Reviews for Canon VIXIA VIXIA HF100 Digital Camcorder - 2.7" LCD - CMOS

Good HD camcorder

Strengths: Good picture quality. Small and lightweight. No moving parts. Versatile flash storage. Useful night-light included. Takes OK still photos. Creates BD structure in real time on the flash card.

Weakness: No viewfinder. Useless HD editing / BD authoring software. Weak battery. Useless power-saving mode. Splits large files in 2GB chunks. No videorecorder (video input) capability.

It is said to be the first AVCHD camcorder on par with the more mature HDV technology in terms of picture quality. I'm not familiar with the other (older) AVC camcorders, so I don't know whether it's the literal truth. But the picture quality really is good. Of course, use it only in the highest quality mode, otherwise why bother purchasing this camera.

The included software is useless as an editor - there's no way to move the cursor just one frame forward or backward. As for BD authoring, it's laughable. That's made worse by the fact that currently there aren't many HD editors, and those available are not perfect (lossless editing anyone?). But I guess this is true for any HD camcorder currently, it's not like we have a lot of choice with this relatively immature technology (HD).

Get a bigger battery. The one included can barely function for 60 minutes, and often it expires before that. Also, the "power saving" feature is stupid - it draws way too much power from the already weak battery, and it saves maybe 1 sec of startup time. Don't use that feature - manually power down the device instead.

No viewfinder, but I guess that's OK given how small the device is. The LCD has a superbright mode which is good when filming at the beach.

The still pictures are actually quite good. Not as good as a full-blown modern digital camera, but OK to snap a quick picture once in a while. It's as good as, or better than, my previous digital camera actually (a 6 yr old Olympus).

It's small, lightweight, good looking, kind of nifty.

Remember, if you buy an HD camcorder now (April 2008), you are an early adopter, so do not expect a 100% trouble-free experience, no matter which camcorder you choose. This explains why I gave it 5 stars, despite the problems described above - you will encounter some problems with any HD camcorder now on the market.

The HF100, an AVCHD, fully solid-state (no moving parts) camcorder, is probably a preview of the way the HD technology will go. If you want HD but are tired of tapes, hard-drives, or any kind of moving parts, this is probably the best deal at the moment.

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The one to compare other AVCHD camcorders to

Strengths: Excellent HD video quality, small size, good ergonomics, 30p, 24p, & 60i modes with Cine mode (progressive is 60i converted), headphone & mic jacks (BIG plus!), HDMI out, uses flash memory

Weakness: battery life (BP-809) less than 1 hour, No HDMI cable included, no view finder, proprietary mini-hot shoe (not standard), poor software pkg, built in led video light has slight blue cast

This is Canon's 3rd gen AVCHD camcorder and their first using solid state flash memory (using SDHC class 6 card). I've been waiting for a flash memory, full 1080 HD camcorder for awhile. I didn't want to deal with mini dv tape, hard drive, nor DVD media. Transferring the footage from SD cards (via SDHC reader on USB2) to my pc only takes a few minutes. I also considered the 3 CCD (and smaller sized) Panasonic HDC-HS9, but based on my research, the Canon (with 1 CMOS sensor) is said to have better video quality - which is one of the most important feature of a camcorder.

First thing I noticed - the video quality and color is excellent in a well lighted environment but also pretty good in low light (compared to previous camcorders I used). The built in single LED light is surprisingly bright (up to about 10 feet and in a narrow area). It also casts a slight blue color. I guess for those moments when a light is needed in a pinch, this light would do. But I use an external Sima SL-20LX led video light instead and it works great with this camcorder. However, I have to use a video bracket to attach a standard shoe video light and external mic (The built in hot shoe does not accept standard sized accessories).

