Canon FS200 Flash Memory Camcorder with 37x Optical

A great camcorder for a great price
Rating:5 out of 5 stars
My husband and I recently purchased this camcorder because we are expecting our first baby, and we wanted to be able to capture the first moments on video. We did not have a lot to spend. After a lot of research, we settled on the Canon FS200 (we purchased it in a kit with extra accessories). We knew that this was not an HD camera, and we didn’t expect HD picture quality. For the class of camcorder, and the price we paid, we are VERY pleased with the value and quality that we received.

The camcorder is easy to use and set up. We are beginners, therefore we have not delved into the advanced features available. We just wanted to be able to shoot video with ease. We did not purchase this for the ability to take pictures, as we have a very good camera for that. However, the pictures are easy to take and the quality seems good.

The auto focus works well, the battery life is excellent, and I was surprised at how much video can fit on an 8gb card. The battery has about 2 and a half hours (and the remaining battery life is displayed on the screen in minutes remaining, not just an icon) and the card holds just over 2 hours of video (also displayed as remaining minutes available on the screen).

The only thing I would change is to add a viewfinder – the only way to see what you are recording is via the LCD screen. However, we knew we were not getting a viewfinder when we made the purchase.

My biggest complaint is the software. It took a while to figure out the software and how to transfer files to the computer. I read other reviews that complained about the .MOD file format, and the necessity of converting it. I installed my software on XP (I have the service pack 3) and my files downloaded automatically in .mpeg format, so I did not have to convert. However, I use a laptop, so it is easier to me to use the card slot than to hook the whole camcorder up via USB cord. To use the card slot, I took another reviewers advice and downloaded the SDcopy program to convert my files (when I used the card slot they came up as .MOD file format). I liked this transfer even better, because I could select the widescreen format before transfering my files, and the videos looked much better. When compared, the regular screen seemed a little squished or compacted, but the widescreen was much more natural.

Overall we would highly recommend this camcorder. You can’t beat the options for the price.

Great camera
Rating:5 out of 5 stars
This is a great video camera. It is not HD but the picture quality is excellent. The colors are great and the images are very sharp. I have worked in video production for the past 8 years and I can tell you that I have always been pretty disappointed by the quality of most consumer cameras. The canon FS200 however, far exceeded my expectations. This is by far the best camera you can get in this price range. The only draw back that I have found is that it doesn’t do the best in low light conditions, this however, is true for every consumer camera in and beyond this price range. I would recommend this camera to anyone who is looking for high quality visuals but does not want to venture into the world of HD.

great camera
Rating:5 out of 5 stars
This is a great camcorder. It is easy to use and the pictures are great. Reccommend it to anyone

The FS200 Kicks As@#$%!!!
Rating:4 out of 5 stars
I bought this camcorder on May 15, 2009 to replace my Canon ZR200 camcorder that stopped playing tapes about 5 months ago. I loved my ZR200 and the plethora of tapes that I filmed using it. I still believe that tapes are the best form of archive known today!

This review will focus on the features outlined at the product’s web-site. I congratulate Canon’s marketing staff at providing this outline.

1. Ultra-Sleek, Compact and Lightweight Design

The product is very sleek, compact and lightweight! The UPS scale at my office weighed the camcorder, battery and SDHC card at a mere 9.8 oz.

I love the Red color and waited an extra month until this color was available. Due to it’s light weight, I recommend that you always use this w/ a tripod or monopod to provide the best video quality.

2. Canon Exclusive: Genuine 41x Advanced Zoom

This zoom feature is only available in the wide screen mode. It provides a wide-screen effect, giving you an extra 20% viewing area w/out an additional lens. In std (4:3) mode, you the best optical setting is 37x, which is almost as good.

3. Canon Exclusive: DIGIC DV II Image Processor

This processor has been around for several years now and delivers a superb shot and video using the optical zoom settings. Using the digital (2000x) zoom settings it does not seem to help as much. However, I was able to capture some good video at approx. 500-1000x zoom using the digital setting. Thank you canon!

4. Superb Shooting Control – Video Snapshot, Quick Start, Quick Charge, Dual Shot and More

The shooting control is superberb. However, you have to turn the dial to change between video and photo mode. I believe my last canon allowed simultaneous filming and picture taking.

5. Stunning Digital Photography

The photo’s I took were as best as I could have hoped for at 1024×780 resolutions. As you would expect from Kodak, the colors were fabulous and the light recognition was very good. I still haven’t figured out how to get the 5 pics / second (burst mode) working.

6. 2.7″ Widescreen LCD

This helps a lot in video play back. I have 20/20 vision and can clearly see the clips I just took. I also LOVE the replay mode, which moves from clip to clip until you press the pause button or reach the end.

7. Pick the Color to Suit Your Style

Sunrise red is HOT. I’m glad I waited a few extra weeks for it.

8. Additional Features…

The lithium Iron battery lasts 3-5 hrs, depending on camera use. I still bought 2 extra batteries for $35 total and don’t have any plans to start using them soon. 3-5 hours is amazing in comparison to the HD camcorders, which give you an hour of footage at best.

The USB high speed terminal is nice, but it took me a few hours to figure out that you need to put the camcorder in PC transfer mode. The default mode is DVD burner mode, which I find to be an oversight by the focus group. They should know that 90% of US customers want to import the clips into their PC, not Canon’s DVD burner. This oversight dropped my review from a perfect 5 stars to 4 stars.

I discovered that the headphone terminal outputs a mono signal, causing the right earphone to emit an irritating buzzing sound. Thank goodness I was not wearing a head set.

I have not tested the audio input jack. However, I anticipate better results than their output jack.

I only tested the Pixel’s software video capture feature, which failed to capture my wide screen video correctly. Thanks to the SDCopy shareware utility, I was able to capture my Wide Screen footage correctly. I hope they provide this feature in their sofware soon!

After doing some testing I discovered that you can film almost 5 hrs. in low quality (3 mps/sec) mode, lmost 3 hrs in st. quality (6 mps/sec), and approx 2 hrs. of footage at high qualify (9 mps/sec) at the setting on an 8GB SDHC card.

I did not purchase the extended warrantee because there aren’t many moving parts.

I congratulate canon’s product design staff for providing a product that I will enjoy using for years to come.

When you capture the video into your PC, you need to have it plugged into the power jack. Otherwise, it will not work. Hence, I suggest that you purchase a USB/HD Card reader with this device.

With the cost of a 16 GB class 6 SDHC card at $40, I don’t know how canon expects to sell their FS22 (32 GB internal memory) or FS21 (16 GB intenal memory) at the price they are asking.

This is truly a fabulous product!

Perfect for the price
Rating:5 out of 5 stars
I am not a technician, I just wanted a reliable camera to record speeches for feedback, and this filled the bill. I read most of the reviews on Amazon and elsewhere, and have nothing to add except that it is intuitive, it works great with imovie 09, and I haven’t had to spend a lifetime learning to do everything.

