Canon Legria FS200

At first glance, Canon's new Legria FS200 is one impressive camcorder. Its small form factor hides a massive 37x optical zoom lens that is combined with an incredible 2,000x digital zoom capability.

As a 35mm camera equivalent, that zoom capability is as if you have a lens that spans from 40.5mm to 1,676mm.

But hidden deeper inside the FS200 is a pretty lacklustre image sensor, which only offers 0.8megapixels of image resolution. That means it will take video good enough for YouTube, but footage will be less than impressive when you play it back on a high-definition television.

To be fair, the FS200 is marketed as a 'standard definition' camcorder. If this doesn't bother you, and you just want to capture footage spontaneously to upload and share online, then the FS200 has lots to offer.

There's a 'Pre Rec' function which, when set, not only starts recording when you push the capture button, but will also take the previous three seconds, effectively ensuring the start of the action when you thought you had missed it.

Another mode is Video Capture, which lets you capture four-second video clips, stitch them together, and even insert background music - all in-camera. There are also effects like Fade and Wipe, which help in transitioning between shots, and a microphone jack for better sound recording.

The FS200 uses SD cards, but because of its low resolution, offers more than 10 hours of recording with a 16GB card. The FS200 sells for HK$3,480.

Pros: massive zooming capabilities, small and lightweight, Pre Rec for capturing missed shots

Cons: low-res image sensor

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