Canon FS200 camcorder review

[cloudboyproductions1]

thanks for the video i was asking the same question about standard dev camcorders with mic jacks

[tweetyrocks818]

thank you very much for this review it was very helpful. My canon camera that i also purchased in 09 just messed up on me and this one is very similar to mine just seems better. I have/had the canon MiniDv ZR900 and purchased it for around the same price you got yours. Which one would you say is better comparing those two? they are pretty similar.

[vwestlife]

@tweetyrocks818 The ZR900 uses MiniDV tape and the FS200 uses solid state flash memory (SD cards). Otherwise the specifications are very similar between the two. It really depends on which format you are more comfortable working with.

[tweetyrocks818]

@vwestlife hmm. well i was thinking about going ahead and buying it but it looks like it is no longer available at the link you gave us:/

[REIDnCO]

well i wanted a refurbished HD camcorder with a mic input for under £150 for my movie making but in the end i realized that was not going to happen so i just went for the standard def one with the mic input AKA this one.

[cubsin4]

I think its a lame design to locate the mic input where the screen closes. The mic input should be accesible from the outer body of the camera.

[biggsrupp]

just ordered the same thing!!!!

[SebiStudios2]

Just a question: Do you know where I could find a Full HD camcorder with an external mic input? They've removed those from a lot of newer camcorders, and the A/V club director at my school said they are hard to find. Any suggestions?

[vwestlife]

@SebiStudios2 I believe all of Canon's HD camcorders offer a mic input, as well as Sony's mid-range and high-end models.

[SebiStudios2]

@vwestlife You mean consumer camcorders? Because these days the manufacturers decide to save money and have removed a lot of features from consumer camcorders, such as custom keys (programmable buttons), Mic inputs, and A/V inputs (my old Canon camera has a RCA cable output AND input). Nowadays, those features are usually on Pro-consumer and Professional camcorders.

[vwestlife]

@SebiStudios2 Yes, I'm pretty sure all of Canon's current high-def consumer-grade camcorders have a mic input and headphone jack. Sony has a mic input on their mid-range consumer HD camcorders, and the high-end HD models have a headphone jack as well.

[cubsin4]

@SebiStudios2 Check Amazon

[defnyung]

the fs200 is still $99 at the canon store. i got my T2i there for $649 with lense and then turned around and sold the lens on ebay for $115. So basically the camera cost me $600...ebay had them for over $700 used.

[bakonfreek]

thanks for making this, I recommended this to my band director for a replacement camcorder inside the "$200.00" price range. so yeah, thanks :D

[magidavid]

I have to thank you for this video, I caught and purchased an FS200 from Canon. I've played around with the camera for a few days now and so far I love it. I certainly be giving Canon cameras a first look for my next camera as well!

[talldude123]

I thought you needed at least Class 6 SD cards to record video? I tried with a Class 4 and it wouldn't work, but now I use a Class 10 16GB SDHC for my Bloggie.

[vwestlife]

@talldude123 A good name-brand Class 4 SDHC card should be sufficient for any camcorder. The Class 4 rating provides a maximum transfer rate of 4 megabytes/second, which equals 32 megabits/second (Mbps). Standard definition camcorders record video at around 8 to 9 Mbps at their highest quality setting, and AVCHD camcorders range from around 18 to 24 Mbps.

[xctome]

i have the FS300 and i absolutely LOVE it!

[fortyfiveplayer]

Thanks for the info on this- I just ordered one. I have been looking on ebay for a deal on a good one, and the Canon diect price is the best I could do. I like my Xacti, but it is not tripod friendly, and this Canon has a LOT of good features. I like the audio VU function- nice touch. I *hope* it does decent in low light... As you know most of my stuff is done in the pre-dawn hours.

[vwestlife]

@fortyfiveplayer It should be at least as good as your Xacti in low light, and if you don't mind the slightly choppy motion, the "Auto slow shutter" mode does boost the sensitivity.

