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  • Introduction

  • Front

  • Back

  • Left

  • Right

  • Top

  • Bottom

  • In the Box

  • Color

  • Low Light Color

  • Noise

  • Low Light Sensitivity

  • Low Light Noise

  • Low Light Color

  • Motion

  • Video Sharpness

  • Testing Samples

  • Ease of Use

  • Auto Mode

  • Other Auto Features

  • Handling

  • Portability

  • Battery Life

  • LCD

  • Stabilization

  • Manual Focus

  • Manual Exposure

  • Miscellaneous Controls

  • Audio Controls

  • Editing

  • Compression

  • Media

  • Slow Motion Modes

  • Still Features

  • Lens & Imaging System

  • LCD

  • Connectivity

  • Media

  • Still Features

  • Other Features

  • Panasonic HDC-TM300 Comparison

  • JVC GZ-HD300 Comparison

  • COMP 3

  • Conclusion

  • Photo Gallery

  • Introduction
  • Front
  • Back
  • Left
  • Right
  • Top
  • Bottom
  • In the Box
  • Color
  • Low Light Color
  • Noise
  • Low Light Sensitivity
  • Low Light Noise
  • Low Light Color
  • Motion
  • Video Sharpness
  • Testing Samples
  • Ease of Use
  • Auto Mode
  • Other Auto Features
  • Handling
  • Portability
  • Battery Life
  • LCD
  • Stabilization
  • Manual Focus
  • Manual Exposure
  • Miscellaneous Controls
  • Audio Controls
  • Editing
  • Compression
  • Media
  • Slow Motion Modes
  • Still Features
  • Lens & Imaging System
  • LCD
  • Connectivity
  • Media
  • Still Features
  • Other Features
  • Panasonic HDC-TM300 Comparison
  • JVC GZ-HD300 Comparison
  • COMP 3
  • Conclusion
  • Photo Gallery

Introduction

Update: The Vixia HF S11 (a slightly updated sister model to the HF S100) was ultimately selected as our 2009 runner-up for Camcorder of the Year. To see why we selected it and read about our other awards, check out the 2009 CamcorderInfo.com Select Awards.

Front

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Back

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Left

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Top

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Bottom

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In the Box

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Color

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Being a high-end HD camcorder, it should come as no surprise that the Canon HF S100 delivers a sharp, pristine image in bright light. Its captured colors are also very accurate, measuring a color error of just 3.49 in our testing. This isn't as good as the JVC GZ-HD300, which had some of the most accurate colors we've seen this year, but it's still a very good performance for the HF S100. The camcorder also had a saturation level of 88.13% in our bright light testing. More on how we test color.

Looking at the color error map above, you can see the Canon HF S100 was particularly off on some reds and purples in our color tests. Blues, greens, yellows, and skin tones were rendered quite well by the camcorder, and its overall color accuracy was strong. The HF S100 offers a number of color modes, or image effects as Canon calls them, that allow you to enhance certain aspects of your video image. The color modes on the HF S100 are identical to the options on the HF20, HF11 and the rest of Canon's HD lineup. Below are test images of each preset color mode on the HF S100—vivid, neutral, low sharpening, and soft skin detail.

The color modes don't alter the image dramatically, but you should be able to see a difference in the saturation levels between the vivid (boosted saturation) and neutral mode (decreased saturation. Low sharpening does exactly what it sounds like, it lowers the sharpness of the image. Soft Skin Detail enhances skin tones by smoothing-out certain colors.

As we said before, the four camcorders in this set all look very good under bright light. Each had above-average color accuracy, although the JVC GZ-HD300 is the runaway winner in this category. Looking at the color chip chart below, you can see the Canon HF S100 has a slightly brighter image in auto mode than the Sony HDR-XR520V. The Canon also shows a bit more artifacting and noise in the color patches compared to the Sony and Panasonic.

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Low Light Color

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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.

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%.

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.

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.

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Noise

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Various Canon camcorders, including the HF20 this year, have had trouble with high levels of noise. The HF S100 average 0.88% noise in our bright light tests, which isn't bad, but it certainly isn't terrific. All the other camcorders we tested in the set below measured lower levels of noise in bright light, with the Sony HDR-XR520V leading the way with only 0.37% noise. More on how we test noise.

The crops above should also give you a good look at each camcorder's sharpness, which is something we'll go into further detail in the video sharpness section of this review. While the HF S100 has a very crisp, sharp image, it is definitely rivaled by the Sony HDR-XR520V and the Panasonic HDC-TM300. The JVC GZ-HD300 is clearly a notch below the other three camcorders in terms of sharpness, but keep in mind that it also retails for $699, which is hundreds of dollars less than the other camcorders in this set.

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Low Light Sensitivity

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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.

The low light sensitivity scores below 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.

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Low Light Noise

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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.

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.

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.

{{comparison_bars title="Low Light Noise Score Comparison", attribute="Low Light Noise Score", xLabel="Low Light Noise Score"}}

Low Light Color

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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.

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%.

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.

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.

