Canon Vixia HF100 Camcorder Reviewby David KenderPublished on May 13, 2008 3:09 PM
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The Canon HF100 (Review, Specs, Recent News, ) ($899 MSRP) comes from a good pedigree. It's nearly identical to the Canon HF10, which received our seal of approval earlier this year. The HF100 offers all the same image quality, manual controls, and form factor, but loses the 16GB internal memory of the HF10. Sure, you save $200, but think about what you're losing first. The HF10 only records to removable memory cards, like the Panasonic HDC-SD9 (Review, Specs, Recent News, $579.99) or Sony HDR-TG1. Card memory is portable and easy to use, but those cards fill up quickly, and they're not particularly cheap. It's better to have a secondary recording medium if you're on a long vacation or far from a camera shop.
Of course, you can also opt for a hard disk drive (HDD) camcorder, which offers far more capacity. But in doing so you sacrifice weight. Oh, my, what's a camcorder shopper to do? We'll simplify this for you. The Canon HF100 is a great camcorder, but you'll only want it to record in short bursts or if you plan on stocking up on SD/SDHC cards. If you like what the HF100 has to offer, but want just a little more capacity, try the Canon HF10. For long-stretch vacationers, the Sony HDR-SR11 (Specs, $579.99) or HDR-SR12 (Review, Specs, $1417.66) are very strong choices. Read on to learn what Canon can offer.
The Front (5.0)"We're not so different, you and I." The Canon HF100 and the Canon HF10 are identical from the outside, except the paint job. The HF100 is grey, and the HF10 is black. The HF100 sports the same 12x optical zoom Canon HD video lens and excels in the portability department. The HF100's lens has a focal length of 4.8mm – 57mm and an aperture range of f/1.8mm – f/3.0mm. The lens has a 37mm filter diameter for attachments like fish-eye or telephoto lenses.
Along the right side of the HF100's facade, you'll find a vertical column containing the Instant AF sensor, Flash, and LED video light. The off-kilter placement of the flash will most likely lead to uneven lighting in your still captures, and the flash will be rendered useless if an attachment is fastened to the lens. An LED video light bridges the gap between the flash and the built-in stereo microphone. The video light provides a decent level of illumination, though its distribution is poor. Most of your video will appear to have a blue lens flare, which is great if that's what you're going for. (Don't we all aspire to that look?)
The HF100's built-in stereo microphone is stationed strategically beneath the lens. If Canon mounted the mic atop the HF100, the right hand would envelop the mic and sabotage your recorded audio. Camcorders this compact require certain design and handling sacrifices, which Canon minimizes. The Panasonic HDC-SD9 is more compact than the HF100, yet its mic is mounted on top--an example of how a camcorder should not be designed.
The front of the Canon HF100
The Right Side (5.75)
At this angle, the only discernible differences between the HF100 and the Sony HDR-CX7 (Review, Specs, Recent News, $1417.66) (Review, Specs, Recent News, $831.25) come down to the paint job and location of the Mode dial and flash. Both camcorders resemble the barrel of a gun with a hand strap. Canon even revamped the hand strap of the HF100 to contend with the HDR-CX7's--it's padded and features a breathable mesh liner along the interior. Two rugged D-rings secure the hand strap to the body of the HF100, which offers superior strength and durability.
At the rear of the HF100's right side you'll find the circular Mode dial. The Mode dial features a grooved edge for grip, but is still relatively difficult to shift, especially if you have sweaty hands. A highly covert rubberized port cover resides along the bottom edge of the HF100, obstructed by the hand strap. This is where the HDMI and USB terminals live, which is better being than stuffed in a battery chamber--one of Panasonic's infamously flawed design traits.
The right of the Canon HF100
The Back (6.0)
In back, the HF100 is a dead ringer for the HDR-CX7. Both camcorders resemble a miniature house, though the HF100 is even more compact. Canon's battery design is sheik and aesthetically sound, blending into the camcorder's back end--it's even painted gunmetal for a uniform look. The battery chamber is deep enough so that the battery can rest flush with the rear and not jut out, though there is no viewfinder to contend with in the first place.
To the left of the battery you'll find two burly plastic panels that house the Mic, AV Out/Headphone, and DC jacks. The covers are rugged, but they're attached to the body of the camcorder via thin plastic strips that are susceptible to snapping off with a medium level of force. On the right side of the battery you'll find the Record Start/Stop button, which is large and easy to reach.
The back of the Canon HF100
The Left Side (5.5)
The HF100's smoky metal color scheme is the only trait that sets it apart from the Sony HDR-CX7, unlike the Canon HF10, which looks like its fraternal twin. The architecture is strikingly similar here. Outside the 2.7-inch LCD screen, there's not much going on, until you fling the LCD open to reveal all of two buttons, a port, and the SD/SDHC card slot. This is where the Easy and Battery Display/Info buttons reside--that's right, Canon has an Easy mode now, too. The Component terminal is housed by a hard plastic tab that is attached to the LCD cavity by a set of thin plastic strips. Like the port covers in back, the Component tab could snap right off with too much roughhousing. Canon's SDHC card door is opened via a sliding switch, unlike the HDR-CX7's, which is located along the bottom ridge of the camcorder.
The HF100's LCD screen features a strip of playback and administrative controls that consist of Function, Play/Pause/Record Start/Stop, Rewind/Zoom Out, Fast Forward Zoom In, and Stop/BLC. The Joystick also lives on the LCD panel, yet it lacks the charm of the rear-mounted Joystick found on the HV30 (Review, Specs, Recent News, $499.99) and Panasonics of the past. This new setup is similar to the HG10 (Review, Specs, Recent News, $499.95)'s LCD Control wheel and will suit two-handed shooters just fine.
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| The left of the Canon HF100 | The LCD cavity of the Canon HF100 |
The Top (5.0)
All of the HF100's action takes place toward the back end. Canon gave the HF100 a fat, wide zoom toggle that is well positioned in relation to the index finger. The Zoom toggle is on the wobbly side compared to Sony's rock solid, buttery rockers, but after a little adjustment, zooming in and out will be cake. The HF100's Power button is located in the finger groove. The HF10's Power button was testy, only activating when you jammed your finger down until it turned blue. The HF100 is a different story--the camcorder springs into action instantly. The Mini Advanced Shoe rests at the caboose end, shrouded by a cheap plastic shield that is anchored to the body of the camcorder with--you guessed it--more flimsy plastic strips.
The top of the Canon HF100
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