This is the one.
Rating:5 out of 5 stars
I spent several months looking and researching for my fist camcorder and I am very pleased with my purchase. I have boys playing in football, soccer and basketball so zoom was very important for me so I can get some good shots from the sidelines. This camcorder works great. The small size makes it easy to carry in my purse. I like that it turns off when you shut the display but comes right back on when you open. Ideal for timeouts and half time so you don’t miss the game. The battery life is great! Before I bought this camcorder I borrowed a friends and I could only record one game and run out of battery. Now I have no problem recording two games back to back and still have battery life availible.

Exactly what I wanted
Rating:5 out of 5 stars
I ordered this so I can record our vacation to the beach on my husband’s leave from Iraq. I’m not terribly familiar with various camcorders but after much research I decided on the Canon FS200 and I’m quite pleased. I LOVE that it has flash memory as I can easily carry extra cards and swap them out as needed. It didn’t take too long to charge and has a great battery life. The picture quality is great, mic picks up sounds well and the zoom is fantastic. I love how small and lightweight it is. The price is good too. I’m very happy with this camcorder.

Returned Item
Rating:1 out of 5 stars
I expected more from this camera after reading the reviews. After making a few short films in multiple lighting settings, the picture quality was not good. I get a better video off my digital camera that I bought for 150.00 dollars. The images were pixilated and not smooth. Colors were not good either. I do not recommend buying this camera. The software was also difficult to use with my Mac.

Great camera
Rating:4 out of 5 stars
My major complaint is this: It’s difficult to tell whether or not the camera is on or off.

Especially if you’re filming short amounts, I had trouble deciding whether or not the darn thing was on or off.

Other than that, I really like it. It’s small and portable, and the battery life is amazing.

Disappointing quality for a Canon camcorder
Rating:2 out of 5 stars
I got this to record our children’s activites. Testing the camcorder, ergonomics are good and it’s mostly easy to use. I say mostly because the flip-out lcd screen has buttons that are invisible in a theatre. Unless you know where they are and what they do, you’ll likely not be able to operate them.

After recording a dance recital, here’s my experience:

- The room lighting was excellent, but the camera lost focus on the dancers for no reason several times across an hour. Adjusting zoom made it re-focus correctly.

- Focus and white balance randomly become messed up on and off, making some dancer’s faces end up being a white blob and their bodies look slightly fuzzy.

- The manual for the camcorder and software covers very little of camera use. Directions for transferring videos from camera to computer are both wrong and incomplete.

Since the video of the recital is mostly unwatchable, I’m returning this Canon FS200 camcorder and buying a different brand. From Canon, I’d expected much higher quality.

Good for the price
Rating:4 out of 5 stars
I bought this to record football games.

I haven’t had any problems at all. I held the camera with both hands and was able to record a whole half time show with no problems.

I have only watched the footage directly on the tv. I havn’t done anything with the computer as of yet so I can’t comment on the software. The zoom is great. I have had no problems at all. This is really a good little camera.

Great camera for a great price
Rating:4 out of 5 stars
Considering the price, this camera is outstanding. If you’re part of the cult of HD, you’ll be unhappy because this isn’t an HD camera. Just like, if you were part of the cult of speed, you’d be happier with a Mustang GT than a Honda Accord. But if you want great performance on a relatively low budget, this camera delivers.

Battery life: Excellent

Optics: Excellent

Low Lighting: Good

Regular Lighting: Excellent

Autofocus: Excellent

Zoom: Incredible

Video Image Quality: Excellent (but not HD)

Still Picture quality: Fair

Onboard Mic: Excellent

External Mic: Hey, you can use an external mic! For 300ish dollars!

Convenience: Excellent

Looks: Impressive. Ladies and gentlemen agree.

Good for the price. Just a few Annoyances (for me)
Rating:4 out of 5 stars
This is really a good little Camcorder. I just wanted to mention a few things that you might want to consider.

Pros:

Very compact for travel.

SDHC solid state memory

Good video quality for price. (I haven’t used any others in this category however)

Sound pick up is good.

Battery is pretty good. Mine usually blinks up something like 169-189min on full charge from what I can remember.

Quite stable! Canon image stabilizer works pretty well on this little guy.

Cons:

Controls: I really hate the tiny power button, it’s caused me to become frustrated when trying to quick turn on and record. The toggle is okay, but not the best. Menu setup could be better. (These are not life and death though, they all work without fail, just could be better).

Screen is a little hard to see in bright sunlight, which is tough when you have no view finder. (again not that must of a deal breaker)

HATE that you have to plug in the POWER CABLE to transfer content over usb. If you have a SD card slot then this doesn’t matter to much, but it gets really annoying other wise, and the “compact” power adapter, isn’t really very compact. (two piece cord with a power block)

I would like that when I close the screen there would be an option to have the camera power down (at least when not recording). Sometimes you close the screen thinking it will turn off and forget to push the tiny power button.

Low light is very grainy. (I was expecting this for the price)

still shots are worthless. As long as you have your camera phone you’re probably guaranteed to get better photos. (of course I didn’t buy it for that).

Overall good little cam. Just be wise and check out the newest stuff out there. Use CNET and amazon compare other cameras and read reviews!

a real review for real people
Rating:4 out of 5 stars
This review is for people who have common sense about this technology and have done even a TAD bit of research before buying. I have been in the video/film/animation industry for 15 years and have used tons of equipment for everything from multimillion dollar productions, to rogue gorilla documentaries. This camera is for people who want to flip open something small and compact, shoot some video for memories and thas that. Pretty much ALL camcorders under 800 dollars are going to shoot interlaced video, and this one does as well. it has complete manual overide for focus and exposure. I read a review where a lady was complaining about filming a recital and the camera was going in and out of focus. No problem, set it to manual and problem fixed. There is no more .MOD file problems.. all files are read as .mpeg files now (you can download the newest software from the website) **EDIT** its come to my attention that some people are still getting the .MOD files extension. I am running windows XP service pack 3 on a PC and the program it installed is pixela imagemixer 3 version 4 and it automatically shows up as .mpeg 4 files.. so i dont know whats up and why that works for me, as i did nothing special or extra for that to happen..

now onto quality.

