Home > Consumer Reviews > Canon HF100 High Definition Camcorder - 12x Optical Zoom With 2.7 inch Widescreen Multi-Angle Vivid LCD

After having the use of the same camcorder on holiday from my brother-in-law I could not resist of the purchase.
GSM Fonz gave a very accurate specification of the newly new item and sent it out very swiftly after payment.
Very happy with the service provided.

I bought the HF100 for use at investor meetings for my work. It's a great camera, easy to use and gives excellent results. Particularly useful for recording meetings are the audio input and headphone output. We can lift sound from the PA system and pipe straight into the camera so we get great sound even with the camera at the back of the room. And we can monitor to ensure we haven't got a problem during the meeting. The stablised zoom sorts out any wobble issues and we find the automatic settings give great results.

But...

The software supplied is rubbish. Or if it itsn't and we simply had issues specific to the set up of our PCs, the software manual is so lame and pathetic that it simply makes the software look rubbish. A look through the relevants web fora suggests we are not alone.

I'd recommend this camera to anyone, but go and buy some decent editing software. Pity to spoil such a good camera with such rubbish software and software manual.

I wanted a cam with nearly broadcast quality that I could use easily almost every day to record dance performances and rehearsals. It produces great results as everyone says and I invested in a Panasonic TV with an SDHC card slot plus the Canon DVD burner DW100, both of which give me ace immediate playback of the filmed material.
So here comes my 'but'...
Now I need to get up to speed #from previously zero level editing experience# and as the AVCHD files need a pretty hefty computer and the right software to go with it, I'm having to dive into getting myself sorted out in that respect too....there are a load of alternatives out there, and to be honest I'm leaving this review in as much hope I'll get some more info from other hf100-ites as of passing on info re the cam.
I haven't regretted buying this cam at all, but if you get it be prepared to get on to a learning curve if you're basically a point and shoot person like me!

It is easy to edit the footage in AVCHD. First of all the SD-HC memorycards plays the footage directly in a PS3 via an USB adapter to the card.
That is easy play.
Secondly in a Mac with iMovie 09 the program will take the .MTS files automatically and convert them to "Apple Intermediate codec", either from the camera or from an inserted SD-HC card. It will so to speak unravel the knot of "AVCHD" in play-time +80%. But!-silent and AUTOMATIC.No tape to control.
From there you finish in "Export in QuickTime" and choose .mp4, which will make the footage PS3 compatible.I use 1920 x 1080 8000Kbts H.264 .mp4.

In a PC You use NERO 9! Don't start up "Nero start smart" but go directly to programmes and choose "Nero Vision" in Nero Vision you choose "DVD-AVCHD" and let NV import the "AVCHD" folder from the harddrive.
You can edit every clip shown and you can proceed and choose "DVD" or film to folder.
The rendering will be fast!! Quicker than play, it will be like "fast forward"!
The "AVCHD" folders kan be thrown on top of PowerDVD Ultra's program GUI and the film will play imidiately.
The folder will also play from a PS3. Just use the "X" button and click on the "AVCHD" folder, and it plays.
The "AVCHD" DVD you make in Nero Vision have user interface with moving film icon buttons if you choose.

So now You see:"Nothing easier than "AVCHD"!"

All the troubles with this amazing successor to DVD-VOB comes from people not knowing what they are doing!;-)
Want a virtuel aquarium, if You got a PS3? Record a clip of 2 minutes of Your favorite aquarium with HF10 -use photo tripod -and transfer it to SD-HC memory stick. It has to be done this way.
Insert the SD-HC card in a USB card adapter and put it in the PS3 USB port."X" click the "AVCHD" folder and-You have an aquarium!;-)it will play perpetual.
Buy this cam or the HF100 which is the same cam, i have Canons word for it. Except HF 100 only use SD-HC, whereas the HF10 has 16GB internal memory. You can transfer footage from the internal memory in any order to the SD-HC card, which is an advantage of HF10.
You can allways write me if You want further information.[]

Quick delivery. Not all buttons were ideally positioned. Biggest Disappointment was the broken Autofocus. Sent back. Quick refund - brill.