In about a month I'm going to use the VIXIA HF100 to record video of a very big fireworks display. If any other members on this forum have shot video of fireworks with the VIXIA series I'd like to hear any advice on settings.


The Canon VIXIA HD series camcorders do an excellent job of capturing fireworks displays true to life. I recommend them highly.

These are my videos of a fireworks display using the HF11. Use Fireworks Mode with the 30P setting and you won't be dissappointed.

http://vimeo.com/6538543
http://vimeo.com/6626541

I've looked at videos filmed with the VIXIA camcorders and the fireworks setting looks good it seems, so I'm not sure what I'll use. Someone used the Cinema mode with 24FPS setting.

Using the HF10, I've shot fireworks at both the Magic Kingdom and EPCOT, with the camera set at 30p and in fireworks mode. I thought they came out amazingly well. Very vivid colors. I also shot the Spectral Magic parade in this mode with good results. You just have to be a little careful about what you shoot, as there can be a trailing effect.

Using the HF10, I've shot fireworks at both the Magic Kingdom and EPCOT, with the camera set at 30p and in fireworks mode. I thought they came out amazingly well. Very vivid colors. I also shot the Spectral Magic parade in this mode with good results. You just have to be a little careful about what you shoot, as there can be a trailing effect.

I'm probably going to try the fireworks mode. I've seen videos posted of displays shot with the HF series and they looked very colorful. The small display I used mine at wasn't that great of a location and not that many different colors were displayed at once.


Do you happen to have any sample videos from your displays? I'm curious to see more results from anyone else.

OK...I quickly threw together some clip segments for you and posted them on VIMEO. I must have done something wrong in my encoding as I see interlacing, but my original files don't. The project and export settings were set to progressive. I'm not really sure what happened. Anyway you wanted to see fireworks. The original files believe me look much better. Nothing is edited very well here so please excuse any camera jerkiness.

I highly recommend you at very least use a monopod, which is what I used. A tripod is ideal, but in my case not very practical to carry around all day. The monopod for the most part works very well.

I'm by no means an expert at this, I'm still learning myself. I live in Florida so I can get to Disney a few times a year. It's a great place to practice.

Here' the link: http://www.vimeo.com/5369984

OK...I quickly threw together some clip segments for you and posted them on VIMEO. I must have done something wrong in my encoding as I see interlacing, but my original files don't. The project and export settings were set to progressive. I'm not really sure what happened. Anyway you wanted to see fireworks. The original files believe me look much better. Nothing is edited very well here so please excuse any camera jerkiness.

I highly recommend you at very least use a monopod, which is what I used. A tripod is ideal, but in my case not very practical to carry around all day. The monopod for the most part works very well.

I'm by no means an expert at this, I'm still learning myself. I live in Florida so I can get to Disney a few times a year. It's a great place to practice.

Here' the link: http://www.vimeo.com/5369984

Thanks for the footage. The colors looked great. I always use a tripod when recording. Was there any type of finale with lots of fireworks at once and different colors? I was wondering how that looked.

Disney likes to end with huge blasts of white fireworks, which almost turn the night sky into daylight, it's so bright. The result looks a little overblown, but then it looks the same to your eyes when you're actually watching the event.

I can't upload another video to VIMEO to show you, for another week, as I am not a paying member. I did find this by another user though, http://www.vimeo.com/1305094. It was shot on the HF100. Just do a search on VIMEO for fireworks and you can find even more examples. Some even tell you what their settings were.

I guess you could always knock the exposure down a couple of notches using the toggle switch on the lcd panel if things look too bright.

Disney likes to end with huge blasts of white fireworks, which almost turn the night sky into daylight, it's so bright. The result looks a little overblown, but then it looks the same to your eyes when you're actually watching the event.

I can't upload another video to VIMEO to show you, for another week, as I am not a paying member. I did find this by another user though, http://www.vimeo.com/1305094. It was shot on the HF100. Just do a search on VIMEO for fireworks and you can find even more examples. Some even tell you what their settings were.

I guess you could always knock the exposure down a couple of notches using the toggle switch on the lcd panel if things look too bright.

I saw your other video from the Magic Kingdom 4th of July display. Nice video. I really like the great picture that these camcorders capture.

I did get to film once more on the 4th before the big display at the end of the month. The results were very good with excellent colors. I have the HF100 and HF11. I used the HF11 this time because of the internal memory. I used fireworks mode with 30p mode and that was all. The results were great. I'll be using the fireworks mode for sure for this next display.