It is acceptable. Low light gives you grainy pictures and some ghosting. You will get this on pretty much ALL camcorders in this class. do NOT expect that if you spend another 100 dollars you will get a difference. If you want to see a noticable difference you will need to step up to the 800-1200 dollar range. Im sorry but thats just the facts. Another thing to be on the lookout for is called a frame buffer. Which EVERY camcorder over 100 dollars Should have.. you know, that telltale sign in video where when the camera moves back and forth the picture starts “waving like a flag in the wind”.. we’re good with that. The zoom on this camera is CRAZY good.. in general, optical zoom is good, digital zoom is bad.. this cameras optical zoom rivals most everything out there.. things i dont like. When you play your recorded videos on the camcorder, it will just play the next file without stopping, in one long stream.. this is cool, but i dont like not having the option to view one at a time. you HAVE to plug it in to the wall power when you transfer files to the computer. i dont like the record button on the end of the barrel.. the way i ALWAYS end up holding this camera is like how you hold a glass of water if you were pouring it out.. with my thumb on the top of the barrell.. i NEVER hold it “properly” (like a glass of water that im drinking).. its so tiny that holding it like that is almost cumbersome and unecessary.. In short i LOVE this thing for the convenience.. on standby it will boot up in 2 seconds.. AWESOME.. no tape, the small size, good battery life, relatively big LCD screen,external mic input and headphone all good.. needing a plug for computer connection, bad low light performance, bad management of video playback not so good.. all in all i REALLY like it…

if you want the convenience of a TINY camcorder available at a moments notice, recording to a card instead of tape, a regular def video (most everything i shoot is for web or regular DVD which is regular def anyway) and a price thats not bad. this is for you

Now, if you want a video camera for capturing high def home videos for permanent memories to keep forever and possibly burn to blu-ray, seriously, buy a high def, 3ccd progressive scan camcorder. Expect to pay around 1000+ dollars, but thats what you get. i dont understand the complaints that this is whats expected from this camcorder. You cant drive a civic around complaining it cant go from 0 to 60 in 2 seconds..

The best
Rating:5 out of 5 stars
I bought this camcorder after much research. The video is great. This is a great buy.

Canon FS200 Flash Memory Camcorder with 37x Optical Zoom (Sunrise Red)
Rating:5 out of 5 stars
This was a great purchase! I bought this camcorder to video my son’s outdoor wedding.MY OLD CAMCORDER was a Sharp high 8 tape from 2000, what a switch.I played around with it for a week before the wedding, it was very easy to learn everything this cam has to offer. The video came out beautiful on my HD TV, it looks like the camera filmed in HD which it does not.I got this for 262 dollars so no complaints.

Great little camera
Rating:5 out of 5 stars
Great camera, simple, easy, good quality video. I wouldn’t use it to film a movie, but I don’t think it was intended for such uses.

Best Of Breed. Excellent Value. Video Tour
Rating:5 out of 5 stars
Watch Video Here: http://www.amazon.com/review/RUJRILMJIXTFP 10-year-old TIME For Kids Reporter, Brennan LaBrie, and I purchased Canon FS200 camcorders on sale a couple of days before Thanksgiving. As a budding journalist that is planning to cover the Vancouver 2010 Olympics Games, Brennan’s basic requirements in his second flash based camcorder were:

- external mic for interviews

- headphone jack to monitor audio levels (handheld mic to close, not close enough, background noise to loud, etc.)

- optical zoom to capture action that far away

- battery monitor in real time

- fast battery charge (20 minutes charging a depleted FS200 battery yields 60 minutes of recording time)

This video tour around the FS200 was recorded with my FS200 and edited with Microsoft’s Windows Movie Maker (the free program imports .MOD files). It was recorded at the Port Townsend Library (no special lighting was required). We were very happy with the picture and audio (internal mic) quality in this video. Part two of this tour will be published on YouTube soon. Search: Canon FS200

For price/performance, the FS200 is the “best of breed” on the market today. It is the perfect portable pocket camcorder for a KidReporter that has to get their reports online ASAP.

Brennan LaBrie’s Winter Olympic coverage using the FS200 can be accessed through a Google Search on his name.

NOTE: The background music is one of the tunes that is on the FS200 CD.

Great Camera at a Great Price
Rating:4 out of 5 stars
The FS200 is extremely portable to take with you anywhere you want to go. The picture quality is relatively good considering the processor and lens you are getting. The audio pickup is extremely good for an on-board mic. I bought this camera for my son and his fiance to document their honeymoon in Cancoon. I also used it in a pinch as a B camera to video a wedding at the last minute. I was pleasantly surprised at the good quality under fairly low light inside the church. I did have to touch up the image in Premier to get the proper color (saturation and exposure) to match my primary camera’s output.

I was hoping for the hotshoe to be available on this camera but in glad Canon opted to add the Mic and AV output jacks as all other manufactures have stopped doing this. I have purchased two Canon cameras with this feature being the number two reason for selecting Canon. Great job Canon!

The flash cards are a great feature. I use the Transcend 16GB cards available here at Amazon. with the FS200 set to the highest quality picture, you can capture over 4 hours of footage on a 16GB card. As for transferring the video to the computer: that’s a bit of a downer….. Canon tries to force you to use their proprietary software to import the images from the SD card, using the camera as the “card reader”. this method will assure that all of your video files contain the proper meta data, date coded naming convention, etc. It has been stated that you can simply remove the SD card and install in your computer to transfer the files. You must be careful to make sure that you are using a software import interface that names your files for you. If you simply “import” the files, you’ll get files numbered 0001 – 0000x whatever. Therefore, I import my files via Adobe Premier so I can name them as desired and store them in the preferred location. this is probably my biggest hang up with Canon and therefore the 4 stars.

Don’t hesitate to buy it though.

So far so good
Rating:4 out of 5 stars
This camcorder is so small! Fits easily in the palm of my hand. It has a great zoom feature…37X which is wonderful for close up shots. The flash memory is a big plus because I can just pull the card and stick it in my laptop to transfer data. It came with some whiz bang editing software but I have not used it yet. I bought the recommended bag to go with it and I have to say, the bag is a little too small for the camera and the A/C adaptor and other cables. All and all, so far, purchase seems pretty good.

canon FS200
Rating:4 out of 5 stars
I researched this camera before I purchased it. It does not have all the bells and whistles, but who really uses all that extra stuff. It met all my expectations. Very good optical zoom, and easy to use. It has excellent SD video, plenty of record time with an 8 or 16 gig card. (I have 2 Trandscend 16 gig cards.) Battery life is ok, I do recommend a second battery as this camera will not support extended life batteries. You can transfer the video to your computer for processing with Canon supplied software through USB port. USB transferring is not as fast as fire wire, but you can start the transfer and walk away, or do another task on the computer. I have also tested with success transferring files by using a SDHC 3rd party card reader. Disadvantage of using a card reader, is you don’t have the convienient file system that the Canon SW provides. The Canon SW is not good for producing a final movie. I recommend Corel Video Studio Pro. I like this camera so much, I have convinced 2 others to purchase one. It is a Great value.

Nice camera
Rating:4 out of 5 stars
I have only used the camera for basic stuff and it does a good job, especially for the price. One reason that I chose this particular brand and model was that it has an external microphone jack. It turned out that this was unnecessary as the built-in mike is more that adequate. The only let-down was the included “editing software”. It merely allowed segments to be stiched together; you couldn’t do any actual “editing”.

