Canon FS100 Camcorder Review

by Kaitlyn Chantry
Published on Nov 7, 2008 5:00 PM

 
Intro Performance
Format
Auto / Manual Controls
Still Features Handling and Use
Audio / Playback / Connectivity Other Features
Conclusion & Comparisons Photo Gallery
Specs and Ratings


Picture & Manual Control
Automatic Control (6.0)
The Canon FS100 is a good camcorder for "cruise control" shooters. The automatic responses to changes in light and focus are good enough that you won't have to intervene most of the time. In strong to moderate light, the auto focus performed admirably. Because the camcorder's sensor is small and not very sensitive, you will notice a fall-off in low light. Focus tended to bounce (falter steadily back and forth) in dark rooms, meaning dimly-lit bars may not be the FS100's forte.

The auto exposure worked well, but as we noted in the Canon FS11 review, the camcorder has a tendency to adjust dark-to-light faster than light-to-dark. It's not an issue, just an observation.

Onboard, you'll find the expected one-touch controls. A button along the bottom of the LCD cavity activates Backlight Compensation (corrects for shots in which your subject is lit with too much backlight). The button placement gives this feature odd prominence, considering how rarely we would use this feature. In the Function menu, you'll find several Scene modes designed for tricky shooting conditions: Portrait, Sports, Night, Snow, Beach, Sunset, Spotlight, and Fireworks.

There is also a set of options called Image Effects. Vivid boosts saturation, Neutral decreases saturation, and Soft Skin corrects for skin tones. You can see these effects in action in the Performance section of the FS11 review.

Overall Manual Control (5.0)
The Canon FS100 is decently equipped in terms of manual controls, but certainly won't blow the socks off of a video enthusiast. You get the basics: focus, exposure, white balance, and zoom, plus shutter speed control and a few special features, discussed above in Automatic Controls and at the bottom of this page in Other Manual Controls.

Zoom (6.0)
The Canon FS100's zoom control is a traditional toggle located on the top near the back, positioned for the index finger. There's no denying that, like many elements of Canon camcorders, the switch feels cheap. However, it works quite well. You can achieve a smooth, slow crawl with no problem. If you don't trust yourself to control zoom speed with tightly controlled finger pressure, the zoom speed can be fixed in the menu. There are three settings: Speed 1 (a slow crawl), Speed 2 (medium), and Speed 3 (fast).

When zooming, a scale appears in the upper right that gives you a sense of where in the zoom range you are. There is no exact value given, however. The scale is helpful, but without specific values, it's hard to replicate a shot.


Zoom Power Ratio (37.0)
The Canon FS100 has a 37x optical zoom, which compares decently with the competition. The JVC GZ-MG330, by comparison, offers a 35x. The Panasonic SDR-H40, on the other hand, has a much larger 42x optical zoom.

Canon features a new technology on the FS100 and other camcorders this year called "Advanced Zoom." It's a bit of technical trickery that allows Canon to claim a higher zoom power than the lens is actually producing. The short explanation is that Canon is playing with pixels in the frame that don't need to be in the shot. So, don't be misled, the Advanced Zoom only enhances the natural optical zoom by a little. And while it causes no visible distortion (unlike digital zoom, which destroys quality), the true optical zoom is only 37x.

The Advanced Zoom also alters the final product and varies with aspect ratio. The table below outlines some of the differences. Advanced Zoom is not available for still photography. 


 Zoom Type
 Focal Length (35mm Equiv.)
 Eff. Pixel Count
16:9 Movies 37x Optical 47.1mm - 1,743mm 555,000
16:9 Movies 48x Advanced 41.7mm - 2,002mm 710,000
4:3 Movies 37x Optical 44.6mm - 1,650mm 690,000
4:3 Movies 48x Advanced 44.6mm - 2,2453mm 690,000
16:9 Still Images 37x Optical 45.2mm - 1,672mm 600,000
4:3 Still Images 37x Optical 41.5mm - 1,536mm 800,000

 

Focus (4.0)
Manual focus on the Canon FS100 is activated by pushing in on the joystick and calling upon the tiny Joystick Menu. To select focus, you must unintuitively click up on the joystick. Once activated, you push the joystick left and right to shift focus. Sadly, the only method to gauge the accuracy of the focus is the low-resolution LCD. On Canon's HD camcorders, there is a tool in place that automatically effects a 2x zoom when you shift focus—a much better tool for seeing your subject and tweaking focus. On the FS100, you're safer just letting the auto focus do its thing.

Exposure & Aperture (6.0)
The exposure control, like manual focus, is located in the Joystick Menu. Simply push in on the joystick and a small menu appears in the lower right corner. Select Exposure (again, by clicking up) and a scale appears in the upper left corner. The maximum range of the exposure is -11 to +11. However, depending on the ambient light when the feature is activated, that scale may contract.

There is no manual aperture control on the Canon FS100.

Shutter Speed (6.35)
The Canon FS100 does have shutter speed control. To activate it, go to the Function menu and switch the shooting mode to Shutter Priority. In this mode, you set the shutter and the camcorder automatically corrects for exposure by shifting aperture.

Shutter speed settings include: 1/8, 1/15, 1/30, 1/60, 1/100, 1/250, 1/500, 1/1000, and 1/2000. It's enough for most people, but HD camcorders often offer more increments.

White Balance (5.5)
The white balance options on the Canon FS100 are located in the Function menu. They include Auto, Daylight, Tungsten, and Set (Evaluative Manual). Setting the manual white balance is quite easy, which is good – this one of the most important manual controls that shooters should master. Bad color balance is a constant yet avoidable bane of camcorder shooters everywhere.

The FS100's white balance options.


Gain (0.0)
There is no gain control on the Canon FS100. Only Panasonic camcorders offer direct gain control in consumer camcorders.

Other Manual Controls (1.0)
Markers - The Canon FS100 offers the option to paste some lines on your LCD (but not your final footage) that help you line up shots. There are four options: either a single, vertical line across the middle of the screen or a 9-sector grid pattern, and either of these can appear in white or grey.

 



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