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Motion

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The Canon HF S100 captured very good motion in our tests. Artifacting was minimal, its image is smooth, and the motion is consistently sharp. Interestingly, however, the camcorder's test footage doesn't look any better than the cheaper Canon HF20. Both capture motion very well, but we expected the HF S100 to have a slight edge in performance. When watching the videos below, keep in mind they have been heavily compressed by YouTube in the uploading process. Check out the linked HD versions of each video to get a better idea of their quality. More on how we test motion.

Video Sharpness

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The Canon HF S100 records a crisp video image. We measured its video sharpness at 800 lw/ph (line widths per picture height) horizontal and 650 lw/ph vertical. Interestingly, this vertical resolution is slightly lower than what we measured on the Canon HF20, even though that camcorder has a lower effective pixel count. There must be an issue with the HF S100 lens or processing that makes it produce a worse vertical sharpness than its little brother. Nevertheless, the HF S100 still recorded moving video with splendid clarity.

The Sony HDR-XR520V and Panasonic HDC-TM300 aren't far behind the Canon HF S100 when it comes to video sharpness. All three camcorders performed exceptionally well in this test, with the HF S100 scoring just ahead of the other two. The JVC GZ-HD300 is the obvious exception here, as its video image quality clearly cannot stand up to the other three camcorders in this set. Still, the JVC did put up excellent color accuracy in bright light and we should again remind everyone of its comparatively low $699 price tag. More on how we test video sharpness.

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Testing Samples

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Ease of Use

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The Canon HF S100 features some of the same changes we saw earlier this year in our review of the Canon HF20. Unfortunately, a few of those changes make the camcorder less beginner-friendly than last year's HF11. Canon has done away with the prominent 'Easy' button that was formerly located smack dab in the middle of the LCD cavity. The button has been replaced by the superfluous Video Snap button, just as it was on the HF20. Maybe Canon thinks that beginners will be eager to shoot lots of ten-second clips, but we think they're more likely to shoot in cruise control for as long as it takes to capture baby's first steps. The now absent Easy button was a great choice for novice videographers, locking them out of menus and manual controls.

There is, technically, an auto mode on the HF S100, but it has a misleading label. On the mode dial, you'll find a green icon of a camera and a camcorder together—'Dual Shot' mode. This is the mode where Canon locks you out of the menus and puts the user in cruise control. Don't be deceived: you can shoot photos and videos simultaneously in regular video mode too. 'Dual Shot' mode is simply an erroneously and poorly named easy mode. We think that easy mode should be the easiest thing for users to find. In this regard, the 2009 Canons are a disappointment.

Regular movie mode and camera mode are simple to use, but there's a steep learning curve in familiarizing yourself with all the ins and outs of the HF S100. Of the four major manufacturers (Canon, Sony, Panasonic, JVC), Canon offers the least in the way of tool tips, descriptions, or other contextual aids. Panasonic's Info feature can be activated to bring up a short explanation every time you select something in the main menu. Sony has a similar feature for their main menu, plus short text descriptions inside the camera settings menu. JVC has scrolling descriptions of the features within their menus. As for Canon, it's all a bit opaque. If you don't know what a feature does, you'll probably need to refer to the instruction manual. Fortunately, Canon has excellent documentation—all available as pdf files online, in case you lose the paper manual that comes with your camcorder.

The HF S100 also continues Canon's tradition of splitting features into several different menus, which can be quite frustrating until you learn your way around. Some options are double-featured in more than one menu, but most live in just one of the three different menus: the main administrative menu, the function menu, and the joystick menu. This makes the camcorder a bit cumbersome even for more experienced users. To adjust aperture, you'll need to activate Aperture Priority mode. To adjust white balance, just pop into the function menu. To shift exposure, use the joystick menu. To shift AGC limit, navigate to the second tab of the administrative menu.

The image adjustment process can be streamlined a bit using the fantastic custom control dial, but even that isn't as easy as it should be. You can't switch dial functions on the fly; you have to go into the admin menu to select which of the five functions you want assigned to the dial.

Requiring this kind of mastery over the menu navigation really places the HF S100 out of reach for less tech-savvy beginners that are considering venturing into the realm of manual controls. Experienced users will adjust quickly, but first-time videographers will probably want to look elsewhere.

Auto Mode is confusingly called Dual Shot mode

The Canon HF S100 features the same bothersome, multi-layered menu system we've come to know from previous Canon models. Options have been spread across three different locations, leaving you to guess which place to look for a particular feature. The more significant image adjustments are located in the Function menu, where you select a recording quality, bitrate, and image effects. This is also where you can access Aperture and Shutter Priority modes.

Quick image adjustments that you might want to make on the fly are located in a quick menu, mapped to the joystick. Manual exposure and focus adjustments are both part of the joystick guide.

Everything else is lumped into one giant administrative menu, divided into several different tabs. Navigation of this menu could be a lot easier. Instead of pressing left or right to change tabs, you have to navigate up to the top, then left or right to change tabs. In fact, the joystick menu is finicky and counterintuitive to operate as well.

