Canon Vixia HF S100 Camcorder Review

Canon HF S100 versus JVC GZ-HD300
• At $699, it is far cheaper than the other camcorders in this set. • Video performance is not on the same level as the Sony, Panasonic, or Canon in this group. • Good color accuracy in bright light. • Terrible low light sensitivity.
	Panasonic HDC-TM300 Comparison	(Page 14 of 17)	Conclusion

The JVC GZ-HD300 doesn't have nearly the same video performance capabilities as the rest of the camcorders in this set. Its video sharpness is far worse, it has a terrible low light sensitivity, and it doesn't capture motion like a high-end camcorder should. It also only costs $699, which is more than half as much as the Sony HDR-XR520V, $600 less than the Panasonic HDC-TM300, and $400 less than the Canon HF S100. We included the JVC GZ-HD300 here because, along with the GZ-HD320, it is JVC's top-line HD camcorder for 2009. If you want truly excellent performance out of your camcorder, the HD300 is definitley not for you, but if you're looking to save some money, it may be a good alternative. On the bright side, it did put up excellent color accuracy in bright light... but everything was downhill from there.

	Comparison Specs
	Canon HF S100	JVC GZ-HD300
Price	$1099.99	$699.99
Primary Recording Media	SD/SDHC Card	60GB internal hard drive
Secondary Recording Media	None	MicroSD/SDHC card
Image Sensor	1/2.6-inch CMOS	1/4.1-inch CMOS
Effective Pixel Count	6.01 Megapixels (video) 8.02 Megapixels (stills)	Unknown
Mic Input	Yes, 3.5mm	None
LCD/Viewfinder	2.7-inch LCD with 211,000-pixel resolution	2.7-inch LCD with 123,000-pixel resolution
Weight	500g (including battery)	370g (including battery)
Dimensions	70 x 69 x 136mm	53 x 68 x 113mm
HD	Yes	Yes
Optical Zoom	10x	20x
Frame Rates	1080/60i, 24p, 30p (not natively progressive)	1080/60i
Image Stabilization	Optical	Digital

Noise at 60 lux Auto
Canon HF S100 100% Crop	JVC GZ-HD300 100% Crop

Bright Light Noise Score Comparisons