Junk
Rating:2 out of 5 stars
I dont understand all the good reviews on this item, I have been messing with this thing for some time now and just found a program that can convert the .mod nightmare to any format,and it works great. Only problem is when you transfer the file to an external hard drive for storage other than the sd card played through the camcorder the playback looks awful.The camcorder also takes pretty bad pictures. I’m disappointed with Canon to have made a product such as this. I was thinking of purchasing the canon sd 1200 for pics but that might be a bad idea. I think I will go with the Panasonic zs1 or zs3. To bad they left quality behind in electronic evaluation.

Good for the price
Rating:4 out of 5 stars
It was a good purchase for the price. Pricing better on Amazon than any retail store.

i hope amazon let’s me return this
Rating:1 out of 5 stars
Awful, complicated manuals (there are 3 or 4 here, none of them the ‘Basics’ guide). Glaring omissions, silly repetitions.

Average video quality, horrifying still image quality, worse than my phone.

Doesn’t play well with Mac and Apple. Doesn’t show up as a device. Movie files won’t transfer without the old ‘streaming’ method. Movie files are actually in a “.MOD” format on the camera, sorry Canon I’ve never heard of it.

This would have been a great camera about 3 to 5 years ago. Today, I expect plug-and-play when put a camera in any USB port, I expect pictures that don’t look like a RAZR phone took them, I expect to be able to drag movie files onto my desktop, in file formats that will work on my computer. My friend has another brand that does all of this, and it sells for half of what this one does.

I boxed this thing up 5 hours after I opened it, it’s going back tomorrow whether I get my money back or not.

this camera is crap
Rating:1 out of 5 stars
this a camera is crap. I just bought it and have been trying to make it work for 4 days now. Problems:

the $[...] digital camera that also takes video had way better video quality.

the camera and the software that comes with it doesn’t work with a mac

you need to have every cable hook up at once to import video 2 power cords and the usb (it’s annoying when your infront of your home computer imposible anywhere else)

MOD files suck nothing opens them and you have to two or three steps to convert them into mpg or mov ( with all the damn wires everywhere )

the only reason I bought this camera was because it has an external mic port. but so what if the camera is, well it feels deliberatly annoying.

Great quality for the price
Rating:4 out of 5 stars
I’ve only been using the camera for a few weeks. It is easy to use and seems to have a lot of great features. I have not been impressed with the bundled software but I don’t have anything to compare it with as this is my first video camera. So far, I’m happy with my purchase. I did a lot of research to try to find the best value for the money and I think this camera fits the bill.

Decent camera for the money!
Rating:4 out of 5 stars
This camera is really pretty good for the price. Easy to set up and use. Battery life could be better though. I just wanted something for the video and ease of use. I use a separate dual mic recorder so the audio wasn’t so important, but it works very well. Didn’t even try the software so I don’t know how it works. I use third party video editing software so that made it a mute point. Great camera for the money.

Going back
Rating:2 out of 5 stars
I’m taking this back, can’t stand it. The video seems ok, but like others have said i cannot get it saved on my computer. The buttons are also very small and hard to operate, not worth $300 in my mind. I would like something that transfers the files onto my computer. The manuals are useless, i read the whole thing and when i got to the part about transferring it said to refer to the software pdf, have no idea where that is. I’m very disappointed since this is a canon product.

Decent
Rating:4 out of 5 stars
I got this camcorder a few days ago. The picture quality seems great, especially in well-lit conditions.

One thing that bugs me that I haven’t seen anyone mention is the sound the zoom motor makes. I know it’s supposed to be a quiet system, but when I recorded videos inside to test the quality, it sounded like someone was playing with a power drill in the next room. The problem is that the motor and the microphone are in about the same place, so the mic pics up the sounds from the motor. I’m glad this camera has a mic input, because plugging in an externam mic and holding it away from the front of the camera works much better.

NOT FOR MAC
Rating:3 out of 5 stars
Okay, I bought this camcorder as everything looked good as to its abilities and I know I need to convert to a newer media; still use 8mm on a Sony for last 7 years, a fine machine indeed. Went with Canon for the Mac compatibility. WRONG! Its a shame too as this is one small, gorgeous piece of equipment. Quality is good, for the money no doubt but my 2006 Imac with OSX 10.4.11 will not recognize the camcorder; camera portion is recognized but who buys a camcorder just for the camera? There are numerous posts on this camcorder’s compatibility with Mac on how to get around the problem but who wants to go through this? I have ordered the newest flip and am sending the Canon Fs 200 back even though i can’t imagine just have a maximum of 2 hours recording space while on a trip, as I do not have a laptop. But hey, shooting better quality video that you cannot edit and store is worthless, Mac compatibility, at least for Imac owners, is the key, in my opinion.

Generally pleased
Rating:5 out of 5 stars
The Canon FS200 is compact, easy to use and well worth the price. The optical zoom is very impressive. The built-in LED lamp will be useful only for close-ups in the dark.

Be sure to order a large flash-memory card with the camera — a 16GB card will hold about 2 hours of video.

I haven’t yet figured out how to use the accompanying software, and use Windows Explorer to transfer video to computer. You will want a computer capable of burning DVD to store the video files. One DVD disk will hold about 1 hour of high-quality video.

I bought the camera to film interviews thinking to use an external microphone, which might have worked had I used a stereo microphone, but my microphone was mono. The built-in microphone turned out to be adequate, though.

I’m Really Enjoying This Camcorder
Rating:5 out of 5 stars
Pros: Good image stabilization, good video quality, not too bad in low light

Cons: Wish the zoom was longer, some of the documentation and menus could be a little more user friendly

“I’ve had this camcorder for about 6 weeks and so far, I’m enjoying it very much. It’s light and compact and easy to carry around. The video quality is excellent outdoors, and indoor, lower light quality isn’t really that bad. You need to read the manual to learn how to get good video indoors and in low light. The zoom is really outstanding, it doesn’t make me feel seasick when I zoom it all the way to 41X. The 3 second feature is also very helpful to make sure you get every second of the scene you want to shoot.

The menus are a little hard to follow but with some practice you’ll remember what is where, etc. The quick set up guide which comes with the camcorder is ok but it doesn’t really get into the menus and features like the Instruction Manual does, but you’ll have to download it from the internet and print it out if you need to.

This camcorder also has a video light which is a nice feature to have and the bundled software is not great, but it’s not that bad either. Transferring the video to your computer from the camcorder is easy, it transfers as an mpg file and it’ll open right up in Windows Media Player.

So far, I am very pleased with my purchase and if you’re looking for a decent SD camcorder for a reasonable price, and pretty good image quality, check this one out.

P.S. The color is supposedly “Evening Blue” but it looks more like a charcoal gray color, doesn’t really look blue at all, but it wasn’t a dealbreaker for me.”