These minor navigation issues only exacerbate the troublesome split menu design: not only do you have to search for your desired option by process of elimination, but you can't always do it quickly either. So, if you're looking for the gain control, you might strike out in the joystick guide (even though that's where focus and exposure are located), then strike out again in the Function menu (even though that's where you control aperture, shutter speed, and white balance), then finally land in the second tab of the administrative menu at a feature called AGC Limit. On top of all this, Canon doesn't provide tool tips or text descriptions of any of these features. If you don't know what 'AGC Limit' is, you'll need to consult the operating instructions or just leave that feature alone. The same goes for BLC (backlight compensation), tele-converter, and several other features.

This may only be a minor nuisance to the experienced videographer, but it can make the technology a lot more daunting to first-time users. Fortunately, Canon does provide a very thorough instruction manual, so if you're willing to spend the time reading up on your purchase, you may be able to take advantage of the depth of controls available on the HF S100.

For a little bit of added flexibility in your menus, there are two font size options (the captures above use the smaller of the two sizes) and 23 language options.

Auto Mode

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Auto mode is the bread and butter for most camcorder users, and even though the Canon HF S100 is a high-end product, it is still likely most people will end up shooting a majority of their footage with automatic controls. Dual Shot mode, which is the camcorder's dedicated auto mode, is represented on the mode dial with a green icon of a camcorder and camera. We don't particularly like the naming convention of 'Dual Shot' mode, as it could easily confuse first-time videographers. On last year's models, Canon called this same setting 'Easy' mode, which is a lot simpler for a new user to comprehend and find. In Dual Shot mode, the camcorder locks you out from all menus and manual settings. The only thing you can do with the camcorder is zoom, record, and press the shutter button to take photos. Switching over to regular video mode allows you to manipulate some of the camcorder's settings, while still keeping most controls automated.

Let's begin with the most basic of auto controls—focus. The HF S100, like many Canons, has two autofocus modes. The first is called Instant AF, and it utilizes a secondary autofocus sensor (located beneath the lens) to provide an immediate, snap-like focus. We found the instant AF to work well in most cases, but it can be problematic if you're dealing with lots of motion. If you prefer a more traditional autofocus style, the normal AF system on the HF S100 provides a gradual focus adjustment. The autofocus still works quickly when moving between multiple subjects, but it doesn't have the immediate, locked-in focus shift that occurs with instant AF. The normal AF mode looks more like someone is performing a manual focus with a lens ring—only the camcorder is doing it automatically.

The HF S100 also has face detection, which is a new feature this year for Canon. With the setting activated, the camcorder will automatically detect faces within the video frame and adjust focus and exposure accordingly. During playback, any clips shot using face detection can also be organized and sorted based on whose face is in the clip. Canon claims the HF S100 can detect up to 9 faces at once and 35 faces in all, but we couldn't get the camcorder to pick up more than a few faces at any given time.

The auto exposure worked great on the HF S100, adjusting to various light sources with gradual ease. The camcorder offers alternate metering methods in still mode, but only one auto exposure setting is present for videos. There are a number of white balance presents on the camcorder, which we discuss in more detail in the white balance portion of the review. Auto white balance was quite effective, although not perfect, and we saw consistently better results when using a manual white balance.

Rounding out the auto controls is an auto slow shutter feature that can be turned on and off in the camcorder's menu. Turning the feature on allows the camcorder to use shutter speeds down to 1/30 of a second, which will produce a blurry, trailing effect in low light. With auto slow shutter off, the HF S100 won't drop below 1/60 of a second shutter speed.

Low Light Modes - There aren't any dedicated low light modes on the Canon HF S100, although there is a night scene mode that drops the shutter speed to as low as 1/2 of a second. The camcorder does have a built-in video light, however, that will help if you need to film in the dark.

Scene Modes - The HF S100 has the same set of scene modes as the Canon HF20: Portrait, Sports, Night, Snow, Beach, Sunset, Spotlight, and Fireworks. This is a decent amount of scene modes, and both the Panasonic HDC-TM300 and Sony HDR-XR520V have a similar amount as well.

The iAuto mode button is difficult to find, but when you do find it the option for turning on the mode looks like this.

Other Auto Features

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Higher noise levels than any of the competition.

Handling

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The Canon HF S100 received a design overhaul compared to last year's models, including a couple features that will change the way you use the camcorder. The most significant new arrival is the custom control dial, which gives users a smooth interface for making manual focus, exposure, and audio level adjustments. This method is far superior to the joystick-only operation on Canon's HF- and HG-series. The joystick on those models (and on the HF S100) is too small and too imprecise for something like manual focus adjustment.

Unfortunately, the custom control dial is really only designed to handle one manual control at a time; you have to delve fairly deep into the menus in order to assign a function to the dial. While you can assign one of five different functions (exposure, focus, focus assist functions, microphone levels, and gain limit), it's too much of a hassle to really do on the fly. You'll want to choose your preferred control—probably focus—and stick with that.

The Sony cam control dial, on the other hand, allows you to quickly switch back and forth among four options: focus, exposure, AE shift, and WB shift. We wish the HF S100 had this sort of easy flexibility. Complaints aside, kudos to Canon for imitating Sony's excellent dial mechanism.

