The Vixia HF100 is very similar to its predecessor the Vixia HF10 in most of the aspects. The two main differences between the siblings are the built-in memory and the color. The HF10 has a built-in flash memory of 16GB, while the HF 100 doesn’t and the HF10 is black, while the HF100 is a matte-grey. The HF100 is a compact and sleek flash memory camcorder with an array of features and high quality video.  

The Vixia HF100 is an AVCHD format Flash Memory camcorder. The AVCHD uses MPEG-4 AVC (H.264) video codec. It records 1080 HD resolution video. The advantage of this format is that it uses less storage to capture twice as much video, extending the recording time with flash memory. Since it doesn’t have to wait for moving parts, it has a quick response time. Once you press the record button you are good to go. The power consumption is relatively lower and hence the longer battery life.

If you happen to drop your HF100 or bump it against something, you will be happy to know that the Flash Memory makes it more shock resistant. Also, your chances of data loss due to damage to the recording system are considerably lower. The camcorder weighs around 15.1 ounces with the battery and SD card, and measures 2.9-inches wide, 2.5-inches high and 5.1-inches deep. It has a petite body that is easy to carry around and it is small enough to comfortably fit into a large jacket pocket. Although small, the HF100 has controls that are big enough and are easy to operate. Some of the controls have been placed at different locations. The joystick and the function button have been now placed on the LCD panel. The body is stylish and compact, but is very sturdy.

To record a 1920×1080 movie you need a Class 4 or higher memory card. You may use a Class 2 or higher card for other recording formats. You will need a 128MB memory or more for movies. There is no such specification for still photos.

The HF100 has a HD CMOS image sensor that acquires image information at 1920×1080 pixels. Although this CMOS sensor is small, at 1/3.2 inch 3.3 megapixel, the video still looks very good. It has the proper exposure, saturation, and sharpness like a true HD movie. It also features an on-chip noise reduction technology.  In normal conditions the video is okay, but in dim light the video displays more noise and also seems to have a compressed tonal range, but it still manages to have a fair amount of detail. Its best performance is in bright light. For night time capture you can use a front mounted light.

The camcorder captures, records and outputs 1920×1080 full HD from lens to screen, giving videos more detail and clarity. It has an RGB Primary Color Filter that separates light into red, green, and blue color component, delivering more vibrant and life-like tones to the images.

It is equipped with an optically stabilized f1.8-3.0 12X zoom lens. It is an aspherical lens that helps achieve aberration and high resolution. It has a super spectra coating technology that reduces ghosting and flare. The lens has a longer reach than the 10x zooms that are commonly used in these series.

The DIGIC DV II image processor that was featured in the HF 10 has found its place in the HF100, too. The HD video and still images, both are of the best quality that you can possibly get. The improvement in color reproduction can be especially seen in the skin tones and light and dark scenes.

The SuperRange Optical Image Stabilizer works really well all the way to the end. To add to this the lens, too focuses quickly and holds the lock in dim and bright light conditions. The rectification of camera shake and the quick focus of the lens result in sharper images.  On the negative side, there is more fringing, than usual, of the high-contrast edges.

There are three options available for recording, the 24fps Cinema mode, the 30 fps progressive mode, and the 60i.The 24fps mode comes in handy when you want your videos to have a film-like look and the 30 fps can be used to capture subjects moving in fast motion. If you are a person who likes to upload videos to the web, the 30 fps will be ideal for you. The 60fps, interlaced provides the best quality and highest detail video that you may have ever seen. But it too suffers from some flaws. When the camcorder is moved slowly or held still it performs very well. The negatives of this mode are evident in fast panning or in motion. The edges of images seem to be rough or jagged.

The HF100 has a 2.7 inch widescreen Multi -Angle vivid LCD.  This provides for a wide viewing angle and a wide range of colors. The only problem is that it is difficult to manually focus with the joystick on the LCD screen, especially in difficult angles when you have to hold the camera steady and at the same time operate the controls on the LCD.

Some of the other features of the HF100 include the Auto focus that establishes focus fast and increases the accuracy especially in dim light and high brightness conditions, the HDMI out for direct-to-TV playback, built-in electronic lens cover, the Program AE Mode that lets you choose from an array of scene modes for best exposure depending up on the situation, the simultaneous photo capture lets you capture 2 megapixel photo to a memory card by simply pressing the photo button, the Advanced Accessory Shoe lets you use other accessories and is also 50 percent smaller in size as compared to the previous ones.

It features top notch audio quality. Other than having a front mounted microphone it also has a pair of microphone and headphone jacks. The Advanced Accessory Shoe that permits the use of additional accessories is also compatible with Canon’s range of external microphones. The audio level can also be adjusted through the miniature directional stick.

All said and done the HF100 is a sleek, comfortable; easy to focus camcorder that has exceptional video quality. The one thing that bothers me is the lack of internal memory. This problem can be taken care of by buying an external memory card. But then there would be no difference between the price of an HF10 and an HF100!

Technical Specifications:

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