 Best consumer camcorder I have ever seen. Reviewed by professional videographer. |
| Review Date: April 5, 2009 |
| Reviewer: S. Seeberger, United States |
I have owned a small wedding videography company for 5 years and after using the HFS10 for a week I am incredibly pleased with it. Please note the HFS10 is identical to the HFS100 except the HFS10 also comes with 32GB of internal flash memory.
If you want the smallest camcorder you can get without sacrificing video quality in any way, than this is the camcorder for you. I am amazed at how small this thing is while still having a professional grade lens. This is the same Canon lens as on their GL2 which is probably the most well loved entry level professional camcorder ever (which I have owned for a few years).
Pros:
1.) Professional camera lens with superb HD video quality (even in low light situations). I cannot express enough how incredible the pictures look.
2.) Accepts up to 32 GB of SDHC Flash memory
A.) Flash memory is instant. No waiting for tapes to wind or hard drives to spin. The camera goes from off to red light recording in less than 2 seconds.
B.) Flash memory helps keep the camera small.
C.) Flash memory protects data from being lost due to the camera being dropped or hit (a real problem with hard drive cameras).
3.) The still picture quality, even with the built in flash, is unbelievable for a camcorder. I feel like I am shooting with my Rebel XTi.
4.) I like the auto open and close lens cover. It only opens when you are really shooting. If the camera is off or if you are reviewing it immediately closes.
5.) Menus are very simple to navigate.
Cons:
1.) Doesn't come with an HDMI cable. Since it doesn't take a normal sized HDMI cable I reckon there is no excuse for that.
2.) Doesn't come with a battery charger. You either have to spend $50 to get one or recharge batteries using the camcorder itself.
3.) No internal memory, but it's $200 more for the HFS10 for only 32GB of internal storage and that is way too much. It should have only cost an extra $100. Unless you need to be able to record more than 2.5 hours of shooting without changing SDHC cards, then get this camera because a 32GB class 6 SDHC card only costs $100.
4.) Only comes with the BP-809 battery which doesn't even last an hour. So you will need to buy the BP-827 which costs another $150. The BP-827 does stick out from the back just a slight bit, but not even an inch and is really not noticeable nor does it add any real weight.
5.) 10X optical zoom is a small slim for my liking. I am used to 20X.
This camcorder is basically a professional lens barrel with an LCD on the side which gives you the best picture quality possible while keeping the size incredibly small. I cannot encourage you enough to get this camcorder. |
Fantastic Images and Features, Remarkable Stills
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| Review Date: May 5, 2009 |
| Reviewer: Tom D, Columbus, OH United States |
I'll try to cover what others haven't. Yes, the images are sharp and the colors are faithful. That goes for both video and stills. I'll try to post an image of a flower as an example of a still shot. Posting video's problematic. One of the key reasons I chose this camcorder is its still image capabilities. I followed other reviewer's recommendations and buy the separate battery charger and BP-827 battery. And I buy the optional video light, VFL-2 which is light and small.
If you're new to video, it's a commitment. Taking excellent videos requires concentration, and at least a small bit of practice. Though the camcorder is truly compact, the supporting equipment is an order of magnitude more bulky than with today's point and shoot digital camera. You can slip an brilliant point and shoot in your pocket; video demands a case for the charger, cables, optional video light and power supply at a minimum. Then there's the mandatory downloading and editing.
This camcorder has so many features and choices that you'll need to refer to the manual and once you know the way the menu system works, it's honestly intuitive. There are five resolution choices for video. Similar for stills. On the other hand, you can start making videos and stills out of the box; they may not quite match your preferences though. The complexity of the options shouldn't stop anyone; you don't have to take advantage of all the features. To get what you want, you'll need to spend maybe an hour with the camera and manual. The you can pretty much ignore the details if you wish.
The screen image is readable, even in bright sunlight. And even better with a small tilt to place it in shadow. The controls are OK though the zoom is just a tad awkward for my stubby fingers. Record/Stop is convenient and the camera sits well in your hand. No huge deal. Tougher I suppose if you're left handed.