There have also been some changes to the form factor, with a new, larger lens completely dominating the body. There's never much to grasp with a flash memory camcorder, but the HF S100 has a bit more bulk than the slimmer HF20. As a result, the HF S100 is a lot more comfortable in the hand. The zoom toggle rests easily underneath the index finger and two small lines of rubber gripping are underneath the middle finger. The new design means that it's easier to hold, but it also means that the accessory shoe is up front—where most manufacturers typically place it. If you plan on using the shoe often, make sure you're comfortable with the new architecture before taking the plunge.

Canon rarely disappoints with its hand strap design and the Canon HF S100 is no exception. The soft suede lining on the interior and a decent amount of cushioning should make long shoots easy on the hand.

We have few complaints with the button layout of the HF S100. Most of the switches and buttons respond well and are conveniently located. The joystick is small and finicky, but it feels better than the ambiguous action of the joystick on the Sanyo VPC-HD2000. That will probably be good enough for navigating the menus, which aren't particularly easy to navigate as it is.

Perhaps the most curiously frustrating aspect of the HF S100's design is the arrangement of ports. The only positive thing that can be said is that the ports are located on the camcorder—some camcorders have the ports available only via a separate docking station. On the HF S100, however, there is a large port cavity on the right side of the camcorder inconveniently tucked underneath the hand strap. There's no practical reason why you can't place the ports there, but we just don't like the cheap port cover or the hassle of pushing the strap aside to access HDMI, component-out, and USB terminals. Add to that the completely exposed microphone input in the front, the ill-fitting port covers for the DC input and AV output, and the flimsy card slot cover. Port design is just not the strong suit of the Canon HF S100—or any of this year's Canons, really.

Speaking of cheap or flimsy parts... the HF S100 continues Canon's tradition of producing not particularly sturdy-seeming products. Once again, a Canon camcorder greets us with that familiar rattling of internal parts that's a bit unsettling on the ears. When you're in photo or video mode, the rattling subsides, but in playback mode or when the camcorder is powered down, the rattling is very distinct. We thought at first that this was the lens cover, but the sound comes from further up the barrel and it occurs even when we hold the lens cover in place. Whatever the sound is, it's not something you like to hear from a thousand-dollar piece of equipment. Nor do we like the thing, high sound that our finger makes when we tap on the plastic parts. The inside may contain excellent processing and optics, but the outside feels cheaper than the competition from Sony and Panasonic.

These dedicated buttons give you quick access to aperture and shutter speed controls.

Portability

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In practice, the Canon HF S100 is as portable as any other consumer camcorder: it's too big to fit in your pocket and small enough to slip into a camera bag or purse. If you're the sort of person that carries your camcorder around on a regular basis, however, you will notice that the HF S100 is larger than many of its competitors. This is thanks, in large part, to the sizable lens barrel dominating the body of the camcorder. It's a larger lens than anything you'll find on the top-of-the-line models from Sony, Panasonic, or JVC. As a result, the Canon is slightly larger than the Panasonic HDC-TM300 or the JVC GZ-HD300. Honestly, the increase in size makes the HF S100 a little easier to hold; smaller camcorders often feel slippery or cramped in your hand. The Sony HDR-XR520V, however, feels bulky and a bit unwieldy. The lens barrel isn't as big, but the hard drive adds a considerably amount of weight and girth. The HF S100 sheds some weight by relying on flash memory.

While the HF S100 does not have any internal memory, SDHC cards are small, durable, and convenient. If you enjoy the extra flexibility of recording to internal storage media, you can always upgrade to the HF S10, which comes with 32GB of internal flash memory. You can also save some space in your bag by leaving a lot of cables at home: there's no need to rely on an external dock, like you do with the Sanyo VPC-HD2000.

Battery Life

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The Canon HF S100 lasted 97 minutes, 54 seconds in our battery test. This is an average result and is nearly identical to the battery life we measured on the smaller Canon HF20. All four camcorders in this testing set had very similar battery lives, with the Panasonic HDC-TM300 providing the most recording time at roughly 105 minutes. If you want to increase the battery life with the Canon HF S100 that shouldn't be a problem—the camcorder has an unenclosed battery compartment, which means you can easily upgrade to larger, longer-lasting battery packs. More on how we test battery life.

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LCD

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The Canon HF S100 features the same 2.7-inch color LCD as the Canon HF20 and HF11. In fact, all of Canon's current HD models feature LCD screens of this size and have 211,000-pixel resolutions. While this is a decent size and resolution for an LCD, it is nothing compared to the 3.2-inch, 921,000-pixel screen found on Sony's HDR-XR520V. The Sony HDR-XR520V also has an electronic viewfinder—something that is not included on the HF S100 or any of Canon's flash memory camcorders. The Panasonic HDC-TM300 has an electronic viewfinder as well.

The design of the LCD panel on the HF S100 is good, however, and represents an upgrade over the HF20, HF200 and last year's models from Canon. The new LCD screen features a flat, glossy bezel that runs the entire length of the panel. This gives the screen more protection and should prevent dust and lint from collecting underneath the LCD. The VCR buttons are also vastly improved on the HF S100. On other models, like the HF20, HF200, and HF11, Canon utilized somewhat unresponsive 'membrane' buttons that were difficult to press, especially as the camcorder got more wear and tear. The new buttons are large and well-designed, although using them to perform zooms still doesn't work very well.

