The Legria FS22 is part of a range of flash memory camcorders that all look pretty similar to each other. It's a surprisingly small and lightweight standard definition camcorder with still image capabilities. The biggest distinguishing feature of the FS22 is the 32 GB of built-in flash memory and it is pricier than its brethren owing to this mammoth built-in flash disk. You can further expand the memory with a SDHC card (16 GB supported). 32 GB of memory is good enough to store over 20 hours of footage in LP (long play) mode that records at 3 mbps. You could shoot in higher quality, but then you'd be restricted to about 7 hours of footage.

Two useful features that the FS22 has are quick charge and dual shot. With the quick charge feature, you can get 30 minutes of shooting with just a 10 minute charge and 60 minutes of shooting with just a 20 minute charge. With dual shot mode, everything is automatic, and you can take stills or videos without switching modes or fiddling with multiple buttons. Another innovative addition is the 'Pre REC' mode which compensates for slow reaction times. In this mode, the camera automatically adds 3 seconds of video to the beginning of your video clip. So it actually keeps 3 seconds of buffer video ready, so that you don't miss something that happens when you're too late to start the recording. The small LED video light doesn't offer much in terms of illumination beyond a couple of feet and unfortunately, the low weight can also prove to be a disadvantage if you have unsteady hands. You might find that you can hold the camcorder steadier if you just grasp it from the side rather than use the hand strap. Once you're done recording, transferring the video is as easy as connecting the supplied USB cable and copy-pasting. No additional software is required to do this.

It's great as a go-anywhere, easy-to-use camcorder, but it won't be replacing your still camera anytime soon. The video gets grainy in low light and the stills sometimes display very apparent artifacts. Buy it if you need a small camcorder that can easily fit in a coat pocket. However, if you want both stills and video and have about Rs 40k to spend, it might make more sense to go for something like the full HD video capable Canon SX1 IS (about Rs 34k) and invest the remaining Rs 6k on three 16 GB SDHC cards. The SX1 has a CMOS sensor that will perform better with low light. Not only will you get more storage this way (a total of 48 GB with the three SD cards) but also far better stills and videos.

Canon Legria FS22 Rs 39,995	Performance Coolness
Pros In-camera editing Cons Pricey for standard def Sold by Canon India, www.canon.co.in	Specs 1.07 megapixel CCD sensor, DIGIC DV II imaging processor, 2.7-inch LCD, 37x optical zoom, electronic image stabilizer, stereo mic, supplied remote control, 225 grams Verdict