Comments Canon HF100 - Camcorder - review

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961

2:26 PM on 11 August, 2008

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Perhaps I'm getting old but I just can't get away with a camcorder without a viewfinder.

Is it possible to comment in reviews if the viewfinder is present or if we have to wave the camcorder around while trying to see the picture in the screen in the sunlight?

Please

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Geoff Richards

3:35 PM on 11 August, 2008

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I'm not an expert (and James Morris is on holiday this week) but I would hazard to guess that there are very few camcorders these days with optical viewfinders... Just as we've seen with compact digital cameras, most people prefer framing shots using 3-inch + LCD screens rather than holding it to their face.

This is probably true even more for camcorders really. The solution is to improve the sunlight visibility of the LCD screens used. If you really must have an optical viewfinder I suspect you'll be researching the upper end of the market ie bulkier, semi-pro models rather than sexy little things like the HF100

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James Morris

2:00 PM on 22 August, 2008

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I'm back from holiday now. There really are very few camcorders left with a viewfinder for under a grand. The Canon HV30 is one, which records HDV to tape, but the AVCHD choice is virtually zero. Panasonic has recently released the HDC-HS100 and SD100, which do have viewfinders. Watch this space for full reviews!

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LeeTracey

11:59 AM on 1 September, 2008

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An interesting point, at least for me, is the ability or not, for the camera to output its video and audio stream directly to a hard drive rather than record storage internally to a built-in flash or an inserted SD card. If I can provide external DC power and also record direct to a HDD, even via a PC, and retain the full 2 megapixel or 8M or higher, then I have a low cost megapixel camera I can use as a CCTV surveillance camera and at a reasonable price. Can this Canon provide that facility or can any other camcorder provide it?

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GavinHamer

2:09 PM on 5 September, 2008

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Sweet video review, although perhaps the skyline in the background at the start should be Bracknell? ;-)

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AndyVandervell

5:06 PM on 5 September, 2008

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Aha, in fact all the backgrounds are from IPC Media's office in London. Frankly, you wouldn't want backgrounds from Bracknell. ;)

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ChewHockAun

2:51 AM on 19 September, 2008

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There is no mention here that lesser moving parts and motor noise predominant in previous Canon models (mini DV) can prove to be a buyer's point. My attempts to replace the recorder head on my Panasonic antiquated camcorder could set me back at least RM 400.00 to RM 600.00. I presume hard disks will also consume battery power enough to reduce the usage time on any one charge.

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Geoff Richards

7:42 AM on 19 September, 2008

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The power consumption by the hard disk is not a significant issue. They are low power and there is no problem with battery life. Higher capacity batteries are available if you really need longer life.

Never underestimate the convenience of having video stored on disc already, and my box of dozens of miniDV can attest - I just can't face having to rip them to my PC in slow-ass real time :(

If I could just drag & drop the entire footage like you can from Flash / HDD-based camcorders, I would do a lot more editing than I currently do.

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In comparison to the HF10, the similarly-specced HF100 actually works out better value when you factor in the price of memory. Ok, the HF10 can add a 16GB card and give you four hours of shooting in FXP - comparable to a hard disk-based model - whilst the HF100 will need an extra memory card to perform the same feat. But that's hardly a major hassle, and for this reason the HF100 usurps the higher-end HF10 as our top AVCHD camcorder choice.

Overall

9/10

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Reviewed by James Morris

01 August 2008

Price as reviewed

£552.30

Amazon £817 Buy now

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