Great, small camcorder – files can be viewed straight from card
Rating:5 out of 5 stars
I read a number of the reviews when researching a new camcorder. The surprise I got when I opened the box was just how small and light this camera is. I will even be able to take it backpacking as it won’t be adding very much weight. It is almost a little too small for my hands, but my wife loves it. I love having the movies written to the card. My laptop has an SD card reader built in so I don’t have to transfer the files from the camera through the USB. I can just copy them straight from the card. I did find I needed an AC3 codec filter for Windows media player in order to hear the movies, though. I had to search the forums in order to find this nugget. Once I got the AC3 filter, there is nothing that needs to be done to the movies to view them. Haven’t tried editting the movies yet, but I was not impressed with the transfer software when I tried it. I will most likely be deinstalling it. Also tried taking pictures with it and am not impressed with the still shot pictures. I will be using my regular digital camera for any standard pictures. The camcorder picture, though, is excellent. A definite move up from my 6 year old camcorder that is 4 times the size and requires firewire to transfer the movies to disk. For a cheap camcorder, I would go with this one.

Great value, very compact, overall very pleased
Rating:4 out of 5 stars
I read the reviews prior to purchasing this camera. We were upgrading from a Mini DV Canon product and for the price, this camera really delivers. I really did not want to shell out $500-$700 for HD quality. It is extremely compact (amazing how small these things have gotten!) and functional, easy to use right out of the box. The battery life is great. I love how it stores the video to the removable card versus tapes and I can view quickly each video segment on the camera, delete scenes I don’t want right away or a little while later. Hooking up to the TV for watching is quick and easy. I didn’t rate it 5 stars because the indoor quality was a little dark and I did find the software for putting together the videos to be lacking in ‘instructional quality’ for the new user with very few words or help keys…it was not at all intuitive unless you knew what you were doing…all trial and error for me. Overall though this is a great camera and I’m very happy with my purchase.

Great Product for the Price
Rating:4 out of 5 stars
My husband and I recently purchased this video camera right before our wedding for the ceremony and our Honeymoon in Scotland. We didn’t really need a camera, just the video part but both came in handy. We love the video portion of the device, it’s easy to use and easy to view your videos right there. We haven’t uploaded anything so I can’t comment on the ease of that. If we have any issues, I’ll be back as I found those posts very helpful. The only disappointment for me so far is that our camera (not video) died in the middle of the trip and with EU plugs, we could not recharge it. From that point on, we had to rely on the video camera for pictures as well and are a bit disappointed with the quality. Since that is not why we purchased the device, we are not leaving an all around bad review, but don’t purchase this in hopes of having two equally decent products in one. However, we are pleased with the video camera so far and will use it for many years to come.

Not suitable for Macs
Rating:2 out of 5 stars
Even the new iMovie will not open the MOD. video file format. The documentation (PDF) is practically useless. Mac users should plan to spend an additional $35 for software to convert the video files if you want to do anything besides watch the raw clips (which you can only do on the computer with free downloaded software). The Canon provided software for the Mac only handles the JPEG images. Camera works OK, nice video & sound, easy to use until you want to transfer files. I’m used to connecting my equipment and having the computer simply receive the files. Then I edit on iMovie or Final Cut. Not so with this camera.

camcorder works great
Rating:5 out of 5 stars
Very happy with my camcorder. It arrived as scheduled. Packaged well, received all manuals – works great.

This is a good camcorder for the money.
Rating:3 out of 5 stars
Pros: Good quality video; stereo sound; good low light sensitivity; small size, light weight; controlled zoom rate; pre-record; good set of shooting modes for both photo and video, such as scene and backlight settings; good battery duration.

Cons: Video mode: The digital image stability is good, but a steady hand is still necessary, especially at higher zoom levels. Much of the large zoom capacity is only usable with a tripod; “2000X Digital Zoom” is fiction. Although playback directly to a TV is simple and quite good, downloading to a computer is a pain, and a loss of quality is evident. You cannot download directly from the card with the supplied software. You must download blind – you cannot select scenes to download. It’s either only files not yet downloaded or everything on the card. That can be a real problem if you are using a high capacity card. It downloads as .MOD files. Then it requires another conversion to .mpeg2 files in the computer to view thumbnails and/or edit them. Then, if you want another format, such as .avi, you must use other non-supplied software to convert them (for example, to use on other viewing devices). It has a video light, but it is weak – good only to about 5 feet.

Photo mode: The best resolution is only about 0.8 mp. So, photo quality is fair to poor, depending on the subject and lighting conditions. Don’t even think about cropping or enlarging to more than 4″ x 6″. Ghosting of images with high contrast may be evident, such as a dark edge around white objects.

In summary, this is a good standard-resolution camcorder with incidental photo capabilities. I would not consider it as a primary photo camera, but the capability is handy if you are shooting videos and decide you would like a still of the scene but have no other camera available.

I’m a Canon fan – but don’t get this camera.
Rating:2 out of 5 stars
I purchased this product from Amazon and I got it home by Friday afternoon. By Saturday morning I knew I was going to send it back.

Let me state that I was not looking for anything fancy – just a small camera for taking videos of the kids inside the home and out. I trust Canon, but sadly this camera doesn’t deliver.

First, the pluses:

- It’s very well constructed

- Very light (even with the battery in)

- It’s very small

- Red colors is bright, really eye candy

Now, the drawbacks

- Image quality is HORRIBLE

That’s it, other than that, it has no other drawbacks. Of course, why would you get a camcorder with horrible image quality?

Just looking at the videos in my computer monitor they look very low quality even when shot in good light. I was of course not expecting HD-quality video since this camera is obviously standard definition. But let me put it this way: the video that I take with my STILL picture camera (also a Canon, a G9) is WAY better than with this dedicated video camera.

I’m sure this camera would take great movies if you are outside, on a 100-degree day with the sun shining directly in your subject and you only view the video on a 10-inc screen. But we all know those are not real circumstances.

It’s going back to Amazon on Monday.

A Test Run with the Canon FS200
Rating:4 out of 5 stars
Watch Video Here: http://www.amazon.com/review/R3G0QQQ7CVVUNO When it comes to using camera and video equipment, I am an Amateur, with a capital “A.” I enjoy filming aspects of life as I find it through my viewfinder. Here is my lowdown on the Canon FS200.

My husband and I are planning a trip to Maryland’s Eastern Shore. We wanted to upgrade the video equipment we already owned: a Fujifilm FinePix S5200 digital camera and an Aiptek iCam. The Fujifilm FinePix S5200 is wonderful with both stills and video; however, it uses the less common Xd card and is more than a solid weight in one’s hands. The Aiptek iCam is a little gem; it’s lightweight, uses the more common SD card, and it can be flipped out at a moment’s notice. However, one pays for that convenience; its still shots are lousy, and the light has to be just right for the video quality to be adequate. We wanted to find something that combined the qualities of the Fujifilm FinePix with the portability of the Aiptek. We thought the Canon FS200 might fit the bill.

