Camcorder Reviews

This has been one of the greatest cameras until...problems...And I have two of them! On fast re-wind they will sometimes destroy the tape. On both, I only re-wind on slow rewind. Now one will not accept a tape at all. I think someone rewound on fast and hurt the mechanism somehow. A call to Cannon did not admit that they have problems. Still trying to determine cost to fix...if possible. I am reading others on internet with Elura 40 which is similar and they are having problems with totally destroying the tape and $600 to repair??????

To be somewhat fair, I use mine with a helmet camera, carrying the camcorder on my chest. I have not crashed on it but it is not a perfect lifestyle. As a back-up, I bought another... Almost out of the box I had the rewind problems. I could live with those...until now! Changing brands of tapes made no difference.

I use the picture MMC side alot, but remember that it is only 2.0 megpixles and can't take much blowing up. But the pictures are e-mail friendly. The digital zoom is AWSOME!

Other than Tape problems, where you can loose everything, a great camera! 5 stars and falling fast!

This Canon Elura is the best camera iv'e seen my whole life from Canon. Its good quality pixels is so much better than the sony brand, and its small size and new mini-DV ability is sumething everyone needs to get out of the dark age of cameras!

I need an Adapter ( power adapter) for CANON MV20 ( Canon DM-MV20E , it writes on the battery spot ). My cam is same as ELURA but the difference is that MV20 is" PAL System " and ELURA is on " NTSC System ". I guess that Power Adapter would be same for both types.If someone knows where could I find a product please let me know. Camera is perfect, no doubt.

I bought this camera slightly used in mint condition and I'm fairly impressed with it. The steadyshot function and nightshot are excellent features. However, I'm selling it, because you cannot take still shots, and it costs you an extra [money amount]for a media converter if you want to review/edit your videos on your computer. But, it is a good camera if you like watching home videos on your TV.

I recieved this camera as a gift and used it 6 times before the amplifier went out, so that when you were watching your videos-you got sound, but no picture. This happened with our first camera, but you could see the video but there was no sound-also the amplifier. Unfortunatly it didn't fall under warranty so we have a broken camera lying around and must buy a new one. I give it three stars because for the time that I was able to use it, it was a great camera. If you do decide to buy this one-maybe think about an extended warranty?

I purchased the Sony camera as a intermediate video camera. I figure the technology is still evolving for some of the new and exciting digital video cameras and storage devices, i.e. CD storage.

My first video camera was cutting edge technology at the time. I paid over $1200 for Sony Super 8mm with b/w viewfinder which started to eat and destroy tapes while on vacation. Fixing it did not make good financial sense. Today, $400 buys a camera rich in features with separate color LCD viewfinder.

Bottom line, this camera is a great family video camera. Easy to use right out of the box. Save your money and avoid more expensive, cutting edge cameras. Just figure that these things only have a life of 4-5 years and when it is time to trade in you can easily afford cutting edge technology that will be 4-years old. It is just not worth spending more for technology that will be dirt cheap in a matter of time and possibly, broken.

I narrowed my search down to three camcorders: the Sony dcr-pc120bt, the Canon Optura 200mc and the JVC dvm96u. I first purchased the JVC and returned it because I was unhappy with the still picture quality. The next week I did the same with the Canon. I thought that the stills would not bother me because these were infact camcorders, but it did. The Sony is the best purchase I have made in a long while. The still pics are excellent. What sets the Sony apart from the Canon is the fast "low-light" focus. It actually emits infrared lasers (that are visible) to capture a sharp focus. It is a feature that you probably will not notice unless you handle all three camcorders as I did. For a purchase this expensive, I did not mind paying a little more for the Sony. The Sony is by far the best quality out there. It is full of features and the video quality is excellent. The low-light focusing system coupled together with the pop-up flash basically eliminates the need for a dedicated still camera. I keep on enphasizing the still picture quality because that is the true measure of a good lens and that was my criteria for a camcorder; 2-in-1 functionality and compact size. It is posible for someone to be happy with the Canon, but you can't go wrong and will definately love the Sony.

