Customer Reviews:
Great size and value!
Good Camera, for the price. Palm size is very comfortable. Get a 16 Gig Card and you are good to go. No complaints with a Canon. Would recommend to all real dads who want save kid memories.

1st Review
I am very pleased with the size of this product and the easy use for talking stills and movies

Problems solved
I bought the Cannon FS100 (blue) even after reading all the reviews about the problems with the .MOD file extension. After receiving the camera and playing with it for a few hours it was really symple to save the movies. I took two videos, changed the file extension to .MPG. Opened Windows Movie Maker. I imported the two movies and clicked save to my computer. Then enter the file name, choose a place to save, click next and go to other settings. Choose (High Quality Video-large) Once the movie is joined the quality is excellent. I have no problem with saving, using this method. I’m really happy with this camera. I hope this helps.

Some things no one else mentioned
I’m a beginner with video, so I’m not one to judge the quality of the image. After reading other reviews, I thought it would be better than it is though. You have only the small LCD screen to use to make adjustments such as exposure or white balance or manual focus, and LCD screens are notorious for looking different at different angles. The screen swivels for ease of use, but where do you set it to know you are seeing what the camera is seeing? Once I put some video onto my computer, it was easier to view, but several shots taken of a marina on a cloudy day had vague purple stripes in the sky. The still images are awful, with lots of purple fringing. The stabilization is electronic and only applies to the video mode, so the camera portion is almost worthless.

I took some video of some real estate to show my family, and the microphone picked up my footsteps in the grass much better than my voice. The windscreen hardly works at all. I shot some video at the beach and didn’t even notice the breeze until I heard it on the video. (and despite what another review said, there is no audio gain control — there is an audio level indicator but you can’t control it)

A big surprise for me was the noise of the buttons. The microphone is up front, but the buttons on the LCD are right there too. There are only a few things you can change while recording (exposure, manual focus, mini-light, backlight compensation, zoom), but all the buttons make noise that is recorded and make it difficult to hold the camera steady. Other features such as white balance, scene type, digital effects, and a few other settings must be chosen before recording starts.

I haven’t tried the included software. I can easily copy the files to my computer by plugging the camera in with the USB cable. I tried putting the SD card into my built-in card reader, but half the time it worked and half the time it locked up my computer. I think that’s probably a hardware issue and has nothing to do with the camera. But the first few videos I took were strange because sometimes playing them (in Windows Media Player) sometimes hung the program and sometimes they played fine.

If you shoot video at eye level, the standard grip that the camera is built for is OK. I have fairly average sized hands, but I have to put my hand at a tiring angle to keep the camera level. My boyfriend’s larger hands have no problem with this (it fits better), but he has a hard time hitting the record button with his thumb - he has to use the middle of the thumb since it’s so close. Trying to hold the camera any other way, it’s difficult to keep it level and steady.

Great little unit with some minor annoyances, but overall pleased for the price
Canon FS100 Flash Memory Camcorder with 48x Optical Zoom (Garnet Wine)

This is my 6th Canon digital video camcorder, having owned a ZR30MC, ZR50MC, ZR90, Optura 20 and Elura 100 before this one. My main objective for purchasing the new flash-memory based camcorder was to get away from the dreaded motor noise from most of these units. Out of all 6 previous models, the Optura 20 had the best video sensor CCD size (1/4″), followed by the Elura 100 (1/5″). The other models, including this FS100, use a sensor CCD size of 1/6″, so I was expecting the video quality to be a bit more grainy (especially from reading all these reviews).

Right out of the box after charging the BP-808 battery, the unit starts up very quickly, however, the LCD is a bit grainy even in moderate lighting. Don’t be alarmed though, this granularity image is not transferred to video, it’s just the nature of the 123K pixel color LCD (my Powershot SD750 has the same problem with its LCD but still takes great pictures). But the biggest test of this new unit was to see how the audio sounded from a camcorder with no moving parts/motor. I am pleased to report the sound is great, and even better (good bass) when hooked up to my 55″ projection TV.

Now for the video quality, it is true the video is very grainy and noisy in low-light settings, but I am much impressed with how well the unit retains its focus in these situations. What I am very much disappointed in is the unit only uses electronic stabilization and at max. telephoto, I can’t get a steady shot with the IS on no matter how steady my hand. And I am not sure what to think of the advanced 48X zoom, the picture tends to pixelate at you approach the 48X, so I may just stick with the 37X optical zoom (I never owned a camera with a zoom bigger than 22X on the older ZR models). Now I haven’t had the chance to video in bright sunlight, but I do feel the single LED video light works very well to help out in low-light situations.

