Canon Vixia HF S100 Camcorder Review

Audio & Other Features
• Audio controls are much better than average for a consumer camcorder. • The external microphone jack is unprotected without a port cover or door. • Pre-record feature can be a useful tool, but it eats up battery life. • The video light is tucked inside the camcorder's body and pops-up when activated.
	Playback & Connectivity	(Page 11 of 17)	Sony HDR-XR520V Comparison

Audio Features (5.75)

The Canon HF S100 has more audio controls than your average consumer camcorder. Unfortunately, the most basic audio feature, the on-board microphone, is placed poorly. The Dolby Digital 2-channel mic flanks the camcorder's lens on both the left and right side. The mic on the right side is easily scuffed by the hand gripping the camcorder; the mic on the left side is just asking to be hit every time you operate the custom control dial. Putting the mic on the sides of the camcorder also means you won't get the best directional audio from things happening right in front of you.

The built-in microphone		The external mic input

Near the very front of the HF S100 is a 1/8-inch external microphone jack. This jack is decently placed, but it has no covering or protection. We're surprised Canon would leave this important port completely exposed, particularly when the Canon HF20 offers much better port protection. The audio levels can be manually adjusted for both the built-in and external microphone, which is a good feature to have if you're planning on using the HF S100 to shoot concerts, plays, or any event where good sound recording is vital.

The manual audio controls

When adjusting audio, the camcorder doesn't display any hard numbers or actual decibel gain levels. Instead, you are provided with a long bar that can be raised or lowered, almost like you're adjusting a volume knob on a radio. While this is still a useful feature, it can be a hassle if you're trying to adjust audio to a specific gain level. The HF S100 does have an audio level display, however, with markers set at -40dB, -12dB, and 0dB—so you can still get an idea of where your audio levels are peaking. If you plan to spend a lot of time adjusting audio levels, you can assign audio levels to the custom control dial and use the dial for finer control. (Just beware that your finger isn't scuffing the microphone in the process.)

If you want to connect headphones to the Canon HF S100, the camcorder's AV-output doubles as a headphone jack. (You have to go into the menus to select whether the port will output to AV or to headphones.) In comparison, the Sony HDR-XR520V and Panasonic HDC-TM300 both have dedicated headphone ports. If you're using headphones to monitor sound, you can also go into the menus to activate a test tone for audio calibration.

In the HF S100 menu you'll find a number of other audio features including a wind screen for blocking out the rustle of heavy winds, and a microphone attenuator for limiting audio levels to a specific peak. The camcorder also has a hot accessory shoe that works with Canon's proprietary "mini-fit" accessories.

Other Features (4.5)

 Digital Effects
The HF S100 has a few digital effects: black & white, sepia, and art. The camcorder also has a regular fade feature and a wipe fade. All these effects are found in the function menu and can be activated using the joystick menu once they are selected.

Video Light
The video light is a bit hidden on the HF S100. It is located on the top of the camcorder, in front of the accessory shoe. When you turn on the light from the joystick menu (or activate the flash, which is located in the same spot), it pops up from its underground lair to provide you with lovely illumination. The light isn't fantastic and it will eat up your battery life, but its good to have if you do lots of filming in the dark.

Pre-Record
Pre-record is a useful new feature on the HF S100. When the setting is turned on, the camcorder will constantly record footage in a 3-second memory buffer. This means, whenever you press record you've already captured three seconds of video. Pre-record can be very useful if you're recording a sporting event or trying to capture an unpredictable event. Like the video light, pre-record does use up a lot of battery power, so don't turn it on if you're going to be away from a power source for a long time.

Video Snapshot
Video Snapshot is a new feature on the HF S100, but it doesn't do all that much. When you press the Video Snap button, a blue border appears around the LCD screen that will begin to illuminate when you press the record button. After roughly 4 seconds, the blue border will have made its way around the entirety of the LCD screen and recording will automatically cease. Essentially, the video snapshot feature is useful for making short 4-second clips one at a time. These clips can then be organized in a playlist, have music added to them, and viewed as a short little film on the camcorder.