During my research I shortlisted following camcorders: Sony dcr-pc120bt , dcr-pc101 and Canon Optura 100mc.
All three had very similiar features but
120 stood due to following reasons:
1) 1.5 Mpixel CCD + progressive shutter
2) Halogram LF-- this feature will give even a 3 M.pixel cam run for it's money
3) Mpeg movies capability i.e It records Mpeg format on tape/memory stick which you can email as it's many times smaller than video file.
4) Built in intelligent flash
5) I could buy it for less ...with 5 year warranty.
...

Cons:
1) Canon 100mc has Optical stabilizer
2) dcr-pc101 has touch screen LCD. ( Idon't know how much I will touch though!)
3) Zoom control is on odd place for my big hands!

Camera arrived last week and I compared to the videos of my previous recordings (JVC dv + panasonic DV -- borrowed from friends) and difference is as big as HDTV Vs Regullar and unbeliable Snapshots !

This camera has bluetooth which I will enjoy couple of years later when there are more bluetooth devices.

Anyway , I like it for that price.

I own one DCR-PC120BT since more than 9 months now. And last week I had the chance to test the new 330. Forget it! After several days of practicing with both cameras the DCR-PC120BT is the clear winner!

My husband gave me this camera for Christmas because he knew I really wanted a digital camera and I had expressed some interest in a camcorder as well...He figured this would do double-duty very well. I played with it all day Christmas day taking video and stills and was loving it. The video was awesome...very easy to use and of decent quality. Battery drained very quickly, but most do, so that wasn't a big deal. Close-up shots looked really good. The HUGE DISAPPOINTMENT came when I downloaded the still shots to my computer. They were of poor quality at best...colors not true and blurry even though all were taken at the highest resolution possible. I am returning the camera and exchanging it. I'm NOW told that most just don't have enough pixels to produce a good photo...Live and Learn! Good Luck...

This is a great "video camera" and a not so good digital still camera. If you are purchasing this "video camera" to use to shoot video then I will recommend this camera, but if you want a great digital still camera then purchas a separate digital still camera. The vast majority of "video cameras" are best used for video and not digital still photography. So once again buy this "video camera" for video and buy a digital still camera for digital photography.

I did a lot of research before buying. It is the best value in this class. Don't expect great snap shot quality from this camera and others in the same class. You need progressive scan and at least 1 mega pixel CCD for a good quality picture. That would put you into a totally different price range. Manufacturers advertise mega pixel camcorders pretty loudly and they are currently above $1200. The video quality is great (almost DVD) and low light sensitivity is good. I don't use special effect while filming so I can't comment. It does not record analog video. Manual says it records the DV but I have not tried it. Overall it is great for indoor/outdoor everyday filming even with my picky taste.

This is the 3rd camcorder I've owned, and it's my second Sony...

I purchased this camcorder and returned it within a day. The first shots I filmed were in the sunlight. Picture quality was bright, vivid, and sharp with great detail and skin tone. BUT, I made the mistake of next shooting video of my baby inside my apartment and that's all it took to ruin my day...

I tried every manual exposure setting, and every AE option, with varying degrees of suck as the result. Here's the setup: My living room is connected to my dining room, so I had 2 dining room lights (70 watts each) and two living room lights (70 watts each) going. In other words, standard indoor lighting. The quality took a TREMENDOUS dive, regardless of the camera setting, when shooting in this indoor environment. Colors became muted to the point of almost looking greyish, skin tones took on a whitish-grey death tint, grain and color noise was dramatically increased... in other words, this camera is worthless for indoor shooting. The image looked like an old overexposed, color-devoid photo with poor detail, worse color, and flat-out ugly results.

Sure, you could fork out the [money] for an add-on light and get better quality results, but there's nothing candid about shooting video in an apartment when the subject has a bright light beaming into their eyes making them squint.

For comparison sake, I also have a Sony CCD-TRV43 Hi8 analog camcorder. The results are night and day when compared to this Sony digital (DCRTRV240). Put simply, the analog camera performs WONDERFULLY under the same lighting conditions.

What sold me on the camera was the features and digital effects. They're cool. The analog input option to run other video through the camera and into the computer is great. But features don't help you much when the video you actually SHOOT with the camera doesn't look good. The bottom line is that the video you shoot with this camera simply looks bad. I showed the results to 4 different people and they all grimaced when they saw it.