Thanks for the compliment. That was shot with the HF S100 which I bought a few weeks prior. So it was really my first big shoot with that camera. I absolutely love it. It did lose a bit in the encode for VIMEO.

I was a bit disappointed with the location I had to shoot from. Initially I didn't know where the fireworks would be shot from. As it turned out there were 4 or 5 locations that they were being shot from. I only had fairly good access to two and occasionally a third spot. I've been trying to think of some creative way to cover the whip pans that occured trying to shoot the various locations, in a way that doesn't interfere too much with the soundtrack they had.

Anyway glad to hear that, so far the settings are working for you. After your big event, If you can, post yours, I'd like to see it.

Thanks for the compliment. That was shot with the HF S100 which I bought a few weeks prior. So it was really my first big shoot with that camera. I absolutely love it. It did lose a bit in the encode for VIMEO.

I was a bit disappointed with the location I had to shoot from. Initially I didn't know where the fireworks would be shot from. As it turned out there were 4 or 5 locations that they were being shot from. I only had fairly good access to two and occasionally a third spot. I've been trying to think of some creative way to cover the whip pans that occured trying to shoot the various locations, in a way that doesn't interfere too much with the soundtrack they had.

Anyway glad to hear that, so far the settings are working for you. After your big event, If you can, post yours, I'd like to see it.

Larryad, I agree you've taken some beautiful video, especially capturing the gorgeous color changes of the castle and minimizing the blur during the parade. Even the sound was unepectedly good, catching the "BOOM" of the fireworks canons.

I was last at DisneyWorld back in 2001, with an big and bulky 8mm camera, and I cherish the video despite its limitations. I couldn't even dream of getting what you captured. I'm heading back in August, and I'm totally stoked because after reading thousands of reviews and postings, I've bought the HF100 myself and after seeing your video the possibilities seem amazing.

I know I'll be constantly shooting video, but didn't want to buy lots of cards. I've bought a nice laptop for a steal and already have a 500GB external drive ready to download video to.

Where is the best place you've found to shoot the fireworks, the parade (which I understand is back to the original Electric Light Parade?), and Illuminations?

Have you tried the camera in dark rides, and if so how does it fare? I'm curious to know how much you can capture in, say, Pirates of the Caribbean or It's a Small World, or even a fast-moving ride like Peter Pan's Flight...

Gee...thanks very much.

For both the parade and the fireworks, the best place is near the end of Main street towards the castle. Not too close though. like near the Crystal Palace restaurant, but stay on Main Street. Be there an hour early, so you can get a good spot. On weekends they usually do the parade twice. Once before the fireworks, and once after. As of July 4th, they were still doing the Spectral Magic Parade. There is also the Dreams parade in the afternoon. I've not had much luck shooting the haunted mansion. It's a real mixed bag. The ghosts in the dining room come out ok, if you're quick enough. So does the crystal ball. The cemetary ghosts have never come out very well for me and the ride is pretty jerky. Pirates... you'll have more usable footage from it. It's a small world, no problems at all. The Hall of President's should turn out fine, Country Bears is good. Tiki birds...so, so. There's a lot going on back and forth that's hard to catch. I don't know about Peter Pan. It's been years since I've been on that. The line is always way too long. It's a very slow loading ride. If you do Splash Mountain, have a zip lock bag handy to keep the camera dry. They don't like you to record Carousel of Progress for some reason. Though, I doubt they'd say anything. If you're the kind that likes to do a lot of shooting and you sound like you do, make sure you have at least three batteries, and enough SD cards (I can easily go through 3 -16 gb cards in the course of a day). Also you may have to switch cards before the other is filled to ensure you have enough space to shoot a parade or fireworks display. Better to have too much than not enough in those areas. It's very disgruntling when your battery or card runs out in the middle of the fireworks display. Most of those events will use from 1 to close to 3 gigs of card space, not to mention all the small clips you'll shoot around the park.

If you're coming for an extended time, buy the battery charger, two if you can afford it. It takes a long time to recharge those batteries at night. You can charge one in the camera and another in the charger to save time.

If you use a UV or polarizing filter, check your lens frequently. It's very hot and very humid, and condensation forms on the lens and filters. This is especially true when you take the camera from an air conditioned area out into the heat. You'll need to remove the filter and clean it and the lens fairly often. It's very bright so the camera LCD lens will be hard to see, even if you can see the screen you still may not notice it until you review your footage on a larger screen.

