Canon FS200 is a new standard definition camcorder which packs 37x optical zoom in a very small and stylish body. The camcorder is an extremely strong performer offering outstanding image quality and plenty of features.
Canon FS200 pros:
+ 37x optical zoom
+ Good saturation and color accuracy
+ Low noise levels
+ Available in red, blue and silver
+ Plenty of manual controls
+ Good still photo mode
+ Stylish and durable design
Canon FS200 cons:
- Color accuracy in low light worse than in bright light
- No built-in memory
- Old-fashioned menu design
- Too much noise in still photos
The design:
Canon FS200 measures 5.8 x 5.6 x 12.2 cm and weighs 220 grams. The front of the camcorder is dominated by the 37x optical zoom Canon video lens below which you can find the 2-channel microphone and next to it the video light. The right side of the Canon FS200 houses the access lamp, DC-input and the hand strap, whereas the left side features the 2.7-inch LCD chamber with almost all the controls and the built-in speaker and a USB port. The back houses the start/stop record button right in the middle of a large mode dial. The top features the photo shutter button, power button as well as the zoom toggle. The bottom is home to the tripod mount and the battery compartment.
Performance:
The Canon FS200 has three quality settings, but bear in mind that it is only a standard definition camcorder. The videos are recorded using the MPEG-2 compression, yet they are saved as .MOD files so you have to make use of the included software to edit, to convert it. Since the camcorder lacks any internal memory you will also have to buy SD/SDHC memory cards. A 16GB memory card will allow you to record up to 220 minutes of videos in the best quality setting. You can use plenty of manual settings so you can tamper with anything but aperture and gain.
Video quality:
The Canon FS200 has a very good color accuracy in bright light. It’s a nice thing that it has a few image effect presets, but it lacks any manual color settings. The saturation in bright light is good as is the noise level. The motion produced by this Canon camcorder is good, although not as good as in some high definition camcorders such as Sony HDR-CX500, or JVC Everio GZ-HM200. Sharpness of the videos recorded with Canon FS200 is about average for standard definition camcorders.
In low light the Canon FS200 performs quite well. The color accuracy and saturation suffers a bit, but they are still good. The noise remains low and the low light sensitivity is better than in other camcorders in this price range.
Still photo quality:
The Canon FS200 does not offer too many manual settings for the still photos. Although the image quality is generally very goos the images are hardly useable as their maximum size is 1024 x 768 so any new cell phone might take better photos.
Selected Canon FS200 features and specifications:
Still Image Format
JPEG
Digital Video Format
MPEG-2
White Balance Presets
Tungsten light, daylight
White Balance
Custom, automatic, presets
Exposure Modes
Program, automatic, shutter-priority
Max Shutter Speed
1/2000 sec
Image Stabilizer
Electronic
Shooting Programs
Spotlight, portrait mode, night mode, fireworks, sports mode, sunset, beach, snow
Shooting Modes
Digital photo mode
Recording Speed
SP, LP, XP
Digital Zoom
2000 x
Analog Video Format
NTSC
Min Illumination
1.3 lux
Optical Sensor Size
1/6″
Optical Sensor Type
CCD
Color Support
Color
Media Type
Flash card
Camcorder Effective Video Resolution
450 Kpix
Camcorder Sensor Resolution
680 Kpix
Widescreen Video Capture
Yes
Battery
Supported Battery Details
1 x Canon BP-808 Li-ion rechargeable battery ( included )
Supported Battery
Canon BP-808
Microphone
Microphone Operation Mode
Stereo
Type
Microphone – built-in
Software
Software
Drivers & Utilities, PIXELA Image Mixer
Miscellaneous
Cables Included
USB cable ¦ A/V cable
Included Accessories
Wrist strap
Lens System
Zoom Adjustment
Motorized drive
Optical Zoom
37 x
Lens Aperture
F/2.0-5.2
Auto Focus
TTL contrast detection
Focus Adjustment
Automatic
Focal Length
2.6 mm – 96.2 mm
Type
Zoom lens – 2.6 mm – 96.2 mm – f/2.0-5.2
Min Focus Range
0.4 in
Additional Features
Additional Features
Direct print, USB 2.0 compatibility, PictBridge support, Dolby Digital AC-3 (2 channel) recording
Digital Still Camera Function
Yes
Low Lux / Night Mode
Yes
Display
Display Format
123,000 pixels
Display Form Factor
Rotating
Type
LCD display – TFT active matrix – 2.7″ – color
Price $299
Other recently reviewed camcorders:
Panasonic HDC-TM300, Canon Vixia HF S11, JVC Everio GZ-HM400, Sony HDR-TG5V, JVC Picsio GC-FM1, JVC Everio GZ-HM200, Sony HDR-CX500V