Don't buy this camera. Maybe it'll force Sony to finally deal with such an obviously inherent problem with their digital cameras (read other reviews by customers of this and other cameras in the same Sony line and it's a reoccuring theme.) Either that or it'll force them to start being honest with consumers about what I've come to find and regard as the dirty little secret of digital camcorders under $1,200: they simply do not look good in low light environments. I'm reading that about the Canon models, the JVC models and the Panasonic models as well. Nobody, other than angry customers like me who feel like they've been had, is talking about it. That's just plain shifty.

From first impressions....this is a great camera.It is rich in features and well priced for the consumer market, particularly for those folks with a lot of old 8mm tapes that you haven't yet converted to VHS or digital.

PROS:
- Digital 8 with backwards compatibility (reads all analog 8 tapes) and can still record in digital.
- Electronic Image stabilization (Called Super-Steady Shot)
- Excellent 25x optical and 700x digital zoom (very nice).
- Camera controls and data connectors are laid out quite nicely.
- Solid audio capability (records nice 16-bit stereo sound).
- Intelligent hot shoe: for adding accessories like a brighter light or bigger microphone (few other cameras in this price range have this expandability).
- Nice remote control and video playback features.
- Both an auto and manual focus capability
- Comes with an "infoLITHIUM" battery, good for about 60 minutes and which indicates the precise time left on the battery.
- Both USB and 1394 (fire wire) data transfer.
- Video/Audio in jacks: very nice for converting non-digital formats to digital (i.e. VHS).
- Streaming web-cam capability

*Note: Up to this point, this is a 5 star product...but read on, for my biggest complaints with this camera.

CONS:
- Tapes feed from the bottom, which is not a big deal UNLESS you use a tripod. When using a tripod, to change a tape you must remove it from the tripod AND unscrew the tripod mount to get the tape bay open. A call to Sony and every camera/tripod place in town resulted in the same answer...you are out of luck, there is no adaptor made that will address this problem :(MAJOR bummer to me).
- The camera records poorly in lowlight. Even though it is considered 0 flux (able to record in color one foot away), it desperately needs light or the quality takes a dramatic dive. The advertised super night shot turns everything green; which is good if you are a sniper, bad if you are a video enthusiast.

*Note: You can add a bright light accessory using the aforementioned hot shoe, to help address the lighting issue.

- The battery ratings from Sony are very misleading. For example: you can buy the "ultra battery" (NP-FM91) which is rated at 10 hours-which seems quite impressive... The problem is most folks will never use the battery the way they achieved those 10 hours.

Here's the "real" breakdown of estimated battery time with actual use:
* 10 hours - in standby mode (no LCD and no Super-Steady Shot)
* 6 hours - recording/ playback (no LCD and no Super-Steady Shot)
*3-4 hours - recording/playback (with LCD & Super-Steady Shot on)

So what LOOKS like a clear Sony advantage re: battery life is really not, when you consider other brands can also achieve 3-4 hours of battery life with their "ultra battery" and the same manner of usage.

Summary: In my estimation, this camera could be a good or bad buy depending on what your needs are.

* This camera might be a good buy IF you use 8mm, record in adequate light, need a strong zoom function and don't use a tripod for more than 1-2 hours at a time or would like to convert older video formats to digital.

* It is not such a good buy IF you don't need 8mm backwards capability, use a tripod for an extended period of time (2+ hours), need a memory stick function, are choosing Sony based upon it's "clear advantage" in battery life or consistently do recording in lowlight

For me however, the tripod fiasco and the poor lowlight recording was enough of an issue for me to knock it down a bit and return it to the place of purchase.

*Note: in all fairness to Sony, every bottom feed camera available will have a similar tripod/tape issue, and many low-end digital camcorders perform poorly in lowlight.

I bought this camcorder about a year ago & have been very pleased with it. It's a good size, easy to use, & has lots of cool components, especially for the price. I wouldn't buy anything other than a Sony!

I recently go a JVC camera, works wonderfully -- I especially liked the download capability into my PC. Then I upgraded the PC to Windows 2000, and the PC could not talk to the camera any more...