Use a monopod whenever possible, especially for parades and fireworks. Also engage the grid on the lcd screen to help you keep the camera level. This is the one I use: http://www.amazon.com/Manfrotto-560B-Fluid-Video-Monopod/dp/B000M19LES/ref=sr_1_4?ie=UTF8&qid=1247853581&sr=8-4

As far as sound, that clip was done with just the built in microphone. It is a pretty good mic. If you watch the 4th of July fireworks clip I also have on Vimeo, I used the DM-100 microphone. The stereo separation is a bit better and it's much more directional. For instance if I'm speaking from behind the camera it's much more noticeable with the built in mic. With the DM-100 I can bearly hear my voice....which is a good thing!

Hope you have a great time when you're here and everything you shoot turns out well.

Thanks for the compliment. That was shot with the HF S100 which I bought a few weeks prior. So it was really my first big shoot with that camera. I absolutely love it. It did lose a bit in the encode for VIMEO.

I was a bit disappointed with the location I had to shoot from. Initially I didn't know where the fireworks would be shot from. As it turned out there were 4 or 5 locations that they were being shot from. I only had fairly good access to two and occasionally a third spot. I've been trying to think of some creative way to cover the whip pans that occured trying to shoot the various locations, in a way that doesn't interfere too much with the soundtrack they had.

Anyway glad to hear that, so far the settings are working for you. After your big event, If you can, post yours, I'd like to see it.


I'm pleased with the last results and will be using the same settings again in a couple weeks.

When you do daytime filming what settings are used usually? I used to use the P Auto mode, but the picture was always overexposed and you'd have to turn the exposure down 4 or 5 settings. I've now been using Cinema Mode with 30p in the day and the results are great so far.

I'm hardly an expert on this. I'm still learning myself. Personally most of the time I use P-AE at 30P. I now have the HF S100 which has the Zebra setting to help determine overexposed areas. I've been playing around with it, but I find that if I get rid of all of the stripes that it's displaying, the picture looks underexposed. I think most of the time in bright Florida sunlight, that if I reduce the exposure two notches it seems to look the best to me. You do have exposure control on the HF10 that can be activated from the LCD screen. I just always have to remember to reset it everytime I change camera angles. I also use a polarizing filter. I like Hoya the best.

I'm not really a film maker. I mostly shoot vacation type subjects, so most of the time I just want a good picture with accurate colors. Auto mode on the HF10 works pretty well for most situations. What I don't like about it thoough is you can't even display the framing grids when using it. At least in the P-AE mode you have some control.

I've been experimenting a little bit with Cinemode for some night shots. I don't really like the night mode. It just comes out too grainy and motion looks awful. Spot light mode for things like the Country Bears or Hall of Presidents seems to work pretty well. It even works for some night shots. Things like street lights. The hard part is when you're with people and trying to shoot video, it can get a little cumbersome sometimes, trying to shoot a decent shot and keep up with people who for the most part have little interest or at least not the patience for videography. Few people in my circle like to be recorded. I guess that also applies to me. I'd much rather do the recording, rather than be in the recording. They seem to like to watch them though. I always like to shoot a lot of footage, shooting the same subject from different angles and sometimes trying out different settings and exposures. Most of the footage usually ends up as garbage, but it's alway nice to have alternatives.

I'm hardly an expert on this. I'm still learning myself. Personally most of the time I use P-AE at 30P. I now have the HF S100 which has the Zebra setting to help determine overexposed areas. I've been playing around with it, but I find that if I get rid of all of the stripes that it's displaying, the picture looks underexposed. I think most of the time in bright Florida sunlight, that if I reduce the exposure two notches it seems to look the best to me. You do have exposure control on the HF10 that can be activated from the LCD screen. I just always have to remember to reset it everytime I change camera angles. I also use a polarizing filter. I like Hoya the best.

I'm not really a film maker. I mostly shoot vacation type subjects, so most of the time I just want a good picture with accurate colors. Auto mode on the HF10 works pretty well for most situations. What I don't like about it thoough is you can't even display the framing grids when using it. At least in the P-AE mode you have some control.

I've been experimenting a little bit with Cinemode for some night shots. I don't really like the night mode. It just comes out too grainy and motion looks awful. Spot light mode for things like the Country Bears or Hall of Presidents seems to work pretty well. It even works for some night shots. Things like street lights. The hard part is when you're with people and trying to shoot video, it can get a little cumbersome sometimes, trying to shoot a decent shot and keep up with people who for the most part have little interest or at least not the patience for videography. Few people in my circle like to be recorded. I guess that also applies to me. I'd much rather do the recording, rather than be in the recording. They seem to like to watch them though. I always like to shoot a lot of footage, shooting the same subject from different angles and sometimes trying out different settings and exposures. Most of the footage usually ends up as garbage, but it's alway nice to have alternatives.