We can't give the new LCD design a completely free pass, however, as its glossy design may pose more of a problem in high-glare situations. To account for this, the LCD screen's brightness can be adjusted with 44 increments of control. While adjusting the brightness, a grayscale display appears at the bottom of the screen so you can calibrate the brightness to match your shooting conditions. In addition to the brightness adjustment, the screen has a dimmer feature that can be turned on and off. Using the dimmer or running the LCD with lower brightness should help you extend the camcorder's battery life.

Stabilization

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The Canon HF S100 is equipped with optical image stabilization (OIS) to reduce shake in video footage. While the OIS did reduce some shake in our tests, its overall performance was not as strong as the Sony HDR-XR520V or Panasonic HDC-TM300 (the JVC GZ-HD300 also did better, but it uses a digital stabilization system). The HF S100 improved stabilization by only 38% in our low-shake test, and by a measly 5% in our-high shake test. More on how we test stabilization.

The Canon showed little improvement at both shake levels when using OIS. The video below shows the same concept—the stabilized footage doesn't look much better than the regular video (with OIS turned off).

Both the Sony HDR-XR520V and Panasonic HDC-TM300 did a much better job in our stabilization test. Each is equipped with an optical image stabilizer and reduced shake upwards of 60% in our low-shake test. The Sony HDR-XR520V also has two levels of stabilization: standard and active mode.

Manual Focus

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The adjustment dial makes accurate focus adjustments easy.

Manual Exposure

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The manual exposure controls are only found on the Contour app, not on the camcorder itself.

Miscellaneous Controls

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The HF S100 includes a number of professional-level controls that are rarely found on consumer camcorders. It can display color bars and an audio reference tone, has a couple of overexposure warnings (zebra settings), and contains numerous onscreen markers for assisting with framing.

Tele-conversion

Digitally enlarges the center of the screen by roughly 1.7 times—essentially producing the same effect as a tele-conversion lens. According to Canon, there is no loss in video quality because the system utilizes unused pixels to increase the magnification. This feature is similar to the advanced zoom setting found on many new camcorders.

Color Bar

Displays an original set of SMPTE color bars that can be recorded as footage and used for calibration later. The camcorder can also produce an audio reference tone with the color bars.

Zebra

Zebra is a common professional feature that assists with manual exposure adjustment. With the setting activated, black and white stripes will appear in overexposed areas while you are shooting (the stripes won't end up on your final footage). This helps you manually adjust exposure levels to make sure nothing in the frame is blown-out or losing detail from over-exposure. You can set the sensitivity of the zebra setting to 70% (slightly overexposed) or 100% (very overexposed).

Onscreen Markers

Onscreen markers, or guide frames, on the Canon HF S100 can be displayed as a single horizontal line in white or grey, or as a nine-quadrant grid also in white or grey. These lines won't be in your recorded footage and are simply used to assist with framing.

Audio Controls

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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.

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.

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.

Editing

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The Canon HF S100 comes with Pixela ImageMixer 3SE Video Editing Software, which is the same program that ships with all new Canons. The software isn't anything fancy, but it allows you to do some basic editing, as well as organize your clips and images in a manner that suits you. The Pixela software is compatible with both Mac and PC computers.The camcorder also comes with a Digital Video Solution disk that includes drivers, help files, and a few small programs.

The HF S100 records video using the AVCHD codec, which is essentially the standard for HD camcorders that record to flash memory or an internal hard drive. Only Samsung and Sanyo have flash-based camcorders that record video using other codecs. AVCHD is a complicated codec and it carries a lot of information with its footage. This makes the files very large, and, as a result, they can be very difficult to work with on weak computers. If you plan on doing lots of editing with the HF S100, make sure you have a powerful computer that is up to the challenge. On a positive note, however, AVCHD is now compatible with most consumer and professional-level editing programs. We were able to transfer footage from the HF S100 to Final Cut Express and iMovie with ease.

The Canon HF S100 also comes with a music CD for adding background tracks to your video footage. We didn't get a copy of this disc, so we don't know how much or what kind of music comes on it, but we're guessing it isn't very exciting. Music from the CD can be loaded onto a memory card so you can add background tracks to your footage using an entirely in-camera system. For an overview of the software that ships with this and other camcorders, see our article: Video Editing Software For Your Camcorder{{product.brand.name}}-Included-Software.htm.

Compression

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The Canon HF S100 records high definition video in the AVCHD codec. A couple years ago, AVCHD was still getting its feet wet as a compression standard for high definition video. Now it's the primary codec; the four major camcorder manufacturers use AVCHD and most video editing software is now compatible with AVCHD. Although the codec is compatible with more programs, it can still result in large and unwieldy files. Make sure you have a robust computer before taking the dive into AVCDH.

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 Canon HF S100 has five quality options: MXP (24Mbps), FXP (17Mbps), XP+ (12Mbps), SP (7Mbps), and LP (5Mbps). Read more about the advantages and disadvantages of various high definition compression types.

