Canon Vixia HF S100 Camcorder Review

Low Light Performance Summary
• Average low light sensitivity at 60i • 24p and 30p frame rates improve low light performance. • Color error in low light is decent, but slightly worse than the competition. • Noise levels are high in low light, but they aren't terrible. • The camcorder is a decent low light performer, but it's definitely not its strong point.
	Motion & Sharpness Performance	(Page 5 of 17)	Compression & Media

Low Light Sensitivity (3.24)

The Canon HF S100 required 16 lux of light to register 50 IRE on our waveform monitor. This is roughly an average score for a camcorder, although we expected a bit better from a camcorder with such a large CMOS sensor. The Sony HDR-XR520V also required 16 lux of light to produce the same results, but the Panasonic HDC-TM300 needed much less—only 9 lux. The HDC-TM300's performance is among the best low light sensitivity scores we've measured this year, right up there with the Sanyo VPC-HD2000. Again, the JVC GZ-HD300 is far behind the pack here, earning a low light sensitivity of 29 lux in our test. (More on how we test low light sensitivity.)

Required Illumination *

* the lower the lux required, the better the performance

The above low light sensitivity scores are all based on 1080/60i video from each camcorder. No special low light modes were engaged and slow shutters were turned off, as to not allow shutter speeds lower than 1/60th of a second. We tested the Canon HF S100's low light sensitivity using its alternate frame rates (see below), but our final score is based on its 1080/60i performance.

The Canon HF S100 showed significant improvement with low light using its alternate 24p and 30p frame rates. At 24p the camcorder needed only 6 lux of light to peak at 50 IRE, and in 30p mode 7 lux was reqired. This is a dramatic improvement over 60i, so, if you like the aesthetic of 24p and 30p footage, the HF S100 shouldn't disappoint you in low light. The Panasonic HDC-TM300, the only other camcorder in this set to offer an alternate frame rate, didn't see as much of a low light improvement in its 24p mode. Then again, the Panasonic already had the strongest low light sensitivity of the set at 60i.

Low Light Color (6.75)

The Canon HF S100 didn't have the most accurate colors in low light, but its numbers were comparable to the competition. The HF S100 measured a color error of 5.43 in our 60 lux low light test. The Sony HDR-XR520V and Panasonic HDC-TM300 both scored a 4.9 and the JVC GZ-HD300 earned a 5.15. This isn't much disparity, which means all four camcorders are roughly equal when it comes to low light color accuracy. The Canon HF S100 did have a significantly lower saturation level, however, measuring in at 58.01% in our test. The Sony and Panasonic measured saturation levels of 77.11% and 65.09% respectively. (More on how we test low light color.)

Auto Low Light Color Performance
Color Test Chart (above), Color Error Map (right)
The Canon HF S100 produced a color error of 5.43 and a saturation level of 58.01% in our low light color testing. (The map on the right is a diagram of the color error. The length and direction of each line indicates how the camcorder processed each particular color.)

We liked the Canon HF S100's low light image, but it definitely appeared a bit darker than both the Sony HDR-XR520V and Panasonic HDC-TM300. The low saturation on the Canon also resulted in colors with slightly less pop than the Sony or Panasonic. In the images of our test chart below you can see how much darker the Canon image is compared to the other camcorders.

Low Light Comparison at 60i
Canon HF S100	Sony HDR-XR520V
Panasonic HDC-TM300	JVC GZ-HD300

Of course, as we saw in our low light sensitivity testing, the Canon HF S100 works better in low light when using its alternate frame rates. In 30p mode, the HF S100 measured a color error of 4.69 with 69.6% saturation. 24p mode was even better—4.28 color error with a saturation level of 75.19%.

Canon HF S100 Low Light Color at Alternate Frame Rates*

* lower color error and higher saturation result in superior performance

Below, we have the Canon HF S100 at 60i and 24p side-by-side with the Panasonic HDC-TM300 using the same settings. Since neither the Sony nor JVC have alternate frame rates, we didn't include their test images in this comparison.

Low Light Comparison at 60i and 24p
Canon HF S100 at 60i	Panasonic HDC-TM300 at 60i
Canon HF S100 at 24p	Panasonic HDC-TM300 at 24p

Notice how much brighter the Canon is at 24p compared to its 60i image. This gives you a good visual example of why the camcorder's low light sensitivity goes up so much when using its alternate frame rates. The Panasonic HDC-TM300, however, didn't show much improvement in 24p mode. Its color error measured 4.76 with 67.77% saturation in 24p mode.

Keep in mind, our final scores for this section are based on test results from 1080/60i recording. We score based on 60i footage because that is the default frame rate for these camcorders. The 24p and 30p modes, while they are excellent features for a camcorder to include, offer a completely different aesthetic than 60i. Motion is slower, more film-like, and can appear choppy or sluggish to some viewers.

Low Light Color Score Comparison

Low Light Noise (8.91)

The noise levels in our low light test footage for the Canon HF S100 averaged 1.3525%. This is a decent score, but compared to the Sony HDR-XR520V (0.8725% noise) and Panasonic HDC-TM300 (0.7825% noise) it looks a bit high. There is definitely more noticeable noise in the Canon's low light image than its Sony and Panasonic counterparts. The JVC GZ-HD300 displayed a horrible low light image, but its noise levels measured only 1.315%—very similar to the HF S100's numbers. (More on how we test low light noise.)

Noise at 60 lux Auto
Canon HF S100 100% Crop	Sony HDR-XR520V 100% Crop	Panasonic HDC-TM300 100% Crop	JVC GZ-HD300 100% Crop

Before you dismiss the JVC GZ-HD300 when looking at the crops above, remember that it is much cheaper than the other three camcorders we tested in this bunch. The GZ-HD300 is JVC's top-of-the-line camcorder for 2009, however, which is why we included it in these comparisons. The other three camcorders (Sony, Canon, and Panasonic) are rather difficult to analyze. Each has a good image at low light, although each isn't perfect. The Canon HF S100 is noisier than the rest, but it captures a lot of detail. The Panasonic is slightly less sharp and there is quite a bit of artifacting and glow around the numbers and vertical trumpets, but its image is bright and strong. From the crops above, the Sony HDR-XR520V looks very good and it appears to maintain the best sharpness in low light.

Canon HF S100 at 60 lux Auto: Alternate Frame Rates
Canon HF S100, 60i 100% Crop	Canon HF S100, 30p 100% Crop	Canon HF S100, 24p 100% Crop

The HF S100 continued to produce excellent results in 30p and 24p mode. The crops above show a much sharper, crisper image than its 60i footage. Looking at the bottom of the vertical trumpets in the three crops shows how much cleaner the Canon's 24p and 30p footage really is. There is also a significant boost in brightness with the slower frame rates. As with our low light color and sensitivity tests, the final scores for this section are based on footage recorded at 1080/60i.

Low Light Noise Score Comparisons