Best in Show

This videocam is superior to its peers, namely the latest from Sony and Panasonic. The only clear technical difference is low light performance where Canon edges Sony by about 50% and is over twice as good as Panasonic. The HF10 and HF100 are identical except that the HF10 offers 16 GB internal NAND memory at an additional $200, a feature that makes no sense since 16 GB SDHC cards are presently one third that price. Some people still have a personal problem with the newer MPEG4-based AVCHD format in these solid state memory videocams...technically, the new format is superior (no, we didn't step backward) and software is now available to make editing an equivalent task, with equivalent results (not the incurrence of multiple loss factors from converting, as some contend). Optical stabilization and autofocus comparisons between Canon and latest Sony vary slightly, with some reviewers giving one an edge over the other...apparently these factors are negligible, as difference are on par with slight manufacturing variations. Finally, since the older technology Canon tape variants use a slightly larger sensor, low light performance measures slightly better, a difference too small to be noticed. These things considered, the HF100 is clearly the best in show...unless you wish to remain with tape (and the prospect of inevitable mechanical failure).