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The picture looks pretty grainy when filming in low light - kind of disappointing as we bought it to record our first child. Overall, it's a great HD camera for the price. I love this camera for its portability and ease of use, but I just wish it had a better picture in low light. Most of children's early life shots are in low light.
On one shoot where I left it recording on a tripod, it zoomed in and ruined the recording (of a once-in-a-lifetime baptism, nonetheless).2) The software that ships with the camera is seventeen flavors of ugly. It may be time to switch to Nikon. BUT, because Canon records to a proprietary format, there's no way to get data off the camera without using the software.As for the zoom switch, I am currently negotiating with Canon to see if they will honor the warranty even though it has expired. And I was pleased to find Canon's HF100 was the best of the bunch.I have not been disappointed in the image quality. So this is two Canon products within a year that have failed on me.
I've owned three Canon DSLR models, and been very pleased with them.So upon needing to buy a video camera, I did my research, wanting an HD model that was completely Flash-memory based. If left alone, the camera will eventually start slowly zooming in without touching the switch. It is poorly-crafted, poorly-translated-from-Japanese crapware that is hideously difficult to use. I take meticulous care of my equipment, and any hardware of this caliber should NOT fail as these have.So, for what it's worth, I'm your cautionary tale.I may be done with Canon. I've been a Canon user for many years.
But I've encountered two huge issues:1) Soon after my 1-year warranty expired, the zoom switch on the camera started malfunctioning. However, I had to send my 40D DSLR back to the shop when the shutter failed soon after its 1-year warranty expired, and Canon wouldn't budge on the repair costs.
This is a beautiful camera, great to use, smooth operation, great build quality, wonderful video and pictures.would recommend it to anyone, easy to use flash memory, buttons are well placed, screen is crisp, might want to get a second battery.
I will reevaluate my rating when I have more experience using it. I've done indoor and outdoor videos and I've learned how to use this camcorder in the various lighting environments and get great results. I may have given the HF100 5 stars, but I've only had it a few days. If you want true HD from a camcorder, you need to figure in the time required for the conversion process prior to purchasing a Canon HD camcorder.
The only cons that I have now are less than desired battery life and the time it takes to convert the mts files. Be sure your PC's guts can handle that conversion process without hiccups. And the HF100 performs like a champ. And for true HD to be viewed on your home video setup, be sure to have a BlueRay burner and player, and of course a TV that can view HiDef.----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------After using this camcorder for almost a month, I've increased my original rating from 4-stars to 5-stars. Converted the mts files using TMPGEnc 4.0 XPress. He included in the deal:* Canon WD-H37 II Wide Conversion Lens* HF100 Remote control* All the required cables + an HDMI cable for the HF100* 3 extra Canon OEM batteries* 16GB SD card* Canon CG-800 Lithium Ion Battery Charger (not the charger with the cord)* Hoodman HD-300 Video Camcorder HoodNot a bad deal at all for a few bucks over $400.
The previous owner took real good care of it. Results are very good, but takes a while for the conversion to complete. but I knew about the conversion requirements prior to purchasing. I really like this camcorder. As my title says, I bought a used HF100 from a private seller. No blemishes at all on the HF100.I've only had it a few days and I've shot some test vids.
So no big deal.
Also of note, I only had to charge the battery once during our vacation as well. Highly recommend it to those of you looking to eliminate the "middle man" with respect to recording media, and/or are looking to upgrade to HD in the camcorder relm. I recorded at the highest quality setting for the duration. Nice compact design, again partly attributable to the flash memory storage.I still need to locate some good software for editing, but honestly haven't done much with this.
So the negative comments on the battery I initially encountered during my research do not really apply to me (1 hour is plenty). When clips are played back on my plasma, they are absolutely stunning, the audio quality has issues, but again I think this is a software and not a hardware issue. This camera replaced a vhs-c compact recorder that I've had for years and finally went due to battery issues. The camera is extremely easy to use and takes decent photo's as well. that you need to purchase once you have initially bought flash memory. I also purchased a 16GB flash memory card to go with.
I am an average user mainly taping my children and family significant events. During our week in Jamaica the 16 GB card held everything I taped. This camera has plenty of recording space and plenty of battery power for the average user. I have very few negative things to say about this purchase. I purchased this camera over a year ago for a trip to Jamaica. For this purpose the camera is excellent, there are no tapes, dvds, cd's (did I say tapes).
I agree with others though with respect to the low light quality, it is on par with my old vhs-c, no worse no better.
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