Cannon Vixia HF S100 Camcorder Review
Camcorders, Gadgets — By Ricky on June 1, 2009 at 2:06 pmCanon’s new flagship HD camcorder for 2009 is HF S100 along with its sister model HFS10. This camcorder is known to represent the upgraded version of the 2008- camcorder of the year – the Cannon HF11. Cannon has packed quite few interesting features in designing this upgrade, including a sizable 8.59-megapixel sensor, plenty of new controls, and a much larger lens than the previous models.
With Panasonic (HDC-TM300), and Sony (HDR-XR520V), making significant strides in performance this year it has become difficult to choose from the top contenders.
The two new models from Cannon records 1,920×1,080 60i video and feature a larger, faster f1.8 10x HD lens with a relatively large high resolution /2.6-inch 8-megapixel CMOS sensor, along with higher-end capabilities, such as SMPTE color bars and the ability to manually boost gain up to 18dB, fixed 70 and 100 IRE zebra stripes, and a user-assignable button/control dial combo. The only difference in between the two models is in the internal memory. The HF S100 has no internal memory and HFS10 has 32 GB.
The camcorder which is 2.8-inch-by-2.7-inch-by-5.4-inch dimensions is not very light to carry and does not fit into the pocket very easily however the HF S100 also still feels very good in the hand and fits nicely into your palm with a tight grip. The hand strap is top-notch and comfortable.
The camcorder has a nice functional design, with intelligently laid out controls and a streamlined user interface. The first thing that you notice and which does not appeal your eye is the odd built-in lens cover that uses a closing-eye type rather than aperture-blade type of design we usually see, this is more noticeable when the camera is closed. The stereo mics are situated on both sides of the lens barrel which could make it more susceptible to wind noise in that location. This device also allows for larger mics with better separation than the typical positioning above or below the lens. You can alternatively attach a mic via the mini accessory shoe on top of the camcorder. It is equipped with a 3.5mm mic input on the grip side of the unit, and the other connector like USB, component, and mini HDMI situated in a covered compartment below the strap.
The best addition to the HFS 100 is its perfect custom control dial located just under the left side of the lens. This dial is quite similar to the Cam Control dial found on Sony’s high-end camcorders which allows for smooth adjustments of a variety of manual controls. The dial is thick and quite perfectly placed to make adjustments easily using the tip of your thumb. The main drawback of the dial is that you need to go deep into the camcorders menu to set the desired function of controlling, aperture, focus etc. however this dial is highly appreciated by all those customers who use manual controls and people who miss using a lens ring to manipulate settings.
In addition to the aperture-priority and shutter-priority modes found on other Canon models,HFS100 has loads of manual controls like an auto gain control limiter that allows you to set the camcorder’s maximum gain boost. You can also choose from the various color modes, plenty of white balance presets, three zoom control speeds, two zebra-pattern exposure markers, and a bunch of peaking and focus assist tools. The HFS100 also offers manual audio level adjustment as well as color bars and an audio test tone for calibrating your footage. For all those people who want to achieve a slower, film-like aesthetic Cannon offers 30p and 24p frame rates on the HFS100.With all these features along with the addition of the custom control dial, the Canon HF S100 has positioned itself as the best choice for consumers looking for a manual control powerhouse.
The main drawback is that the zoom switch and photo button are situated on top of the camcorder beneath your forefinger, with the mode dial right behind where an eye-level viewfinder should be. It is true that electronic view finders are rarely available on consumer camcorders, but both the Panasonic HDC-TM300 and Sony HDR-XR520V include one.
Most of the shooting controls are located on the LCD bezel. In addition to the usual white balance image effects, digital effects, video quality and still photo size, program and a handful of scene modes the Cannon camcorders offers real shutter- and aperture-priority shooting modes with a shutter speed range of 1/8 to 1/2000 second and aperture options ranging from f1.8 to f8, giving you more control over depth of field than you generally see in any other model. There are many other features which are accessible through the menu which includes three fixed or variable zoom speed, x.v.Color mode, color bars, and a test tone.
The menu system is updated with the ability to choose font size. The 2.7in display is typically low resolution model which makes the small fonts difficult to read however it stands up well in direct sunlight.
Moving down the joystick while shooting, triggers a fly up menu to pop up the video light , digital effect, 3 second pre record, manual focus, mic level, face detection, backlight and exposure compensation and a digital teleconverter.
The Cannon HF S10/S100 integrates features such as Video Snapshots, 4-second clips used to create a “highlights reel” effect. It is difficult to implement the same; however the display feedback works well. A separate record button or a choice on the mode dial rather than having the isolated button would have made the whole procedure easier and more comfortable.
The HFS 100 is not the ideal choice for beginners. The excess of controls which are widely spread across three different menus make navigation a daunting effort. The lack of any built in or internal memory does not go well with people who are not used to backing up their footage regularly. With its large lens and gigantic 8.59-megapixel sensor, it gave a relatively poor performance in low light compared to top-of-the-line camcorders from other manufacturers. However in bright light; it produced a spectacularly sharp image with good color accuracy and strong detail. There is a bit of noise and softness that is seen, but that is to be expected. The audio records crisp and clear, too it also performed a fantastic job of taking very sharp still photos at a maximum resolution of 3264 x 2456. It also captured motion very well and the 30p and 24p frame rates looked terrific.
You can conclude that even though HF S100 is a very good camcorder, it has strong video performance, and the addition of the custom control dial makes it a terrific choice for manual control lovers, there are a number of other models giving Canon a strong competition. The Sony HDR XR520V has an equally impressive performance compared to the HF S100. The Sony model has a similar control dial with better overall design. It also includes an electronic viewfinder, a larger LCD screen, and a 240GB internal hard drive. The difference in cost of the two camcorders is significant but they both are top of the line products. You need to weigh the importance of different features and accordingly make a decision.
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1 Comment
C-A-N-O-N!!! How is it possible for the reviewer to hold this camcorder in his hands, test it, look at the box, read the manual and not notice how the name is spelled? C-A-N-O-N!!!