I've been happy with the Cinema Mode with 30P in the daytime. I'm using Cinema Mode at night time as well with 30P. It lowers the exposure to a more correct level for most everything. In the P-AE Mode I was turning it down about 4 or 5 levels sometimes, but then some areas are underexposed.

I do mostly outdoor garden scenery from my yard as well as the birds. In the Winter I get the downtown holiday light displays. You used Fireworks Mode for the Spectral Magic Parade. We have a Holidazzle parade during the holidays with bright LED lights featuring storybook characters and more. I've used P-AE this past year, but I may try Cinema or Fireworks Mode with 30P.

I've found that if I reduce the exposure much more than 2... or 3 maximum, a bright sunny day looks more like a very dark, dreary, rainy looking day. It's also not easy to correct in post.

I never used to much care for the look of CineMode, but it does seem to work fairly well for some dark situations. The image doesn't look so grainy. I do have to lower the exposure a few notches, sometimes so that lights don't look so overblown and it doesn't always do that perfectly. For example, I shot a building at Disney with a lighted clock-face, but in order to get the clock-face to show, the rest of the scene looked to dark. I'm not sure how to correct that. Maybe using a higher shutter speed?

Here's a sample video: http://www.vimeo.com/5671273

I was just wondering if the HFS100 is a big improvement over the HF100 or HF11? Reviews always say poor low light performance, but I don't believe it all. I've had great results in low light with my earlier Canon models.

The HFS100 is noticably sharper with better contrast and color, over the HF100. Unless you're trying to illuminate a room with a match, it does for the most part fine in low light. Actually from my observation, I've noticed it does better (less grainy) with at least one strong light source (say a bright lamp), over more diffused ambient lighting. I haven't done any measurements, but I don't notice any major differences between the two cameras in that area. Most of those reviews are done at 60i at automatic settings. The gain in picture quality more than makes up for any of it's shortcomings. There's a new one coming out, The HFS11 (Grrrr!) which is supposed to have better low light capabilities as well as a better image stabilizer. That's really the only thing so far, that I don't like about this camera. I don't think the image stabilizer is very good.

Is the image stabilizer any worse than the HF100? It seems like it should at least be the same. Thanks for the informaion.

It could be my imagination but I think it's slightly worse. I thought some of my initial test footage seemed a little shakier than I remember the HF10 being. I need to use the camera a little more before I commit to that answer. I've only had it a month and so far have only done one big outing with it.

I do have one other small peeve about the camera and it's involves the SD card door. Unlike the latch door of the HF10/100, the HFS100 has a hinged door. It struck me that it could break rather easily, also if you use a tripod, you have to unscrew the mount from the camera in order to change the SD card. Other than that it's a great camera.

I have just gotten the DM-100 microphone and will be using it for the fireworks. What setting did you use on July 4th? Would the shotgun setting be the best for this? Is the sound still in stereo with that setting? Fireworks Mode with 30P is my settings for the display. Have you ever used the Image Effects like the Color Saturation turned up to + instead of 0 with any of your displays?

Larry maybe you could explain what may have caused this. My July 4th shoot went great, but after this big display tonight I'm unhappy with the results. Everytime there was a big fireworks explosion the picture jolts slightly and it's like it's out of focus slightly. Would this have anything to do with using the DM-100 microphone? It was set to 90* stereo. The MIC ATT was off. I'm sorry I ever used it now. The display only comes around once a year. I had no problems with the built-in mic with the same tripod in the exact same location on July 4th.

Also, as with the previous shoot I used Fireworks Mode with 30P.

The Image Stabilizer shouldn't have to be on either as I'm using a tripod. I didn't use it on the 4th either.

I've been using the same tripod for many years. I think the part that the camcorder sits on that can can fold up to the left was not down all the way. Is that what may have caused this? I've gotten a new tripod now which should be much better than the previous. I never thought of something like this going wrong on this one day. My only other chance this year is the State Fair fireworks to try it out with.

Larry maybe you could explain what may have caused this. My July 4th shoot went great, but after this big display tonight I'm unhappy with the results. Everytime there was a big fireworks explosion the picture jolts slightly and it's like it's out of focus slightly. Would this have anything to do with using the DM-100 microphone? It was set to 90* stereo. The MIC ATT was off. I'm sorry I ever used it now. The display only comes around once a year. I had no problems with the built-in mic with the same tripod in the exact same location on July 4th.

