Canon FS300

2009 was a great year for Canon because it launched so several camcorders targeted at specific groups. It impressed the people that are already familiar with HD technologies with 1080p cameras as well as the budget crowd that are totally fine with ordinary camcorders. Now Canon is going to do it again this 2010 in the same style by releasing another trio of camcorders that will overcast the older models. This time Canon is targeting consumers that really cannot afford a high-end camera, but still want something better than a pocket-sized. The Canon FS300 brings all the nice things about digital camera recording without going past the $300 mark.

Canon FS300 Camcorder

Design and Interface

Like the VIXIA models, the FS300 comes in three colors. Instead of offering a black style like the FS200, the FS300 comes in a fresh dark blue, red or silver design. Don’t expect any touchscreens on this device like the new midrange  models supports, but the screen size measures the same at 2.7 inches. It is also easy to get used to the interface since it can be navigated rather easily using the joystick controls. When the device is not in use, the lens cover automatically closes. This built-in lens cover is not only good in protecting the lens, but it also eliminates the possibility of losing the lens cover. The  FS300 isn’t a camcorder to put in a pocket, but it only weighs 9.0 ounces so it is easy to carry while travelling.

Main Features

The older FS2 series saw great success which is why these devices still sell today. It also the reason why Canon did not do much work in improving the sensors of the device. This shouldn’t be alarming for people that never used a camcorder before because the Genuine Canon 41x Advanced Zoom performs nicely and the image quality when fully zoomed is clear.

Also present once again is the DIGIC DV II processor which may not be as powerful as the ones the HD camcorders use, but it still records nicely in widescreen formats so they should still look good on high-definition TVs. Some other useful technologies present in pricier models are used by the Canon FS300 like the Dynamic IS where the segment can remain still even when moving to record.

Although the image quality is decent and the zooming functionality is versatile, it is still SD quality in the end which is a step under HD. However, the advantage of SD lies on its small file size allowing up to 7 hours and 20 minutes of continuous footage to be recorded on High Image Quality settings. Since there is no internal memory in the FS300, a 32 GB memory card is required to store that length. 16 GB, 8 GB, 4 GB, and 2 GB cards are also supported. At smaller capacities, 3Mbps formats are recommended.

The FS300 contains many of the nice shooting features that the FS200 provides including the Quick Start feature which readies the camcorder for recording whenever needed. To compensate for missed moments, the Pre-Record feature can be used to record any three seconds that occurred immediately before the “Record” button is pressed. 

Other Features

Lately, many new cameras are serving as secondary still cameras as well. Unfortunately, the CCD sensor saw a slight downgrade capable of taking 680,000 pixel photos, but the Dual Shot mode is still kept. This allows still pictures to be taken without interrupting a live recording session.

Quick Charge is also reintroduced in the FS300 which is basically a technology that charges batteries faster. Just charge the battery for 20 minutes and the camcorder can be used to record an additional hour of recording. In addition, the Li-ion Battery itself claims to be intelligent by displaying how many minutes are left before the battery goes empty allowing better planning of recording sessions.

Once the memory is full, the card can be taken out and inserted into a card reader or the video can be transferred via USB cable. From there, the video can be uploaded to a video sharing site or the recording can be edited using the Pixela ImageMixer 3SE video editing software.

Bottom Line

Since there is no internal memory present, the Canon FS300 is inexpensive and is even cheaper than some high-end Canon digital cameras. To top things off, the FS300 is currently the same price as the FS200.