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: Amazing Video
Summary: 5 Stars
I cannot believe how well this thing shoots video. I work in the television industry and we just partially changed over to HD. The video from this camera shoots just as well as our $50k + camera in good lighting. In low lighting it doesn't compare. I don't think there is a consumer camcorder that does excellent in low light though. I have only edited one small clip using Sony Vegas Movie Studio. It is very time consuming and the quality turned out better than I expected in and HD WMV file. I am very pleased with my purchase. My previous camera was another Canon, I believe it was the ZR-200. In comparision with raw video, the HD quality is much better and the storage on my external hard drive is almost exactly the same. Can't beat thatDigital camera Review: Amazon the place for electronics
Summary: 4 Stars
I read all of the of the reviews before I bought the camera, and most of everything I have read is true. Camcorderinfo, Consumer Reports, Amazon, all gives this camera good ratings and I can see why. I think that most people will do their own homework when it comes to choosing a camera, so I will not focus my review on the camera itself. I will say it is one of the most convenient cameras I have ever owned, and the flash based recording is great. The thing that I would like to mention is my buying experience with Amazon. I never thought of Amazon as a place to buy electronics, but was I ever wrong. The price cannot be beat especially with the free shipping and no tax, and the camera came within the dates stated on the invoice via UPS. I live in Hawaii and the cost of shipping can be very expensive. I always loved my buying experience with Amazon, and know I can order my electronics from them as well.
Thanks Amazon!
Digital camera Review: An Amazing Little Camera
Summary: 5 Stars
This was an experiment for me as I had never played with a flash memory video camera. But I have used several tape based cameras, including professional equipment. The size is perfect it just fits in you hand and the unit is light. In fact it is so light you have to remember that it is there and avoid moving the camera too fast. A couple of minutes practice and I could smoothly and slowly zoom the 12x lens. Far better than any other tape camera I have used other than a $50K PROFESSIONAL SONY camera.
The camera comes on quickly.
A 16 GB SDHC class six card gives over 4 hours of video. Need more switch to another card.
The standard battery last 80-90 minutes. You may want a spare or a larger battery.
That "usability" which is great is still not the best feature. The actual video is stunning. I transcode the video into Final Cut Express for editing and I can create beautiful HD videos. I haven't played with the PC video software yet but when I get time I will write another review. Meanwhile, I rate this camera A for Amazing.
Digital camera Review: At least for someone like me, I think this is a pretty fantastic machine.
Summary: 5 Stars
I don't exactly know what people's qualms are about AVCHD. I have used miniDV hd camera's fairly extensively (a friend of mine loves them), but I really can't understand why people like them more.
There are a few really nice features about this camera. First, and I think most importantly, it has absolutely no moving parts (except the zoom lens). Anything that moves, like a motor to power a little spinning tape, for example, is pretty likely to break. I don't buy new cameras very often, so this is a pretty major concern for me.
The complaints that most people have with this camera, from what I've read in these reviews seem to stem from buying cheapy, crappy memory cards. It even says in the comprehensive manual that it is a bad idea to use anything lower than a class 4 memory card, because it might not be able to write all the information fast enough. I bought a 16gb Kingston SDHC for about $40, and have had superb quality.
The microphone that is built in is pretty good too. It offers some nice, stereo sound that is good for amateur film makers (though nothing will replace my nice little condenser mic).
The built in filters do a fairly nice job when working with different lighting, though I sort of wish this task was automatic.
The still camera offers some pretty good quality, but there are some problems. For example, if I want to take a picture, I have to switch to photo mode, press the record button, have the onscreen error that says I cannot record in photo mode, then press the picture button. I'm surprised that made it past product testing. I never much liked still photography, so I don't really care, and I don't usually use a video camera for stills anyway. This might just be my cam, though.
The included software is useless. I have not successfully been able to import anything with it. Actually, though, there really is no point. I have used this with Windows XP and Windows Vista, and I could simply plug it in and view my video files.
Another nice feature is that it seems to integrate pretty well into Sony Vegas 9.0b, and I am assuming Vegas 8 as well. This may not matter to some people, but I know in my Panasonic DVD Ram camera, it was a pain to comvert everything to mpg before I could edit it.
The only real complaint I have about this cam is the battery life. It doesn't seem fair that this gets the same battery as my DVD Ram camera, but it doesnt have to power any moving parts. I get about 79 minutes of power, then it shuts off. If I am not using any power to spin a disk or a hard drive, why don't I have more to use?
In the end, this is a very good camera, that I feel really does the job, especially for home movies or amateur film making. I really like it, and have found myself playing with it more than any of my other cameras.
Digital camera Review: Awesome Camera
Summary: 5 Stars
This is the first camcorder I've ever bought. This camera is awesome!! It looks great with a HDTV. The files are very big if you record in high def so I bought two 16 Gig memory cards. These are kind of expensive. Also, the battery the camera came with lasts about 80 minutes and you have to charge the battery while it's in the camera. I do suggest buying another battery and the separate battery charger. Also, the pictures that this camera can take are very high quality!!! If you have the money, buy this camera. You won't regret it. Flash memory is the way to go for camcorders.