Canon VIXIA HF S100 HD Flash Memory Camcorder with 10x Optical Zoom
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Product Description
Canons top-of-the-line, new VIXIA HF S100 Flash Memory
camcorder gives you everything you expect from Canon. It has a
powerful, new 8.59-megapixel Full HD CMOS Image sensor plus
Canons latest DIGIC DV III Image Processor. Add a Genuine Canon
10x HD Video Lens and the highest bit rate in AVCHD, and youve got
a camcorder that delivers spectacularly realistic HD video and photos.
You can record to removable SDHC memory cards for quick and easy
sharing, also enjoy fast, silent start-up and operation. The Canon
VIXIA HF S100 camcorder lets you shoot like a pro with assist
functions including new zebra patterns, color peaking, a Custom Key
and Dial, and shooting modes, including 24p Cinema Mode for video
that looks like a big-screen movie. The VIXIA HF S100 incorporates
some of Canons most exciting new functions, including Genuine
Canon Face Detection for perfect focus and exposure, even with faces
looking down or sideways, Pre-Record that captures video 3 seconds
before you press the record button, and the new Video Snapshot
Mode for saving your memories as a series of 4-second video clips set
to music. Shoot extraordinary video and photos with the VIXIA HF
S100. Canon USA 1-year limited warranty included.
Feature
- Record crisp HD video directly to a removable SDHC memory card
- Genuine Canon 10x HD video lens; SuperRange Optical Image Stabilizer
- 1920 x 1080 Full HD recording; 24p Cinema Mode, 30p Progressive Mode
- Built-in 8.0-megapixel digital camera delivers stunning quality photos
- HDMI terminal for easy, one-cable connectivity to your HDTV
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CustomerReviews
Great little camera
It's so small (which is great) that it's hard to hold steady sometimes. I also wish it had a direct viewfinder, but those are small complaints. The video quality is tremendous. I recently shot a conference from the back of a huge auditorium (tripod) and it turned out great.
good for camcorder, but not good for camera
Very good product, I love it. Camcorder is very good, but if you use this for camera.... The software for this is not easy to use, I have to download other software to edit my movies. I would recommend to buy this one
Two much noise in low light situations... :(
I was really excited to get this camera because of the good reviews on amazon but I was not impressed...
I played with the thing for a few hours in every mode inside my house and could never get the grainy noise to go away...
I used it outside and everything looked fine but once inside it was grainy again...30mbps 24 mpps 17mbps did not matter much inside...
I'm really considering returning it but I need a camera for my baby thats will be born next month...
The specs on this camera are amazing so I don't think you'll do any better but for the price you should love it...I don't!
If anyone has some advice, I'm all ears! If I had to do it all over I would have gone with a cheaper HD camera because they all seem to
be poor in low light situations... I don't know who would say this camera is good under low light situations because it's awful to me...
A bit like Goldilocks
Before you think I knock it too much, I really like my HF S100. I bought it mostly to fill a need I've had for some time, namely a do-all camera that has a reasonable zoom, a lithium-ion battery, flash memory, and can take good video and decent still images. I spent quite a bit of time trying out different "bridge" and "prosumer" cameras before hitting on the idea of looking at a camcorder first. In that regard I'm a little disappointed, the still images have an over processed appearance and there's limited manual controls. On the other hand, these are the first camcorder images I've seen that look like real pictures and not a frame grab.
There's a lot to like about the HF S100, video quality is outstanding, and I actually have to reduce the quality somewhat to play on my dual core Athlon. If I had a more powerful machine and a Blue Ray burner I could make some stellar movies. Definitely look into the detachable hot shoe microphone, it doesn't let you amplify sound from a distance but does remove some wind and local noise and all the clicks and pops from handling the camera. I also like how the battery is not completely enclosed, so "extended power" batteries can be used. Every review I've read complains about the lens cover rattling when it's turned off. Yes, it makes some noise but I barely notice it. A 16 GB SDHC card gives me about three and a half hours of video at the 720P setting, which is amazing considering how VHS-C Tapes used to be about 20 minutes.
So what makes me down on this camcorder? For one thing $1,100 is a serious chunk of change. It's not quite into the realm of interchangeable lenses but a lot for a single CCD device. It can take excellent video, but is very complex and needs to be set up properly, something not all consumers may be prepared to do. While it looks amazing, with glossy black and gun metal gray, what should be metal is plastic, and it simply doesn't feel very sturdy.
Do I regret getting it? A little as it doesn't completely fulfill what I was looking for, and for the money I expected more. However, the video quality makes up for a lot of that.
Love the AVCHD format, coming from HV10 HDV
I love cameras and camcorders, so over the years I've had my share of camcorders (Hi8, Digital 8, MiniDV, and HDV - I had them all! Just ask my wife.) Prior to the HFS100 I used the Canon HV10 3.1MP High-Definition MiniDV Camcorder with 10x Optical Zoom HDV cam for the past 1.5 years. The HV10's image quality is excellent, but its tape mechanism gave me a lot of problems (in Canon and Mack shops 3 times in the past 1.5 years, now broken again), so I was eager to move away from tape.
Initially I hesitated to move away from tape because of what people say about the AVCHD format - lower image quality, difficult to edit, needing powerful computer, no timecode, etc., but since my HV10 broke again, I took the plunge and bought the HF-S100.
As it turns out, tapeless camcorder is GREAT!!
- I DON'T HAVE TO BUY MINIDV TAPES ANY MORE!!
- Image quality in sufficient light is excellent, better than HV10 (some would even say better than HV20 or 30)
- Image quality in low-light is better than my HV10
- A lot of manual controls
- I can review video clips without rewinding tapes
- I can delete video clips that I don't want
- I can even split up clips if I want to
- I can use Class 4 SDHC cards according to the manual
- I can transfer video to my computer faster than real-time (as in HDV over IEEE 1394)
- I can randomly access older video MTS files (make sure you back-up!)
As for AVCHD editing, I purchased Sony Vegas Movie Studio 9 Platinum Pro Pack, which imports MTS files without any problem. I can even mix the videos I take from my camera (QuickTime .MOV format) on the editing timeline. On my 3-year-old laptop, it takes about 2x real-time to render to WMV or MP4 (so a 10-minute video takes about 20-minutes to render). Not super fast, but not that bad either.
As with my previous camcorders, I purchased a wide-angle adapter (Raynox HD 7000PRO - Converter) with makes it front-heavy; but it's balanced by the bigger battery (Canon BP-827 Lithium Ion Battery Pack for Vixia HG 20/21, HF11/10 & 100 Camcorders).
If I have to pick somethings I don't like about it, I guess it would be that:
- It doesn't have a standard-sized accessory shoe
- The media door is blocked if it's mounted on a tripod or a quick-release plate
Overall, I'm very happy with the camcorder. Highly recommended.
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