Was thinking about going with the hsf100 but it only using cards makes me leery. The reason being a friend of mine has a hd cam using cards. A older one,he shot a scene and the card failed. Now knowing this friend he probably used the bargain card. Dont know if that makes a difference? and if I decided on the hsf10 is the 11 a that big of a change? your thoughts thanks

I use the HF S100 and have had no trouble with cards. I only use Class 6 and record at the highest bitrate.
I can see no advatage in even considering changing to the HF S11 - there's not enough difference to warrant it...

Ditto. I chose the HF S100 over the HF S10 because a) it was cheaper and b) the internal memory is more difficult to access than a card, since the camera has to be connected to a computer.

Like Robin, I only ever record at 24MB/s and haven't had a problem yet. I only use 16GB class 6 cards of reputable origin; Bytestor, Transcend and SanDisk Extreme.

Add one more vote for HF-S100 from me. 24MB/sec recording works great and that bit rate plays back on my PS3 with no issues. Which was a surprise. However using a mini-HDMI connector directly to TV for viewing is wonderful as well. I'm very pleased with the camera so far.

thanks guy I ordered the hf s100 today:)

Just one thing and I hope you already know this - but you'll need a powerful computer to deal with AVCHD. My PC workflow is:

record to cards
use $9 card reader to offload files
transcode files with Cineform NeoHD
edit in Premiere Pro
or edit in Avid (but that's an additional transcoding step)
output to MP4 and view on PS3 or upload

Eventually I'll be burning to Blu-Ray but no burner yet.

I have the HFS-10, and am generally happy with it, save for the somewhat awkward interface and menu. Between the HFS-10 and HFS-100, I opted for the '10 as I was going to China and thought the built-in hard drive would possibly give me a litle more flexibility. It may have, but....I also have an HMC150 that I use to earn a living with now, and have never missed its not having a built-in hard drive. So there really needs to be something more than the built in drive to justify the price differential, in my mind anyways.

Correct me if I am wrong, but doesn't the HFs-11 give you an option to attach a Lanc control? I thought you could add an accessory device that would alow use of Lanc control devices. Depending on what you shoot, that may be significant.

Correct me if I am wrong, but doesn't the HFs-11 give you an option to attach a Lanc control?
That's correct, but there are also suggestions that it'll work on the HF-S10/100 too, although I haven't seen any first hand reports yet.

I understand that it will work with the HF S10/100.
Anyway, I've got one on order from B&H Video in New York, so when it arrives next week, I'll be in position to confirm!
If not, watch this space or e-Bay!!!

If by "it" you are referring to the module that allows Lanc connection to the HFS-11, the answer I got from Canon at Duigital Expo was no, it will not work on HFS-10, 100.

The LANC adapter will work on several newer Canon models with some possible minor issues...

The LANC controller has just arrived - and it's working fine with my HF S100.
Zoom, on/off, - and even more importantly, focus!!!
That last function alone is worth the money for me. It'll be much easier to manually focus from the pan bar.
I haven't tried it with an external mic yet, so fingers crossed that there aren't any audio issues. I'll get back later with more results.

Are you using the ZR-2000, or....?

Yes, but I also use the Manfrotto 523Pro normally and that's fine as well...

Zoom, on/off, - and even more importantly, focus!!!
That last function alone is worth the money for me.
Oooo... how fast is the focusing Robin? Is it possible to do focus pulls, or is it still a case of twiddling until your finger drops off?

It's a nice steady speed - not too fast and not too slow!
There's no twiddling involved - just press a button on the remote to focus closer and another button to focus further.
On the 523Pro, there's even a press to Auto Focus, release the button and it's back on manual.
It has a good zoom rocker which is either proportional or with preset zoom speeds - and there is an on/off button for the camera as well.
I've set the camera up now with the various peaking and zebra functions on the control wheel, so I can cycle between whichever is apposite for the function; the focus is set to manual so that the remote can control it; the exposure is set to manual as well and is controlled by the joystick.
However... there is some audio interference when using an external mic - although the internal mic is perfectly clean.

Yes [Zr2000], but I also use the Manfrotto 523Pro normally and that's fine as well...

So is there anything the ZR has that the Manfrotto simply doesn't? The difference in price (for 521Proi) is about $100-150US... (only about $40 for 523Pro). I'm keen to get one, but not two :)

Is anyone else using a non-Canon zoom controller successfully with the RA-V1? I'm trying out the HF S11 with the RA-V1 to try to replace a set of ancient GL1s for multicam shoots. We have a set of cheap SignVideo Zoom Commander II controllers that worked great with the GL1s, and I thought since the RA-V1 uses a LANC connector that they would be compatible. But only the power on/off and auto/manual focus toggle switch work through the RA-V1. I can't zoom, adjust manual focus, or stop/start record.

Anyone know if the Manfrotto 521Pro or another lower-cost zoom controller works with the RA-V1? I see that Robin uses the 523Pro, which is at least cheaper than the ZR-2000, but I was hoping for something that costs much less. I don't need good ergonomics, but I do need zoom, focus toggle, and record stop/start to work. Any suggestions?

Do I understand well that in order to be able to use a remote (such as ZR-1000) on a HF S20 or S21, you'll need the RA-V1? You cannot just plug in the remote in a LANC terminal? If so, where does that attach to the camera? Hopefully not on the shoe.

I believe you can plug in LANC without an adapter on the S21. For the older models like the S11, you need the RA-V1, and it does plug into the shoe.

Thanks for your respons. Can anybody confirm this?