Pros: Good ergonomics, lightweight
Cons: Problems with video focus and white balance make the result unwatchable.
I got this to record our children's activites. Testing the camcorder, ergonomics are good and it's mostly easy to use. I say mostly because the flip-out lcd screen has buttons that are invisible in a theatre. Unless you know where they are and what they do, you'll likely not be able to operate them.
After recording a dance recital, here's my experience:
- The room lighting was excellent, but the camera lost focus on the dancers for no reason several times across an hour. Adjusting zoom made it re-focus correctly.
- Focus and white balance randomly become messed up on and off, making some dancer's faces end up being a white blob and their bodies look slightly fuzzy.
- The manual for the camcorder and software covers very little of camera use. Directions for transferring videos from camera to computer are both wrong and incomplete.
Since the video of the recital is mostly unwatchable, I'm returning this Canon FS200 camcorder and buying a different brand. From Canon, I'd expected much higher quality.
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