Canon FS100 Camcorder Reviewby Kaitlyn ChantryPublished on Nov 7, 2008 5:00 PM
|
Advertisement
|
|||||||||||
Compression (4.0)
Video on the Canon FS100 is recorded in the MPEG-2 format, which is standard across most solid state, hard drive, and DVD camcorders that shoot standard definition video. It's true that the increasing popularity of high definition camcorders has brought with it newer and more efficient compression formats, but MPEG-2 has been around for a long time and many camcorder users will probably be familiar with the format. Familiarity does have its price: MPEG-2 does not have the advantages of these newer formats, which make better use of space and reduce the number of visible compression artifacts (most often seen as chunky bits of discoloration).
There are three quality settings on the Canon FS100: XP (9Mbps), SP (6Mbps), and SP (3Mbps). Lower qualities increase recording times, but the more aggressive compression will leave its brutish hand print on your video. We recommend always shooting in the highest quality.
Media (6.0)
The Canon FS11 records video exclusively to SD and SDHC memory cards. It has no internal memory, unlike its siblings, the Canon FS10 (8GB internal) and Canon FS11 (16GB internal).
Those step-up models definitely offer you some flexibility that card-only camcorders do not. If you're out on that cruise and suddenly run out of memory, you'd better hope you packed an extra card or don't mind parting with a few previously recorded clips. Also, it's clear from looking at the record times that a 1GB card is not going to cut it. If you're considering a purchase of the FS100—or any card-only camcorder—be sure to budget in a sizable memory card.
The chart below gives you approximate recording times based on card capacity.
| XP (9Mbps) | SP (6Mbps) | LP (3Mbps) | |
| 1GB | 10 min | 20 min | 35 min |
| 2GB | 25 min | 40 min | 75 min |
| 4GB | 55 min | 80 min | 155 min |
| 8GB | 110 min | 165 min | 310 min |
| 16GB | 220 min | 530 min | 625 min |
Editing (5.0)
The Canon FS100 ships with a very basic editing package called Digital Video Solutions 30.0. It allows you to import clips, trim their length, and piece them together into a little home movie. Honestly, there's little reason to install it, no matter what operating system you use. The offerings are mediocre when compared to more advanced editing software, including the program that probably came with your computer. Windows Movie Maker and Apple iMovie both do a better job.
The only trouble you may have is the initial import process: moving clips from the camcorder to the computer is a real hassle. Dozens and dozens of forums have been devoted to the headaches involved with importing the MPEG-2 files from Canon camcorders. The included software does not work particularly well with Macs, and many Windows users have cited it as operational but lackluster. Ultimately, we were forced to find an inexpensive (but not free!) plug-in for QuickTime in order to work with the files on a Mac. These simple point and shoot camcorders are designed to be a hassle-free experience and this process was anything but hassle-free. Frankly, we aren't mourning the slow death of standard definition MPEG-2—the video quality is higher and MPEG-2 files have frequently caused frustration. For as much as we complain about AVCHD high definition files, compatibility with those files is now better than ever. The MPEG-2 files from the Canon FS100, on the other hand, are the result of a relatively ancient technology... for camcorders, anyway.
|
Advertisement
|