I have a couple of 16G, class 6 SDHC cards because they're at the right price point. They're excellent for 1 hour 18 minutes at the highest resolution and that pretty well matches the included battery capability. That's a LOT of video, though an hour of video may end up as only a few minutes of edited material worth keeping.
So far I haven't figured out how to get the video directly off the flash card so it can be edited with the software. I have to download it from the camera using the included software. It may be a problem with the Corel editing software I'm trying to use. The included software seems to have limited editing capabilities, but that may reflect my inexperience as a user. The manual for the software is lengthy, but so far, not particularly useful. (added 17 May 09, With more time the Corel Video Studio 12 is perfect, cheap, and has all the features I need and I've been able to pull the video directly off the SDHC card without using the camera, very convenient).
The zoom's what you'd expect. The optical zoom is magnificent. The digital has two setting, one to 40X and one to 200X. The 40X setting's excellent, the 200X looses a lot and I really can't imagine a useful application, perhaps very fantastic distances with infinite focus. Only the optical zoom works with stills.
What I like best: fantastic images, the 3 second "pre-record" feature, gorgeous stills, OK sound with the built-in microphone, pop-up flash and video light, and yeah, again crisp images.
What I don't like: not crazy about the software, no separate charger, no case or excellent case recommendation (see below). Trivial compared to what I like.
Finding a suitable case wasn't obvious. Tough search. I'm pleased with a USA Gear Pro Series "Gear S-6" for $14.95 from Amazon through Accessory Genie. See my reviews of that case and the Case Logic TBC-5 Medium Case I didn't like for this application. |
Get this instead of the HFS10, you'll get more for your $
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| Review Date: April 11, 2009 |
| Reviewer: Matthew A. Dotson, |
First off, the HD quality is incredible. I'm not a professional, but it looks like broadcast quality to me. I really like the camcorder, it fits comfortably in my hands. The controls are simple to use, and the lcd is bright and simple to see. It is not nearly as small as the Canon VIXIA HF100 Flash Memory High Definition Camcorder with 12x Optical Image Stabilized Zoom, but its quality makes up for the larger size. Its size is really nearly all lens, the lcd and electronics don't add much space to it.
I spent a lot of time trying to choose between the Canon VIXIA HFS100 HD Flash Memory Camcorder w/10x Optical Zoom and the Canon VIXIA HFS10 HD Dual Flash Memory w/32GB Internal Memory & 10x Optical Zoom. The only difference between the two devices is the 32GB built-in memory. While that might sound like a nice feature, 32GB for $200 extra is ridiculously expensive. Also, 32GB is not that much if you are recording @ full quality.
I found a solution which gave me A LOT more memory at a fraction of the cost. I got a MoFoto 500GB Portable Photo & Video Storage to backup the SDHC cards when they fill up. This gave me over 460GB more storage space than I would have gotten with the Canon VIXIA HFS10 HD Dual Flash Memory w/32GB Internal Memory & 10x Optical Zoom. I'm really pleased with my solution.
This also saved me a lot of money over buying anotherSanDisk 16gb Extreme® III 30MB/s Edition SDHC High Performance Card.
I agree with other reviewers that the battery it comes with doesn't last very long. Get the Canon BP-827 Lithium Ion Battery Pack for Vixia HG 20/21, HF11/10 & 100 Camcorders, even though it's way over priced. I've ordered mine.
If you want to see the quality, just google for HFS100 sample footage, there is a lot starting to show up on the web/youtube.
Bottom line, buy this. I couldn't find anything better, and I'm really pleased with it. You get some incredible quality at a reasonable price. |
Highly Recommended, but know the "total package cost!
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| Review Date: November 30, 2009 |
| Reviewer: Stockstradr, Bay Area |
MY BACKGROUND: techno-geek engineer, camera and camcorder enthusiast, not a pro videographer or pro photographer. I bought this product from Amazon (fantastic price!) and have explored its capabilities VERY thoroughly for nine months. I use this camcorder to capture magic moments in the life of our 15 month-ancient daughter.
