It also appears it has better Lens and imaging sensors than the HV20/30

HF10
"Canon HD Video Lens with 12x optical zoom, a 3.3 MP Canon Full HD CMOS sensor,"



Is the only difference between the hf10 & the hf100 the memory card thing?


If so I might just be interested in the hf100 in the future

From the official Canon USA specs for the HF10:

FXP (17 Mbps) 2 hours 5 min (to internal 16GB flash) -- allows 1920x1080 Full HD Recording

This is another 'trap'. More pixels don't necessarily make a better image, especially in the absense of good light.

The CMOS chip in the HV series of HDV camcorders (HV10/20/30) is larger, with a slightly lower pixel count (1/2.7 and 2.96 megapixels) than the HF series of AVCHD camcorders (1/3.2 and 3.31 megapixels).

Yes. That and the body color are the only differences.

Two different codecs, isn't it? I keep hearing that AVCHD doesn't handle motion well, despite offering "Full HD Lens to Screen" resolution.

Actually, I'm trying to get OUT of the "numbers trap." But it's very difficult to discern real-world performance from the various numbers which the marketers sling out. As you pointed out, codec efficiency can be a "choke point" which may nullify other features such as pixel count, imager size, and even bit rate.

Thanks :)

I wonder how Final Cut Pro handles AVCHD - I've been put off AVCHD because of people saying it is difficult to edit with NLEs

DVInfo is the cure for the numbers trap. You get honest information from the pros here and you can decide for yourself.

As far as figureing out new products like this you really have to wait for reports from owners.

Where's that manual focus dial? I wish these guys had a focus ring the lens looks like it protrudes enough to have one.

FCP6 takes in AVCHD as AIC or ProRes422.

Sorry to hijack with another question

Is AVCHD 4:2:2?

Would ProRes422 give me a much bigger file size than AVCHD?

Thanks

Probably have to use the joystick for the manual focus.

4:2:0 isn't it?

Hey Chris:

Have you actually seen one of these yet ?

Question I have from standpoint of budget indie shooter:

1. Mic input: Standard Mini Jack ?

2. Is there a separate Head phone monitoring capability not tied to the AV jack and menu switching as required by HV20 ?

3. Auto Focus: IAF and Standard ?

4. How is manual focus achieved.

5. AVCHD: I will check this out at Cineform thread, but have we gotten pulldown and conversion lined out in Cineform yet.

Just had a thought -

It says the HF10s lens filter size is 37mm where as the hv20/30 is 43mm

Does this mean it uses a smaller lens? Would this degrade quality at all?

It could be the same lens, just with a different filter threads.

Slow Motion Feature?
 

These new cams look great - except for the lack of a slow motion setting. Did I miss this in the fine print?