Canon VIXIA HFS100 HD Flash Memory Camcorder with 10x Optical Zoom
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.
User Ratings and Reviews
2 Stars Bought and returned
I returned this camcorder after using it for a couple of weeks. I had two major issues with this camcorder. There is a noticeable delay in focusing, which is frustrating, especially when you are zooming into something. The other problem I had was that since the camcorder is so small and light, unless your hands are super-steady, the resulting footage can be quite shaky.
Apart from this, I think the transfer of the files from the sd card to the computer seems a bit cumbersome. The software that comes with the camcorder is not great in my opinion.
The Sony mini-dv tape camcorder I owned before this one performed much better.
5 Stars Canon HFS100 Camcorder
It is incredible, The colors, The quality of recoded videos and the stills. After using a 1.07 MP for a bunch of years which I thought was ok, and now to do a side by side comparison Canon VIXIA HFS100 HD Flash Memory Camcorder with 10x Optical Zoom I will be going to the Grand Canyon later this year. With the battery it only weighs 1 pound, my poor shoulder. The stills shots I am still comparing to my Canon G6, we will see.
5 Stars Beyond expectations
Bought the HFS100 to upgrade to HD and the quality of the video is spectacular. Shot 5+ hours in Borneo in some tough conditions and every frame looks like a Discovery HD program. This camera is relatively expensive but worth it if you want true HD in your home videos.
5 Stars Great camera and camcorder!
This is one great camera and camcorder. 1080/30p video and an 8MP camera. The video is beautiful. Pictures are great. Easy to connect via HDMI-mini from Monoprice. Very easy to operate. Only wish the battery that the camera came with lasted longer.
5 Stars Very handy camcorder, AVCHD is surprisingly handy
This camera is getting great reviews here and on the net, but having owned one for a while, I have some positive comments and usability tips I haven’t seen elsewhere. (By the way, I’ve owned SLR’s and camcorders since the 70’s; including the old VHS on-the-shouldder camcorders. My previous camcorder, while I’ll keep handy, is a Canon Optura 300 DV camcorder. I also still use a Canon Powershot G3.).
1) Many net reviews knock the lack a view finder. Not a problem for me. I’ve shot lots of vacation video, on and off busses, and and out of taxis, lots of soccer games and band concerts. The tiltable LCD allows you to point or position a camera in many ways in which it would be impossible to use a view finder. So I got out of the habit of using a viewfinder years ago, except when trying to carefully compose a still shot. I now use the available gray 3×3 overlay grid to help with composition.
2) Compactness. I didn’t have to buy a new bag. The HF S100 fits well into the same bags I used for my PowerShot G3 and Optura 300; even better than the Optura 300 because I’d have to remove the Optura’s extended battery. The BP-819 I purchased for my HF S100 can stay in the camera all the time; much better for those vacation situations where I’d have to grab the camera out of the bag and be shooting within seconds.
3) Remote control can be used from behind the camera (receiver is on the visible side of the LCD). This is more of a usability comparison with my Optura 300 and PowerShot, but consider the following comments when considering other cameras, or using a camera with this capability:
When shooting, you don’t have to touch the camera, great for not jiggling the camera for stills (I’ve previously used the timer), but also shooting video without having to jar the camera on the tripod.
For shooting a soccer game or band concert from in the stands, I raise the tripod head as high as possible, and use the remote in my left hand to start/stop the recording, zoom, change settings, etc. My right hand just controls the tripod’s pan/tilt handle.
4) AVCHD is very handy. One reason this became important to me is I have a 1st generation HDTV without an HDMI input. I also don’t have a BlueRay burner. Before I bought the camera, I agonized over how I would look at the video except on my computer.
Sony Playstation 3 to the rescue. After shooting my initial test videos, I had what I initially thought was a silly idea; plug the camera into one of the PS3’s USB ports. What’s the worst that could happen, except that the two devices don’t communicate?
To my surprise; the PS3s menu showed it communicating with the camera, and the camera indicated I needed to choose between a DVD burner mode and computer mode. I set it to computer mode.
Then after selected the camera’s icon on the PS3, after waiting a few seconds, it started playing the video clips on the camera!
One unhandy thing about using the PS3 exactly that way, is it didn’t allow me to choose which clips to view, it plays from the beginning of the 1st clip.
To get around that, I import the video from the camera to my computer as one would normaly would (except it’s much faster than tape; ~20 min for 13 Gig). But my PIXELA library is on an external 500 Gig drive.
After safely ejecting the external drive from the computer, I carry it a few steps to the PS3, and plug it into a USB port.
From the PS3, I choose Options -> Display All, which allows me to navigate into the drive’s PIXELA library, and choose which clips to play individually. (I also have PS3 Media Server installed on my computer, but my home network can’t keep up; the resultant video stutters, with dropped frames, etc.)
So lacking HDMI in my home entertainment system hasn’t been a handicap; thanks to my PS3.
Another BIG surprise as a first time AVCHD user: HD DVDs.
I initially thought the manual was mentioning creating a regular DVD, which is also possible.
But in fact, when creating an AVCHD DVD from the PIXELA software, you’re actually burning/storing BlueRay compatible files and directories on the DVD, such as with data.
Pop the resultant DVD into the BlueRay player (in my case my PS3), and you’re looking at your editted video (with menus, etc.) in full HD!
5) Low light capability. One of the big reasons I finally chose this camera over cheaper alternatives, is the comparatively big image sensor, and published specs (how many lux required).
My first real use of the camera was a night baseball game. With default settings (NOT “Night” setting for example), the recorded video not only looks natural with the baseball stadium lights, but the dark areas are free of noise, with nicely saturated color. So in that situation, you get the nice HD perception of looking through a window at the game, without the noise I’ve seen with my older video cameras.
I’ve also shot video indoors, including a banquet, intentionally testing by shooting from the back of the banquet hall, zoomed in (optical only) toward the front where the speaking and awards are happening under the room’s lights, not extra lighting. Again, the final video looks pleasing and natural on my HDTV.
6) PIXELA ImageMixer software. I’m sure this package can’t hold a candle to iMovie or FinalCutPro, but it can do basic editting, and the gui allows you to browse through and view video clips directly in the library. I’ve also created MPEG4, and .mov versions of a particular movie. The .mov seems to have better quality than the mpeg4, with the same file size.
What I’m missing from my latest Canon cameras (I also own a PowerShot 590) is Stitch Assist. I fell in love with Stitch Assist (for panoramic stills), which I first used with my PowerShot G3, and also with my Optura 300. It surprises me that Canon is leaving out this feature. I’ll have to learn how to do without it, because I really enjoy panoramic photos I have hanging. The old PowerShot G3 still has a job.
In conclusion, my new Canon HF S100 does everything (well just about) that I need it to do, compactly and with pleasing results. So it gets my 5 stars.
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