Canon's Vixia HF S10 is a high definition camcorder that records 1920 x 1080 video in the AVCHD format. It is a SDHC memory card. At $1,299, it's geared toward more advanced camcorder users.
If that's out of budget, the HF S100 has the same features but no internal memory for $1,099.
Specifications for the HF S10 can be found here. Samples of video recorded with the HF S10 can be found here.
HF S10 At a Glance
The Good:Excellent video quality, high quality lens, responsive performance, extensive feature set.
The Bad: Bulky, large design, no easy mode for beginners.
Video Quality
Canon's HF S10 records high definition video via a 1/2.6-inch CMOS image sensor. It features recording at a maximum bit rate of 24Mbps - the highest quality supported by the AVCHD video format. It shows. The HF S10 delivers superb HD video, with rich colors and perhaps more importantly, excellent low light performance. Where even many higher-end camcorders produce grainy noise as the lights go down, the HF S10 delivered very crisp video.
While the high quality video files are certainly welcome, you'll need a computer with a powerful processor to handle the video if you want to view or edit it on a PC or Mac.
The HF S10 can store just shy of three hours of HD footage at the highest quality setting to its 32GB of internal memory. You can prolong recording times with an optional SDHC memory card.
Thanks to its use of flash memory, the HF S10 is quite responsive. It turns on quickly and if you close the LCD without powering down, you'll be in a quick-start mode where the camcorder will activate even faster when you pop open the LCD.
Photo Mode
As for photos, you can snap them in a standalone photo mode or simultaneously during filming. The HF S10 boasts an impressive 8-megapixel still photo resolution with a flash and photos captured the S10 looked crisp. In addition to quality photos, the HF S10 offers a solid feature set for the camera, including the ability to set aperture and shutter, focus manually and burst shooting. It's no substitute for a digital camera, but it's definitely better in the photo department than many camcorders.
Features
Photo courtesy Canon
You won't go bored with the HF S10. There are enough manual controls to keep video enthusiasts busy including aperture, shutter, and focus. Manual focusing is accomplished via a tiny knob near the lens - an elegant solution and preferable, in my view, to manual focusing via buttons on the 2.7-inch LCD.
You can also adjust white balance, mic level, set digital effects and image effects (such soft skin, vivid, etc.) or use the "24p" mode which mimics the frame rate of a Hollywood movie. A full overview of the feature set can be found here.
[p]There's an effective video light embedded into the pop-up flash. There's also a hot-shoe for adding accessory flashes.Design
The biggest knock on the HF S10 is it's big. The HF S10 weighs in at 1.1 pounds with battery. That's quite a hefty package for a camcorder that uses flash memory as its storage format. It's also quite large: at 2.8 x 2.7 x 5.4 inches it's not something that slips unnoticed into a pocket or purse. Competitors have managed to squeeze high quality HD camcorders down to a more manageable size.
As for the controls, Canon kept the exterior of the HF S20 manageable. You'll find a zoom lever, photo shutter and a mode dial on top. Pop open the display and in the interior reveals buttons for video snap and display control on the camcorder, and a toggle, function button and several dual purpose controls for reviewing video or zooming.
Given the number of features at your fingertips, Canon did a decent job organizing them on the on-screen menu.
Optics
Canon packed a standard 10x optical zoom lens on the S10. It features a very effective optical image stabilizer, which kept the video fairly blur free as we rumbled along on this tractor.
What's Missing
If I had one request for the Hf S10 it would be to include an "easy" mode which streamlines the functionality and feature-options of the camcorder for beginners. Other, high-end camcorders offer this feature and it's a very nice way to make the camcorder more appealing to beginners who want to grow into its more advanced features. It's also a convenience if you're handing the camcorder off to someone else not possessed of your impressive video taking skills (although at $1,299 you'd do well to keep a close eye on whoever's pawing your S10).
High Quality High Def
Canon's Vixia HF S10 is one of the top HD camcorders on the market in terms of quality and range of features. It's not as approachable as some other high-end models, and it's a bit on the large side, but in performance it can't be beat.