REVIEW IN A PARAGRAPH:
Highly recommended for being one of the best full HD (60i/30p @ 1920x1080) "prosumer" camcorders - at this price level. Yes, the convenient SD flash memory is so much better than messy digital tape. The Auto Focus often works even after you attach the recommended accessory lenses or filters. We like this video camera! But you only see the exceptionally vibrant and very-close-to-broadcast-quality video IF you shoot under very bright indoor light lighting conditions (or outdoor on sunny day, or a cloudy day that still manages to be bright) ; otherwise, in less intense indoor lighting the video looks excellent but nothing that your eyes will perceive as close-to-broadcast-HD quality. (NOTE: this drawback of lower performance in less light is typical to ALL camcorders at this price point, and this one is the least affected by it.) Qualifier: no "video professional" with trained eyes would ever mistake the best video from this camcorder for being close to right broadcast-quality HD, but I do claim that the typical non-professional WILL perceive it as being stunningly close.
An example will help clarify what is meant by "very bright indoor lighting": if we shoot video at our kitchen table (under direct overhead lighting of five unshaded 75-watt incandescent bulbs) even that much light is NOT enough light to get the best video this camcorder can produce. But, if I place two separate inexpensive flood lights (each using two standard 150-watt incandescent bulbs, so in total 600 Watts!) directly on the subject from about five feet away, then the resulting HD video is so close to broadcast-quality on brightness, crispness, and color intensity that friends and family are stunned when seeing it on a huge-screen LCD. For fantastic indoor video, you'll need something like two easily movable floor lamps / floods that you can position to place at least 600 watts of incandescent light (or equiv.) onto your subject. If your home decor doesn't suffer to much for it, you can check out the inexpensive 72" Tochiere brushed metal Floor Lamps available from low-cost department store starting with "T" named after something you aim at. Get about three or four of those to go quickly around the house; you'll have plenty of light for shooting video.
YOU MAY NOT KNOW THIS ABOUT THE S10/S100:
1) Shoots astoundingly fantastic photos and can even do continuous-mode 8-megapixel snapshots at 5 frames/second. You will not miss your baby's momentary smile when you can shoot continuous stills at 5 f/sec, but if you do that for several minutes you will have A LOT of still images to parse!
2) The AF sensor is located INSIDE the lens ring, meaning the AF usually keeps working even with a variety (but not all) lens attachments.
3) It has the weird proprietary Canon Mini Advanced Accessory Shoe, so your previously existing Universal Hot Shoe accessories (such as camera external flash) will not fit this camcorder. You can buy a small adapter, but that can only convert to a universal COLD shoe.
4) It may have a 8.6Mp CMOS sensor, but it only utilizes 6Mp of that sensor when shooting movies. But, the video still looks fantastic.
5) This camcorder records to its memory in 60i; when you set its recording mode to say "24PF" or "30PF" it merely changes its post shooting CONVERSION method. If your goal is something like 24p, you will get better results to simply shoot in its native format, and do your own conversion in post using a higher-end 3rd party utility such as Cineform Neo Scene. NOTE: many report better video end result by using Cineform Neo Scene (or similar) to convert ALL of the S10/S100 AVCHD files for editing as visually lossless (but much larger) CineForm AVI or MOV files.
6) Get a Blu-ray burner (~$200) for your PC, and you can directly burn this camcorder's video onto Blu-ray disks, yielding permanent media containing stunning video when seen on a huge screen HD LCD.
KNOW THIS BEFORE YOU BUY:
This is NOT a sub $1000 investment; it is more like $1600+ (because you'll need to buy multiple must-have accessories). Plus, you'll likely learn your PC isn't quick enough to edit the very CPU-intensive AVCHD video, so you'll need to buy a very quick PC (which will cost you another $1500, or more). My total outlay is now over four grand, when I also include the cost of the quicker PC we had to buy.
