Canon VIXIA HF R100 Flash Memory Camcorder

Since purchasing and using the Canon Vixia HF R100 (search c925-1520) for a month since 4/8/2010, my opinion has moved from doubtful skeptic to delighted enthusiast.

I am a non-professional user who has occasionally used several video machines(beta, vhs, 8mm, mini-DV, Hard Disk, DVD, and now HD to SD chip) to capture life events (gatherings, celebrations, outings, sports events, documentary of people, animals, plants, stage plays, and travel). Except for cell snapshots, The HFR100 is now my ONE camera for both video & stills.

Initially, the factory setting for video disappointed. Once the Camera was configured to HD CINE 24 frame mode, the results became much more clear, vivid, detailed & acceptable. While slow panning The DIGIC DV III processor and 2.39 megapixel HD CMOS process images fast enough to create clear individual frames without the choppiness that earlier, slower HD cams had (shots from a moving car with the Vixia actually produced some usable frames and clips).

The 20x(40-800 mm 35mm eq.), glass, canon-quality lens is not threaded to accept threaded filters or wide/tele extensions, but is recessed about 1 cm behind the camera face so it is both protected and somewhat hooded from surrounding light sources. An automatic, drop-down into the cam, lens protector operates when the cam is switched on/off. This is a great feature for protecting the lens while being quick ready. The dynamic image stabilization worked well out to 20X and was amazingly steady for videoing while walking at wide angle settings. The digital zoom (oversampling feature beyond 20X) may be set to 80X or 400X and in this camera may be good enough to produce some useful images in these ranges.

The Instant autofocus was superb. Focus was always very close to being on or slightly deep into the field. There was no "dancing-focus" or movements toward the wrong end of the focusing scale whatsoever. The manual focus automatically magnified in the LCD panel, aiding focus. The high quality LCD panel was very sharp. Its readability in direct sunlight was enhanced with the backlight turned on.

The automatic face detection autofocus did a fantastic job of keeping the focal plane on faces even in a sports action environment. This also worked somewhat to keep wildflower blossoms in focus. Menus and controls are fairly intuitive, but the disk based (also available for download feom the canon web site) .pdf instruction manual should be read to access all of the feature-rich options this unit offers.

I normally carry the camera out and off. This camera starts, focuses, rapid zooms and readies itself very quickly (about 3 sec) so it is hard to miss a shot. Additionally the new, pre-record feature carries 3 sec of video to add in front of your clips to make it difficult to miss shots as long as the camera is on and pointed in the right direction.

The Smart AUTO setting works very well for point-and-shoot capture in most any condition. For difficult environments there are 10 manual modes that can produce great results in extreme conditions. I was disappointed with the low-light results in auto mode, but in the low light mode I was astounded to see what crisp COLOR images could be made in with such little light. An on-camera light is not present nor needed with this camera unless substantial low-light action shots are desired. Campfire light, flashlight, or moonlight are plenty adequate light sources. Starlight is usable with a bipod and no panning.

The stereo sound is bright, adjustable and very accurate. The wind dampening filter was minimal not adequate. I have been experimenting with sponge materials to attach over the mics. The camera records a low decibel irregular low sound (something like a 16mm film sprocket). It is noticeable when played back at high volumes, and might be objectionable if listening closely for something near the same bandwidth in a low noise recording. I found it tolerable, but I'm hoping this will be corrected in later production.

The battery lasted about two hours. By keeping the camera off, I was able to get through a full day of taking portraits and snapshots on one battery. The day I accidentally left the camera on, I had a failure, but was able to charge it quickly and adequately with a car inverter. A back-up battery would be a wise precaution. On about 38 hrs of experimentation, camera set at highest resolutions, and including several hrs. of picking "snapshots" off of 220 video clips. I have 690 HD stills and have used 6.16G of a Patriot class6 16.1G SD chip. There are plenty of connectors (mini USB (use the included cable with this camera), mini HDMI (no cable included), component out (cable included), power in (115V adapter included)(battery is small(15x32x45mm) and recharged in the camera, a switchable 1/8"(3.5mm) pin headphone/ a/v out jack ((1/8 to (3) RCA) cable is included), and an external mic port. There is no hotshoe.

Advanceson an Alaskan Cruise a few years ago I quit using a still camera, because the high zoom of the Video Cam got us close to the action. The snapshots we could pull were tolerable for computer viewing, but inadequate for blow-ups. While watching glaciers "calve", after the "crack", the challenge was to get the vid cam on and focused in the exact right direction before the ice sloughed into the sea. The canon Vixia HF R100 would have been up to the task. It's fast to start and the resulting images are HD quality.

USAGEI set the camera for highest resolution, power saver, and keep it off until shooting. This camera will easily fit in a pocket or purse. I normally keep attached a 1 5/8 lb. 10"54" collapsible tripod. This added weight stabilizes the light (12 oz. with battery & chip) cam and improves results. The collapsible nature of the tripod with one, two, or three legs variously extended, greatly enhanced results.

