January 12th, 2010 
pkinvest 
- Capture up to 12 hours of HD video to a 32GB internal Flash drive as well as directly to removable SDHC memory cards
- Genuine Canon 10x HD video lens; DIGIC DV III image processor
- 1920 x 1080 Full HD recording; SuperRange Optical Image Stabilizer
- Built-in 8.0-megapixel digital camera delivers stunning quality photos
- 2.7-inch Multi-Angle Vivid Widescreen LCD; HDMI terminal for easy, one-cable connectivity to your HDTV
Product Description
Canons top-of-the-line, new VIXIA HF S10 Dual Flash Memory
camcorder gives you everything you expect from Canon! It has a
powerful, new 8.59-megapixel Full HD CMOS Image Sensor plus
Canons latest DIGIC DV III Image Processor. Add a Genuine Canon
10x HD Video Lens and the highest bit rate in AVCHD, and youve got a
camcorder that delivers spectacularly realistic HD video and photos.
The VIXIA HF S10 features 32GB of built-in Flash memory that records
up to 12 hours of HD video.You can also record to removable SDHC
memory cards for quick and easy sharing. The Canon VIXIA HF S10
camcorder lets you shoot like a pro with assist functions including new
zebra patterns, color peaking, a Custom Key and Dial, and shooting
modes including 24p Cinema Mode for video that looks like a holiday
blockbuster. The VIXIA HF S10 incorporates some of Canons most
exciting new functions, including Genuine Canon Face Detection for perfect
focus and exposure even with faces looking down or sideways, Pre-
Record that captures video 3 seconds before you press the record button,
and the new Video Snapshot Mode for saving your memories as a
series of 4-second video clips set to music. Shoot extraordinary video
and photos with the VIXIA HF S10. Canon USA 1-year limited warranty
included.
Canon VIXIA HFS10 HD Dual Flash Memory with 32 GB Internal Memory and 10x Optical Zoom
Popularity: 3% [?]
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The HFS10 camerea (in EU is Legria HFS10) is easy to use and provides excellent recordings (photos as well). It has some problem with autofocusing in low light environment, but it is a good camera.
However the bundled Pixela Imagemixer sotware is Useless:
I have serious sound problems (during editing videos, and the saved video as well)
Theres is no sotware support neither from Canon, nor Pixela.
There is no upgrade possibility for an enhanced Imagemixer version
The User Interface is extremely poor (for example Adjustin Volume)
If you want to save your videos, or edit them the camera is useless due to the sotware bundled.
Rating: 1 / 5
Escribo en español, ya que he visto pocos comentarios en esta lengua.
Tiempo de uso: menos de 1 mes
Buena cámara para filmar, aún con poca luz. Sólo hay que configurar adecuadamente.
Bastante intuitiva en el manejo, aunque una lectura del manual, es conveniente para conocer los detalles,
y sacar más provecho.
Excelente capacidad. 32 GB dá para filmar todo, sin preocuparse.
Negativos: Aún estoy en dudas con la calidad de las fotos. Se ven bien, pero los archivos parecen muy pequeños.
La necesidad de usar la fuente para poder conectarla al PC, parece sin sentido. Podría detectar el estado de la batería.
El estabilizador de imagen, es de calidad media. Cuando use el zoom, es mejor buscar un apoyo.
La batería original es pequeña, si comparado con la BP-819 (Recomiendo comprar junto)
Carrying case (Estuche): Fundamental. Comprar aparte termina siendo más caro que comprar en el site. Pagué 60U$S + tax, por una buena protección.
El software para guardar los filmes, es complicado. Preferiría copiar y pegar. No me deja seguro.
Final: Buen producto.
Rating: 4 / 5
Brace yourself for a very detailed review ahead.
Canon Vixia HFS10
What is in the Box:
Hardware:The camera, a power adapter, a remote with lithium ion battery, a component cable, a usb to mini usb cable, a regular stereo a/v cable, the bp-807 battery pack, and a hand strap for the camera.
