Unreliable Mini DV Camcorder (Review UPDATE)
Written: Nov 19 '03 (Updated Jul 02 '04)
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Pros: Size, features, steady shot, separate battery charger, price.
Cons: Poor build quality - high probability of losing footage already shot, if it starts.
The Bottom Line: Unreliable. It will cost you precious footage if you use it for anything you really care about. Huge QC problem that Canon doesn't care about.
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| blautens's Full Review: Canon Elura 50 Mini DV Camcorder |
07/02/04 UPDATE! I eat my words. After only a few months of very light use, I started getting the infamous tape mosiac problems - I lost a good deal of Christmas footage this way, and some honeymoon footage, too. Now I also receive the (also infamous) tape eject message - even when there's NO tape in the camera. I thought I did my research - but apparently I didn't. There's a huge amount of people who experience these very issues on almost all of the consumer Canon MiniDV line up (ZR, Elura, Optura). Check out Google for tape eject problems and you'll find 1000 reasons to NEVER buy ANY Canon MiniDV camcorder. If you can't trust it to start recording, and even when it does it sometimes loses the time stamp and you lose the footage anyway, what good are all the features? I can't honestly sell it, and the expensive factory repair seems to only postpone the problem past the 90 day warranty they offer. It's a small, expensive, painful reminder that is only useful as a paperweight.
What follows is my happy camper review, before I found out the ugly truth.
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After using a Sony DCR-IP7 camcorder on and off for a few months, I decided the physical shape and size was good for me. The format, weak picture and steady shot, and horrible transfer options weren't.
I bought an Elura 50 and I'm very pleased. Those who whine about the stills are forgetting - it's a CAMCORDER. Buy a still camera! And the weak microphone? What do you want when it's that small?
The editing/transfer process via Firewire to Windows XP works great. I bought a couple of generic batteries for $20 each and they work great - the 3 battery rotation keeps me very happy. The cable and accessory package is good. The separate battery charger is almost rare now - it's a great feature - even the Sony I used didn't include that. It allows you to charge the battery without tying up the camcorder.
The picture is pretty good - the steady shot feature is VERY good. Sound is reasonable for most uses. The digital pass through for converting your old analog media to digital format is great. A real SD card for stills and motion JPEGs, not some silly Memory Stick.
I need a camcorder that works quickly, easily, reliably, and simply. This one is great - great size, price, features, performance. I can't say enough about it. The few shortcomings are to be expected in this price range and size. This has fairly high feature content, fairly high performance, great size, great price, and I believe Canon should be fairly reliable. Buy one - I think you'd be happy.
Recommended:
No
Amount Paid (US$): 536
Recommended for: Home and Families - Keep Memories of Family Vacations
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Epinions.com ID:
blautens
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Reviews written: 16
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