So, if investment protection is on your list of requirements, buy from a competitor who will support newer Windows versions and not leave you stranded...

This is a great first time camera. It is so easy to use that my next door neighbor, who was 5 at the time knew how to use it without me having to tell him anything and he isn't very bright. It is very simple to figure out, you press the red button when you start when your done you press it again. The only flaw is the battery that came with it has memory meaning you have to run it all the way out before you recharge it or it can only fillup to the level you stopped at,for example if you run it down 70% and then recharge it it will only go back up to 70%. The memory battery isn't the best!!! But the camcorder is great for anyone.

I have used this camcorder now for at least 3 years and it's a wonderful camera. I have used it everywhere, including weddings, birthday parties and during vacations. Since this camcorder is VHS formate, I like it how my recordings can easily be played in any VCR with just an optional VHS playback adaptor. It has neat features, like digital wipes and fades that can be used at any point to make a transition between scenes. It even reduces unwanted jitters from recordings made while walking or in a car. I also like it because it's very easy to use; and it has great digital zoom.

The Canon ZR20 is a Digital MiniDV camcorder with a 2.5" LCD and a color viewfinder.

Zoom And Image Stabilizer

The camcorder has 10x optical zoom and 200x digital zoom. The image is not shaky at high magnification levels, since the camera is equipped with a digital stabilizer.

Picture

The camcorder records video and still pictures. The still pictures can be recorded on a MiniDV tape and one tape can hold around 700 still pictures. The picture quality (the CCD has 460,000 pixels) in the video mode is very good with low noise level.

Sound

The camcorder has a stereo microphone and a built-in speaker. The microphone input allows you connect an external microphone. You can select between 12- and 16-bit recording.

Features

The camcorder comes with a Li-Ion battery, A/V cable, S-Video cable, power adapter, battery, remote and a shoulder strap. There are several AE modes, including fully automatic "Easy Recording".

But in addition to automatic settings (focus, white balance, etc.), you can manually adjust focus, white balance, shutter speed, exposure (AE Shift). The camcorder allows you apply faders and digital effects and has widescreen mode.

It also features FireWire (i.Link, IEEE1394) jack, so you can connect it to another digital camcorder, MiniDV VCR or a computer for editing or making a copy. The remote control allows you search for still pictures on the tape using Data Code recorded during the shooting.

The camcorder features both composite and an S-Video inputs/outs and LANC editing terminal. The timer allows to perform recordings at predefined time. There is a Low Light recording capability (low shutter speed and high exposure time).

Remote

Unlike entry-level digital camcorders from Panasonic, the wireless remote control is included here.

Bottom Line

The ZR20 is a nice camcorder with good feature set. But the menu system is unnecessary complicated and the Canon camcorders are not among the most reliable (unlike Panasonic ones).

I would like to take this time and give my input about the Canon ZR 20 MiniDV. First off let me say that the size of this thing amazes me enabling me to fit it in my pants pocket (compared to my old vhs). There aren't that many high end features on this but for the basic everyday recording this is an excellent camera. Be aware that this DOES NOT have NIGHT VISION if you want it purchase the ZR-40 series. I purchased this at the [store] that sells mac computers. It cost me [money] and for [the same amount] at [a different store] i could have got the ZR-40 but they were out :(. Overall i really do like this camera not overpowered with features but does the job well (my first canon camera). From now on i'll stick with them in the future (Much better than JVC and SONY). Down the road I'll upgrade my pc to firewire for video editing, that looks pretty fun. But if yourlooking for a good quality camera with a GLASS lens not plastic like the others and something stylish and small than go with any of the Canon ZR Series (10,20,25mc,30mc,40,45mc,50,50mc)

Hope this Helped in your camera buying experience!