At full zoom I found it difficult, even with the tripod, to take a still directly without shaking the camera. I find it much more effective to pull an image during playback while hooked to a monitor, using the snapshot feature. Playback speeds are 1/8 or 1/4 (a remote control is not available with this canon series), so it takes a little effort to find the best frame, but I find the result far more satisfying than trying to catch the perfect still.

Not everyone has the "photographer's eye" or the ability to catch the perfect frame of an event with a still, but most can select the best frame out of a video clip. Pixels are: 1,040,000 optical zoom dynamic image stabilization, 1,560,000 image stabilization off, 1,560,000 16:9 still, 1,730,000 4:3 still. While not exactly professionally acceptable, the 1 meg images will be acceptable for most casual user uses. Few video cams, costing much more, can offer better resolution off of a video clip than the HFR100.

What I like most about this camera is that it is smallvery easy to carry every day. It is fast to prepare itself to shoot very good video. The third and most important thing is that the resulting video/still is very good. This camera does basic videography very well, and has a host of features to handle difficult light, movement or color situations even better. This camera has come a long way toward being my perfect camera, and is state of the industry in several critical areas. I kept it, use it, and recommend it. It has quality features and no weaknesses. I notice the Canon HFR 10 (the middle camera in this series) with 8G memory built in, is now selling for only $20 more. It may be a better price point. -Happy Hunting 5/5/2010

I give a 2-star because of the excessive noise in quiet scenes and less than expected image quality (daylight or lowlight).

The noise came from inside the camcorder body. There must be a motor inside it. I don't understand why a flash card based camcorder has to run a motor all the time. I compared the recorded noise to my old Sony tape camcorder. I also asked my friend recorded a testing video in quiet room (He has a Vixia HF 100#. Unlike this HF R100, those two don't have any audible noises.

When I recorded the first video, I didn't notice this problem. But then the battery quickly ran out of its initial charge, so I had to charge it for a few hours. When the battery was ready, it was already near midnight. Duh! The noise is the only sound in the video!! The uploaded video shows how the noise sounds.

The noise problem might be an accidental defect. However, the image quality is not as good as expected either. I believe the quality under daylight is less than or around DVD at most #480p#. The image looks a little blurred under low light.

When I called Canon customer service for the noise problem, I was told I was the first one to complain about this. I decided to return the product. I purchased from Expo Electronics on Amzon. I want to thank them that I didn't have to pay shipping both ways.

Pros:

1. Nice menu, very easy to use.

2. Very small and light.

Cons:

1. Excessive noise in quiet scenes #as you can hear in the uploaded video#

2. Image quality less than expected at 17Mbps on HDTV

Other notes:

1. There's no separate battery charger. However, if you have a Canon SLR, depending on the model, you *might* be able to use that to recharge the HF R100 battery.

2. I forgot to check LCD screen under sunlight. I only used it in the morning. It's quite clear.

3. At 20x zoom, the image is not so stable as I expected. My hands are relatively stable compared to many others. But I guess I have to use a tripod at this zoom level.

Buy Canon VIXIA HF R100 Flash Memory Camcorder Now

I was looking for a camcorder that had some very specific criteria:

An external microphone jack

Good low-light capabilities

HD quality

Good optical zoom range

Affordable price

This camera is one of about 3 or 4 in the $300 range that meets/exceeds these criteria. First of all, there are almost no other cameras in this price range that offer an external microphone jack. Although the HD quality comes up just a tad short on this camera, the 20x zoom, external mic, excellent low light and affordable price all make it well worth that small sacrifice. I didn't figure I could have EVERYTHING I wanted, but I sure came darn close with this unit.

First, the mic jack. Yes, it's 1/8" and is stereo. But there are a myriad of ways to plug in a high quality mic if necessary small mixers, mono-to-stereo 3.5mm adapters, etc. I plugged in an Audio Technica ATM29HE hypercardiod dynamic mic that I have, and the sound is AMAZING. I'm getting a camcorder "L" bracket on which I can place a shock mount, and "Bingo!" I'll have sweet sound and video in a pretty darn tiny package.

Next, the mic. I recorded my daughter's Christmas concert a few days ago using only the internal mic. I was 40 feet from the stage, with people all around me. The sound was not what I'd call "great," but was quite good, and surprisingly enough, even blocked out some of the coughing and foot shuffling that was occurring around me (that I thought would ruin the video). And I put it in "Spotlight" mode, which made the contrast between performers and surrounding darker areas very pleasing to see, instead of washed out looking kids. Overall, I'm impressed so far.