Software: Pixela Version 2.1, Canon Digital Video Solution Disk Version 32, and a Music Data Disc (music that can be used as background music in Pixela).
Documentation: A full manual, a folded up sheet on software installation, manual for ImageMixer 3 Version 5, and the Warranty Card.
What SHOULD have been in the box and is not: A MINI HDMI to HDMI cable.
Some Initial Thoughts/Specs:
First Of ALL, I am really disappointed that a camera of this stature and price point does not include a MINI HDMI to HDMI cable. I mean that is probably the one thing we will all want with a high definition device and quite honestly I am disappointed that Canon would not throw it in the box. They give you a regular A/V cable and a proprietary connector to component video cable….what is the point – HD usually goes together with HDMI.
MEMORY: The Vixia has 32gb of on-board storage and can be upgraded with the addition of SDHC cards. A 32gb sdhc card by Sandisk (ultra ii) is about $100. A worthwhile upgrade for extra memory… I basically use the built in memory for video and the external SDHC card for still images.
Battery: It took a little over two hours to fully charge the battery after which I got about 1.5 hours of battery life. There are bigger battery packs available but my experience is based on the bp-807 pack that is included.
The testing platform for the camera will be with a Mac Pro running OS X 10.5.7, with all of the latest software offerings from Apple…no pro versions. iLife 09, etc.
The camera has a wheel (selection wheel) on the back which basically has three modes…as simple as can be. Mode 1 – dual shot – which means you can take video and shoot still images simultaneously. Mode 2 – movie mode – simple as can be..for movies only. Mode 3 – still mode – again simple…for still shots only.
The LCD is perfectly sized and hides various functions. A battery release slider, the slot for an extra SDHC card, a Video Snapshot/Print button, and a Display button for extra information on the screen.
There is a built in Flash for Still photography which pop’s up and offers red-eye reduction.
There is a hot-shoe on top that will allow for the addition of video lights, etc as per your need.
The right hand side of the camera has a door which, when opened, exposes the usb connector, the component connector, and the MINI HDMI connector.
I am a person with rather large hands and adjusting the strap made this camera FIT into my hand as perfectly as I could ask for….
Turn the camera on and its ready to go within seconds…of course the first time its powered on you will need to set the date, time, and your locale. After the initial setup you can be ready to shoot in about 1.2 seconds flat…with a fully charged battery.
The video shooting is up to 1080p with a full HD sensor….this is the best you can possibly get. The sensor is rated at 8 mega pixels and thus your images will also be at 8.0 mega pixels.
TESTS:
First test – Still shooting in Dual Mode (again dual means both video and stills at the same time).:
I am not a video buff but I love taking stills of the family and so off I went with my Vixia in hand. Like most geeks with gadget envy, I use first and read the manual later….ready – fire – aim. HA! Therefore I was very surprised that a little tiny flash popped out above the lens and automatically lit my subjects to avoid red eye. Then after it focused in on a couple of spots (green squares show this on the lcd screen) it took the shot. I was impressed in about 10 minutes flat and the fun kept getting better. Canon had something here….except that darn mini hdmi cable.
I connected the camera to my mac via the mini usb-usb cable. Once connected, power up the camera and it will prompt you if you are connecting to a dvd burner or a computer/printer….select computer/printer and you are told to plug the power adapter in after which the camera creates thumbnails internally and mounts as a usb drive called Canon on the mac….there is also a NO NAME volume mounted which has the same information in it. (one quick note – you will need to go to play back mode to get the usb to work – which I am sure is obvious to most). The NO NAME volume is what shows up in iPhoto. The iPhoto feature is something that is important to me since I generally prefer not to use manufacturers software and want to use the software that I prefer. That being said, since iPhoto can see this camera so can Aperture or Lightroom…whichever you prefer.