Media

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Canon released two new flagship camcorders this year: the Canon HF S10 and Canon HF S100. The only real difference between the two camcorders is their primary recording media. Both models have SD/SDHC memory card slots, but the Canon HF S10 has an additional 32GB of internal memory. With the HF S100, you'll have to rely entirely on removable memory cards. Internal flash memory is certainly a convenient option to have available—you'll have to decide for yourself whether it's worth $200.

Below is a chart of approximate recording times, depending on the quality setting you select and the size of your memory card. According to the user manual, neither the HF S10 nor the HF S100 can record maximum quality video to 1GB or 2GB memory cards. You'll need at least a 4GB card in order to record in MXP or FXP mode. Since we always recommend you record at the highest setting, you should invest in a good size card if you purchase the HF S100. Read more about the advantages and disadvantages of various media types.

Slow Motion Modes

Still Features

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The Canon HF S100 has an abundance of photographic features, and, as you'll see in our image tests below, 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 x 2456 to 640 x 480, choose an image quality setting, or select a metering mode from evaluative, center-weighted average, or spot. 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. There's also shutter-priority and aperture-priority modes for still images and most manual controls that work in video mode are also applicable with photos.

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 size options of 3264 x 1840 or 1920 x 1080 for the photos). In dual shot mode, simultaneous recording is automatically engaged, with the photo size always set to 1920 x 1080. In playback mode, the HF S100 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 x 1080.

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 ready to go. We found the flash worked well, and it can be set to auto, red-eye reduction auto, 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. The shoe, unfortunately, uses a proprietary mini design, so it only works with special accessories designed by Canon. Rounding out the HF S100'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.

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 that gives details about the photograph (things like shutter speed, aperture setting, image size, etc.). Using the zoom toggle during still image playback allows you to digitally magnify a 3264 x 2456 still image up to five times.

The Canon HF S100 measured a color error of 3.96 in its still photos, which is very similar to the 3.49 it scored in our regular video color testing. The Canon HF S100 measured a saturation level of 98.95% in our still image testing. For still images, this is a good score, although it is a bit worse than the Panasonic HDC-TM300 (2.65 color error) and the Sony HDR-XR520V (3.2 color error). The JVC GZ-HD300 also faired quite well in this test, with a 4.11 color error.

The Canon HF S100 had difficulty with dark blues and some yellows and oranges in our still color test. This is interesting because the camcorder did very well with blues in our video testing and struggled with reds—something the HF S100 captured very accurately in its still photographs. Since the camcorder uses different processing for still and video mode, these discrepancies make sense, and it may be something to look out for if you're overly concerned about the colors matching-up on your video and photo images.

The Canon HF S100 measured high noise levels in its still photos, averaging 1.15% noise in our tests. This is much too high for a still image, although it isn't terrible. The Sony HDR-XR520V had roughly the same numbers (1.07% noise), while the Panasonic HDC-TM300 and JVC GZ-HD300 averaged 0.79% and 0.7% noise respectively.

The Canon HF S100 has a huge CMOS sensor, and it really comes in handy for taking large, sharp photos. The camcorder recorded an excellent horizontal sharpness of 2821 lw/ph with 0.5% oversharpening. Things didn't fare as well with vertical resolution, which measured 1380 lw/ph with -9.9% undersharpening 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 S100 has one of the strongest still sharpness measurements we've seen. The Sony HDR-XR520V also put up good numbers here, with 1961 lw/ph horizontal and 1680 lw/ph vertical.

Lens & Imaging System

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For a consumer camcorder, the Canon HF S100 features a very large lens. In fact, the lens has the same filter diameter as the GL2, which is a professional camcorder from Canon that records standard definition video. The lens takes up the entire front side of the Canon HF S100, and its diameter is nearly the width and height of the camcorder itself. The lens features a 10x optical zoom and has a maximum aperture of f/1.8. In addition to the large lens, the HF S100 features a substantial 1/2.6-inch CMOS image sensor.

LCD

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The Canon HF S100 features the same 2.7-inch color LCD as the Canon HF20 and HF11. In fact, all of Canon's current HD models feature LCD screens of this size and have 211,000-pixel resolutions. While this is a decent size and resolution for an LCD, it is nothing compared to the 3.2-inch, 921,000-pixel screen found on Sony's HDR-XR520V. The Sony HDR-XR520V also has an electronic viewfinder—something that is not included on the HF S100 or any of Canon's flash memory camcorders. The Panasonic HDC-TM300 has an electronic viewfinder as well.

The design of the LCD panel on the HF S100 is good, however, and represents an upgrade over the HF20, HF200 and last year's models from Canon. The new LCD screen features a flat, glossy bezel that runs the entire length of the panel. This gives the screen more protection and should prevent dust and lint from collecting underneath the LCD. The VCR buttons are also vastly improved on the HF S100. On other models, like the HF20, HF200, and HF11, Canon utilized somewhat unresponsive 'membrane' buttons that were difficult to press, especially as the camcorder got more wear and tear. The new buttons are large and well-designed, although using them to perform zooms still doesn't work very well.