The camcorder's settings are easy to setup with logical menus. You access it using the joystick which is on the LCD screen. Besides the "Easy for dummies" mode, there are "semi-manual" controls like AV (aperature priority) to control aperature size and TV (shutter priority) to control shutter speed. There are other presets like "fireworks", "sports", "night" ,etc similar to Canon still cameras - if you ever are in that situation. There is "cine mode" which adds a "soft, film look" and can be used independently or together with 24p and 30p modes. Using both makes the video look better and film like - if you like that look. There is the 1080-60i mode if you like the "harsher" video interlaced look too. Note that there is NO 720p nor SD modes on this camcorder - only full 1080i.

Another thing I liked about this camcorder is the microphone input and headphone jack, which you just don't see in consumer camcorders anymore. The built in mic, which is in front, records great sound for a built in mic. There is also a sound meter so you can monitor the levels. Another thing I liked is the playback of videos on the flash card. Since the video is non-linear, you can delete the scene if you don't want it. The scenes show up as thumbnails on the lcd. This is helpful if you need to free up space on the memory card.

I knew before I purchased this that there wasn't much editing software out there that supports AVCHD. I am now using trial versions of Magix Movie 14 and Sony Movie Studio 8 - which are "consumer" level video editing apps. Pinnacle Studio claims it handles AVCHD but there is no free trial so I didn't try it. So far the Magix Movie 14 and Sony MS8 seems to handle the video well. Personally, I like Sony MS8 interface and workflow.

This is the best consumer camcorder I've used. I love everything about the camcorder - its size, ergononics, features, video workflow, and of course, video quality. If you are looking for a compact, full 1080, flash memory Hi-Def video camera with great picture quality, this is the one to buy (or at least, to compare the others against)!

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For 2008, this is THE HD camcorder to beat!

Strengths: Superb image quality, compact, lightweight, great feature set, incredible price (~$600!)

Weakness: None significant (somewhat convoluted user interface for special functions, somewhat short battery life)

I have been researching AVCHD camcorders for almost a year. When HF-100 was announced in January, it seemed that the AVCHD had finally arrived. I have had it for two months now and have shot over 20GB (2.5 hours) of HD video at max quality.

If you wish to switch to tapeless HD, this is the camcorder to beat (and HF-11 will be the one to beat it). Incredibly compact, the most significant quality is its superb picture. HD on 42" TV simply looks amazing. Check camcorderinfo.com for a lab test to confirm this. There are no MiniDV (standard-definition) camcorders that come even close, and majority of HD models are inferior.

Low light performance is surprisingly good. Remember, though, this is $600 consumer camcorder, not a $5000 professional one.

After migrating to AVCHD, I have finally realised how much hassle capturing and editing of MiniDV content was. Once I'm done shooting with this one, SDHC card goes straight into my card reader, iMovie automatically transcodes my captured files into AIC, which I can edit as I wish.

As we are still in the early stage of AVCHD (and Blu-Ray authoring), very few software tools can create Blu-Ray file structure. I'm happy to report that Toast Titanium 9 (Mac only) does a fine job. Great thing about that is, you don't need to burn your material to Blu-Ray recordable discs in order to get your videos to your Blu-Ray player. Any standard Blu-Ray player will play your HD files from a DVD-R, as long as they are properly encoded and formatted. Obviously, you'll have less space, so you won't be able to squeeze more than an hour on a dual-layer DVD, but these are $0.30 apiece, whereas Blu-Ray recordable discs are $20 each (in addition to that external Blu-Ray burner you need to buy).

This camcorder is an excellent way to enter the world of tapeless HD. You'll thank yourself ten years down the road for making that switch.

