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: First Camcorder, very pleased.
Summary: 5 Stars
Disclaimer: This is my first camcorder.
Using with 2x Transcend 8GB SDHC CARD (SD 2.0 SPD Class 6), works fine.
I think MSenn "Max" (Miami, FL)'s review above is pretty spot on. Low light performance is really the only weak point of this camera is my opinion, but I don't have anything else to compare it to. Reviews have given the camera an adequate mark for low light, and it's certainly still watchable. (The frame rate seems to be lower than 25fps in dance floors from a wedding I attended... I don't know if that's because the exposure is really long) Certainly still watchable footage, but no where near professional quality.
Well lit scenes is a different story... very nice footage. Got better color from setting the white balance manually when filming in the shade however. (It seemed a little blue otherwise).
People commented that the audio from the built-in microphone was good, despite being 3m back from the ceremony.
Been using Vegas Platinum for editing to a DVD. As pointed out by Chris C. Topolovich "Chris" above, Vegas Platinum doesn't write AVCHD, and only reads it for (time-consuming) recoding. Hopefully they update the output formats in the future. I've been outputting to windows media and mpeg2. I watch the AVCHD clips on a computer (haven't made the HD TV plunge quite yet) The clips chug a little on my 2.4GHz AMD Opteron from time-to-time... it really is CPU intensive.
I haven't used the included software for anything other than quick playback. Perfectly functional on Win XP SP2 (32bit).
The photos are fine (Using the photo button to take pictures while recording was off by default however), and it's very handy to only carry one camera.
Summary: I love the camera, the software (which hopefully gets better in time) and low-light perf are the only things that come close to an issue. Debating whether to take off half a star, but I do really like the small size, flash memory, and other features.
Customer Review: Excellent AVCHD Camcorder
Summary: 5 Stars
Having deliberated over different HD camcorders and HD camcorder formats, I decided upon and purchased the Canon HF100 a couple of weeks ago, and, with one exception, am absolutely delighted with the video performance of this camcorder. It small, lightweight and very easy to use (particularly in "Easy" mode). Shot taken outdoors in bright light are absolutely stunning, and look fantastic on a HD television. Watching home video is like watching the discovery channel; it is simply that good. The exception would be low light performance, which I found very disappointing. In a well lit room, it is barely acceptable, but in a dimly lit room, there is a considerable amount of noise and motion artifacts. I haven't had it long enough to determine whether there are settings that might improve the low light performance, but it is not much better (and in some cases worse) than my standard definition camcorder in low light.
But for outdoor shots in bright light, it is amazing.
The SD card format is extremely easy to use, and I have not even had to use the mini-HDMI cable I bought. You can watch video instantly simply by taking the card out (I am using the Transcend SDHC 16 GB card and card reader sold on Amazon for $40 as a package, and it works great), and inserting the card in my PS3, which instantly reads and plays the AVCHD video. I have also used the included software in my 3 year old computer to transfer video and burn standard DVDs for playback in Blu-ray players (including the PS3), which is also very easy and works great. The image quality is the same as playing back directly from the card. I don't have much experience with video editing software, nor the time to spend editing lots of video, but the included software gets the job done and is very easy to use.
All in all, a great product and highly recommended. I wish that the low light performance was better, but from what I have read, most consumer level HD camcorders have the same problem (including the Sony).
Customer Review: Very Happy So Far...
Summary: 5 Stars
My DV camcorder died some months back and I've been looking for a replacement. It seemed as though a non-tape based camcorder would be a good choice, so I've been following reviews of a variety of flash and hard-drive camcorders for several months.
I really didn't think I needed an HD camera, but the reviews of the standard definition camcorders really weren't very good. I had just about decided to go with the Canon FS100 (their standard def. flash based camcorder) but was concerned that many reviews said is was bad in low light.
I'm not a professional videographer, so I just want something that will give me great video with a minimum of effort. I use the camera indoors quite a bit shooting video of my kids, so the poor low light reviews concerned me.
Then I found the HF100.
