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(More customer reviews)I've done more research on mass-marketed high-definition camcorders than any person with a job really should. After weeks of combing and considering the pros and cons of AVCHD vs. HDV, HDD vs. tape vs. flash, I decided on the HV30, since I was persuaded by arguments about and examples of video quality, especially in low-light. Got the HV30 and, indeed, the picture quality is stunning. The sound, though, was a great disappointment. Since I'm fond of capturing quiet moments - the subtle sounds of, say, my four-month-old daughter sleeping - the high-pitch whine of the tape motor present in my recordings with the HV30 proved to be a deal killer. (I'm well aware of wide range of solutions to this problem, from external microphones to post-production techniques, but I'd ideally like to avoid carrying around additional equipment and I only have so much time to spend on this hobby - I'll leave in-depth editing to those more dedicated, working towards different ends, and/or without family commitments.)
I should have stuck to my gut instincts and bought the HF100 the first time around. After sending the HV30 back (thanks to Amazon's excellent return policy), I purchased the HF100 and am simply delighted. Video *and* audio are pretty darn good if not excellent. Maybe someone can split hairs and demonstrate the "artifacts" present between video recordings of this AVCHD camcorder vs. an HDV one, but I simply can't see a difference when played at normal speed. The difference in sound recordings between this flash-based camcorder and comparable motorized machines is, to my ear, both obvious and dramatic. So if you're sensitive to white noise or if you're interested in minimizing/eliminating sounds from the recorder, think hard about the kind of camcorder you buy and what you're willing to tolerate or accommodate in terms of additional equipment or post-production.
A final note/aside on my own take on the HF10 vs. the HF100: I appreciate the allure of the black-body HF10 in terms of aesthetics, but I actually find the dual flash memory feature to be a turn-off. I'd personally rather just manage a single, removable media card. Seems like a minor inconvenience to deal with both internal memory and removable cards when recording hours of footage before transferring/backing-up to a PC (while traveling, perhaps?). I'd preferably swap and label cards. But this, of course, is a matter of individual preference and habit; I include my thoughts here in case anyone hadn't given this aspect some consideration.
Click Here to see more reviews about: Canon VIXIA HF100 Flash Memory High Definition Camcorder with 12x Optical Image Stabilized Zoom
Canon Vixia HF100 High Definition Flash Drive Camcorder
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