Canon VIXIA HF100 Flash Memory High Definition Camcorder with 12x Optical Image Stabilized Zoom by Canon
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Digital camera reviews of Canon VIXIA HF100 Flash Memory High Definition Camcorder with 12x Optical Image Stabilized Zoom
Digital camera Review: A decent vidcam
Summary: 4 Stars
I picked the HF 100 over the HF 10 largely based on other reviews here on Amazon. With the separate 16 Gbit smart card and card reader, the HF100 came in about $50 cheaper than the HF 10 with it's built in card. I haven't really had a chance to use the camera for shooting video, so far it's just been straight photos. The camera's kind of a pain to sync up with Windows for pulling the files down to my laptop, but after a lot of messing around I finally got Windows to notice when the camera's plugged into the USB port. My main complaint is that the HF 100 tends to wash out photos taken in strong sunlight, when using the auto settings. I assume that I can fix that by going manual, but I haven't gotten that far.
What I do like about it is the small size, lightweight feel, and the ability to carry it in my jacket pocket. Hopefully, I'll have more chance to shoot video and really put it through its paces soon.
Digital camera Review: A few optimizations and thoughts to enhance the user experience with this camera
Summary: 4 Stars
Hi Folks,
There are lots of great reviews describing the camera itself, so I will refrain from being redundant. I have had the camera for a while, so I want to share some comments.
1. VIDEO EDITING: The software that comes with the software is quite awful. I looked at the PINNACLE STUDIO 12 software, and was quite unimpressed, especially with stability. Then, I began using Corel VideoStudio X2 and was pleased with the results. The software is quite intuitive, inexpensive, and very stable. I like to save the files on my home theater PC and play them from there, so I saved my videos in HDV format, which is played by a number of video players.
2. NIGHT SHOOTING: Like most video cameras, you will lose a massive amount of detail with this camera when shooting at night. The built in video light is only adequate for subjects 2-3 feet away. It also makes the subject appear a ghostly white. Even worse, it casts a sharp shadow right next to the subject. I decided to purchase a video light. The canon official video light is 3 watts, and is expensive ($119 or more). Many reviewers have said that it has inadequate brightness. I decided to look at regular lights, and purchased the Sunpak RL-2O, and also the Sima ultra bright. The Sunpak is very very bright, casts sharp shadows, runs hot, has uneven light, and lasts only 12-13 minutes. It does not come with a shoe attachment for the bottom of the camera. The sima is quite bright, light and compact, and lasts almost an hour. It also has a built in diffuser, so it casts few shadows. You can also snap two or more sima lights together to create an array. I have decided to return the Sunpak, and order another Sima. One should be enough for most occasions, but 2 should be enough for every scenario.
On the down side, the Sima can create a greenish hue. I found that configuring custom white balance using a sheet of white paper, with the Sima light on, reduced the hue a lot. The camera appears to save this white balance setting for future use, so that's very nice.
Another issue is that both lights use a standard shoe. This camera uses a mini shoe. I decided to glue the little shoe adapter that came with the sima to the top of the camera's mini shoe using 3 tiny glue dots. It worked well, and I am pleased with the result.
Happy Shooting !!
Digital camera Review: A great camera for just about anyone
Summary: 4 Stars
I think this camera is great and would most certainly recommend it for anyone. The only one problem I found with it is that it is not as "shake proof" as I was hoping it would be. However the picture quality is excellent, and has more features then any other I have seen. Its easy to switch between setting things yourself and allowing the camera to do it for you which is wonderful for the inexperienced user. Worth the investment for capturing memories for a life time. Keep in mind though, this does not come with a memory card, but they are rather inexpensive.Digital camera Review: A great choice for HD
Summary: 4 Stars
I looked for over 3 months before purchasing a camcorder. I looked up cnet reviews and any other site that could offer information and finally ended up with the HF100. My final decision was based on the fact that the price is reaasonable for HD (only a couple hundred more than SD) and flash memory, I was interested in the HG10 also but settled on this one instead because of the fact that it offered flash vs. a hard drive. Depending on what you plan on using your camcorder for, what your budget is and what you require will determine what will work best for you. This is what I found so far from my HF100:
Pros:
The Canon HF100 HD camcorder is a good overall camcorder. The controls are easy to reach and the manual is readable and brief. The software to edit your video footage takes some getting used to and you have to have very high performance PC to work with the HD footage you record. I recommend a large capacity external hard drive also because the files recorded in HD get big fast.
Unless you have or plan on buying a blu ray disc player and burner, stick with a standard definition camcorder. Canon offers the HF15, I believe which is hundreds less than the HD version for those who are happy with dvd quality and don't wish to upgrade in the future.
Cons:
It's a little pricey but not bad, the battery life is only about 1 hour so you'll definately want to purchase the larger capacity battery (bp819) and it will stick out a little further but it gives you about 2 hours of recording time. The editing software takes some getting used to, I'm still working with it on my 3 year old laptop and it is very slow...thinking about upgrading when blu-ray r/w come down a little.
Good luck with your search for a camcorder!
Digital camera Review: A little on the pricey side
Summary: 5 Stars
Great camera but: this camera takes just wonderful video but: it seems that in order to view the pictures on tv you must first buy a dvd recorder hw100 for $177.00 and then in order to play this dvd you must purchase the blu-ray dvd player $299.00. i guess it was worth it but: i guess i would have bought these items anyway but: the camera just made me do it. if you are ready for high def? this camera is the way to go....