Here are the list of accessories I bought which I would recommend:

- Canon Wide-angle lens 0.7x WD-H37C
- BP819 battery

So far I found no resolution loss with the wide-angle lens. It's notable lighter and smaller than my other 2 wide-angle lenses (30 and 46mm).
UPDATE: there's actually a good amount of CA at the full tele end so be aware of that with the WD-H37C.

I got a good price for the BP-819 battery at newegg ($75+shipping). But best to always check pricegrabber as well though since prices keep changing.

The BP-819 is slightly deeper but not as bad as my other extended bigger batteries from older cams.

Still no word on a video light from Canon, right?

I'm not an expert on videolights but I do see some non-Canon video lights on the bh photo video site for now (which requires shoe adapter bracket).

By the way there's a video test clip of the DM-100 microphone on this site showing different modes: http://file.meyersproduction.com/hf10/

DM-100 sounds pretty good but I already have an external (headphone) mic.

Luc: Have you read any comparisons with the Minox vs Canon wide lens? The Canon is Silver, no? Thanks.

j i m

What basic filters would people recommend?

Is it worth the extra money to get Canon filters, or are non-brand name filters good enough? If so, what companies make good, reliable filters that would fit the HF10/HF100?

Thanks!

Speaking of filters, it seems the Canon Wide Converter has no threads to place a filter on. Some filters have a thread on the outside so you can stack them, and so coudl it be the Canon Wide Converter can be screwed onto a filter that is installed on the camera?

This is my HF100, shown with Fotodiox snap-on 37mm hood and with ATR-25 microphone. Frankly, I see no point using this stereo mic with this camera, will be getting the shotgun ATR-55 for shooting from a distance. As I stated in the first part of my review, is was pretty easy to adjust the standard "foot" of my mic to a narrower accessory shoe of the HF100. I will post details later if there is interest.

The hood comes with a 37mm ring, which you are supposed to screw onto a lens barrel, then you snap the filter on and tighten with a nut. As I always keep a a UV filter on, I discarded the original Fotodiox ring, and use the hood together with the filter. So far the filter did not crack despite that I tighten the hood pretty well

The hood looks cool and shows no vignetting. The HF LCD screen underscans about 5%, so you need to check raw files on the computer for vignetting. Checking on a TV will not work either as most TVs underscan as well. So, I checked video clips on a computer, no vignetting.

The iAF sensor has to be turned off when you use wide addachments as they obstruct the sensor. CCinfo review claims that iAF does not affect precision of focusing, only time it takes to focus. Not sure about that. I tried shooting a small plane and some birds, did not focus at all. My other scenes like my kid oplaying on a beach seems slightly off-focus to me. I have to verify this. Canon makes the same dumb design decision year after year, placing iAF beside the lens, not below it. Without iAF working properly, focusing seems to be so-so. CCInfo claimed that the lower the rate, the longer it takes for AF to focus. I was shooting in 30p, so this might contributed as well. I think that a hood or other wide attachments should be used sparingly, only when needed.

Here is a picture. I will upload a better one later.

Good point about the iAF sensor. I left it on with the bigger WD-H43 wide-angle lens which seems similar in size. I didn't experience any focus issues with leaving AiAF on. Have you tried leaving it on? Maybe it still works ok.

The DM100 seems a great mic too albeit relatively more expensive. But benefit is that it's powered by the cam. Do I understand correctly you managed to get your mic powered by the cam as well?

No, the mic is battery-powered.

I also have the fotodiox 37mm hood on my HF10. Makes it look really sharp. I don't think the set screw works very well, so I am thinking of using a 37mm to 43mm step ring to tighten and clamp the hood down down onto the supplied adapter.

I just got this camcorder and I am surprised at how useful the still photo mode is. I'd like to attach a separate flash that can be separated from lens slightly and avoid the shadows caused by a lens hood or wide angle adapter. Does anyone know if the VFL-1 would be compatible with an advanced shoe adapter. Ideally, I could use the adapter and then an extender cable to change the placement of the external flash. Does such an adapter or an advanced shoe to mini advanced shoe exits?

I'm about to buy HF100 and ATR-55, so I would really like to know what you did to make it fit. I picture of the modification, perhaps?
This also interests me. I'm about to get UV filter for the camera, but I'd want to know what brand you use. It's apparently quite good, because you're using it all the time. I was thinking of getting Fotodiox UV filter.

Very good job. I have some questions about your hood, mic:

1. Does the hood influence HF100's sensor, flash and light? How deep the hood is it?

2. How about ATR-25's audio quality and its noise? How long does the battery last? Someone said it is also uni-directional mic. Is it true? General uni-directional mics are mono. Can it block otherside's sound?

Thanks!

i hope i got into the right thread with this.

i got the hf10, what are you all using to archive the footage? anyone using the dw-100 with feedback? any alternative suggestions than the dw-100?