Got the model wrong. I'm actually considering the Canon HF100.
Local retail around S$1600 vs Amazon US$599 vs Bestbuy US$799. Got
to throw in another US$100 for tax and delivery. Anyway, I emailed
to Bestbuy and they said to opt for the international warranty.
However, Amazon seems not to have that international warranty.
I've read that some other Singaporeans actually did buy this
model from USA and claimed quality to be good enough to take the
risk since there is no tape mechanism. My previous camcorder was a
Sony miniDV and I used it for the last 8 years before it snapped
due to - you guessed it - a broken tape mechanism.
Sigh...decision, decision, decision.