Also, as with the previous shoot I used Fireworks Mode with 30P.

The Image Stabilizer shouldn't have to be on either as I'm using a tripod. I didn't use it on the 4th either.

It sounds like the shockwave from the fireworks shook the camera/tripod but I find it difficult to believe it'd be the microphone that would make that kind of difference.

How was the sound from the mic otherwise? Better than the on-board mic?

It sounds like the shockwave from the fireworks shook the camera/tripod but I find it difficult to believe it'd be the microphone that would make that kind of difference.

How was the sound from the mic otherwise? Better than the on-board mic?


The sound from the DM-100 was great. I haven't used it a whole lot, but it takes away the wind noise that the built-in mic would have.

The tripod was very old and not likely for these current camcorders, but I used it and it was fine earlier this month, and I was the same distance from the fireworks, except I didn't have the attached DM-100 mic. Would the mic attached to it along with the type of tripod cause the mic and/or camera to move the picture slightly?

I'm sorry to hear you had trouble. I suppose there is a remote chance if there was a breeze the furry cover could have caused some vibration. It's also possible the brightness of the flashes could have caused some apeture or focus issues. Although I thought everything was pretty much at a fixed setting in that mode.

It's funny though, I was at, yes you guessed it, Disney again (I have a Pass) and I was having audio sync issues. It's not going to be a problem with most of the stuff as I will omit the audio anyway. Anything I do want the audio Hopefully I can fix it in post. Don't know if it was the DM-100 or something else. It's a relatively new toy for me too. I checked my camera connection and it seemed to be attached well. I filmed the fireworks and they came out fine. My computer also seems to sometimes have problems with the 24mbps footage. I may go back to 17. Many people say they don't see much difference. I'll have to try it out.

I know it's a bummer when something you really want to shoot does not come out well. Beleive me I've had my share of fapaws. That's kind of why I go to Disney so much, I like to try different things until I get it right.

Hopefully most of your footage looks good.

There was really no wind that night. I don't think the wind cover would have done that. Do you believe that the loud noise would have shook the tripod or mic slightly? This was a big display and mostly every explosion was big and loud. It did this exactly at basically every fireworks explosion. The whole 21 minutes looked that way, so I wasn't very happy.

The July 4th display was in the same location and it never did that at all. The display wasn't nearly the size of this latest one, but it would have done it at some point. The thread on the bottom of the HF11 isn't right in the middle and my old tripod wasn't very great. This new one is for up to 7.7 pounds and the holding area for it is much larger. I'm going to use the new tripod with the HF11 and DM-100 mic at the State Fair in about a month with the exact same settings and see what happens.

The mic picking up too much noise shouldn't affect the picture, so it's got to be the tripod/mic getting moved slightly.

I wouldnt' think so, but I don't know. Anything is possible. If your tripod was rather light weight aluminum, and these fireworks were much louder, It might be possible that it was the culprit. Especially if you say the picture jolts suddenly. Possibly the pan head or camera mount was loose. I always leave the image stabilizer on, It might be a good idea for something that could cause vibration. These are the ones I shot over the weekend. http://www.vimeo.com/5793743 and I had a fair amount of bumps. Hmmm...I wonder if it wasn't the image stabilizer not being on that caused the problem.

I wouldnt' think so, but I don't know. Anything is possible. If your tripod was rather light weight aluminum, and these fireworks were much louder, It might be possible that it was the culprit. Especially if you say the picture jolts suddenly. Possibly the pan head or camera mount was loose. I always leave the image stabilizer on, It might be a good idea for something that could cause vibration. These are the ones I shot over the weekend. http://www.vimeo.com/5793743 and I had a fair amount of bumps. Hmmm...I wonder if it wasn't the image stabilizer not being on that caused the problem.

I wanted to update on this. I used my new tripod with DM-100 mic on the HF11 at the State Fair fireworks and it turned out great. There was no issues with the picture moving or making it look like the fireworks bursts were getting bigger or jumping towards you.

I used 30P Fireworks Mode with the Image Stabilizer off. I don't think it being off the other time caused the problem. I'm sure it had to be the mount part that was loose. This new tripod has a removable mount and it holds the camcorder much better than the other one did.

These are the closest fireworks I ever get to see. Maybe a mile away or less, so these were loud and should have made that happen if it were the image stabilizer causing it. I have the video from the big fireworks display from July on my computer as an AVI file. I was going to post it so you could see what exactly was happening. How would I go about posting it on one of the upload sites? I tried Vimeo, but it said the file was too large.

