perfect. Trust me, you will love it!
Summary: 5 Stars
Ok you have read the negative reviews, right? If not stop here and go read them and come back.
Now let me tell you my experience with the Canon HF100 camcorder. First, some history. I am a gadget guy. I love new technology and work (for a living) with it. My previous camcorder was a 3 CCD Panasonic camcorder that used tape. Living in Florida, and vacationing in the Carribean - I had problems with tape. When I went outside, the humidity caused moisture to develop on the tape drum causing the camcorder to "eat" the tape. Not a good thing. It was bad enough that the lens would fog up!
Anyway, I waited until I could get an affordable HD camcorder with optical stabilization. The time is now. I didn't want tape, but I wanted something more reliable than an internal hard drive. Picture this: you are on vacation (an expensive vacation) and you drop your camcorder while you are recording something, down a long rocky embankment. You rush down to discover your camcorder trashed. This is a bad thing. But you later discover that your vacation videos are now wasted because the internal hard drive was engaged (remember you were recording) and the hard drive is also trashed! What do you do now for vacation videos? You would have to re-do the vacation!!!
In my case, I would remove the SDHC card and buy another camcorder. I could even get one at a vacation stop and continue!
So here are my points:
- Video quality: 10
- SDHC instead of tape: 10
- SDHC instead of Hard Drive: 10
- Editing software: 8 (It's out there, but just starting to hit the market - try Pinnacle Studio 11 or 12!)
The cost of SDHC cards are coming down fast. 16GB will get you 2 hours of 1080/30p video. If you get a hard drive backup unit with reader (about $150) you can reuse your SDHC cards every day. My portable hard drive card reader is a Digital Foci Photo Safe, model PSF-250.
My bottom line: get it. You won't find better - except for Sony. And Sony had it's own special memory sticks. And Sony's comparable camcorder costs more. If you can tell the difference on a Blu-Ray DVD between a Canon HF100 video and a Sony video you are way too close to the 60 inch screen! I pick at the quality of the video from 2 feet away on a 42 inch screen. I like the Canon HF100. I cannot tell the difference from a professionally made HD DVD!