And on that subject, video quality is excellent. Not quite top-notch, but we're not talking prosumer or professional grade equipment here either. For an "almost" HD quality $300 camcorder, it's MORE than satisfactory. And I don't know what some other reviewers mean by not being able to see in "low light" conditions. If you put the camcorder in the "low light" mode, you will be able to see better with the camera than you can with your own eyes. No, it won't work in the dark it's not infra red capable. But I shot video of our stairs going up to our second floor with only the ambient (and indirect) light from our hallway. I could BARELY see the stars with my own eyes, but the camera viewfinder and video picked up the stairs with more light and detail than I could see. Basically, if you have candlelight, you'll be able to get video. Yes, it has noise in it. No, it won't look HD in those situations but sheesh people, it's a $300 camera and if you use the right setting, it's great. What do you expect, miracles?

The optical zoom is very nice. Some reviewers said the wide-angle wasn't very good, but I didn't find this to be a problem. I was around 40 feet back from the high school stage at that concert, and I was able to zoom out to more than the width of the proscenium (although I was off to one side), which I have measured myself at 48 feet. So the wide angle is more than sufficient for me, and the zoom is quite good.

Image stabilizer is nice there's two options, both of which work well. I can manually adjust focus if needed. I can manually adjust microphone and headphone settings. Oh yes, did I mention that? It has mic AND headphone inputs, so you can basically work like a professional videographer with this little $300 camcorder. It's got some really nice features other camcorders in this price range lack.

Okay, the bad:

The clicking through the mic in quiet situations. Yes, it happens, but it's not too loud, but it is noticeable if there's no other sound happening around you. I think it's the autofocus. I thought it would be the image stabilization, but I turned that off, and it still made it no matter what when I was walking around. But when the scene is static and no refocusing is necessary, I didn't find it to be as present (though when that was occurring, there could have been more ambient noise blocking it). In any case, if you plan to shoot a lot of really quiet stuff without an external mic, this may not the camcorder for you.

Another thing is the software to upload videos. Perhaps it's because I'm used to uploading MOV files from my consumer grade digital camera, but the way to get videos from this camera to a computer is a bit clunky. You HAVE to use their software, which I suppose is not that big a deal. But then you have to convert it if you want to use it in other editing software besides theirs. Again, not a big deal for me since I was converting MOV's to AVI's anyway. But what's really odd is that you MUST have the camera plugged into the AC adapter in order to upload anything. It won't upload from battery power, even on a fully charged one. So that's a bit odd, but not a deal breaker by any means. Just a minor annoyance.

Overall, this is a great camera. It's not prosumer or professional. But it will do A LOT in many varied situations, and if you can live with the internal mic's oddities or just plan on largely using an external mic (like I do), it's a GREAT option, and deserves more than the 3-star average it currently has on Amazon. Definitely recommended, I just can't give it my highest recommendation due to the mic and the uploading issues. But everything else is easy to use and works very, very well.

Read Best Reviews of Canon VIXIA HF R100 Flash Memory Camcorder Here

I gave 4 stars because of poor indoor videos. Need to have VERY BRIGHT LIGHT to get clear videos. Low light videos have BLACK SPOTS which i didn't expect in a HD video camera for this price. I tried all the video modes in this camcorder and noticed poor video quality in medium light.

If you are planing to take videos during the day with bright light, you can go ahead with this camcorder. I won't recommend this camcorder if you are planing to take video in medium or low light. I don't see any other major issues with this camera.

It is light weight, compact and handy

Plan to buy large capacity SD card (min. 8GB, class 4 or more) if you plan to take more than 2 hours video

Good video quality in day light even in 42" HDTV

Face detection feature is great in this camcorder

The menu controls are not user friendly and you need try couple of times to get used to the menu options

While moving from low light to bright light, i noticed there is a delay in adjusting to the new location (around 2 sec)

Want Canon VIXIA HF R100 Flash Memory Camcorder Discount?

THIS CAMERA TAKES GREAT HD VIDEO.

It is simple to use and connects by hdmi directly to your TV. The video is stunning. Please , I don't want to hear that the cable did not come with the camera. When you buy the camera order the cable. I purchased three on Amazon for $.59 each and the shipping still cost more than the cables and they work great. Buy an extra battery they also can be found inexpensively along with an external battery charger.

My only complaints about the camera are the wide angle at zero zoom is pretty tight ( I should have checked the specs more carefully ) and since the camera only has the lcd screen pointing it in bright sunlight and getting what you want in the picture can be a challenge. Practice shooting without using the screen until you know where to point it without looking at the screen.( its digital and does not cost anything to practice ) By the way the camera stays in the zoom position it is in when you turn it off and when you turn it back on it is still in the same position. The size and weight make the camera pocketable if you are wearing a mans shirt with pockets just put a neck strap through the hand grip to prevent accidents

That being said, understand unless you have made or are going to make the investment in a HD dvd player and HD dvd burner , software that can edit and burn HD video disks you will only see DVD quality video on the disks that you burn. The software that comes with the camera did not need to be in the box. Go buy hd editing software.

Final verdict. Good camera, light weight, small but not to small, great quality video, still pic quality good for what it is ( steal frames from video just as good ) just understand the HD camera is just the beginning if you want HD on your tv screen ,unless your tv has a card reader then you store your HD video on HDMC cards and eat the cost of cards.