I've looked for a good DV camcorder to replace my old Hi8 camcorder. We need it to be compact to fit into one palm, and have image stablization. We also need it to have analog input to transfer old video. Some of the higher-end model have low-resolution digital camera capability, which is useless to us since we already had high-resolution digital camera. We tried to avoid spending extra money to pay features we don't need, and it leads us to Canon ZR20. Well, what a great buy! We spend less than our old Hi8 camcorder, and got a 3X better camcorder! The picture quality is super, the sound is great! ( I don't have the issue described by another reviewer.) Right after recording, we can also playback the video with sound on this tiny camcorder. All my families just enjoy playing with this new toy and have a wonderful time together. Highly recommended!

the effective resolution of this camera is 96K, which is worse than most Hi-8 cameras. it supposedly has a 1/4 CCD with 680K gross, but this is probably myth. do not believe anything you see on camcorderinfo.com about this camera.
if you ever had a Hi-8 you would be greatly disappointed by the quality, although you can still recognize the face of your wife and the color of her dress. not much more though.
Panasonic do not disclose the effective resolution or the gross of this camera just to trick people who think miniDV means good quality.

Last year, I needed a SMALL, light, portable, tough, inexpensive, mini-DV camera to schlep around Croatia and Hungary -- during the hot summer. Trains, planes, and buses bumped myPanasonic PVDV53 MiniDV Palmcorder along --which took GREAT (!!!) motion pictures. I wrote" motion" because I practically never used the still digital capability. NOTE: The battery charger is 115v-220v/60Hz-50Hz compatible (but you'll need a $5 adapter for the plug to hook it up with European sockets.

For me, one big drawback was that there is no thread in the object lens in which to add filters, wide angle or telephoto lenses. Also, the computer linkages is only good for stills. When the miniDV is transferred to VHS (through a VCR with digital inputs -- most good ones have them) I managed to get excellent videos out of them, suitable for shipping to relatives.

You'll need to get a bigger battery than the standard one which can perhaps give you 30 minutes of shooting when fully charged. I picked up a 3 hour battery (by searching online -- I think it was sold NEW at eBay for about $50).

In my opinion, this is about the best, most versatile camera that you can get for the money.

I got this DV Camera to tape some old Super-8 movies for conversion to DVD. Thanks to the low light performance and image stabiliaztion it did a great job. Then I shot some footage on the Santa Monica Pier and it did great in daylight as well. So for a low cost video camera you can't beat it. It's not a digital camera though go buy one if you want that. Still no firewire cable was a let down but you can get them cheap look for a 4-6 pin cable and get it hooked up for computer fun!

Great camera with large LCD screen. Takes great pictures
in bright light. Not bad in low light with slow shutter.

Problems
No shutter speed control above 1/30.
No pass through of RCA/Svid to IEEE 1394 for capture use.
No line level audio input while taping.
Focus controls right next to microphone.
Zoom control fragile.
Camera forgets last mode when shut off.
No histogram of exposure.

I would actually give this camera a 4.5/5, but since there isn't the option, I will just round up. This camera is fantastic for what it does for its size and price. I couldn't decide whether to go for the PC-1 or the PC-100 (the little rectangular cams.) or this camera, which holds true to the "standard camcorder shape"; but, after trying out the alternative designs, I found them to cramp my hand and just be awkward to use with such tiny buttons and strange button/control placement. I am glad I went with this design instead. The quality of the picture and sound on this camcorder is simply great! The colors are well balanced and contrast is handled quite well. When watching what has been recorded with an S-Video cable (another review mentioned that one wasn't included in the box - he's right, but I would recommend getting one if you're going to use this camera the way it was meant to be used - a decent S-Video cable is only about $5-$10 anyway), you can really tell there are about 500(!) lines of resolution. The picture is almost DVD quality it seems. Also, the stereo mic does a great job in picking up voice or other ambient audio. For instance, during one filming session, we had a CD playing in the backgroud and the music ended up sounding as if it were dubbed onto the tape; it was not overpowering but actually added to the "atmosphere" of the recording. Very nice in my opinion, but it my be bothersome for some users that the mic can be a bit touchy sometimes. This camera is loaded with features and I would recommend it over the TRV10 with a savings of about $200. While this camera doesn't have the memory stick option [and a few other bells and whistles], you really won't need the TRV10 if you a) have a digital camera already or b)plan on connecting your MiniDV camera to a PC/Mac. However, I wouldn't really recommend using this camera for stills. While they are okay, an actual digital still camera would be better. It should also be noted that the build quality of this unit seems very good. This camera, while fantastic, is not without its subtle flaws. One small problem I have noticed is that when recording in low light conditions, the picture tends to be a bit "grainy" on playback. The picture is still good, just not exceptional like those taken with this camcorder outdoors or in well-lighted conditions/rooms. I haven't tried the "Low Lux" mode to see if this will compensate for or reduce the grainyness, but it will probably help a bit. Another problem with this camera and the MiniDV format in general is the price of the media. It can get a bit pricey if you don't plan on transfering recordings to VHS or SVHS tapes with your VCR. Sixty minute tapes can run you anywhere between $8 and $25 depending on what brand/quality you purchase. I usually use Sony tapes that end up costing about $11.50/hour. And the last problem I have is that the use of the 3.5" LCD screen can really eat up your battery charge (almost cuts it in half, it seems). The screen is great, but just expect to charge a bit more often if you use it regularly or buy a spare battery. So, to sum up: for the money, this camera is absolutely superb. It provides a *fantastic* picture outdoors or in well-ligthed areas, and a good picture in dimly lighted rooms. This camera is also LOADED with features that will make any user happy. I highly recommend this camera to anyone in the MiniDV Camcorder market.