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Canon VIXIA HF100 Flash Memory Camcorder

Strengths: No tape noise, Compact Size, Canon Quality Lens, Option of no internal memory to keep cost low compared to HF-10, Excellent color reproduction

Weakness: Manual control is bad to useless as all the controls are menu driven, Need for powerful computer for post processing, No view finder as it helps when it is very sunnny outside. High capacity Battery

I was looking for a compact HD camcorder did lot of research, It was hard to pick the winner from the new line of HD cams from Canon for 2008. HV30, HF-10 & HF-100. Even though AVCHD is new format I picked this since it did not have any moving parts like Tape based or HD based camcorders, Lasts long less prone to defects and no tape noise in the recordings. True full HD quality nice colors acceptable low light features for home use. Very compact. Uses SDHC cards which are cheaper compared to Memory stick or CF cards. Color is not silver it is dark grey which looks good like pro camera colors. Picked this over HF-10 could not justify the additional $200 for 16g storage which can be bought outside for less than half of the price difference,

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Good HD camcorder

Strengths: Light weight, good video and photo image

Weakness: A bit expensive when compare with Panasonic

I spent time to compare HF100, Sony HDR-CX7 and Panasonic HDC-SD5/9. Sony may give similar image quality but the memory card is too expensive. The Panasonic is cheaper than HF100, but the expert’s comments are not encouraging. After using HF100 for two weeks, I am quite satisfied with its performance and price. The image for both video and photo are very good. It is light weight and easy to carry. I hope it can bundle with a DVD writer such as Panasonic SD5. If it comes with a portable light weight DVD writer, it would be perfect for all occasions such as a long trip.

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Canon Vixia HF-100

Strengths: Small size and good video quality

Weakness: No viewfinder, short battery life, charging using the camcorder itself, and anti-vibration

I bought this camcorder for the family to replace my 10 years old Sony camcorder. This time around I decided to get a digital camcorder without tape and with as less moving parts as possible. After shopping around and some online researches, I decided to get this Canon HF-100. The reason that I did not get the HF-10 is because they are the same camcorder other than HF-10 has 16GB of build-in memory and is in black body color; therefore, I want to save some money and think that I can get more memory cards for the difference. And, the reason that I did not get another Sony is because I don’t like Sony’s proprietary and expensive memory stick. Other than that, based on some online reviews, HF-100’s image quality seems to be very good for an AVCHD based camcorder.
The day after I received it and after charging the battery, I took it and start testing it around the house and played it back on my HDTV. The image quality is 200% better than my old Sony tape camcorder. The color is rich and saturated, it has very little artifacts, low light performance is good enough for me (a bit grainy sometime), the anti-vibration could be better, and the battery life is not acceptable (~ 1 hour). I did buy the Canon BP-819 battery pack and Canon CG-800 battery charger because I need the extra battery life and I don’t like the idea of charging the battery with the camcorder. As far as editing, I have no problem with my Mac using iMovie’08, but it does take awhile to capturing video from it.
My wife likes it for its size and I like it for its cinema mode and its video quality. I do miss the viewfinder and my wife is careless about it because she never used it on the old Sony anyway. But, this camcorder is for family (more for her), so if she is happy than I am happy. But seriously, as far as AVCHD camcorder goes, this is one little very good camcorder out there.

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Best camcorder for hiking

Strengths: Light and small Good image quality

Weakness: Too light(less stability) Poor OIS No viewfinder

This camera is 1920X1080 and which I think is a must have! (I don't know how people will accept 1440X1080). 24p seems even more useful than 30p. But 30p is of course a good plus.

It is very light and small. I choose it versus Harddrive based or HDV based camcorders because I want to take it with me during hiking and I need it to be small and light. The LCD screen seems a little bit too small, and the joy stick on the LCD Screen is hard to use. Also the mode switch is very hard to be shifted using the numb of right hand. But overall, it is easy to manipulate.

I wish it has two SDHC slots which would make travel more convenient: plug in two 16G cards and it is definitely enough for a whole day (I expect 16G card could be 1/3 priced compared with current).

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Beyond expectation

Strengths: very fast focus, great video quality, great image stabilization, light

Weakness: quite grainy on low light (everything is) but the auto focus still fast.