This will better clarify how the "total package" must include the critically-needed accessories: imagine you shoot video of your child's soccer game in the park, only to learn your video is garbage because of wind noise. You see, to get acceptable sound when shooting under even slight wind conditions, ANY camcorder must use an external video mic equipped with a "dead cat" wind screen. Next, imagine you are sitting w/friends at dinner and you point the camera to capture mom holding baby on the opposite side of the table, but can't get them into the frame - because you need to buy a wide-angle lens. And there are a half-dozen other critically-needed video accessories you'll find you must buy to cover different shooting conditions; otherwise, you are gonna get embarrassingly mediocre video. This holds right for any camcorder, not just this one.
CONCLUSION: if this camcorder AND the minimally-required accessories (and new PC!) is outside your budget, then you're better offer buying a less-expensive camcorder so you can then also buy its critically needed accessories - because that lower cost (but more complete system) will yield better final video product, even if the video happens to be slightly lower resolution and not as crisp as you get from this Canon camcorder.
OK, let's say you're not worried about your budget. You've got money to burn. That's why I posted this review, to offer tips on the best "minimal set of accessories" for this Canon camcorder. I spent many hours reading online reviews specific to the S100, then I bought a variety of recommended accessories and tested them, figured out which are critically-needed for excellent video, parsing them down to this list of MUST-HAVE accessories to get fantastic video from the S100:
-> PC w/Intel Core i7-920 2.66GHz (or similar), at least 4GB (or more) SDRAM, ATI Radeon HD 4850 (or better) video card, Blu-ray Disc Burner, plus a excellent 1080x1920 LCD monitor OR matching dual-LCD-monitors (1080x1920) highly recommended for video editing. OR: (expensive choice) Mac Pro Quad-Core (or 8 Core), with 3GB SDRAM (or more). Plus in either case you need at least a 1TB (2TB is better) in a RAID0 (or RAID10) array for needed read/write speeds; alternatively, you could go without the RAID and instead temporarily edit your video off a super-quick SSD (Intel X25-M, or similar), but you'll still need a large conventional hard drive (min 2TB) for archiving your video.
-> Video editing software. Limit your choices to software built to handle AVCHD format, such as: Sony Vegas Movie Studio Platinum 9 (PC Windows, lowest cost but powerful), OR: Adobe Premiere Pro CS4 (expensive but considered very excellent, well-reviewed). NOTES: the Canon Pixela video editing software included w/this camcorder is horrible. WARNING: before you buy ANY version 9 of Sony Vegas Movie Studio, be sure you read the reviews explaining the "crashes during render" which the only known fix can be a bit too "complex" for non-geek types and involves downloading CFF explorer from ntcore, installing it, then running CFFExplorer as Administrator and MANUALLY re-setting the 2GB limit flag in about FIVE different Sony Vegas run files so they can handle > than 2gig address space. This complex solution is found in the site sonycreativesoftware, go to Support > Forums.
-> Canon DM-100 Directional Stereo Microphone (I strongly recommend this Canon mic, as it does both mono shotgun mode, and also 90-degree and 120-degree stereo modes, and the S100 interacts w/this mic through the Mini Advanced Accessory Shoe), But, some pro's seem to prefer the Rode mics, such as Rode Stereo VideoMic + Dead Kitten wind screen, OR the Rode (shotgun) VideoMic. NOTES: for Rode camcorder mics to mount on S10/S100, you should google something like "Mini Advanced Accessory Shoe to Universal Shoe Adapter" to find the adapter you'll need.
-> Canon BP-819 Lithium Ion Battery Pack for HF10, HF100 HF S & HF M Camcorders (expensive!). It doubles the std battery capacity (1780mAh vs. 890 mAh), giving you about two hours or typical recording time, compared w/one hr for the standard battery. The Canon BP-827 Lithium Ion Battery Pack for Vixia HG, HF S & HF M Camcorders(very expensive!) triples the capacity to 2670mAh, OR consider a fantastic MONEY SAVER: for only $40 to $60 for 2700mAh non-OEM (non-Canon) battery, including the non-OEM battery charger (Note: the S100 will NOT charge these non-intelligent batteries or show battery time remaining, so that extra non-OEM charger is req'd, and consider the non-OEM battery available with LED power level indicator). Try a Google search string such as "BP-827 Canon Compatible Battery LED+Charger Kit"
-> Canon 2590B002 CG-800 Lithium Ion Battery Charger for 800 Series Batteries. OR: find the $20 non-OEM charger, see search string above.
