The HF100 is equipped with a single 1/3.2-inch CMOS sensor and Canon’s Digic DVII processor. The sensor is smaller than the one found in the popular HV20 and HV30 models (among others), but we saw little difference in performance. In bright to moderate lighting, our tests showed the HF100 producing an incredibly sharp picture. The colors are more saturated than similar models from Sony and Panasonic, but most consumers would not complain. They “pop” without looking artificial.

The low light performance is great, as well. The HF100 manages to pull out color and detail in even very low light. It's helped greatly in this capacity by the camcorder’s multiple frame rates, which we’ll talk about in bit.

For point-and-shooters, the HF100 should more than meet your requirements. Canon has always released camcorders that function quite well in Auto mode. The menu system is not the simplest – that award goes to Panasonic, most likely – but a solid 20-30 minutes with the manual would get even the greenest videographer up to speed on all the settings and their locations.

For advanced shooters, the manual control package is great: exposure, aperture priority, shutter priority, focus, white balance, a small assortment of Scene modes, and a Canon-only selection of “Image Effects” that allow control over saturation, sharpening, and contrast. The actual degree of control over these last parameters is modest, but Canon is the only manufacturer offering something like it. True power-users may want to consider the Sony HDR-SR11 or HDR-SR12, which have comparable manual controls and better handling, thanks to a multi-function control dial. The Canon HF100 relies on a joystick that is well positioned but makes fine adjustments like focusing less pleasant.

One of the HF100’s most compelling features is surely its diminutive size. As manufacturers chase down the ever-elusive award for “world’s smallest HD camcorder,” Canon has chosen to make the HF10 and HF100 small but manageable. It feels solid in the hand, and is easier to hold than the tiny Panasonic HDC-SD9.

There are two features that help the Canon HF100 stand apart from the competition. First, it offers frame rates of 1080/60i, 1080/30P, and 1080/24P. In short, this means that a whole new world of aesthetic possibilities opens up at an unusually cheap price. The slower frame rates also make the HF100 a star performer in low light. Secondly, there’s the HF100’s sheer performance. The video just looks great – better than any camcorder recording directly to flash memory.

Video from the Canon HF100 is compressed in the AVCHD format. This format has proved troublesome for some when it comes to home editing, but the latest versions of most editing software should be AVCHD-compliant at this point. You’ll also want a fairly robust computer to handle the large data loads that are part and parcel of HD video.

All told, the Canon HF100 is a great camcorder. Video quality is superior and the light body and easy to use interface should please most point-and-shooters. Be sure to stock up on a few SDHC cards before a long vacation. If you don’t trust yourself to plan ahead, check out the sister model, the Canon HF10, which comes equipped with 16GB of internal memory plus the card slot.