| Canon VIXIA HF S200 HD Flash Memory Camcorder with 10x Optical Zoom |
Canon VIXIA HF S200 HD Flash Memory
Camcorder with 10x Optical Zoom
Product By Canon
Available From 15 Sellers
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Technical Details
- Records crisp high definition video directly to two removable SD memory cards
- Genuine Canon 10x HD Video Lens
- Canon 1/2.6" 8.59-Megapixel Full HD CMOS Image Sensor
- Canon DIGIC DV III Image Processor
- Dynamic SuperRange OIS corrects a full range of motion
Product Description
3-1/2" LCD touchscreen * 10X optical zoom (digital zoom to 200X) * genuine Canon HD video lens * Touch & Track keeps your subject in focus with the proper exposure *Similar Products
Customer Reviews
By S. Ayoroa (IL, USA)
Great camcorder, I've had it for a little over a week. and am still learning all the ins and outs. the "auto mode" is great until your ready to go full manual and adjust all the settings to your hearts content.
- The video is captured in the .mts container.
- The files do play natively on the PS3 straight from the SDHC card(s).
- The included software is OK, will allow you to convert your files to standard def.
- Adobe Premier Pro CS4 had no problems importing the files. Was able to edit and work with files smoothly, but exports to .mp4 (for best quality). I'm not an expert with Premier, but wish i could export back to .mts or .m2ts, might have to wait for CS5 or different software.
- The powered "IS" is great! really helps to steady shots.
- you can use 58mm lens filters (add-ons)
I found when filming outside (kids soccer game) that the mic picked up a lot of wind noise, will be looking into getting an external mic.
Tried both class 4 and class 6 SDHC cards and could tell no difference, both cards recorded the video and the stills fast with no hesitation.
You can use regular SD cards which could be placed in the 2nd SD slot and have the photos recorded there.
Using a mini HDMI to hook up to the TV is great! you have full access to the menu through your TV. only wish that you could close the LCD monitor and still use the remote.
The touch screen is nice and big, not as responsive as i would have hoped,(I have an Iphone) it does require a bit of pressure to "touch" the buttons.
but over all I am very pleased with my purchase almost bought the HF S100 last month, but decided to wait to see what the new model offered. the only major changes were the larger LCD and touch screen, powered "IS", dual card slots, and i believe the ability to shoot and capture true 24F (24 progressive).
if you have questions i can try and answer them or update my post.
By M. J. Parks
Right out of the box my wife is happy with this camcorder. The wife and I aren't the type of people that have to have the latest and greatest. We bought this camcorder because our usual bang for the buck approach was not working. Over the last 5 years we have spent close to $2000 on different camcorders trying to save memories of our child. All we have to show from that is shaky and grainy memories from 4 different camcorders and my wifes comments on how I can't buy a decent camcorder no matter how much time I spend researching. This was taken the day after we bought the camera using auto settings
[..] we could not be happier.
By Coug Moog (York, PA, USA)
The S200 is a REALLY good camcorder. Like the previous reviewer, I'm a still photog. This is my very first digital camcorder. I have been waiting for the right feature set at the right price, and this has it for me, although it will be cheaper in the future.
Essential features:
* Standard SDHC memory that every laptop can read.
* Standard video file format that basically every video processing software can work with
* Very good glass for a camcorder--this is what will get you the videos your Flip will miss. The glass and sensor on this thing are a major step up from the popular YouTube camcorders out there.
* Viewfinder eyepiece that works in bright sunlight.
* A swivel screen that lets you compose your video even when holding the camera high above your head to see past the crowd.
* A retail price of under a thousand bucks. You can 'street' this camcorder at around $800 or even less.
* Excellent battery life with aftermarket choices for spare battery.
If you're looking for a camcorder that won't let you down indoors like a Flip or zi8 when the light gets poor, this can help you. I still recommend a zi8 or whatever the best pocket camcorder is now. You simply can't carry this Canon everywhere video opportunities present themselves, so a pocket camcorder is a great thing to carry with you.
But for events you know you will want to record, it's good to have a cam that will not let you down. You can buy a lot more camera, but you have to spend a lot more.