[bakonfreek]

i don't know if I want to use this or a camera with nightshot

[EastAngliaUK]

I also use a Canon Camera an SX130 but it does not have the mic in put but was quite cheap still.

[bakonfreek]

I gotta use a USB at school cause they're too dumb to put a card reader in the computers

[2Old4Toys]

What specific mic do you use with this camcorder and how much does that mic cost?

[vwestlife]

@2Old4Toys I just use the built-in mic. I only use the external mic input for audio recording purposes with the attentuation cable shown.

[RustyRazor2010]

Thanks for the tip.

[sanctuary10301]

Just wondering why don't you purchase an HD camcorder and use that to record, i would love to see your electronics reviews in HD

[vwestlife]

@sanctuary10301 A good quality HD camcorder is too expensive for me, and I would need to buy a new computer too, since my PC is too slow to play or edit AVCHD video. But I did own a cheap pocket-size HD camcorder (a Kodak Zi6) and used it for most of my videos from November 2008 to May 2009. Some of those videos are on YouTube in HD, but I downscaled most of them to standard definition so I could edit them.

[Amiduffer]

Best piece of electronics I've bought new in a long time. The ability to hook up a mic has been indispensible. Thanks for mentioning the attenuation cable. I was wondering why connecting to a laptop is so damn loud.

[RustyRazor2010]

Nice post with good info. Audio-Technica ATR3350 Omnidirectional Condenser Lavalier Microphone for under $30 makes a nice external mic. Get a small hard case for it like a waterproof phone case or equivalent to keep it organized.

[vwestlife]

@RustyRazor2010 Don't forget a mono-to-stereo adapter plug, or else the mic's audio will come out only in the left channel. Radio Shack part number 274-0374, $2.99.

[CoolDudeClem]

I never use the software that comes with camcorders, it's just crapware. The only time i would ever need to use it is if there's some drivers that need to be installed and without them it wont work at all.

[GanEdenAustralia]

I have the HFS200 which is 2 above that one isn't it? Thats a very good price anyhow.

[vwestlife]

@GanEdenAustralia The HF-S200 is a high end AVCHD camcorder. Canon uses similar numbers for each year (200, 300, 400 etc.) but uses different letters to indicate each model line (FS, R, M, S, etc.).

[GanEdenAustralia]

Is Steve's digicam's forum a good site? I used to be a member of DVinfo.net but there are too many bitches on there. lol Nice camera btw.

[vwestlife]

@GanEdenAustralia It's mostly geared to low end pocket size camcorders like Kodak, Flip, and Aiptek and to digital still cameras.

[DrCassette]

This camcorder is quite a bit different from my Canon FS100. It does have some new features such as a headphone output and the direct access to certain functions using the Set button of the joystick, but they have also taken out some things. The FS100 has a full set of playback controls, while this one only has play/pause and stop. The FS100 also has a dedicated Backlight Compensation button wich I think is an important feature.

[grod75]

@vwestlife Do you know what is the max video resolution (in lines) on the FS200? I just checked the specs in the link that you gave us, but didn´t find that info in there... It's a great offer, but I'm afraid it's only valid in the US... =(

[vwestlife]

@grod75 The old "lines of resolution" spec only applies to analog video formats, like VHS (240 lines) and Hi8 (400 lines). Nowadays, resolution is expressed as "effective pixels". The FS200 is rated at 450k effective pixels (0.45 megapixels) in 16:9 mode. However, the standard definition video format can only display a maximum of about 346k pixels for NTSC or 415k pixels for PAL, so the quality you see really depends on how well the camera scales its image to fit the video format.

[uxwbill]

Having a camera that I could plug an external mic into would be interesting. Not sure if it's $99 worth of interesting, and I haven't really shopped the market at all for something cheaper/used/etc.

[kb1nyd]

That cannon looks good. I just bought a samsung SMX-F50. Looks like the cannon, and it to is not HD. So far I like it allot!