Canon VIXIA HF S100 HD Flash Memory Camcorder with 10x Optical Zoom
- Record crisp HD video directly to a removable SDHC memory card
- Genuine Canon 10x HD video lens; SuperRange Optical Image Stabilizer
- 1920 x 1080 Full HD recording; 24p Cinema Mode, 30p Progressive Mode
- Built-in 8.0-megapixel digital camera delivers stunning quality photos
- HDMI terminal for easy, one-cable connectivity to your HDTV
Product Description
Canons top-of-the-line, new VIXIA HF S100 Flash Memory
camcorder gives you everything you expect from Canon. It has a
powerful, new 8.59-megapixel Full HD CMOS Image sensor plus
Canons latest DIGIC DV III Image Processor. Add a Genuine Canon
10x HD Video Lens and the highest bit rate in AVCHD, and youve got
a camcorder that delivers spectacularly realistic HD video and photos.
You can record to removable SDHC memory cards for quick and easy
sharing, also enjoy fast, silent start-up and operation. The Canon
VIXIA HF S100 camcorder lets you shoot like a pro with assist
functions including new zebra patterns, color peaking, a Custom Key
and Dial, and shooting modes, including 24p Cinema Mode for video
that looks like a big-screen movie. The VIXIA HF S100 incorporates
some of Canons most exciting new functions, including Genuine
Canon Face Detection for perfect focus and exposure, even with faces
looking down or sideways, Pre-Record that captures video 3 secon… More >>
Canon VIXIA HF S100 HD Flash Memory Camcorder with 10x Optical Zoom
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5 comments
A. Barger on November 29, 2009 at 12:23 pm
I bought this camera and here was my experience.
1. Took it out of the box and turned it on – immediately noticed the LCD had a dead pixel.
2. Shot a quick video which I then copied from the built in hard drive to my SD card. Put the SD card in my computer and tried to open the video but to my dismay the video is in the .mts file format which requires a special CODEC in order to open and view the video.
3. Tried to install the software hoping it would have the appropriate CODEC for me to view and edit the video but the software requires the serial number. I located the serial number and entered it into the software but for some reason the software just wouldn’t recognize it. Triple checked the manual to make sure I was entering the serial number. (Which is located behind the battery.)
4. Gave up on the software that came with the camera, did a little research online and found that VLC Media Player includes the CODEC required to open my video file. Installed VLC Media Player and I could finally view my video but unfortunately the video was so choppy it wasn’t worth watching or editing. I’m running an Intel Core 2 Duo processor and 4GB of RAM on Windows Vista. So I don’t think I lacked the hardware resources to watch the video smoothly.
5. Decided to try and transfer a few other video clips from the built in hard drive to my PC. When I plugged in my USB cable directly to the camera I was prompted to also plugin my power adapter. That was disappointing since a $100 Flip doesn’t require you to have your power adapter and USB cable to be plugged in at the same time to transfer videos. (I can only assume because of the much higher quality video this is necessary.)
6. After transferring the remaining videos I tried to install the software that came with the camera again. Still didn’t accept serial number so I called Canon. I navigated my way through their phone tree and was put on hold. Hung up after 20 minutes of hold music and returned the camera to the store.
Summary – don’t waste your time. It’s too valuable for this camera.
J. Chovatia on November 29, 2009 at 2:22 pm
I returned this camcorder after using it for a couple of weeks. I had two major issues with this camcorder. There is a noticeable delay in focusing, which is frustrating, especially when you are zooming into something. The other problem I had was that since the camcorder is so small and light, unless your hands are super-steady, the resulting footage can be quite shaky.
Apart from this, I think the transfer of the files from the sd card to the computer seems a bit cumbersome. The software that comes with the camcorder is not great in my opinion.
The Sony mini-dv tape camcorder I owned before this one performed much better.
S. Johnson on November 29, 2009 at 3:51 pm
Canon’s website says the list price for this camera (HFS100) is $1099 – not $1299, as stated by Amazon. Maybe Amazon has confused this camera with the HFS10, which does list for $1299.
D. French on November 29, 2009 at 4:46 pm
This is the first videocamera I’ve ever owned since my parents huge, clunky VHS camcorder. I’ve had the camera for a few weeks now and am very satisfied with it. I only gave it 4 stars because I’ve not yet tested all of the many features. High Defnition, writes directly to SD Memory Cards (No internal memory). Copying to computer is very fast. Takes excellent 8MP photos. I love the 24p + Cinema Mode. Its small, so you need a steady hand at times. All in all, I’m very satisfied.
F. Li on November 29, 2009 at 5:28 pm
This is a much improved camcorder.
pros:
good image resolution and color management
small size, better manual controls and good lens
cons:
continous focus unstable (hunting)
min lens focus length too long (it is easier to add tele converter)
noisy still pictures (no reason why can not do better since canon has good DSRL with this size of chip)