SHOPPING HOME
      >  The Electronics Store   >  Categories   >  Camcorders   >  High Definition   <<<   YOU ARE HERE

Shopper's Delight

The Electronics Store
Canon VIXIA HF100 Flash Memory High Definition Camcorder With 12x Optical Image Stabilized Zoom


Image: Shopper's Delight: High Definition in The Electronics Store ~ Canon VIXIA HF100 Flash Memory High Definition Camcorder With 12x Optical Image Stabilized Zoom
 
 

Canon VIXIA HF100 Flash Memory High Definition Camcorder with 12x Optical Image Stabilized Zoom

 
 
Average Rating:    out of 135 Reviews
Price: $899.99
Sale: Too low to display
 
Brand: Canon
Model: HF100
UPC (Universal Product Code): 013803092004
EAN (European Article Number): 0013803092004
 
 
Batteries Included? 0
Digital Zoom: 200
Display Size: 2.7
Maximum Focal Length: 57
Maximum Resolution: 2070000
Minimum Focal Length: 4.8
Optical Zoom: 12
UPC: 013803092004
Warranty: 1 year warranty
Included Software: Yes
Monitor Size: 270
 
 
Features:
  • Capture high-definition video to flash memory
  • 12x optical zoom; SuperRange Optical Image Stabilizer
  • 24p Cinema Mode; 30p Progressive Mode
  • 2.7-inch widescreen Multi-Angle Vivid LCD
  • Simultaneous photo capture
 
Description: Now that you've upgraded your TV to an HDTV widescreen, doesn't it make sense to consider a Hi-Def Camcorder? The Canon VIXIA HF100 captures videos at 1920x1080 for true 1080i display. There are no tapes or discs to concern yourself with. It has an SD SDHC slot for video storage. So let your videos fill your new TV screen. Use the VIXIA from Canon. DIGIC DV II Image Processor SuperRange Optical Image Stabilization Instant AF (Auto Focus) 2.7 Multi-Angle Vivid Widescreen LCD Superb Shooting Control 24p Cinema Mode / 30p Progressive Mode Stunning Digital Photography Focusing System - Instant AF, Through the Lens/Manual Focusing Possible Auto and Manual exposure modes; Programmed AE - Auto, Program, Av, Tv, CINEMA, Portrait, Sports, Night, Snow, Beach, Sunset, Spotlight, Fireworks Recording Media - SD/SDHC Memory Card (not supplied) Audio - Dolby Digital 2ch (AC-3 2 ch) HDMI Terminal Type C 480i/480p/1080I Format Supported Microphone Terminal - 3.5 mm Stereo Mini-jack Mini HDMI Terminal and Mini Advanced Accessory Shoe Dimensions (WxHxD) 2.9 x 2.5 x 5.1 in (73x64x129mm); Weight (not including lens and battery pack) 13.4 oz (380g)
 
order Shopper's Delight: High Definition in The Electronics Store ~ Canon VIXIA HF100 Flash Memory High Definition Camcorder With 12x Optical Image Stabilized Zoom
 
 
 
 

Customer Reviews
 
Worst Reviews Latest Reviews Best Reviews
 
Review Summary: Plain sailing with the HF100 Date: 2008-11-21
 
Details: I got this as a wedding present and it got some immediate use as it was used to film both our wedding and subsequent honeymoon. The low lit church was not a problem although we could have benefited from an external microphone. The picture quality was magnificent and I was extremely happy with it! The honeymoon came next and we charged off to New York City for a week with two 16GB SDHC cards (Great Buy: Transcend 16GB SDHC CARD (SD 2.0 SPD CLASS 6) with Compact Card Reader).

New York in all its glory on sunny days this camcorder just kept me happy. It was put to the test as well. Time Squre at night, views from the top of the Empire State Building, from ferries, during meals ... it was great and the resulting picture quality was outstanding even coverted to regular DVD instead of Blue Ray. Image stabilization was a major boon. At one stage we were on the ferry going to visit the Statue of Liberty and a dragon fly landed on my wife's purse. She zoomed right in it and the pictures we got afterward were quite stunning. From a distance shot to almost macro quality close-ups in the space of 60 seconds ... fantastic.

Even the stock battery has served us well - the upgraded batteries were out of stock everywhere when we purchased this camera (kind of a bummer) but we never had a problem with the original ... seriously how often do you really shoot hours a day even on holiday?