Good! I'm glad that your video came out. To upload to Vimeo you basically have to down convert to 720P. If you use Sony Vegas here is a good guideline to use: http://eugenia.gnomefiles.org/2007/11/09/exporting-with-vegas-for-vimeo-hd/ . I believe there are also instructions on the Vimeo site as to what formats you can upload. I think there is a one gig size limit, if you exceed that you may have to break the video into two or else adjust your bit rate. You will lose quality no matter what setting you use. But your videos can still look pretty decent.

Good! I'm glad that your video came out. To upload to Vimeo you basically have to down convert to 720P. If you use Sony Vegas here is a good guideline to use: http://eugenia.gnomefiles.org/2007/11/09/exporting-with-vegas-for-vimeo-hd/ . I believe there are also instructions on the Vimeo site as to what formats you can upload. I think there is a one gig size limit, if you exceed that you may have to break the video into two or else adjust your bit rate. You will lose quality no matter what setting you use. But your videos can still look pretty decent.

Thanks. I have a trial version of Vegas Pro. I did down convert to 720p, but it was just a little over the size limit. I've never used Vegas before. Where in the program can you split up the movie into parts?

Just click on the video on the time line at the place you want to divide the video and Press the S key. This will split the video at that point. Delete the unused portion and render. Repeat with the second half. This does not harm your original video.

Alternatively, if you are only slightly over on the size limit and you don't want to split the video, go into the custom menu of your render settings and lower the bitrate settings a little. This will lower the size as well at the expense of quality. You'll have to experiment as to how much to lower it.

If you are new to Vegas, there are some very good tutorials on their web site listed under free training.
http://www.sonycreativesoftware.com/training

If you don't want to spend the money for Vegas Pro try Studio 9 Pro. Amazon has a very good price on it. http://www.amazon.com/Sony-Vegas-Movie-Studio-Platinum/dp/B001CPHTAQ/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=software&qid=1252409019&sr=8-1

Good luck!

Just click on the video on the time line at the place you want to divide the video and Press the S key. This will split the video at that point. Delete the unused portion and render. Repeat with the second half. This does not harm your original video.

Alternatively, if you are only slightly over on the size limit and you don't want to split the video, go into the custom menu of your render settings and lower the bitrate settings a little. This will lower the size as well at the expense of quality. You'll have to experiment as to how much to lower it.

If you are new to Vegas, there are some very good tutorials on their web site listed under free training.
http://www.sonycreativesoftware.com/training

If you don't want to spend the money for Vegas Pro try Studio 9 Pro. Amazon has a very good price on it. http://www.amazon.com/Sony-Vegas-Movie-Studio-Platinum/dp/B001CPHTAQ/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=software&qid=1252409019&sr=8-1

Good luck!

I did split the video in half and posted it on Vimeo.
Click here for it. http://vimeo.com/6538543

Watch closely with the loud bursts and you'll see the moving I'm talking about. It's like the bursts jump at you a little. Also, the original recording was very smooth. Is there a reason for the stuttering video or is it common with uploads?

Don't judge the Canon HF11 by any means from this video. The fireworks mode on the HF11 works excellent with fantastic colors and accuracy. I recommend Canon VIXIA camcorders by a long shot.

to add to the above, I shot some firework footage during the 4th & used Fireworks mode + 30P. Excellent results. A tripod is a must as the image blurred do to the shutter settings.
(I own a HG20 not HF100)

That didn't turn out all that bad at all. I was expecting jarring camera jolts. It's certainly very watchable and the colors were excellent.

We've come a long way with HD, I can remember when even broadcast fireworks looked washed out, blobby and not very interesting to watch.

Really a good job.

That didn't turn out all that bad at all. I was expecting jarring camera jolts. It's certainly very watchable and the colors were excellent.

We've come a long way with HD, I can remember when even broadcast fireworks looked washed out, blobby and not very interesting to watch.

Really a good job.

Thanks for the comment. I wish it would have turned out how I wanted it to. I only get one chance per year to see this type of display and I was upset that I'd have to wait until next July to try it again.

I went to several small displays leading up to this event to test out everything, so I was dissapointed to see this happening. I figured you'd expect it to look much worse by the way I described it.

I agree, the Canon HD fireworks mode is great. It looks very professional and colorful. I'll post the other part of it when my limit resets on Vimeo.

I posted the second half of the fireworks I filmed in late July. It's now up on Vimeo.

http://vimeo.com/6626541