In addition to reading the in depth product description published by the vendor, we also read the reviews by purchasers of the Canon FS200. At the time of purchase, there was a special offer of a Polaroid PoGo Instant Digital Mobile Printer (Black) free with the purchase of the Canon FS200. At the same time,we also purchased a Transcend 16 GB SDHC Class 6 Flash Memory Card TS16GSDHC6E [Amazon Frustration-Free Packaging]. And, of course, always the clincher, Amazon’s Free Shipping.

The video in this review was taken on my maiden run with the Canon FS200; the stills were taken with a FinePix S5200 digital camera. However, the final still shot with the credits was taken by my husband using the Canon FS200. I have arthritis in my hands and I find the PHOTO button on the Canon FS200 difficult to press while keeping the camera steady. I had no problem with pressing the Start/Stop button for filming.

Pros: lightweight, comes on quickly, good quality filming, large viewing screen, easy to use zoom lever, automatic shutter cover.

Cons: Video is shot in .MOD format. What’s with that? Being an amateur, I use the Muvee program to work with stills and video; this program could also be called “Home Movies for Dummies,” but it’s easy to use. My PC runs on Microsoft Windows Vista. My Muvee program works with the .MOD format with great effort. It takes almost forever to barely spit a product out: think of a watermelon moving through a king snake. Other reviewers of the Canon FS200 mention a converter which can be downloaded from the Internet which I guess I need to do. Also, I’ve not been able to use the Pixela software that came with the camera, but this could be due to operator error!

Be forewarned that just because the wonderfully large viewfinder on the Canon FS200 is shut doesn’t mean the camera automatically shuts off as with the Aiptek iCam. The Canon FS200 still runs. Hence, an eight minute long shot of my sofa upholstery. To the Canon FS200′s credit, the sofa’s fibers appeared in great detail, with no blurring.

Four stars. Great camera but why the MOD format?

problem with MOD extention SOLVED
Rating:5 out of 5 stars
Just happy with my new purchase. I was reading others review and see they have problem with MOD extention, I had this problem too but no longer, I have tried many different software today to convert it to AVI or MPG ( include SDcopy) but I did something funny and that was easiest and couldn’t believe how easy was solution.

All I do to convert MOD files is to change .mod to .MPG or .AVI manually, I mean just rename extention to another format and it will work!!!

cannon fs200
Rating:2 out of 5 stars
I bought this camera to video the birth of my child. I use a MAC and found that it is impossible to upload video images to imovie or to my computer. I am pleased with the size of the computer but do not like the requirement of having the camera plugged into an outlet to upload images – even if it did work. To make things worse, on the cannon site the MAC driver files are missing. The camera might work for those with PC’s – I would discourage MAC users from buying. I am probably going to have to replace it.

Incompatible video format
Rating:1 out of 5 stars
This would have been a winner hands down for the one feature that it has that every other camcorder in it’s price range lacks, an audio input jack for external microphone. Every other camcorder in it’s price range had neglected the need for good audio.

But, the video format, according to another reviewer, is not compatible with most professional editing software. Sorry. FAIL.

easy to use
Rating:4 out of 5 stars
Camera is esy to use and fits perfect into my hand with the controls at the correct position.

great standard camcorder
Rating:5 out of 5 stars
I did a lot of research and decided the best route for me was to stay with a standard format rather than HD do to the additional expense of having to buy a newer DVD player and a more powerful computer. The software is not great but works…not very intuitive. Once I figured out the software burning a movie is easy and looks great played on my upconverting DVD player and viewed on my LCD TV.

portability
Rating:4 out of 5 stars
This camcorder is easily taken anywhere, I have used it on ski trips, and I carry it with me most of the time in a jacket pocket, or by the leash, convenient camera to just have around.

Good camera for the price
Rating:5 out of 5 stars
I bought this camera a couple of weeks ago and it is small. Smaller than I expected, but that is not a bad thing, it is easy to carry around in a vest pocket or coat pocket. I didn’t download or use any of the software provided with the camera, I have Sony Vegas on my computer. One thing that I do recommend is downloading the free SDCOPY software you can find on the net. Check the widescreen box and it will convert your .MOD files to mpg files lightning quick. Now you should be able to work with them in just about any editing software. Use a card reader for the SD card instead of connecting the camera to the computer, makes life easier. I use a cheap one that came with my SD cards.

Zoom is good, and a steady hand or tripod is highly recommended for longer shots. Quick to start up, the auto lens cover is great, battery life also great.

I really see no problems with this great little camera, other than low light filming could be better, but not many of these cameras are great in low light.

Grainy with all light setting.
Rating:1 out of 5 stars
I just got the camcorder today with all excitement. But I am quite dissapointed with the video picture . I own Canon EOS so I got Canon for camcoder too. Big mistake. This video is not in the quality of what I have expected from Canon. Even I changed quality of video, xp, sp,and lp, grainy picture does not make any difference in file size or amount of light. I have tried outside, inside, low light inside and night time. All of them are grainy and I can’t stand this. I don’t understand why other reviewer are saying they are satisfied with the picture quality. This is a big disssapintment. I can’t return this item since the seller is from marketplace. Don’t get this camera but go to another one.

Great product for the price – poor software
Rating:3 out of 5 stars
We used this camcorder on a recent trip. It is very handy and compact – great with all of the airline luggage restrictions. The sound and picture quality is very good. It is a little bit shaky, but that is mostly because it is hard to hold any video camera still without a tripod. I have a great camera, so we haven’t used the built-in camera other than to test it.

The real downfall for Canon is that the software is TERRIBLE. My husband and I come from a technical background. We had trouble loading it, getting everything in the correct status for downloading and I haven’t gotten editing to work at all. I have both Kodak and Nikon cameras as well as Photoshop. Their software is all essentially plug and play – much more user friendly. Canon – PLEASE invest some $ into your software. It takes a lot of the fun out of a camera if you have to cross so many hurdles from software which is not user friendly.

Canon FS200 Good Digicam. Software problems?…Nope.
Rating:4 out of 5 stars
First let me review this camcorder.

Pro: Small, lightweight, and Canon build quality. Very simple controls. Good video quality. Very Good lens.

Con: Video quality for price. Artifacts in digital zoom. Expensive batteries.

This camera takes very good standard definition video but if it was made by Aiptek it would cost $130. Canon quality does cost. The optical zoom is excellent but once you go into the digital zoom you immediately get video artifacts. Low light is ok, typical of the camera’s in this price point. This was a good deal when HSN were selling them for $270.

Software wise I don’t understand while people are complaining about. I took it straight out of the box…took sample videos…and downloaded them straight to iPhoto and iMovie. No problems. I did have to diddle with Vista but after about 10 mins I had it running fine.

I give it a 4.0….but if they had 720p I would give it a 5 star rating.

