Superb Optics and Extensive Featureset
Written: Mar 04 '05 (Updated Mar 05 '05)
|
Product Rating:
|
|
| Ease of Use: |
 |
|
| Durability: |
|
|
| Battery Life: |
 |
|
| Movie Quality: |
|
|
|
Pros: Compact, superb Canon optics, feature-packed, great overall performance
Cons: A little on the pricey side, non-standard lens size
The Bottom Line: High-quality Canon optics make for very crisp video and images. Low-light performance definitely sufficient. A little bit pricey if you're on a budget.
|
|
|
| sgtwyatt's Full Review: Canon Optura 30 Mini DV Camcorder |
After my Sharp digital camcorder stopped functioning after under two years of ownership I decided it was time to invest in something a little bit more high end. I took a trip to the local electronics superstore and began browsing the camcorder section. It was at that point when I came across the Canon Optura 30 and immediately liked what I saw.
Upon returning home I purchased the Optura 30 online and received it two days later. The Canon Optura 30 immediately impressed me with its vivid video and sharp still images, courtesy of its 2MP still capture. Although a little bit on the pricey side, I could tell that it was money well spent.
The Canon Optura 30 is packed with features, including all of the standard visual effects and fades that you would expect to find on an modern digital camcorder.
Canon is known for their high-quality optics and the Optura 30 is no exception to this tradition.
Many reviews are less-than-flattering for this model when it comes to low-light performance. However, my experience with low-light shooting has been favorable. Granted, you aren't going to be able to use this camera in a darkroom...but is that really necessary anyway? I have been able to use this camera with standard indoor lighting without issue. Although I haven't yet needed to film outdoors at 3 am on a moonless night, I have successfully used this camera for acceptable filming in evening hours with moonlight.
Overall, the Optura 30 performed well for me in low to moderate lighting conditions. Let's face it, we're not going to be using a consumer camcorder to film by candlelight are we?
The 12x optical zoom is a nice edge over many of the 10x cameras out there. I don't bother with digital zoom, though it's comparable to anything else I've seen.
The Optura 30 utilizes standard SD memory cards which makes expandability inexpensive...a definite plus over Sony's MemoryStick.
Recommended:
Yes
Amount Paid (US$): 559.00
Recommended for: Home and Families - Keep Memories of Family Vacations
|
|
|
|
Epinions.com ID:
sgtwyatt
|
|
Reviews written: 7
Trusted by: 0 members
|
|
|
- Add to My Yahoo!: 
- Add to Google Homepage: 
© 1999-2009 Shopping.com, Inc.