The LCD on the camera should not be used to gauge the quality of the pictures this camera can take….those LCD’s are usually low res and do not do justice to a photograph….that being said the photo quality is excellent and can stand up next to any 8mp camera that is out there…including a Canon EOS Rebel T1i. How do I know this? Simple…I took a picture of some stuff in a white shoe box…with both cameras. I compared the histograms side by side and they were identical. Simply put the still image quality of the Vixia is on par with a Digital SLR. Did I mention that the camera has optical image stabilization for both still and video (its a blessing for me since I cant seem to keep still–haha)
Second Test – Video Shooting in Dual Mode.:
It is going to be tough to write this up in a short summary but here goes….
First of all – it works flawlessly on a MAC with iMovie – you simply connect the camera via usb and have the software import the videos..after which you can edit to your hearts content and burn off to a DVD in full HD quality.
It is very hard for me to gauge video quality since this is the first 1080p camera I have worked with. The lack of the hdmi cable makes it even harder since I have to export the test videos and then burn them to DVD before I can view them. If you use component the camera does give you the option of output at 1080i to your television.
I took short – 5-10 minute – video shots of my family both in bright day light and indoors under incandescent light bulbs. I do not have a video light and thus I had to depend on the lights in the home and of course day light out side. MAN was I surprised to see how this thing performed in low light conditions. The video looked as if there was a video light connected to it and that it was professionally shot. Thats impressive in and itself. The outdoor shoots were perfect and showed some mysteriously awesome levels of detail. I have never seen such clarity and detail coming out of a video camera.
Reality check: Low Light to me is a bedroom 10×10 or bigger with about 1-2 ceiling bulbs in a light fixture. I tried to use this in our back yard at night with a citronella candle (yes we have bugs) and the clarity went down a bit….but I did not really expect a hollywood night shot to come out of this. It was viewable and much better then my old video cams…but not spectacular. Just wanted to make that point.
Once the videos were shot I brought them into iMovie and since I did not want to edit I basically exported them out and burned them on to DVD’s. We played them back using a regular Philips up-converting dvd player at 1080p and they were PERFECT. I never thought I would see the quality that I saw. IMPRESSIVE.
Final Thoughts:
It is very hard for me to review such a great product with the detail that I want to give to it…it would simply lose its effectiveness in your purchasing decision. Once I had played with this camera for 2 weeks or so I decided it best to write about the things that would matter most. What you see above is what I consider important. My experiences are based on usage with a Apple computer but I have no doubt that this camera will far exceed your expectations on a PC as well. I have both types of computers but for my testing it was easier for me to use the MAC. I will be playing with the Canon software in the days ahead and post information as I see fit. I hope you find the review somewhat informative and I sincerely hope that you will ask any and all questions via the comments below.
My rating on this camera would have been 4.5/5 but will have to be 4/5 – Simply because it upsets me that a manufacturer such as Canon would leave out what I think is the most essential accessory. The Mini HDMI to HDMI Cable….did I mention that I was not happy about this.
There is a lot of price gouging on HDMI cables as it is and this gives manufacturers another reason to sell high priced cables…luckily we have Amazon where we can find an after market cable. I have seen the Canon branded one for about $40.00. Thanks for reading…
Rating: 4 / 5
I’m a huge picture taker and have really been doing more and more video especially HD. I thought it would be great to review this Canon compared to the Samsung I got a year ago Samsung SC-HMX20C 8GB High Definition Camcorder with 10x Optical Zoom which is almost the same.
First off, the Canon is a bit bulkier looking and not as streamlined like the Samsung. Visually the Samsung is designed much better and nicer. The canon has a lot of buttons and knobs everywhere on the camera where the Samsung has them pretty much on the back of it. Canon has those rubber flip ports to put the AC plug and the HDMI and usb are under a plastic flap on the side under the hand strap. The Samsung has a little door that slides up for the usb and component on the side with the LCD screen but to use the HDMI you have to put the camera on the docking cradle that can also be used for charging and usb/component.
The Canon has an external battery that can be upgraded to an extended output where as the Samsung has a built in battery. The battery lasted longer in the Samsung for recording and also unused storage. Canon takes longer to charge up too.