The record, photo and playback menus are excellent on this model, since you are recording to the SD card (I use 8GB Transcend card with included USB reader) and you can never accidentally erase footage and you can choose scenes and playback with a few touches of a button. The joystick on the LCD is placed in a comfortable location and is very responsive. One major complaint I have is why does Canon insist on the user having to press buttons to activate the faders/digital effects? Every model I have owned has this same problem, and yes the mics will pick up on you having to press button to activate you fade-to-black for ending your current recording in progress. I know for a fact on older Sony 8mm units, once you activate a fader, it will remain active for every scene you shoot until you turn it off. Canon needs to do this on future models.

Still photo quality is surprisingly good on this model (as compared to experience on previous models), but it is a function of lighting available to you.

I use iMovie ‘08 and the software/Macbook has no problem recognizing the files. I don’t like the fact you have to use AC power to transfer your files/photos to your computer, but I bought the USB card reader to get around this. IMovie HD will not recognize these files, so you’ll have to upgrade to iLife 08 and you need an Intel Mac for this to work. iPhoto immediately recognizes the camera if you have any still images to transfer.

In summary, the unit is very light and easy to hold, very responsive to start recording in about a second, and the electronic lens cap is a nice little feature. Here are my PROs and CONs:

PROs:

- Sleek, lightweight and colorful unit that is easy to hold and the major user features to operate it are well placed

- Focus in excellent and very responsive even in low light settings

- Very bright LED video light that helps in low-light recordings

- Very good video quality in very well-lit surroundings, and audio is great with no motor noise!

- Excellent menu hierarchy with quick, easy playback of your scenes

- Flash memory is great and very reliable, but pick up extra cards (8GB Class 6 or higher) especially with the good prices here at Amazon.com. I recommend Transcend from experience with this unit.

- Many manual controls I have not yet explored

- NO MOTOR NOISE, did I mention this?

- Quickstart standby mode is great and really helps to conserve battery power.

- Intelligent battery meter a great addition to help you gauge remaining battery life

CONS:

- Low light performance on this unit is very poor, but video light does improve video quality and I’m sure Shutter priority and other manual settings could even help out more.

- Electronic stabilization is not at all useful at maximum telephoto and even pixelates the image while producing a really bad shake even with steady hands.

- I am not impressed with the advanced zoom to gain an extra 11X from plain optical zoom. Video quality will suffer at maximum telephoto.

- You have to use the joystick to activate faders and digital effects during your recordings, so expect to hear the button-pushing on your video footage.

- Have to plug in the unit to AC power to transfer video/photos to your computer.

So as you can see the PROs outweigh the CONs and I am happy with this unit in overall performance and value for its price (I got mine in a bundle pack at [...] with the unit, extra OEM Canon battery and a carrying case, sorry Amazon!) This camera is a definite keeper for me for a while (until I get HD TV and home theater systems), and then I’ll probably upgrade to the equivalent HD model the HF100.

I would recommend this camera to anyone wanting a new standard definition unit, but be sure to invest in several SD memory cards to support your video needs. As you can see I am a loyal Canon consumer for both my camcorder and digital camera needs. Nice job overall, Canon, on this FS100 model.

Customer Reviews:
DVD player in your palm
I carry a lot of UMD and H.264 movies when i travel. Now every one can enjoy those movies when we crash in the hotels. Almost all the hotel TVs accept component input, which makes it great to watch all the movies in TV. You can also play your games while connected to the TV. It is not full 480p, but acceptable for hand held machines. Must have for any one who travels. You are not stuck with the boring infomercials in hotel stay. You can watch all your preferred shows and movies from your tiny PSP. Fantastic idea, hats off to Sony.

Nice to have.
The cables are nice if you are watching movies and have a TV to connect your PSP to. They only work on the games if you have a progressive scan TV, but you can watch movies and listen to your music that you’ve got saved on your PSP. I don’t use them that much, but when I do it’s really nice.