I figure when we upgrade to fanatical parents we'll get the the beefier battery.

The gotcha for me was the software that came with it -- it is basic and to be honest rather crappy but it gets the job done. The puzzler however was that I was having a hell of a time burning DVD's and it took a significant amount of time to realize that the software would not burn to DVD+R disks, only DVD-R! Once I had bought a punnet of these I was good to go and have not looked back since!

You'd be a fool to buy a standard definition camera in this day and age, just in terms of future proofing. This camera appears to be one of the best, if not the best currently available and I for one have absolutely no complaints at all!
 
Review Summary: AVCHD is no problem for Sony Vegas 8.0 Pro and Dual 2Ghz Date: 2008-11-20
 
Details: If you've been doing research, you know that most people say that AVCHD is a nightmare to edit and render. Not so! You need Sony Vegas 8.0 Pro and a fairly new computer. Editing and rendering is slower than with HDV, but it's not a nightmare at all. Can't afford Sony Vegas 8.0 Pro? At least download the trial version to see what you're missing.
If you want to speed it up, shoot in XP+ instead of FXP--rendering takes 1/2 the time.

1) Shoot in 30p. Looks amazing and no deinterlacing required in post to be viewed on the web.
2) Do not use the software that came with the camera, Pixela Image Mixer. It wants to change the files to M2TS which, for some reason, turn out all garbled in Sony Vegas. Remove the card from the camera and put it in a card reader and transfer the MTS files directly to your computer.
3) Drag and drop an MTS file into Vegas
4) Edit
5) Render (if you shoot in 30p, then render in 30.000 frame rate (do not render in 29.970--it will give you a jittery video))

For Youtube rendering: There is a general consensus as to the settings that are best:
Search Youtube for:
"how to make your videos high quality using sony vegas"
 
Review Summary: Outstanding Video Quality Date: 2008-11-15
 
Details: This camcorder is a joy to use. The video quality is really amazing especially for the price. This was my 2nd HD camcorder. The first was a convenience, impulse purchase of a Panasonic HD-9 from Costco. Took it back-the video wasn't very good and image stabilization didn't work.
Then I did a lot of research and concluded HF100 was for me. No HV30 because of tape issues and microphone picks up hi-pitch tape noise. No HF10 because SD cards are so cheap anyway.
This camera is easy to operate, though you will want practice if you plan to navigate through the plethora of very useful custom settings. The screen brightness is great, it's useable in even the brightest outdoor settings. The image stabilization is really terrific. If you have somewhat of a steady hand you can take great video while hand held even with significant zoom.
I was a little apprehensive about the joystick control on the viewfinder but I find it is quite comfortable to use.
I use a Mac and it was no problem at all getting the video off the camera. If you have a 16 Gb card and it's pretty full of video it can take several minutes for the computer to go into import mode-seems it has to read the whole card first. So, be patient-it's working.
Though I've read some negatives about battery life, tri-pod mount and some about connector placement and such I don't share any of those as negatives. As for battery, we all have so many gadgets that need charging or syncing these days you just develop the habit of making sure they are fully charged. To me the amazing compact size and light weight advantages of the camcorder far outweighs connector or port placement issues.
 
Review Summary: Great camcorder, poor battery life, terrible software! Date: 2008-11-12
 
Details: I made a deep research. My goal from the beginning was Flash and especially SD camcorder. I think this is the future of this product - at least in the next 3-4 years.
I found HF100 the best in its class and answering perfect my needs - quality of picture; quality of sound, good variable speed zoom and all this - in an almost pocket size, easy to cary product. Despite the original bag was part of the deal, I found a small, "photo camera" bag. Now I'm carring the camera on my belt, having hands free during my trips. Amazing!
In addition to other pros:
- High picture quality;
- very good sound;
- very good zoom;
- easy and intuitive operation;
- small, compact size;
I like very much the function "power save mode" which lets you having your camera ready in half a second. You will not miss the moment, waiting the camera to start and load the tape...
I'm using A-Data 16G SDHC card for 2 hours of best quality HD pictures. It's fast and on quite attractive price. Then, it takes about 1G/minute to transfer the records to PC - via third party card reader. Fast and easy...
If there was option to give this camera 6 stars, I'll give it. But...
Poor battery life. If switching HF100 often on - power safe and playing with zoom, it takes less than 20 minutes of real recording per battery. Very often in one trip day both batteries I own are going empty. Then, it takes 2 hours and 15 minutes to fully charge one battery.
It will be great, if the power supply will be charger too. This way one can charge two batteries at a time or charge one battery, while using the camcorder with the other - without carrying extra stuff.
Now - the worst thing - the video editing software. I know it's not Canon product - it's Pixela, but it comes with the camera and definitelly decrease the perfect impression of this really great product.
The software comes without help.
It takes a huge eforts to register it. It seems the registration is the ONLY important thing for Pixela. They have special site only to help you to register the product. There are a lot of promises in this site, but once properly registered (at the end!), you find no any help. Having in mind the software is not intuitive at all, it's practically unusual.
The bad software lead me to give only 3 stars to this great camera.
 