By Busy Executive (Long Island, NY)
I'm generally more of a still photographer at heart, but I finally decided to purchase an HD video camera, and after considerable research, I chose the Canon HF-S200. It seemed to have the right mix of features, size, price and quality - and so far, it's measured up.
From an ergonomics point of view, I found the camera about right for my hands. The controls seem logically laid out, and it fits naturally in my hand in a way that lets me hold it steady without feeling awkward. Still, even though the camera is barely a pound in weight, to get the best HD quality, you'll want to consider a monopod, tripod or some other support. I use a Kirk shoulder harness borrowed from one of my still cameras, and it works well. Otherwise, the controls seem to be where I'd like them and it took fairly little effort to get to the point where I could operate most of the features without fixating on the camera itself. Also, because of the memory card architecture, there are no moving parts in the recording system (there are of course moving parts in the lens, focusing mechanism, zoom, etc), making it quick, responsive and - best of all - totally silent in operation.
The camera also has all the right connections, including HDMI input/output, LANC remote controls, and connectors for outboard audio or microphones. The camera also has a shoe mount for things like video lights, and it can connect to some of Canon's cool accessories like their DVD burner (which I don't own, so I can't comment on).
This recorder writes to SD (SDHC) memory cards - up to two at a time, with the ability to fill one then overflow onto the other. Recording times are purely a function of how large your memory cards are, but assuming 32GB cards, you can get almost five hours of HD recording time by installing two cards in the S200. And of course you can carry a pocket full of extras, making recording time essentially unlimited. The AVCHD video format means you can plug your cards directly into many video editing programs with no need to transform or re-do anything. All in all, this is very convenient compared to other media (such as tape) where you essentially have to copy video to your computer as a separate step before you can work with it.
The camera includes a 10x zoom Canon lens, plus an additional digital zoom feature. I found the lens to be very good for a camcorder, producing bright, sharp and detailed videos with good color and contrast. Still, if you look at the output frame by frame on a computer, you can tell the lens - while impressive - is no match for a top quality DSLR lens. Plus, you're getting only an effective 6-8MP - pretty low by today's DSLR standards. I'm not so sure this is an issue, but I guess I don't shoot serious video with my DSLR, and I wouldn't shoot serious stills on my video camera. In 35mm terms, the range is about 43-435mm...good on the long end, but not quite as wide as I might like overall. Still, it's a fast lens and focuses close (about a foot, depending on zoom setting). A final nice feature is that the lens takes standard photo filters (58mm), and I find it handy for instance to screw on a polarizer sometimes.
I find most of the other features Canon includes to work well and to be thoughtfully designed. The 3.5" LCD panel is sharp and clear, although not always readable in bright sunlight. Auto-exposure and focus seem very fast and accurate, and even when there's a lot of fast motion, I usually find all the critical parts of the scene to be in sharp focus and properly exposed, aided by Canon's face and scene detection capabilities. When you want to, you can override exposure and focus to get a specific effect.
This is also the first consumer camcorder I've used that offers a choice of frame rates, from 24p to 30, giving you video that can have more of a film-like quality (24p) or be more natural to post online (30). The camera also has support for the latest wide-gamut color (x.v.color), giving you rich and vibrant colors if the rest of your equipment can handle it. In my case, displayed on a high-quality 60" plasma monitor, the videos look amazing.
To be clear, this camera is essentially the same as the Canon S20 or S21, the main difference among the models being the amount of on-board memory. I believe the S21 comes with 64GB built-in, the S20 has 32GB and this one (S200) has only the SD slots - you supply the memory. Since I like the idea of external memory cards that I can pop into my computer for editing and post-production, I think I'd end up using the slots anyway, and the onboard memory in the other models wouldn't be particularly helpful for me. This was the main reason I went with the S200 instead of one of the other models.
From an overall image quality perspective, the Canon offers the best image quality I've seen from a consumer product, period. HD images in 1080p are simply stunning, as good as anything you'll find anywhere. The image stabilization helps ensure you don't get "bumpy" scenes, and even the audio channels (which are capable of 5.1 recording with an add-on surround microphone) are quite good for such a small device. Overall, I was blown away by the video quality - it was much better than what I thought I could get at this price point.
Great camcorder - highly recommended and worth the price.
All Reviews