The lens on the Canon is huge and the auto lens cover is a bit cheap and make a rattle noise when you shake the camera a little. Its probably the cheapest thing on the camera. Holding the camera, the Canon is light weight and feels comfortable where as the Samsung is a bit heavier and the placement of the zoom is a bit more difficult to work. The Samsung seems to be geared for smaller hands where as the Canon fits perfectly in my hands. I did feel that the Canon felt a little cheaper, maybe it is because of the lighter weight?
The canon uses a knob to select video or photo where the Samsung has a button that u press. Canon has an 8mp camera built in and Samsung 4mp but the Canon wins in quality of still photos, they were really good, vibrant and sharp. The Canon comes with 32gb of internal memory where the Samsung is only 8. They both handle 1080 HD but the overall picture quality was better on the Canon. Both have a slot for an additional SD memory card.
Samsung has a great touch screen LCD 2.7 inch and is sharp, the canon also has a 2.7 inch but no touch screen but uses a few buttons and one of those up down left right knob/buttons, bummer that there isn’t a touch screen, so you have to scroll thru menus to select and get around which takes longer. Sharpness of screen on Canon was better but looked a bit blue in color where the Samsung was better tone wise but visibly softer.
Canon has a lot of other features like 24p cinema mode settings and a hot shoe to add accessories like a video light, mic. You can also get converter lenses for it. The Canon also has the capability of taking still snapshots while recording video with no pause, Samsung can’t. The startup of the Canon was a bit faster. The power button on the Canon is a button but its in a weird spot on the top of the camera on the other side of the rest of the buttons where the Samsung has all the buttons in one general area on the back.
The zoom, both optical and digital are better on the Canon. Both have 10x optical, Canon can do 200x digital, Samsung 100x. My favorite part… image stabilization… the Canon wins hands down even at max 200x zoom was solid! I was super impressed that an image stabilizer on a video camera finally works like it should. The Samsung image stabilization is horrible and i mean bad! Even using software to fix the motion didn’t help.
Included in the box for the Canon is manual, software disc, battery, ac adapter, remote, stereo, usb cable and component cable. Samsung – docking cradle, manual, software, ac adapter, remote, usb, component, stereo cables. pretty much the same stuff…no HDMI or neck straps.
My final opinion is that the Canon is a much better camera but at a huge price tag. The Samsung is really good but minor flaws makes it fall short but the price for the Samsung is less than half the price of the Canon so if price is a factor get the Samsung but if you want the best video and features then get the Canon. (Samsung is replacing the HMX20 model soon with a newer version)
Rating: 4 / 5
My rating is five stars to start. My only previous experience with digital video is the clips I used to take on my point-and-shoots and a one-week test of the Canon FS100.
This camera is hefty, but not too heavy, and very “cute” (yes, I’m a girl!). Immediately easy to use after charging the battery. It doesn’t show fingerprints right away, but keep a cloth nearby. I first took a video of my house and immediately plugged it in to see the results. My television is not HD, but the results were clear, picturesque, and made me want to go out and do some more filming. The colors popped. Imagine what it would look like with an HD?
During zooming, it took a little time to focus when I zoomed–a second longer than I’d like–but from what I’ve seen with my friends’ lesser quality Panasonics and Sanyos, this focuses ten times quicker than theirs. I would have been seriously frustrated had I not had this Canon.
Oh, taking still photos. I’m not a fan of the combo camera-film. It’s convenient at times, but I have my SLR for that. The photos, though are great quality. I had no complaints about the quality of photo–but still won’t use that feature much since I prefer taking pictures with a real camera.
The software was easy to use and I was able to save the film into a usable video format. I have one in mp4 and another in mpeg4 (same thing?). It worked, and that’s my only concern. As far as battery, I was able to stop and start video taping during a 5-hour day trip, but I definitely needed to plug in the charger as soon as I got home. Serious videographers should get an extra battery. I use a Sandisk flash card, but I *LOVE* the included flash memory. To other buyers of this camera, I wouldn’t rush out to buy a flash card *just yet*. Having 32GB is plenty for the first few days of shooting (in my opinion). I used the flash card for the few pics I took.
Cons? It’s bigger than I would imagine a top quality flash video camera would be.
Rating: 5 / 5