Canon Legria HF S100

Low Light Sensitivity (5.62)

The Canon HF S100 required 16 lux of light to register 50 IRE on our waveform monitor. This is roughly an average score for a camcorder, although we expected a bit better from a camcorder with such a large CMOS sensor. The Sony HDR-XR520 required 15 lux of light to produce the same results. The Panasonic HDC-HS300 needed much less—only 8 lux. The HDC-HS300's performance is among the best low light sensitivity scores we have measured this year, right up there with the Sanyo VPC-HD2000 (9 lux). Again, the JVC GZ-HD320is far behind the pack here, earning a low light sensitivity of 27 lux in our test. (More on how we test low light sensitivity.)

Required Illumination *

* the lower the lux required, the better the performance

The above low light sensitivity scores are all based on 1080/50i video from each camcorder. No special low light modes were engaged and slow shutters were turned off, as to not allow shutter speeds lower than 1/60th of a second. We tested the HF S100's low light sensitivity using its alternate frame rate (see below), but our final score is based on its 1080/50i performance.

The HF S100 showed significant improvement with low light using its alternate 25p frame rate. At 25p the camcorder needed only 6 lux of light to peak at 50 IRE. This is a dramatic improvement over 50i. If you like the aesthetic of 25p footage, the HF S100 shouldn't disappoint you in low light. The Panasonic HDC-HS300, the only other camcorder in this set to offer an alternate frame rate, didn't see as much of a low light improvement in its 25p mode. Then again, the Panasonic already had the strongest low light sensitivity of the set at 50i.

Low Light Colour (6.95)

The Canon HF S100 didn't have the most accurate colours in low light, but its numbers were comparable to the competition. The HF S100 measured a colour error of 5.28 in our 60 lux low light test. The Sony HDR-XR520 scored a 5.3 and the JVC GZ-HD320 earned a 5.05. This is not much disparity, which means all four camcorders are roughly equal when it comes to low light colour accuracy. Just the Panasonic HDC-HS300 was, with a colour error of 7.28 far behind. The Canon HF S100 did have a significantly lower saturation level, however, measuring in at 59.66% in our test. This is almost the same saturation as the Panasonic, which measures 60,53%. The Sony  measured saturation levels of 85.14%, the best in the bunch. (More on how we test low light colour.)

Auto Low Light colour Performance
colour Test Chart (above), colour Error Map (right)
The Canon Legria HF S100 produced a colour error of 5.28 and a saturation level of 59.66% in our low light colour testing. (The map on the right is a diagram of the colour error. The length and direction of each line indicates how the camcorder processed each particular colour.)

We liked the HF S100's low light image, but it definitely appeared a bit darker than both the Sony HDR-XR520 and Panasonic HDC-HS300. The low saturation on the Canon also resulted in colours with slightly less pop than the Sony or Panasonic. In the images of our test chart below you can see how much darker the Canon image is compared to the other camcorders.

Low Light Comparison at 50i
Canon Legria HF S100	Sony HDR-XR520
Panasonic HDC-HS300	JVC GZ-HD320

Of course, as we saw in our low light sensitivity testing, the HF S100 works better in low light when using its alternate frame rates. In 25p mode, the HF S100 measured a colour error of 4.28 colour error with a saturation level of 75.19%.

Below, we have the Canon HF S100 at 50i and 25p side-by-side with the Panasonic HDC-HS300 using the same settings. Since neither the Sony nor JVC have alternate frame rates, we didn't include their test images in this comparison.

Low Light Comparison at 50i and 25p
Canon Legria HF S100 at 50i	Panasonic HDC-HS300 at 50i
Canon Legria HF S100 at 25p	Panasonic HDC-HS300 at 25p

Notice how much brighter the Canon is at 25p compared to its 50i image. This gives you a good visual example of why the camcorders low light sensitivity goes up so much when using its alternate frame rates. The Panasonic HDC-HS300, however, didn't show much improvement in 25p mode. Its colour error measured 4.76 with 67.77% saturation in 25p mode.

Keep in mind, our final scores for this section are based on test results from 1080/50i recording. We score based on 50i footage because that is the default frame rate for these camcorders. The 25p mode, while it is an excellent feature for a camcorder to include, offers a completely different aesthetic than 50i. Motion is slower, more film-like, and can appear choppy or sluggish to some viewers.

Low Light colour Score Comparison

Low Light Noise (10.67)

The noise levels in our low light test footage for the Canon HF S100 averaged 0.95%. This is a decent score, but compared to the Sony HDR-XR520 (0.89% noise) and Panasonic HDC-HS300 (0.82% noise) it looks a bit high. There is definitely more noticeable noise in the Canon's low light image than its Sony and Panasonic counterparts. The JVC GZ-HD320 displayed a horrible low light image, but its noise levels measured only 0.5%. (More on how we test low light noise.)

Noise at 60 lux Auto
Canon Legria HF S100 100% Crop	Sony HDR-XR520 100% Crop	Panasonic HDC-HS300 100% Crop	JVC GZ-HD320 100% Crop

Before you dismiss the JVC GZ-HD320 when looking at the crops above, remember that it is much cheaper than the other three camcorders we tested in this bunch. The GZ-HD320 is JVC's top-of-the-line camcorder for 2009, however, which is why we included it in these comparisons. The other three camcorders (Sony, Canon, and Panasonic) are rather difficult to analyse. Each has a good image at low light, although each is not perfect. The HF S100 is noisier than the rest, but it captures a lot of detail. The Panasonic is slightly less sharp and there is quite a bit of artefacting and glow around the numbers and vertical trumpets, but its image is bright and strong. From the crops above, the Sony HDR-XR520 looks very good and it appears to maintain the best sharpness in low light.

Canon Legria HF S100 at 60 lux Auto: 25p
Canon HF S100, 50i 100% Crop	Canon HF S100, 25p 100% Crop

The HF S100 continued to produce excellent results in 25p mode. The crops above show a much sharper, crisper image than its 50i footage. Looking at the bottom of the vertical trumpets in the two crops shows how much cleaner the Canon's 25p footage really is. There is also a significant boost in brightness with the slower frame rate. As with our low light colour and sensitivity tests, the final scores for this section are based on footage recorded at 1080/50i.

Low Light Noise Score Comparisons