It’s Good for Playing PSP Games on the TV (3.5)
The Good:

+Allows you to play your PSP games on your television

+Very easy to connect and set up

The Bad:

-Your television must support progressive scan or else it won’t work

-For some games it brings out the worst in graphics

-The cord is too short

-Twenty dollars is a bit expensive

During the days when the Super Nintendo ruled the world, Nintendo developed what was known as The Super Gameboy. It was where you stuck your gameboy games into a specially made cartridge and they played on your Super Nintendo. The Gamecube also had a variant. The Gameboy Player. These things worked really well to play handheld games on a television. Sony, taking a lesson from Nintendo, decided to do their own. The cable does exactly what it’s supposed to but there are a couple of things that just make it a hassle to deal with.

It’s easy to work. At the bottom of your PSP is the port, and then you plug the cables into your television. These cables do not work a standard definition television, however. It must be an HDTV and it must support Progressive Scan or else you won’t get a picture. When you plug the cables in and connect it to your PSP and you get a picture, it’s actually quite crisp. In some games, however, it’ll bring out the worst in the graphics. Some games just weren’t meant to be on the big screen. Some games you can see more jagged edges that you otherwise wouldn’t see on the PSP’s small screen.

One big problem, however, is that the game doesn’t take up the whole screen. It’s basically just a rectangle in the center of the television. It works out, but the menu itself will actually take up the entire screen. It’s a little strange, but games play very well. And the PSP acts as your controller. However, this can be a little bothersome to some people.

If you ever suddenly need to take it off the TV you can disconnect from your PSP in the middle of play with no harm done to your television or your PSP.

There is one other major problem with this device. The fact that the cord is incredibly short. It’s bad enough it doesn’t work on a standard definition TV and that it shows the worst in some graphics and that it doesn’t take up the whole screen, but the short cord may be one of the bigger problems. In some cases, you’ll be a little unreasonably close, especially if your plugins are on the back of your television. A longer cord would’ve been nice.

Perhaps one of my bigger complaints is that the list price is simply unreasonable. Twenty dollars is a lot to spend on just a cord. Luckily, there are some sellers who are selling it for much cheaper.

Overall, it does what it’s supposed to do, but there’s a bit of a cost to getting it there. If you feel like playing your PSP games on your television, then it isn’t bad at all.

It’s good, but don’t expect a PS2…
OK, you’ve got the cable, but don’t think you have a PS2 now. It gives you a good image, but create borders in most of the games I’ve tried.

Worths the money, but I still prefer playing on its own screen…

Cheers,

Ricardo

Good for TV output of the PSP
OK yeah, when you play games on the PSP and look at it on the TV its a smaller picture. I have a 32″ LCD and I loose about 6″ a side in viewing real estate … but its still about 12x bigger than the PSP screen itself and let me tell you its worth it. You can actually see what you’re doing, and when I’m playing God of War: Chains of Olympus I want to see what is going on. Video and pictures don’t loose that kind of viewing real estate. I noticed about an inch around viewing a video UMD and I suspect the same to be true for pictures although I currently don’t have any jpeg files on my Memory Sticks to look at. I would say all in all its well worth the price … currently under $20.00 and it will increase your gaming / viewing pleasure of the PSP. My one complaint and the reason for 3 stars instead of 4 stars (which for me is a good review, I rarely give 5 stars) and this is my caveat emptor for this product as well. The videogame output will only work on these cables if you have a progressive scan TV, even without progressive scan you can still watch videos and view images, but to get game video on the TV from the PSP you need progressive scan on your TV and this is not clearly advertised … this is all it says on Amazon about half way down the page:

Product Description

Used to connect to TV Component-port for Progressive-Scan video display.

This is inaccurate as you only need PS to play games, not videos or images.

If you have progressive scan and you don’t mind your game video being smaller than your total TV viewing area (its still a lot bigger than PSP screen) or you have video UMDs that you want to watch on the big screen, then these are the cables you want.

Customer Reviews:
Great for what it is!
I have seen not-great reviews from others complaining that there is no CD-Rom, et.

Before you buy something, read the description!

There is no CD-rom, but this will give you extra ports, and allow you to simply dock on and voila! Instant at-home monitor, keyboard, mouse, external peripherals, etc! Great for what it is.. I couldn’t live without it now that I’ve had one!

Another reviewer mentioned this doesn’t fit the tablet. I have the X60s. I believe this will fit the X60, X60s, X61, X61s. If you are unsure, look at the mfg specs to be sure your model fits.

My only complaint (hence the -1 star) is that sometimes when you dock it comes up immediately to the external monitor, other times you have to press shift-f7 and choose option 4. Not a huge problem, but a minor flaw.

Enjoy!