A good little camcorder
Rating:4 out of 5 stars
I decided to write a review to provide a Mac-user perspective. I needed two cameras for a major research project that I’m doing. Since I didn’t want to break the bank, I decided that the FS200 had the best reviews (Cnet & Amazon) for the price. I use a Macbook Air with the latest version of iMovie. But I also have a PC (with XP) that I generally use just to back up of my movies (in the jpeg-2 format that the Pixella software readily converts it to).

So here’s what I’ve found …

The Pixella software that comes with the camera is not compatible with the Mac – it says that on the INSIDE top of the box. But that’s really not an issue since (as others have noted) it’s not all that great to begin with. I have had issues with trying to use a card reader to transfer movies from the FS200 to the Mac – dealing with the .MOD and .MOI files have been a nightmare. However, if you import the movies directly from the camera into iMovie then you can use iMovie to convert the files to ones that you would normally use. I need Quicktime format – but there’s nothing quick about it. The length of time it takes to convert depends on the length of the movie and the quality that you are seeking. It took nearly 6 hours to convert at the best quality and for a movie that is about 80 minutes long. Changing the quality and the amount of pass-throughs during conversion have managed to reduce the time to almost 3 hours. I have even tried to use my PC to transfer the movies and then use the PC Quicktime version to convert to Quicktime movie mode. However, Quicktime simply doesn’t deal with jpeg-2 movies. It has the ability to playback the movies (without sound) when you buy the jpeg-2 feature (~20 bucks) but that does no good when one needs sound.

As far as quality of video is concerned, I have used much more expensive cameras and I really see little difference for my needs. But I’m not producing any feature-length films either. As others have noted the quality seems to decrease as the lighting intensity decreases. The internal mic picks up sound pretty good and the battery life gives about 200 minutes on a full charge. I use 16GB memory cards and get about 9 hours (on LP mode) of recording time. The nice thing about the camera is that it is pretty user friendly and has the option of the external mic feature. I don’t have anything to say about the photo capability and quality – I didn’t buy it to take pictures.

My one complaint is that I cannot find where a time stamp feature is located – if there is one at all. I like to have the time explicitly noted on the actual video during playback (not only while it is recording). That would make it the best little camera for me and I would recommend it completely.

HOW TO DEAL WITH CANON’S PESKY .MOD FILE
Rating:4 out of 5 stars
I LIKE this camera. It turns on quickly, and takes decent video for a standard definition video camera. It’s compact, light weight, and easy to carry around. The fact that it records to SD cards is what sold me.

BUT…..man, that .mod codec is FRUSTRATING!!!! I spent weeks trying to work with it…trying to import it into Windows Movie Maker to no avail…trying to view my video files on Windows Media Maker. I researched all the information I could find about the .mod codec, and how it’s some type of modified MPEG2 with an AC3 audio codec.

Why the heck did Canon do this?

Well…I have stumbled across free on line editing software that seems to work great with the Canon FS200 mod files. It’s called “Video Pad” video editor by an outfit called NCH software. It was a free download, and if you know how to use Windows Movie Maker, the Video Pad software will probably seem intuitive. Now I’m importing mod files, editing them, and spitting them out as .wmv, .avi, and other popular formats that work with Windows Media, Youtube, etc.

I don’t know why the Video Pad software is free. I hope it isn’t a trial version that disappears in 30 days, or is only good for 100 uses, or so. I don’t think it is a trial version….I have’t seen a watermark or anything that would indicate that.

Anyhow…life is good now that I have this fully functional editing software, and with it, the camera is much more of a useful tool for storing media digitally, and pushing it out to friends electronically.

Good to go,right out of the box.
Rating:4 out of 5 stars
I have taped my Grand Daughter at her Karate Class and birthday party and the camera was easy to use. I made DVD `s and they came out great. I highly recommend it. To take pics I recommend a tripod. The pics came out very good.

Almost perfect!
Rating:4 out of 5 stars
This is a beautiful compact little camcorder which makes very sharp and clear video clips. The only additional feature which would make it perfect would be a through-the-lens viewer which could be used as an alternative to the digital screen which is a bit hard to see (incl. the on/off recording indicator) when the ambient daylight is too bright. The brightness adjuster helps but does not quite make up for this problem.

Best Camcorder so far
Rating:5 out of 5 stars
This camcorder has significant improvement over the previous version (FS10/11/100) which I also own. I am very happy after two weeks of use. I had also tried the Samsung camcorder. FS200 is much more superior in all areas: easy of use, comfort, auto lens cover, software, basic & advance shooting modes, zoom control(better, smoother by a very large margin).

If want to take standard definition videos and burn them easily to DVD at will, this the one to buy. I don’t believe there is a better camcorder with better value on the market today that serves the needs of average user like me.

Good compact camcorder
Rating:4 out of 5 stars
I’m a fairly avid camcorder user. I still use an old Sony DCR-TRV520 from 10 years ago that records to Digital 8. It hasn’t been until recently that we decided to buy a new digital camcorder. The camcorder that I purchased is the Canon FS20 (not FS200). At first glance I like the camcorder on many different levels. It’s small, lightweight, and takes fairly decent video and photos. Navigation and features set definitely make it worth the extra money to get over the FS200. I happen to get mine on a Best Buy sale and it cost the same as the FS200. BTW, the main differences between FS200 and FS20 are the FS20 has the better image sensor, larger built in memory, and i believe there is some distance in the zoom capabilities. Otherwise they work, look, and operate exactly the same (my FS20 manual covers the FS200 operations).

Overall I really like the camera and cannot find anything to be really disappointed in. I went with the Canon over the Sony’s primarily because the Canon uses the SD/SDHC cards. Most of my other digital equipment uses SD cards so I wanted to streamline the types of media I use. I also chose SD cards because I don’t like the thought of a hard drive falling apart in a camcorder and really wanted a removable media option. The Optical and advanced zooms are great. Just make sure to have a tripod when you go really far. Buttons are nicely placed and navigation on the menu is easy. The photo images as well as the video are great and smooth. The camera does a good job adjusting in bright light and low light conditions. Focus is fast and ti does well focusing on near and far away objects. I do like that there is no gear noise recorded onto the video when recording. This was a problem with our digital camera that also takes video footage. I also like the option of adding a mic (perhaps a shotgun mic) as well as the built in mics on the front of the camcorder rather than on the side.

One of the cumbersome aspects of this camera is that transferring video to your PC is somewhat confusing. Once you plug the camera in the PC will not notice it until you use the preview mode on the camera (when you choose to look at the images and videos you recorded). However when the camera hooks up to the computer it tells you that the buttons will not work while connected and that you are not suppose to unplug the USB cable while the camera is connected. Well with instructions like that (they show on the camera’s screen even after you have “safe removed” the camera’s drives from the computer) you’re left kinda confused with what to do. BTW the screen stays up on the camcorder even if you log out of your PC. Well, you don’t have to shut down the PC. Once you ejected the drives, just pull the USB plug. But there is nothing in the manual to tell you this. I miss being able to also connect my camcorder and record directly to my computer from the camcorder through FireWire. But the transfer in SDHC is a lot faster than a tape format.

