I did months of research before deciding on the S11, and my biggest priorities were superb picture quality then durability. Because flash camcorders don't have moving parts like a hard drive, flash memory is less prone to damage, uses less power, and reads/writes faster. This is very expensive, but it will last for many, many years while vividly capturing my most important memories with family. HD is the way to go.
The picture quality is great, and you can easily find HD examples on YouTube to preview if you're curious to see how this measures up. Video capture at night isn't as bad as what I had read. I can easily make out images in my night time shots albeit some detail was lost (as expected with any consumer camcorder). An added bonus is that I can snap photos while in video mode, so I don't have to pack my point-n-shoot camera too. This has a built-in 8MP camera.
If you need more than the 64GB of internal memory, you can expand by purchasing an external SDHC card. Canon says to use a minimum Class 4 SDHC card for video, but a lot of people who own flash camcorders seem to have better results with Class 6 cards (faster write speeds mean you won't miss as many frames during recording). Keep in mind that 64gb can capture a minimum of 5 hours 55 minutes in MXP mode and up to 24 hrs 30 minutes in LP mode.
There is NO electronic viewfinder which can be a problem since the screen is hard to see when you're in super dark or super bright settings.
Unfortunately, your investment won't end with the camera.
You will have EXTRA stuff to buy:
* Extra battery the one that comes included lasts 1.5 hours at best; I recommend Canon BP-827 * Lithium Ion Battery Pack for Vixia HG 20/21, HF11/10 & 100 Camcorders
* Battery charger otherwise you can only charge the battery while it's in the camcorder so you have to stop filming while charging
* HDMI cable
* Canon Remote Control Adapter RA-V1 for Vixia HF S11 Camcorders to access the camera's functions if you heavily use a tripod
* Video editing software Adobe Premiere seems to be pretty popular for AVCHD video.
I travel often, so it's not always practical for me to carry a lot of SDHC cards, and I wanted something that would be more user friendly for my folks to use. It's crazy that Canon charges so much more for 32GB extra memory over the S10, so if budget is an issue, look into the HF S10 (32GB internal memory) or HF S100 (no internal memory).
The S11 is very similar to the HF S10 and HF S100 models. The only differences I can tell:
64gb internal memory (main reason this model costs more)
Dynamic SuperRange OIS (which is supposed to make for better video while walking and at wide angles)
Compatible with Canon's RA-V1 remote adapter that you plug into the accessory shoe to provide a LANC (wired remote) terminal
Extra mode for low light scene
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