I will definitely recommend this product. Sony has a demo on our area and tried out the CX-7. The HF 100 is way fast and way sharp. The sony I think is more adptable to low light conditions due ot its magnificent Carl Zeiss lens - but in my opinion canon's electronics has a comfortable lead.

Much of the complaints is buying extra software to read the recorded AVCHD format. Well I dunno about Macs but what I do is just compile the recorded videos on windows movie maker and no problem. After XP churned out the WMV format, I burned it on DVD and archive it.

Great product for amateurs and starters like me.

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Decent AVCHD Comcorder

Strengths: Canon's expertise in imaging products, Outdoor and low light video quality, Ergonomics, Decent photo quality, Fast auto focus 12X zoom External MIC Port and Hot Shoe port

Weakness: Bundled Software, Battery life with the bundled battery, No 5.1 Surround Sound, No Face Detection in Video mode, Remote IR receiver location

Nothing beats the convenience of the AVCHD format recorded on the SDHC cards. PS3 and Windows Media Players play the video files without any conversion.

This camcorder takes pretty decent outdoor video and better low light video compared to the competition. Low light video quality is still not on par with HDV but slowly getting there.

There are lots of user adjustable settings like changing the frame rate, color saturation and preset modes like portrait, spot, fireworks etc which are pretty usable. Dedicated playback buttons on the LCD are very convenient.

The cold start up time of the camera is pretty fast and even faster in the quick start mode. All the controls are well laid out and don't interfere with each other. The zoom is extremely smooth and noise free. Auto focus is pretty fast.

One of the major disappointments is the lack of 5.1 surround sound compared to Sony and Panasonic. Lack of facial recognition, zebra, auto ground sensor compared to the competition. IR receiver location is inside the LCD which forces you to open the LCD wasting battery during playback on TV.

The bundled software is pretty basic. Some compatibility issues with the third party software.

Need a very powerful computer to process video. To be fair this is a AVCHD format issue rather than the camcorders but something to keep in mind nevertheless.

All in all IMHO it is pretty decent effort from Canon. Check out the competition though before committing.

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Nice camcorder

Strengths: High definition recording, excellent color and brightness, light weight, compact design

Weakness: recording at night, no viewfinder

This is a really decent camcorder with high definition. It has almost everything for home video recording. Although it is not good for low light recording, it is still a good choice. The most attractive feature for me besides the HD is the compact body design with fairly light weight.
One thing should be mentioned is the included video editing software. It is not so powerful to convert the HD video to a web based video. Once you translate the HD video to a 320x240 format video, not only the size is reduced but also the quality. I must use a professional video editing software to do the translation.
For the HD quality video, it is very sharp and vivid.
I'd say, it is the best home electronics I bought so far.

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Great product in a small package!

Strengths: Small, HD, flash-based, great image quality.

Weakness: HD file format may be tough to deal with. Low-light is not great (but never is). Hot-shoe is non-standard.

This is a great little camera that records full HD on SDHC cards. I am shooting a lot more video of my family with this camera now since I know I can easily download the results onto my hard drive (rather than from Mini DV tapes). No moving [storage] parts (e.g., magnetic hard drive, tape drive) means great battery life.

On the down-side.. The compressed HD file format requires significant computing power to replay or edit on a PC; and I'm having trouble finding a light for this camera, due to the proprietary hot-shoe.

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Canon VIXIA HF100 Flash Memory Camcorder

Strengths: Compact size; light weight; excellent feedbacks; AVCHD technology

Weakness: no view finder

This camcorder has comfortable weight and size which makes snap shooting more convenient and enjoyable. The SD slot can keep pace with whatever new memory technology brings to the world and make the future upgrade feasible.

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First FULLHD1080p 30p SDHC Flash Camcorder

Strengths: 1080 24p 30p mode , OIS , flash base , no moving parts at all , light weight

Weakness: Battery Life , Noise, must use SDHC class6 for FXP mode , software is very lacking , prepare to get sony vegas

I am not going to go thru most Pros , if u are reading this , u know u would expect a flash base AVCHD camcorder supposed to be comparable with other canon HDD base or HiDV base offerings.