I expected a lot more out of the bundled software. In my opinion, other than some drivers, I just installed a bunch of programs that will not benefit me, but I suppose time will tell.

Things I would have liked in a camera that cost $300 plus (especially with advancements in technology), either a night (IR) mode or an eyecup viewer for those bright sunny days. Part of me is disappointed that many manufacturers are pulling these components off of their lower/intro cameras and you have to purchase a camera that costs at least $1000 to start getting any of these.

Bottom line, for a basic palm sized camcorder I think this camera is great. It has a nice feature set is very easy to use and carry. For those who want to make mini movies, save up and get something more substantial. Even though lightweight is nice for carrying, it also affects your ability to hold a camera steady. A heavier camera actually is easier to control shake when moving around. My 10 year old Sony can do more (video wise) than this Canon and gets almost as good video quality. However at the time of purchase the Sony was listed at about $850. So even though this Canon is nice and I will enjoy using it, I will probably still keep my old Sony working as long as I can.

I love this camera…
Rating:5 out of 5 stars
This camera is excellent, every time I use it I,m amazed how easy it is. You can’t go wrong with this camcorder!

Great Buy!
Rating:5 out of 5 stars
This camcorder is awesome! Extremely easy to use, well built, and decently priced. The picture quality isnt HD but still very good. The only negative thing would be concerning the software. The software loaded fine on my PC but didnt have alot of options for editing the videos.

Terrible picture quality
Rating:2 out of 5 stars
This camcorder has a lot going for it in terms of size and ease of use. Unfortunately, the picture quality is too bad to ignore. The camcorder is very compact and fits into the side pocket of my khaki pants (albeit snugly). Ease of use is outstanding, I got everything up and running in a few minutes without looking at any manuals. The menu controls are straight forward and easy enough to figure out. There were a few instances where I didn’t know what a menu function did, and I had to look it up in the manual, but that’s hardly the camcorder’s fault! Battery life is pretty decent, no complaints. Zoom is outstanding on this camera (37x!). Built-in mic is reasonably clear – no complaints. Now for the deal breaker. The VIDEO QUALITY IS TERRIBLE. I was a little on the fence about buying this unit initially. I pulled the trigger only after reading other reviewers attributing the bad video quality to user error or inflated expectations. Without having to post a lengthy technical resume to prove my worthiness, let me assure you that I know a thing or two about operating electronic equipment, and I feel like I have pretty reasonable expectations for how they should function. The video is frequently out of focus, and the sharpness and color of the video is just terrible. While the quality seems to be better outdoors than indoors, the bottom line is that out of the box, my Canon digital camera takes better video than this dedicated camcorder. I think that statement speaks for itself. The only advantage this camcorder has over a digital camera’s video function is that it has zoom. So, if you are looking for something better than your digital camera’s video function, this is not the camcorder for you. I returned this camcorder and replaced it with the higher end Canon VIXIA HF200, which is of course more expensive. But, for the vast improvement in video quality that you receive, I think it’s worth the premium.

Camera OK, the MOD file format hard to work with!
Rating:3 out of 5 stars
I have several Canon digital cameras, so when I decided to purchase a camcorder I immediately went to Canon. I waited a month for this new version. I wanted a small camcorder–and this is definitely small.

I am a bit disappointed in the quality of the videos. For movies taken in full light I can hardly tell the difference between these movies and the ones I take with my Canon PowerShot A570 IS digital camera! Although, the sound is definitely better with the camcorder. For movies in dim light (I filmed my son’s Jazz concert), there was a huge difference so I decided to keep the camera.

I would agree with the previous reviewer in that the control buttons on the LCD screen are practically useless in dark settings. I couldn’t see them during the concert I filmed.

I also have a bit of trouble holding the camera because it is so small. I removed the “grip belt” strap it came with because I could not get it to fit securely and still allow me to adjust the buttons at the same time. It felt like the camera was going to slide off my hand. I now use the extra wrist strap that comes with the camera and while it doesn’t look as “cool”, I’m not worried about dropping the camera.

My biggest hassel has been that the camera saves the movie files as MOD files which are a pain to work with! They will not import into most video editing programs (including Adobe Premiere Elements!), and the widescreen videos will not play correctly in Windows Media Player unless you convert the file.

The camera comes with a software program to transfer, edit, and view the movies–but it is awkward to use and even with the conversion I still could not get the movies to import into Camtasia Studio 6, which is the program I use the most. So, after two days of internet searching this is what I found that works for me.

1. I use a card reader to transfer the movie files onto my computer. This is much easier for me than using the program that comes with the camera.

2. I downloaded a free copy of SDCopy, and I use it to convert the MOD files to mpeg files. If I check the “widescreen” box on the converting window the converted movies will play widescreen in Windows Media Player.

3. The converted movies will import into Adobe Premiere, but they will not import into Camtasia Studio 6 (which is my goal). I can use Adobe Premiere to convert the files to avi files, but the process takes too long for me so I found a better and easier way.

4. I purchased a MOD converter. The one I decided on was Daniusoft Mod Converter for $29. It works well. With a MOD converter, I can convert the MOD files to a bunch of other types that will import into other programs as well as play on other devices such as an ipod. I use it to convert the files I converted with SDCopy into .avi files that will import into Camtasia.

Bottom line: Do your research and decide if this is for you. The FS100 received so many good reviews that I can’t help but wonder if the video quality of that camera is better than this one. Perhaps someone will post information that answers that question.

Awesome. Great product. Great quality.
Rating:5 out of 5 stars
We LOVE our new camera, it’s compact and the memory is amazing. Simple to use.

Great Flash Memory Camcorder
Rating:5 out of 5 stars
having owned a canon camera, the menu is close to the same so nothing new to learn.

the “anti-shake” works great. as with any camera, indoor shots are a little dark without alot of light in Auto mode.

simple adjustments in the menu correct that.

Super small and fit can fit easily in cargo or baggy shorts or pants.

about the size of a coke can. may be a bit small for bigger hands.easy controls and NO TAPE!!

each scene is easily viewed with a flick of the nav button and choose which you want to watch.

haven’t figured out how to view widescreen video on my widescreen tv. easy setting change I assume.

LCD is big and bright and navigating the menu is very easy.

just be sure to buy a big memory card as the card is comes with is patheicly small.

would easily recommend it.

So much better than our old camera
Rating:5 out of 5 stars
Amazingly good quality pictures and so small it literally fits in the palm of my hand. We have yet to use the included software, but if it is commensurate with the quality of the camera, picture, and sound, I have no doubt it will be excellent.