We can't give the new LCD design a completely free pass, however, as its glossy design may pose more of a problem in high-glare situations. To account for this, the LCD screen's brightness can be adjusted with 44 increments of control. While adjusting the brightness, a grayscale display appears at the bottom of the screen so you can calibrate the brightness to match your shooting conditions. In addition to the brightness adjustment, the screen has a dimmer feature that can be turned on and off. Using the dimmer or running the LCD with lower brightness should help you extend the camcorder's battery life.

Connectivity

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The Canon HF S100 has all the important connectivity options, but the placement of certain ports and inputs is downright lousy. Let's begin with the completely unprotected 3.5mm microphone jack on the right side of the camcorder. The port is tiny and out of the way, but that doesn't mean it shouldn't have some sort of covering for adequate protection. Moisture or foreign objects could harm the microphone jack in an instant.

Also on the right side of the HF S100 is a compartment that houses the component-out, USB, and HDMI port. These jacks are all protected by a flip-up door that seems fairly strong and sturdy. The problem with these ports, however, lies entirely with their poor placement. The camcorder's large hand strap gets in the way of the flip-up door and plugging in large cables can be a cluttered hassle. The component-out port also has a proprietary-fit design, so it won't work with a normal component AV cable.

Moving over to the left side of the camcorder you will find a few more quirky design issues inside the LCD cavity. Firstly, the camcorder's battery release switch is located here, rather than anywhere near the actual battery itself. Secondly, the SD/SDHC card slot is protected by a flip down door that cannot be opened when the camcorder is attached to a tripod or if the LCD screen is closed. This is a minor nuisance, however, and at least Canon provided a good cover to the SD/SDHC card slot.

On the back of the HF S100, just above the battery pack, are two more ports: the DC input is on the left and the AV-output on the right. Both are protected by their own flexible plastic coverings that remained tethered to the camcorder when you pull them out. These ports are well located and the covers provide decent protection, although we noticed they stopped making tight seals around the ports as the covers got more wear and tear. The AV-output also doubles as a headphone jack, with the option of switching between the two being contained in the camcorder's administrative menu.

Rounding out the connectivity options is a hot accessory shoe that is covered by a sliding shield of plastic on the top of the camcorder. While the shoe is powered, it is only compatible with Canon's mini-shoe accessories and it won't work with traditional shoe-fit devices. Adapters are available through third party vendors, but we can't attest as to how well they work with the Canon HF S100.

Media

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Canon released two new flagship camcorders this year: the Canon HF S10 and Canon HF S100. The only real difference between the two camcorders is their primary recording media. Both models have SD/SDHC memory card slots, but the Canon HF S10 has an additional 32GB of internal memory. With the HF S100, you'll have to rely entirely on removable memory cards. Internal flash memory is certainly a convenient option to have available—you'll have to decide for yourself whether it's worth $200.

Below is a chart of approximate recording times, depending on the quality setting you select and the size of your memory card. According to the user manual, neither the HF S10 nor the HF S100 can record maximum quality video to 1GB or 2GB memory cards. You'll need at least a 4GB card in order to record in MXP or FXP mode. Since we always recommend you record at the highest setting, you should invest in a good size card if you purchase the HF S100. Read more about the advantages and disadvantages of various media types.

Still Features

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The Canon HF S100 has an abundance of photographic features, and, as you'll see in our image tests below, 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 x 2456 to 640 x 480, choose an image quality setting, or select a metering mode from evaluative, center-weighted average, or spot. 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. There's also shutter-priority and aperture-priority modes for still images and most manual controls that work in video mode are also applicable with photos.

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 size options of 3264 x 1840 or 1920 x 1080 for the photos). In dual shot mode, simultaneous recording is automatically engaged, with the photo size always set to 1920 x 1080. In playback mode, the HF S100 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 x 1080.

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 ready to go. We found the flash worked well, and it can be set to auto, red-eye reduction auto, 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. The shoe, unfortunately, uses a proprietary mini design, so it only works with special accessories designed by Canon. Rounding out the HF S100'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.

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 that gives details about the photograph (things like shutter speed, aperture setting, image size, etc.). Using the zoom toggle during still image playback allows you to digitally magnify a 3264 x 2456 still image up to five times.

The Canon HF S100 measured a color error of 3.96 in its still photos, which is very similar to the 3.49 it scored in our regular video color testing. The Canon HF S100 measured a saturation level of 98.95% in our still image testing. For still images, this is a good score, although it is a bit worse than the Panasonic HDC-TM300 (2.65 color error) and the Sony HDR-XR520V (3.2 color error). The JVC GZ-HD300 also faired quite well in this test, with a 4.11 color error.

The Canon HF S100 had difficulty with dark blues and some yellows and oranges in our still color test. This is interesting because the camcorder did very well with blues in our video testing and struggled with reds—something the HF S100 captured very accurately in its still photographs. Since the camcorder uses different processing for still and video mode, these discrepancies make sense, and it may be something to look out for if you're overly concerned about the colors matching-up on your video and photo images.

The Canon HF S100 measured high noise levels in its still photos, averaging 1.15% noise in our tests. This is much too high for a still image, although it isn't terrible. The Sony HDR-XR520V had roughly the same numbers (1.07% noise), while the Panasonic HDC-TM300 and JVC GZ-HD300 averaged 0.79% and 0.7% noise respectively.

