Frugal Find: Canon HFS100 Drops to $699

If you're in the market for a nice camcorder with some pro features, you may want to check out the Canon HFS100. It shoots HD to an SD card, allows manual audio control, zebra striping and the ability to regulate video gain. It has a huge 58mm lens (previously found on the GL2) and can shoot some nice video. It's one of the best camcorders out there.

B&H is selling this beauty for $699. You can read an in-depth review at Camcorder Info. The manual is available online from Canon. There are a ton of video samples on YouTube and Vimeo.

If you need a nice camera but can't afford prosumer, this may be the deal you are looking for. It's currently the camera of choice for The Frugal Filmmaker. I brought this camera to a shoot once and the talent exclaimed, "That's the smallest camera I've ever seen." I replied, "Yeah, but it puts out a big picture."