I searched and searched for the best Digital Camcorder (for the money) and this is easily the one. It has the smallest size except for their PC-1 and PC-3 (slightly smaller, but much harder to hold, I think). Plus a 3.5" LCD (only 2.5 on Canon's Elura or the Sony PC-Series).

Picture quality is outstanding, though a little grainy and flat moderate to low indoor light. Sound quality is amazing, and connection to my PC through a $98 Firewire card is awesome.

Best camcorder on the market (without spending an extra $500 for 2 more CCD's), until the next advancements!

Like most purchasers of camcorders, I had my first child last August. Thus, I decided to buy a camcorder to take hours of video that I will never watch again. On the other hand, if I didn't buy a camcorder, I would be a horrible parent, right?

Anyways, I did a fair amount of research online and in print (Consumers Reports). I finally decided to purchase the Panasonic PVDV201, based on the recommendations of several electronics salespeople. However, I spent quite a bit of time testing this camcorder. The PVDV200 is quite similar to the PVDV201.

First, the PV-DV200 is a MiniDV format digital camcorder. The Digital8 camcorders (generally sold by Sony) are a little cheaper for the tapes. On the other hand, the camcorders are a bit larger and a fair bit heavier. If you have old 8mm tapes you want to replay on a camcorder, Digital8 is probably the format for you. This was my first camcorder, so I went with the MiniDV format because of the weight difference, and also because the picture quality seemed a bit better.

One caveat about the PV-DV200: The digital zoom requires you to press a separate button, which is a bit awkward. That being said, it is rare (in my experience) that you will need zoom power in excess of 18X, which the 200 provides. The digital zoom is a bit of a marketing ploy. (By the way, the PVDV201 provides 20X optical zoom, a bit better)I found this camcorder to be a high quality starter camcorder in the digital format, for a very reasonable price.

A few concerns: (1) the digital still photos are good for e-
mails, nothing more; and (2) the PVDV201 is a newer model and, oddly, cheaper.

... So far, the results are quite nice. Camera is easy to use, with simple auto modes for exposure, etc.

Menu's are a bit cryptic, but easy to get to learn.

Outstanding features: Compatible with Apple's iMove with no drivers needed. Simple and quite operation.

Negative Features: Not the best low light useability (although not bad).

I definately would reccomend this camera to a friend.

I just got this about a week ago. It is an excellent camera for the price. There are other cameras that do more, but for most people, most of the time, this camcorder fits the bill. Very light, and easy to use. Most of the buttons are easy to reach, and you quickly get used to where to find the fade, backlight, etc. The menu button and jogger are a little awkward, but I have not found it to be a major problem.

I'd give this 5 stars except the software that comes with it is lousy. I wanted to download some still images to email to relatives, but can't get it to work. The help files are not helpful, and there is no manual. It tells me that I need to check my COM1 port, but I am not sure what it wants me to do. Has anyone else gotten this software to work?

So, don't buy this expecting to be able to download photos easily, but for recording, it is a terrific camera.