I am going to post a sample video somewhere , so ppl can see it with themselves for picture quality.
vimeo.com/861101...

Cons,

File recorded as MTS file

Camcorder will not record in FXP mode if SD card cannot write fast enough , u will know once u put it into the camcorder.

Included battery BP-809 last 84 Min. Max

/// after 1 wk
I have got a BP-819 battery , it shows 167 min battery life , expects some noise for less than ideal indoor lighting condition.

Focus is having a good speed with i AF , sometime it gets confused and focused on the wrong item , but overall is good.

I tried to shoot something this is close the camcorder , but so far I have not succeeded yet. I am not sure if it can do macro .

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Very good camcorder

Strengths: Decent image quality

Weakness: AVCHD is requiring huge space. Image stability seems not work very good

I got this camcorder through a B&H deal. It is really worth investment since it will record a HD quality of your memories. I know there will be better and cheaper camcorders appear in the market but your good memories is also leaving.

This camcorder has a very decent image quality. Altough when your hands are shaking or you shoot when you are moving, the image seems not very good. So I suggest it might be the IS isn't strong enough?

Another drawback is the AVCHD form is requiring a lot of space, I bought a 8GB SDHC card but it seems not enough.

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great little one

Strengths: * Very good hight definition video quality * Low Price * Solid State camcorder (no moving parts). * Allows high definition video to play on normal TV.

Weakness: * Battery life * useless editing s/w provided by Canon * No hdmi cable provided by Canon. * No viewfinder. * does not allow to record in standard definition mode.

This is great camcorder to buy for a consumer. It produces high quality video. Canon should have given at least 4 gb of SDHC card with the camera.

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A nice consumer HD camcorder

Strengths: High picture quality (with enough light and steady shot), Record on removable flash media, Compact Size

Weakness: rolling shutter artifacts, grainy picture in low light, shaky picture if shot in motion, extra cost for editing software

Pro:
A. It produces gorgeous full HD videos when you have decent lighting (daytime outdoor, well lit indoor) AND camcorder is steady (on tripod or in a steady hand).
Personally, I shot about 90% of my videos with these two conditions met.

B. It saves video on removable SD/SDHC media. No more dirty video head to clean.

C. It's a lot smaller and lighter than camcorders that use tape.

Con:
A. It uses CMOS sensor, thus has the rolling shutter artifacts. I've not seen much wobbling in my videos. I do see some skewing (vertical object appears leaning). But it's not noticeable if you don't try to find it.

B. I got grainy videos in rooms with blinds shut at daytime. That's expected from a consumer camcorder though.

C. Videos becomes very shaky, sometimes nauseating, if taken from within a moving car or the person taking the video is walking.

D. The software that comes with it is very basic. You need to spend extra to get a decent editing software.

Overall, I like this camcorder a lot. It has its own share of shortcomings but they are manageable.

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Best as of yet

Strengths: HD, ultracompact, SDHC

Weakness: Flashlight, AVCHD

I was looking for the best HD camcorder and after a lot of research settled on this. I love its compactness. Its slightly bigger than your palm. Controls are nicely laid out. The quality of video is amazing esp if you watch it on HDTV. However these come at a cost. First of all, price is little high. The flashlight is almost non-existent. Low light performance is so so. AVCHD format is very troublesome to work with. It requires a lot of CPU and fast processor. Recording on SDHC is nice as you can quickly change once its full. Overall, I liked it so far.

