Canon’s HF10 captured all the headlines when it was launched last month. But, Canon has brought out other Flash memory-based camcorders as part of its ‘freecording’ strategy and at the top of the new standard definition range is the FS11. It’s tiny, light, and reassuringly portable, weighing around 300g with battery. But the Panasonic SDR-S7EB-K is even smaller, and quite a bit cheaper. Does Canon’s FS11 have the extra features to warrant its higher price?

Unlike the HF10, the FS11 is based around a traditional CCD rather than a CMOS. However, it’s a small 1/6in model with 1.07Mpixels. This provides 1,152 x 864 stills, and as this camcorder shoots standard definition at 720 x 576, video requires less than the full resolution. An electronic image stabilisation system is used, which isn’t as effective as the higher-end optical versions. Canon also quotes an incredible 45x ‘advanced zoom’, which isn’t quite the same as a digital zoom. The lens itself is only capable of 37x.

Weighing only 10.7 ounces and fitting comfortably into the palm of a hand–one my size, at least–the FS is, for the most part, quite well designed. As is becoming typical for SD-based models, you choose among video and still, record, and playback modes plus toggling recording on and off via a big thumbwheel at the back of the camcorder. You operate the zoom switch, photo shutter, and on/off switch with your forefinger. The battery and SD card slot lie under a sliding panel on the bottom of the unit. Some of the nicer touches include a built-in electronic lens cover–at this price, they’re usually manual–and an LED video light.

Behind the LCD, there’s an Easy button for a completely automatic mode and a button to display battery info, which displays the estimated time remaining. There’s also a standard mini-USB port, 3.5mm microphone jack, and an AV out connector for hooking up to a TV via the bundled composite cable. As is becoming typical for Canon, you use a joystick on the LCD to bring up a few quick-access controls, including triggering the video light, exposure compensation, shutter speed, and manual focus. It doesn’t magnify the focus area while in manual focus, but despite the smallish 2.7-inch LCD, it’s pretty usable.

Here’s where all the action lies–once you flip open the FS11′s 2.7-inch LCD screen. The LCD cavity is littered with goodies: Easy button, Display/ Battery Info button, Mic jack, AV-out jack, and the USB terminal. That’s right! Canon’s got Easy mode too. A Mic jack is a nice touch, too, but the camcorder has no accessory shoe, not even a cold shoe. If you want to attach another mic, you’ll either need a permanently free hand or have to invest in some duct tape (Pro Tip: don’t duct tape your mic to your computer.

With the FS series, Canon debuts its Advanced Zoom technology, which transforms the camera’s 37x optical zoom into 48x. It does so by moving lens elements to change the area of the sensor focused on by the lens. As a result, the effective video resolution changes while you zoom. For example, with AZ turned off, 16:9 video sensor resolution is about 550,000 pixels. With it on, at minimum zoom, it’s approximately 710,000 pixels (full effective sensor resolution), and at 48x, it’s 410,000 pixels. So while it’s technically not digital zoom, it’s still not maintaining the resolution across the entire zoom range (though it’s in fact better than status quo at the wide angle). And for that reason, though I know Canon will probably beg to differ, I’m going to refer to it as a hybrid zoom.