Canon Vixia HF S10

Compression (7.00)

The Canon HF S10 records video in the standard MPEG-4 AVC/H.264 compression codec. This is the same codec used by nearly every high definition camcorder these days. (Tape-based camcorders still use HDV compression.) However, Canon packs this compression codec into AVCHD, a format that puts some extra information—and constraints—into the files.

AVCHD files are a little more complicated to use than generic MPEG-4 files, and they can be more demanding on your computer’s processing power. You can’t simply drag and drop the files onto your desktop, but AVCHD files are compatible with most editing software these days. Just make sure your computer can handle the large files.

Canon is one of the handful of manufacturers that has reached the 24Mbps bitrate ceiling of AVCHD. Tech savvy videophiles are lamenting the fact that Panasonic and Sony have yet to make the jump to 24Mbps, while Canon introduced its first 24Mbps camcorder last year. The HF S10 has two 1920 × 1080 recording modes: one at 24Mbps and one at 17Mbps. Read more about the advantages and disadvantages of various high definition compression types.

Media (8.52)

The Canon HF S10 records primarily to 32GB of internal flash memory. We love flash memory, especially when it’s embedded into the body of a camcorder. The HF S100 records only to SD/SDHC memory cards, while the newer HF S11 has a total of 64GB of internal memory. All three camcorders have a memory card slot, though many owners of the HF S10 and HF S11 will likely use this as their secondary recording destination. Flash memory, in general, is more durable than hard drives and tapes, but memory cards do experience a small amount of wear every time you insert, eject, or throw the card into your camera bag. Read more about the advantages and disadvantages of various media types.

Still Features (12.21)

The Canon HF S10 has a wealth of photographic features and, as we found out in our still testing, it can function rather decently as a still camera. The camcorder can take photos in any mode: dual shot, photo mode, movie mode, and even during video playback. Full photo options, however, are only available in dedicated photo mode. Here, you can adjust image size with options ranging from 3264 × 2456 to 640 × 480, choose an image quality setting, or select a metering mode from evaluative, center-weighted average, or spot.

In addition to the extra metering mode, photo mode gives you access to the same shutter-priority and aperture-priority modes that you find in video mode. Most manual controls that work in video mode are also applicable with photos. There’s a continuous shooting mode that will keep taking photos for as long as you keep the shutter button pressed (a hi-speed continuous feature does the same thing, only with a faster shutter), and an auto exposure bracketing option that takes three sequential photos, each with varying adjustments to exposure. Rounding out the HF S10’s still features are a self-timer and an auto rotate feature, which will display correctly any images that were captured with the camcorder on its side.

Even though you may not be able to spot it at first, the camcorder does have a built-in flash. It’s embedded inside the body of the camcorder, in the portion just above the lens. When you activate the flash, it automatically pops up out of its compartment. The flash can be set to auto, red-eye reduction, always on, and always off. Behind the flash is a hot accessory shoe that can be used to attach an external flash or video light.

In movie mode, you can turn on an option for simultaneous recording. With this option activated, photos can be captured while you record video (with photo size options of 3264 × 1840 or 1920 × 1080). In dual shot mode, simultaneous recording is automatically engaged, with the photo size always set to 1920 × 1080. In playback mode, the HF S10 has an option for capturing a still image from a recorded video. All you need to do is pause the video and hold down the shutter button to take the photo. In the camcorder’s playback menu, you can set the quality of these captured images (from super fine, fine, or normal), but the image size must be set to 1920 × 1080.

The still playback screen looks just like the video playback screen. Photos are arranged as thumbnails and selecting an image brings up a full-screen view of the photo. Also displayed on the LCD screen is a large blue histogram and an information box with details about the photograph: shutter speed, aperture setting, image size, etc. Using the zoom toggle during still image playback allows you to digitally magnify a 3264 × 2456 photo up to five times.

The Canon HF S10 measured a color error of 4.22 in its still photos, which is close to the 3.42 it scored in our regular video color testing. The saturation level was recorded as 96.85%. This is a decent score for still images, but not quite as good as the superb color performance evidenced in the still photos of the Sony HDR-CX500V (2.80 color error) or the JVC GZ-HM400 (3.08 color error).

The Canon HF S10 had difficulty with dark blues and some yellows and oranges in our still color test. This is not the same trouble that we observed in the camcorder’s video color testing. Video footage recorded less accurate reds, while it performed quite well with blue hues. These discrepancies aren’t troubling, since the camcorder uses different processing for still and video mode. However, that may be something to look out for if you’re concerned about the colors matching up on videos and photos.

The Canon HF S10 measured high noise levels in its still photos, averaging 1.23% noise in our tests. This isn’t terrible, but it’s too high for a still image recorded in bright light. It’s higher than any of the camcorders we selected for comparison, including the Sanyo VPC-HD2000, which came in at just 0.77% noise. Fortunately for the Canon lineup, noise is really the Achilles heel of an otherwise solid still performance on the HF S10.

The Canon HF S10 has a big, high resolution CMOS sensor—something that really comes in handy for taking large, sharp photos. The camcorder recorded an excellent horizontal sharpness of 3146 lw/ph with 6.10% oversharpening. Things didn’t fare as well with vertical resolution, which measured 1909 lw/ph with 1.2% oversharpening from the same image in our test. This discrepancy between horizontal and vertical matches the results we got in our video sharpness test, which also showed the camcorder performing better on its horizontal measurement. Still, these are both very good scores overall, and the Canon HF S10 has one of the strongest still sharpness measurements we’ve seen. The JVC GZ-HM400 also put up good numbers here, with 2329 lw/ph horizontal and 1800 lw/ph vertical.