The Canon HF S100 has a huge CMOS sensor, and it really comes in handy for taking large, sharp photos. The camcorder recorded an excellent horizontal sharpness of 2821 lw/ph with 0.5% oversharpening. Things didn't fare as well with vertical resolution, which measured 1380 lw/ph with -9.9% undersharpening 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 S100 has one of the strongest still sharpness measurements we've seen. The Sony HDR-XR520V also put up good numbers here, with 1961 lw/ph horizontal and 1680 lw/ph vertical.

Other Features

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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.

Panasonic HDC-TM300 Comparison

The HDR-XR520V is Sony's top-of-the-line HD camcorder for 2009. It is a bulky product, but most of that size comes from its huge 240GB built-in hard drive. While this is an impressive amount of storage space, it also helps push the camcorder's price tag close to $1500. As far as performance goes, the HDR-XR520V is roughly on par with the HF S100. It has less noise than the Canon, slightly worse color accuracy in bright light, and very comparable motion, sharpness, and low light sensitivity scores. Both camcorders have a control dial for making smooth adjustments, but the HF S100 offers many more manual controls—including AGC limit, shutter-priority, and aperture-priority modes. It is a tough call between these two camcorders, but we think the HF S100 is better overall for manual control lovers, while the Sony is a good choice for beginners and people who are willing to pay $1500 for a camcorder with a huge storage capacity.

JVC GZ-HD300 Comparison

The Panasonic HDC-TM300 is another high-end HD camcorder with great video performance. The camcorder comes with 32GB of built-in flash memory, which is a step-up from the memory-card-only HF S100. Going by price, the HDC-TM300 is a better comparison with the Canon HF S10, the sister model to the HF S100, as it also comes with 32GB of flash memory. Both the HF S10 and Pansonic HDC-TM300 retail for around $1299. The HDC-TM300 is equipped with Panasonic's standard lens ring, making it one of the few consumer camcorders to still sport this classy feature. The camcorder combines a simple ease of use (it has lots of help and info features for beginners), with strong manual controls to create one of the better all-around camcorders we've seen this year. In video performance, the HDC-TM300 had better low light scores than the HF S100—specifically with low light sensitivity. The Canon HF S100 has a slight edge in video sharpness, still image quality, and motion, but the Panasonic HDC-TM300 isn't far behind. We think the HDC-TM300 is the best choice for beginners as far as top-of-the-line HD camcorders go, and its plethora of instant auto features, combined with lots of manual controls, make it a strong contender in 2009.

COMP 3

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.

Conclusion

Canon has certainly made some improvements this year with the HF S100: a new lens and sensor that produce incredibly sharp videos and photos, a new processor that allows for simultaneous photo recording and less noise, and an excellent new custom control dial that offers smooth and precise focus adjustment.

Other manufacturers, however, have also made some improvements to their top-of-the-line camcorders. The result is a very close performance race between the Canon HF S100, the Sony HDR-XR520V, and the Panasonic HDC-TM300—plus the sister models of each. In some cases, these camcorders are virtually indistinguishable: all three offer clear, sharp, and vivid recording. The Canon probably has the weakest low light performance of the three, requiring you to drop to a 30p or 24p frame rate to achieve equivalent sensitivity. On the other hand, the HF S100 certainly produced the sharpest image. And let's not forget the dark horse we reviewed earlier this year; the Sanyo VPC-HD2000 had impressive performance—especially in low light—and retails for several hundred dollars less than the top-of-the-line camcorders from Canon, Sony, and Panasonic. This year, JVC may be focusing more on saving the consumer money than outperforming the competition; the company's flagship camcorder, the GZ-HD300, couldn't quite keep up with the other manufacturers, but will save you a few hundred dollars and get you 60GB of internal hard drive capacity that the Sanyo does not offer.

If you don't already have a preference for one of these manufacturers, the one detail that may sway you is Canon's incredibly deep offerings for manual controls. Experienced videographers will love the inclusion of auto gain control limits, two levels of zebra striping, three color varieties of peaking (in either color or black and white), color bars and a test tone, and the new custom control dial for achieving a precise manual focus. Add to that all the usual manual controls, accessory shoe, microphone/headphone jacks, and the best still photography performance, and you've got a recipe for a great camcorder. (If only Canon had included a viewfinder as well.) The HF S100 doesn't have the internal capacity of a Sony hard drive camcorder and it isn't as easy to use as the Panasonic, with its array of Intelligent Auto technologies, but it does offer a complete and robust user experience for the more advanced videographer.

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Jeremy Stamas

Jeremy Stamas

Managing Editor, Video

@nematode9

Jeremy is the video expert of our imaging team and Reviewed.com's head of video production. Originally from Pennsylvania and upstate NY, he graduated from Bard college with a degree in film and electronic media. He has been living and working in New England since 2005.

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Kaitlyn Chantry

Kaitlyn Chantry

Vice President, Editorial Management

@WhyKaitlyn

Vice President of Editorial Management, Kaitlyn oversees the editorial departments of Reviewed.com’s various sites. She has been writing about technology since the turn of the century. Outside of her Reviewed.com home, Kaitlyn is also a theatre director and avid gamer.

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