Canon VIXIA HF S100 Black 1/2.6" CMOS 8.59MP 2.7" 211K 10X Optical Zoom Full HD Flash Memory Camcorder

Reviewed By: Theo on 4/14/2009

Tech Level: high - Ownership: 1 day to 1 week

This user purchased this item from Newegg

Pros: Still quite small, even though the lens is big. Fits my hand nicely. I decided to get the flash card version, because you can get a 16gb card from newegg cheap and save $200 from getting the S10 model. I figure that I can transfer the video off the card after every other use. The 30fps and the 8mp are awesome.

Cons: The Software stinks. But I wasn't expecting much. Just use Video Studio X2 or the like. The HD video uses a different file format, than other formats that I was used too. Be prepared to upgrade your software so it will handle the H.264 video.

Other Thoughts: The stock battery is fine for 1.5 hours or so. If you shoot more than that, you should be adding another battery with charger. I found that a 16gb card with the stock battery will work fine up to the 1.5 hour mark(set at 30fps).

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Reviewed By: Awesome camcorder on 6/27/2009

Tech Level: high - Ownership: 1 month to 1 year

Pros: Awesome high def. video for a camcorder in this price range. No tapes to buy and less moving parts. Great lense for this price range. See the specs.

Cons: None.

Other Thoughts: HFS10 and HFS100 have the same Total Pixels Approx. 8.59 Megapixels (see Canons website, it's a typo here at Newegg).

HFS10 and HFS100 are identical except that the HFS10 has an internal flash drive 32Gigs not a internal hard drive.

For HFS100 or HFS10 use SDHC Flash (Get cat. 6) with a USB card reader not a Memory stick which is Sony's proprietary memory format.

(Transcend cat. 6, 8 or 16Gigs, with reader at Newegg are good deals.)

Flash memory can be inserted and removed 1,000's of times with little to no wear or service needed. Use the supplied USB cable to transfer data if flash insertion wear concerns you.

While holding a HFS100 or HFS10 in your hand rotate it 180 degrees, upside down and back up, you'll hear a rattle or clicking noise which is normal so don't return it. When it's powered off the lens cover rattles when closed, it's normal for these units.

Search the net if you don't like Newegg's price.

Newegg's customer service is great. :)

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Fantastic Camcorder, But a Little Pricey

Reviewed By: Grayson on 11/8/2009

Tech Level: high - Ownership: 1 month to 1 year

Pros: The HF S100 is powerful camera that has left my Elura 100 in the dust. The weight of the camera seems to be average, it's certainly not overly heavy, but its weight is enough that jitter is minimal.

When the camera is powered on with an SDHC card loaded, you're about 6 seconds away from being able to record. This is a huge improvement from the tape generation when you had to wait 4 seconds for the camera to turn on and another 4 to 5 before the tape was actually recording. This may seem like a marginal difference, but from experience I can tell you it makes a huge difference.

Flash memory also allows video capture that is only limited by the speed of the USB transfer rate; you don't have to capture in real-time like almost all consumer tape camcorders.

Moving to the recording aspect, the HF S100's auto-focus is quite fast, and its manual focus wheel is a huge improvement from the HV30's for example.

Canon has also developed a new menu system and it's truly quite good.

Cons: When it comes to audio, you'll find the usual problems; with consumer camcorders, the built-in mic picks up too much noise and does so at a less than awesome quality. I don't expect anything more, and it's better to capture too much than not enough when it comes to built-in mics, but just don't expect to be A-OK without a shotgun.

Battery life is less than good, and the first accessory you buy will be the BP-819.

When it comes to capturing your footage to the computer, the included software is asinine. It's clunky, clumsy, and just doesn't do its job well enough to warrant any use at all. It offers features that only seemed useful in 2003, and it's about as communicative as a Trappist monk when it's transferring large files. This reviewer suggests you buy a flash memory reader and just take the files directly from the card rather than going through software and a USB cable. I went with a Transcend 32GB class 6 with an included card reader, quite happy.

Other Thoughts: Once you actually have the footage on your hard drive, it's smooth sailing. The picture quality is really wonderful and the files are compatible with many NLEs (.mts files) right off the bat.

Just to comment on the digital still-photo camera capabilities of this camcorder, I can confirm they are mostly gimmicky. Lighting has to be abundant, and the composition has to be fairly simple, or the quality just takes a nose dive. Under the right conditions you can get a good, quality photo, but to put it simply, you shouldn’t rely on this camera, or even expect this camera to always deliver usable images.

In conclusion, if you’re looking for a consumer camcorder that shoots great HD and occasionally a decent photo, definitely consider this one. It truly has some great potential, and in the right hands, with the right accessories, can be comparable to a video camera 2 or even 3 times its price. I whole-heartedly recommend the HF S100 to anyone looking in the sub $1000 price range.

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Mike in Illinois

Reviewed By: on 11/1/2009

Tech Level: average - Ownership: 1 day to 1 week

This user purchased this item from Newegg

Pros: Newegg is the best i recieved item next day supa quick. The image quality is superior HF S100 is exactly same as HF S10 except the internal hard drive and S100 is cheaper, however, be prepared to buy a high quality SDHC card when you get item... you cannot use it at all, not even the menu options until you get a SDHC card. The spec sheets says buy a class4 card or higher for best results, I bought a class 10 it was about 56$ @ BestB. S100 is really easy to use if your tech savvy, if not read the manual. Image quality is superior snapshots are great and it has a stereo mic on both sides of lens so no need to purchase one. Easy to use straight outta da box

Cons: No SDHC card, No HDMI cable ...had purchase an HDMI 8' cable for 65$ a little extra cost as well as the SDHC card. Lens cap rattles when closed but not a real problem, it is well documented on all review sites and seems to pose no real issues. Even with the cons here im givin' it a 5 egg

Other Thoughts: If you get this camcorder you will be happy with it. New egg is the best at delivery. Keep it up guys I'll never buy from another site unless they can beat your customer service.

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Stunning Video Camera

Reviewed By: Joe in Texas on 9/14/2009

Tech Level: somewhat high - Ownership: 1 week to 1 month

This user purchased this item from Newegg

Pros: Stunning Video quality, lots of options for the gadget geeks, stills look great for a video camera platform, smooth image stabilizer.

Cons: Lack of accessories from Canon. Doesn't come with an HDMI cable.

Other Thoughts: The batteries for this camera from canon are ridiculously priced and I refuse to buy canon versions. There are plenty of aftermarket batteries up to 2700maH for under 70$. I purchased this cam from newegg and you can't beat their service as usual. There is some competition out there for cameras in this price range, and as I type this, a JVC model in the 900$ range was just released to the USA. I still think the canon is going to hold strong even with new competition due to the quality of this camera.

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