Review Summary: Almost perfect Date: 2008-11-11
 
Details: This is my first HD camcoder and first Canon brand after working with SD Panasonic. I am very happy with this camcorder, it is very easy to operate, the footage is excellent quality, it is small and easy to handle. I took 1 star off because of few things I think could be improved
1. It takes long time to switch between capturing photo and video. It often takes 15-20 seconds, which sometimes leads to lost opportunities.
2. The bundled battery lasts only about an hour and the supplied charger doesn't allow to charge it outside of camcorder.
3. I wish the captured photograhs had higher resolution, but even this way, I am very happy with them.
4. I wish there is a software for Linux to import and play (not necessarily edit) the footage. As of now the only way to import is to directly copy the .mts files and I haven't found a way how to play them on Linux (I used SageTV and HD 100 media extender to play them on TV with excellent results)
 
More Reviews
 

Similar Products
 
  Transcend 16GB SDHC CARD (SD 2.0 SPD CLASS 6) with Compact Card Reader
 
  Canon BP-819 Lithium Ion Battery Pack for HF10 and HF100 Camcorders
 
  Transcend TS8GSDHC6 8GB SDHC card (SD 2.0 SPD Class 6)
 
  Canon 2588B003 BP-809S Lithium Ion Battery
 
  Canon 2590B002 CG-800 Lithium Ion Battery Charger for 800 Series Batteries
 

Accessory Products
 
  Sony Vegas Movie Studio 9 Platinum Pro Pack
 
  Corel VideoStudio Pro X2
 
  Pinnacle Studio Ultimate Version 12
 
  Sony Vegas Movie Studio Platinum 9
 
  Roxio Creator 2009
 

This Product is similar to and may be found in the Following Categories:
 
 

Flash Memory Camcorders
Camera & Photo Categories
Electronics High Definition
Camcorders Camera & Photo
Categories Electronics
All Camcorders Camcorders
Camera & Photo Categories
Electronics Electronics On Wireless
Specialty Stores Electronics Features
Electronics Camcorders
Canon Custom Brands
Custom Stores Specialty Stores
Camera & Photo Features Electronics
10x To 12.9x Optical Zoom (feature_three_browse-bin)
Digital Cameras (281052) Refinements
Electronics 5.9 MP & Under
Megapixels (feature_two_browse-bin) Digital Cameras (281052)
Refinements Electronics
2 To 5.9 Inches Digital Frame Display Size (feature_three_browse-bin)
Digital Cameras (281052) Refinements
Electronics Photo Playback
Digital Player Functions (feature_four_browse-bin) MP3 Players (172630)
Refinements Electronics
LCD TV Display Technology (feature_three_browse-bin)
TVs & HDTVs (172659) Refinements
Electronics 20" & Under
Display Size (size_browse-bin) TVs & HDTVs (172659)
Refinements Electronics
Photo Viewer GPS Features (feature_two_browse-bin)
GPS Units Refinements
Electronics Video Player
GPS Features (feature_two_browse-bin) GPS Units
Refinements Electronics
2 To 2.9 Inches GPS Display Size (feature_three_browse-bin)
GPS Units Refinements
Electronics 2006
Update Year GPS Units
Refinements Electronics
AmazonNow_AmazonFresh Amazon.com Stores
Featured Stores Camcorders
Electronics Categories
Target Pocket Video Recorders
Camcorders Cameras & Camcorders
Digital Camcorders Cameras And Camcorders
Electronics Products