Canon Brings Joy to Videographers

Canon introduces their new LEGRIA range of digital video camcorders. The new range gets its name from the Spanish word Allegria (pronounced “ler-gree-yer”) and the simple translation is, Joy.

Feast your eyes on the seven new flash memory models:-

LEGRIA HF S10	SRP S$2,699
LEGRIA HF S100	SRP S$2,299
LEGRIA HF 20	SRP S$1,999
LEGRIA HF 200	SRP S$1,599
LEGRIA FS 22	SRP S$1,069
LEGRIA FS 21	SRP S$ 869
LEGRIA FS 200	SRP S$ 669

The HF series are the high definition models while the FS series are standard definition.

Full specification and Canon Press Release

Canon Legria HF S10 Ultra-High Definition

Canon Legria HF Series

Canon Legria FS Series

Canon’s digital video camcorder ambassador, Wong Li Lin, was present for the press event.

Wong Li Lin & Canon Rep

I was not privy to seeing her as ambassador last year so I wasn’t sure what to expect (not that I thought she’d be a dim-wit). Li Lin showed off her skill, knowledge and artistry at the launch by creating a short video. She was able to pull off a simple and decent video vignette of her daily routines using the new Video Snapshot feature.

Wong Li Lin On Screen and In Person

Li Lin showing off her shooting, directing and production talents

She was given one of the new camcorders just weeks before the launch so she wasn’t going to have time to learn all the intricacies of the device. This was something Li Lin herself expressed on stage. She stated that any device she uses in her everyday needs must be user friendly. I can say that this is my first hands-on with the Canon digital video camcorder and I am impressed by the ease of use. The navigation joystick and button controls were quite intuitive. I felt it was probably even better than using a touch screen UI (user interface). A non-touch screen interface also meant the viewfinder wasn’t covered with oily fingerprints.

LCD Viewfinder with Navigation Controls

Close-Up of Internal Controls/Connections

The units are small when compared to the older Mini-DV camcorders. I guess you can really pare down a lot if you don’t have the tape mechanism. The use of solid state flash memory for storage also reduces the bulk of a hard disk drive or dvd recorder.