-> SanDisk 32GB Ultra 15MB/s SDHC SD Card (SDSDH-032G-P36, Retail Packaging). Since the price is now so close, you might as well get the 15MB/sec instead of the Class 4 version. Canon explicitly states the Canon S10 / S100 is compatible with the SanDisk DHC SD Cards of at least Class 4.
-> Canon SC2000 Soft Carrying Case. Alternative: (less expensive) Lowepro Edit 120 Bag (or similar)
-> Tiffen P/N 58UVP 58mm UV Glass Filter, OR: Tiffen 58CLR 58mm Glass (protection) Filter, OR: Tiffen W58DIGULTCLR 58mm Ultra Clear Glass (protection) Filter
-> Moderate Wide-angle lenses: S10/S100 user community prefers the HD6600PRO58 or SRW-6600-58LE over the Raynox HD-7000PRO 0.7x Wideangle Lens. While Raynox claims slightly better optical performance of HD-7000PRO on S10/S100 vs HD6600PRO58 or SRW-6600-58LE (yet the pro users disagree claiming the HD6600PRO58 or SRW-6600-58LE have fantastic optics). Be aware huge drawbacks of the HD-7000PRO are high price, and it is a VERY heavy lens. The HD6600PRO58 or SRW-6600-58LE are said to avoid vignetting ONLY up to 5X zoom, (HD-7000PRO to 10X) but who uses a wide-angle lens beyond 5X zoom level anyway? (As for the Canon WD-H58 Wide Converter, plenty of pro's are saying that is a POS lens which is also far more expensive than the - superior - Raynox lenses mentioned above.) Many also note that the "expensive looking" profile and Industrial Design of those Raynox lenses somehow gives the Canon S10 / S100 a much "sexier" looking profile in a high-end camcorder kind of way, and yet the Canon WD-H58 just doesn't give your camcorder the same *bling*
-> HoodMan HD-300 LCD hood to shade the show from the sun. Tip: do a google search for Canon HV forum to find some excellent threads on accessories.
-> Tiffen 58CP, 58mm Circular Polarizer Filter, OR: Hoya B58CRPL, OR Tiffen 58WIDCP. Helps "pop" the clouds out against blue sky, and greatly reduces reflections on sunny days.
Nice-to-have Accessories:
-> Tiffen 58mm 812 Warming Filter
-> Tiffen 82mm Digital Ultra Clear Protective Filter (use if you buy the Raynox HD-7000, buy different size for the HD6600PRO58 or SRW-6600-58LE)
-> 0.45x or 0.50x Wideangle Lens.
-> Steadicam or similar. This is a VERY light camera, so easly shakes in hand when used without Steadicam.
WARNINGS: Do not buy the cheap Tripp Lite Mini-HDMI to HDMI Cable. They are worthless. I recommend the Sony Mini-HDMI to HDMI cables. |
Very handy camcorder, AVCHD is surprisingly handy
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| Review Date: May 23, 2009 |
| Reviewer: L. Johnson, Texas |
This camera is getting fantastic 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 ancient 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 3x3 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 bought 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, fantastic 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 vital 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 thought; 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 quicker 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 -> Show 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 Huge surprise as a first time AVCHD user: HD DVDs.
I initially thought the manual was mentioning making a regular DVD, which is also possible.
But in fact, when making an AVCHD DVD from the PIXELA software, you're really 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 huge reasons I finally chose this camera over cheaper alternatives, is the comparatively huge 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 made 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 Help. I fell in like with Stitch Help (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 delight in panoramic photos I have hanging. The ancient 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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November 30th, 2009 | 
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