CamCorders Item ID: #658Canon VIXIA HF S100 HD Flash Memory Camcorder with 10x Optical ZoomProduct Information:
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Item DescriptionCanons top-of-the-line, new VIXIA HF S100 Flash Memory Item Reviews5 Responses to “Canon VIXIA HF S100 HD Flash Memory Camcorder with 10x Optical Zoom” |
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LOVE this camcorder! Positives defeat the minor negative! No need to carry a digital camera Canon’s VIXIA Replaces it all! Great Camera to capture all those precious memories of your children and important events! Whether your capturing in photo stills or movie mode, images come out in amazing high quality & HD. Only Neg is the battery that dies about 2 hours of straight run time but that can easily be fixed with a higher capacity one. (And it hasn’t died out on me yet while i was still using it.)
COMPLETELY RECOMMEND THIS CAM TO EVERYONE!
I had originally bought JVC’s Everio GZ-HM550 with Blue-Tooth. It was a problem right from the start. The screen broke on the first day of use and it’s “fancy features” Were not ENOUGH to OUT DO the VIXIA HF S100. Canon is just way more advanced in their camera development & HD quality.
We have had the camcorder for several weeks now and we love the product. I haven’t tried to watch the videos on my windows based computer yet…but with the I-Mac, it was SO EASY to download the videos we shot. I’ve seen negative reviews on this product and I just chalk that up to “you aren’t going to please everyone”…but for us, for basic use and medium editing…we love this camcorder.
I would definately recommend this product to others!
I purchased this camcorder to replace a MiniDV camcorder that began failing which was purchased to replace a failing Mini DVD camcorder. Each time I went with a different media type after losing faith in the the one I currently had. I finally went with flash memory because unlike the others it has no moving parts. So far it’s been fantastic.
As for the technology, no longer am I finalizing Mini DVD’s with minimal editing capability or connecting my camera to my computer to physically play the tape in order to download footage. Just take the card from the camcorder and plug it in my computer and go. iMovie recognizes the format and uploads it seamlessly.
As for the camcorder, I love the color, clarity and image quality. The menu systems are very intuitive. I’ve only had to refer to the manual for one or two things. Everything else is pretty self explanatory if you take some time and step through the menus.
If I had any cons it would be the that the only way to charge the battery is via the camera itself unless you spring an extra fifty bucks for a charger. This seems to be a pretty common theme if you read enough reviews. Canon, are you listening?
Also it seems like Canon tried to make the lens cover too high tech, and with my aversion to moving parts this only seems like one more thing that could break. It’s nice that it only opens when the camera is in use but it doesn’t lock closed. So be careful, if the camera is packed in a bag with other things, depending how they’re situated, things can push the cover open and touch the lens. For this reason alone I would have preferred a basic lens cap like you’d see on a 35mm camera. My other gripe with the lens cover is that when it’s closed it sounds like a marble or something rolling around inside the camera. This gives this great camera a bit of a cheap feel. But honestly, with all the things that could be scrutinized on a camcorder, if the worst of it is the lens cover than how bad can it be? It can’t. In my opinion Canon did an incredible job with this unit.
I’d also like to say that I was extremely pleased with Amazon’s service. I’ve purchased things at Amazon before but have been hesitant when it comes to bigger ticket items (like a camcorder). I finally went with Amazon because of the great price they offered plus they threw in free shipping and free second battery. Problem was when the camcorder arrived there was no free second battery. After double checking everything and then going back online I realized that it was my error. I failed to read the conditions closely enough which tell you to add the battery to the order which would be discounted after checkout. Knowing that it was my error I didn’t have much hope when I contacted Amazon’s service. My fear was they would tell me it was my mistake and I was SOL but they couldn’t have been better. They took care of the problem and sent the battery right out. Thank you Amazon! You were wonderful!
I am a camcorder amateur, so forgive my inability to describe with certainty and exact terminology what I am writing about. I have certainly kept the reality that I am new to this type of device in my mind as I A) worked with the camera, and B) now write this review.
Some cons:
The most significant issue I encountered was the field of vision of the camera lens (I suppose this is the focal length, the millimeter size of the lens). I found myself having to stand an extremely far distance back to capture the subject right in front of me, so far in fact that the rooms of my house simply weren’t large enough to accommodate many of the shots I was trying to achieve. I assure you that the zoom function had nothing to do with this operation.
Another problem was battery life. The included battery started out, fully charged, at about 1 hr. 20 min. and, as I used the camera in what I assume are the most taxing settings possible, the battery faced major drainage. Minutes were divided and sliced in halves and thirds until I ran out of battery life much sooner than expected. I acquired a second, backup battery at the same time I purchased the camera, so I was able to use that. But, to charge the batteries, the camera must be plugged into a wall (the camera is your battery charger), which means that you are no longer mobile and the camera is being tied up with the task of charging.
By now you may have noticed I am writing in past tense — this is accurate because I have returned the camera to Amazon. Ultimately, I feel it is a personal decision of price not justifying the use, and at least in part urged on by the few, though I feel significant, problems I have mentioned here.
The features of this camera seemed oddly barren and few. I have only ever used my point-and-shoot “camera” and video cassette cameras in the past, and I was somewhat surprised to learn that this new Canon VIXIA HF S100 HD didn’t really have many features to offer beyond the few I am already familiar with. The exception being the “cinematic mode” which I found to be interesting and the result very desirable. I was puzzled by the “cheap” solar/polarizing effect (which I think should be banned), and the limited array of hard wired effects available within the camera itself. I also wish, for the price, Canon could develop an extreme high-speed ability (something like 400 to 1000 frames a second). This would be desirable and fun to work with, although no doubt technically expensive to develop — even though some companies are.
Ultimately, the videos I achieved, though wonderful in quality, color, and detail, were all extremely shaky and agitated by the rapid movements of my hand. My hand is steady, or so I thought. The simple act of slowly walking and slowly maneuvering the camera produced a great deal of bonce and jerk. The result is amateur and rough despite the fine video quality itself. A third-party, bulky steady-cam device which requires mounting and practice will be required to produce any sort of professional-seeming video.
The built-in lens cap does rattle (as I read from other reviews). While this seems minor, it is a strange audible con. If anything, it makes the camera seem cheaper than it is and, if you aren’t expecting the sound, you look around wondering what isn’t ‘right’.
Some pros:
There are actually many pros, including the ease of general use (off and shooting in no time), and the ease I found in getting videos onto any of my computers and then editing them fluidly (I used Sony Vegas and did not get around to installing any of the camera’s included software).
The quality is, of course, everything it is chalked up to being. Beautiful quality. Even despite its inherent shakiness, I can easily witness how beautiful Canon’s colors and crisp detail are. This is the preeminent reason to own this camera.
All the physical features — the buttons, the memory card placement, the battery placement, the preview screen, the built-in still camera, the hand strap — all works very well. It’s an intuitive device.
If I were to recommend it (and I’m not sure I’m familiar enough with camcorders to know which to recommend) I would do so based on the ease of use and the picture quality. I, however, think that the price is steep for the issues I faced. If money was not an object and if I had constant use for a video camera, I could see myself living with this camera for years. Now I would, however, modify my next search for a video camera and make sure that reviews and stats address the things I have taken issue with here.
I bought this camera for my wife who is expecting our first child soon. The camera arrived on time, in great shape and performed as advertised. She loved the camera and found it to be very easy to use. It is slightly larger than the models we looked at but not anything to complaint about. Overall, I highly recommend it.