The reviews were generally very good and since Canon were getting ready to drop a newer model, the price had been falling too. At the time the FS100 was ~$350-$400 and the HF100 was $200 more. Amazon had a great price -- as good as every reputable merchant that sold the camera -- so I bought it here.
The camera itself is compact, but not so small as to be hard to handle. It's also pretty light weight (but not flimsy). There are no moving parts since it uses the SD card, and each shot is saved as a separate file.
So far, I've shot indoors and at the beach. Both came out great. I got decent looking video indoors with lighting that my old DV camera couldn't cope with (and it was supposed to be above average at low light).
The HD looks fantastic even with default "easy mode" settings and general use of the camera is easy. Very point-and-shoot.
The default battery drains fairly quickly, but you can get after market batteries pretty cheaply if you shop around.
All in all I am very pleased with this camera. It was a good price, is easy to use and takes some pretty good looking video.
Customer Review: Great value at the current prices
Summary: 5 Stars
The HF100 is a great deal right now. Compared to my old standard def miniDV (Canon ZR-30) camera, the hf100 is a hands down winner. One big area of improvement is the image quality in "room lighting". Under incandescent bulb lighting, the detail, color and sharpness are very good. There is still noise in low light, but it is much more reasonable.
The camera creates a new file on the SDHC card each time you press the record button. You can view and delete each "scene" in camera, allowing you to free up valuable space. Compared to tape, the non-linear nature of the videos is a big plus. No fast forwarding or rewinding required.
I have found the following downsides so far...
1) Battery life is just ok.
2) The built in video light is not that useful. It has a very blue tint to it, and is not very flattering to your subjects. An add-on light is still required if you are picky about this.
3) The built in microphone picks up the holders voice at a very high level. I find myself speaking much more gently when talking to my subjects.
4) There is no eye level viewfinder, just the lcd, which can be troublesome in very bright light.
5) The biggest issue for me is going to be the archiving of the raw files. Tape provides you with an instant archive that is missed. While you will save some money from not buying tapes, plan on spending some money on Hard Drives, or a Blu-Ray burner if you need more than just a burned dvd of your videos.
If you buy this camera, I'd recommend getting a second battery, a 16 or 32gb SD card (8gb = 1:05 hours at highest quality), and an SDHC card reader for your PC.
To sum up, this is a great product if you realize what you are getting into. High Def AVCHD video creates large files that require a powerful pc to edit. Archiving can be frustrating. With those caveats aside, the HF100 is hard to beat when compared to the competition, especially at the current price.
Customer Review: CANON vixia HF 100
Summary: 5 Stars
I highly recommend this camcorder but you need to be clear what you are ordering. I have used this for over a month and the videos are of high quality, something you would expect from Canon. The camcorder is very light and easy to use; in fact it has an Easy setting for those who don't want to use the many settings. It makes almost no sound. Canon has many options and some are quite involved. The standard battery that comes with it lasts about one and a half hrs., just keep it charged (takes about 2-3hrs to charge it). I use a 16SDHC flash card which can record for 1-2 hrs depending on the quality setting. This easily downloads directly to my computer through an sd port. The stills are very good, equal to 4-5 megapixel cameras if used correctly; they are also easily downloaded The Pixela Image Maker software is acceptable although there is better software on the market. You can view directly on a regular or HD TV using the camera through the appropriate connection. It comes with a small remote.
Now here is where you must be careful. To edit and store HD quality videos, you need a powerful computer with plenty of memory and the appropriate graphics card (check this before purchasing if you want to make HD DVDs on your computer). You can buy the optional Canon DW-100 to burn HD DVDs directly from the camcorder. Burning standard quality DVDs is no problem but then why buy HD? Of course you need an HD TV or computer screen to view it in HD as well as a HD DVD player if you don't want to directly connect the camera. Think about all of this carefully. The Canon model that makes standard videos on a flash card is a lot cheaper.
The instruction book is written in a condensed format so you will need to read it carefully probably several times. I got the HF 100 instead of the HF 10 because I didn't see the need for the built in functionality in addition to the flash card. Have fun but be prepared.