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Nice HD Camcorder

Strengths: True HD resolution: 1920 x 1080, small overall size, light-weighted

Weakness: a little bit pricey, not so satisfactory low-light performance, no internal memory

Overall, this is a decent HD camcorder, just the price is still a little bit high in the market. It has 12x optical zoom lens with optical image stabilizer, with a native resolution of 1920 x 1080, rather than the laterally expanded HD 1440 x 1080 of some brands. 3 Mp still images can also be captured. Although it comes with an optical stabilizer, the video still looks very unstable if shot hand-held. You really need a tripod if you want to experience the clarity of HD. Most operations are intuitive. The included software is easy to use but lack of some advanced functions, additional video processing software is recommended if serious job is to be done.

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Nice and compact

Strengths: small size, light weight, picture quality

Weakness: low light performance

This camera was a replacement for our Canon miniDV camcorder. A definite upgrade in terms of size and picture quality.
The memory cards make it much more convenient to carry around extras, and download to my PC.

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Love this camcorder!

Strengths: Great camcorder. Small Size. Flash memory

Weakness: Wish the battery life was longer. Battery that comes with it appears to only get 70-80 minutes out of a charge.

Great camera for portability and image quality. You will need a couple of 16Gig SDHC cards to store video when you're away from home - only get 2 hrs of recording at highest quality per 16Gig card.

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Excellent SD card HD camcorder

Strengths: Excellent video performance; multiframe selection; good lens and manual controls

Weakness: No viewfinder; little expensive; short battery life

Yesterday, I got my HF100. It can shoot sharp, accurate color and vivid video. It also supports multiframe (60i, 25p, 30p) and has fast auto focus even in low light environment (this morning in my home), manual focus, aperture & shutter speed controls, and compact good look. The big problem is its battery life. I used about 3 hours to charge it and can shoot about 50 minutes' HD video. I have to buy a Canon BP-819 battery to replace its original battery. Just like all consumer camcorders, the noise can be seen in low light situation.

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Canon VIXIA HF100 Flash Memory Camcorder

Strengths: Picture quality, size, no tapes.

Weakness: Price?

Very happy with this HD camcorder. I was waiting for a HD camcorder that used solid state memory, which seems like it should be more reliable than tapes. I assume the power consumption is less too. Can't see any point in paying the extra for the HF10 with the 16GB built-in memory - 8GB SDHCs are only ~$40 and they'll probably be giving those away in breakfast cereal this time next year.

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Everything I wanted in a compact digital camcorder

Strengths: Out-specs the current competition (Sony HDR-CX7, Panasonic HDC-SD9) for a reasonable price. Packs pretty much has everything you can ask for in a digital camcorder this size.

Weakness: Slightly expensive especially compared to the competing Panasonic HDC-SD9.

I waited quite a long time for a 1080p digital camcorder that was compact, lightweight, used flash memory, and had good video quality -- I've finally found it. There's been 1080p digital camcorders for a while now, but I've always had a specific gripe about all the previous models. Competing flash-based models such as the Panasonic HDC-SD9 & Sony HDR-CX7 were compact and light, but didn't deliver very good video quality. Those that used HDDs or Blu-ray discs had better video quality, but were bulkier and heavier.

In my opinion, Canon finally hit a homerun with the HF100. I would also recommend the HF100 over the HF10 since the difference in price of the HF10 doesn't justify the 16GB of built-in storage; 16GB of flash can be easily purchased for

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Canon Vixia HF100

THE GOOD: Excellent video quality; fast focus; compact, attractive, and comfortable design. THE BAD: Wind filter not as dependable as previous Canon models; manual focus pretty useless. THE BOTTOM LINE: One of a pair of Canons first flash-based camcorders, the Canon Vixia HF100, delivers excellent HD video quality and performance in a tiny package.

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The Canon HF100 is similar to the Canon HF10 without the dual flash memory. The HF10 has an internal 16GB memory and an SD card slot, whereas the HF100 only has an SD slot. ... PROS: (1) 37 mm lens makes using other attachments a breeze (2) Best-in-class video (3) utilizes cheap, capacious and easy to find SDHC storage (4) 12x optical zoom (5) records in full 1080p high definition ... CONS: (1)...

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