Great, but not without serious flaws
Written: Jan 01 '05
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Pros: Sturdy construction, nice design. Video quality suitable for most family applications.
Cons: Almost too small for big hands. Camera has documented problems with loading and unloading cassettes.
The Bottom Line: I would not recommend this camera, but if you already have one, I have discovered you can greatly extend battery life by not using the flip-out LCD screen.
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| colorspace01's Full Review: Canon Elura 40MC Mini DV Camcorder |
I bought mine late in 2002 without shopping around much. An associate who worked in professional video bought one first, so that was good enough reason for me. My only previous video experience was with a Sony 8mm, so the video quality of the Elura blew that away. But right away I started getting messages that I needed to clean the head. I figured it was a fluke and ignored it, as it only came up once in awhile. But just like another reviewer, I started having problems with loading and unloading tapes, and errors that said to remove the cassette. I confess I didn't bother to call Canon because I didn't want to go through a long drawn out process. So I eventually bought a TDK head cleaner tape for $12. For some reason the ones for Mini DV are different than the cheap kind that work on analog tape. I ran that a few times and it seemed to help the problem somewhat. My feeling is that the more you use a tape, the more the camera doesn't like that particular tape, and especially if you let it stay in there while not in use. (But I'm no expert!) So I just deal with it, sometimes having to insert and remove a tape 20 times before it will work. And even after all that, I still ended up buying a Canon A95 digital still camera, which reminds me that i was sorely disappointed with the still quality of the Elura. Images were very soft and grainy. The ironic thing is that my new A95 takes beautiful, 640x480 video! As far as the mic noise, it never bothered me. What bothered me is that the mics pick up my breathing, which can sound very annoying! But all in all, I still use it and most of the video I take in well lit conditions comes out great. One last note on ergonomics: The zoom buttons are a little cramped for those like me with big hands. Conclusion: If it didn't have the annoying problem with loading and unloading the cassettes, this would be the perfect cool little camcorder for any family ready to make the jump to mini DV.
Recommended:
No
Amount Paid (US$): 450
Recommended for: Home and Families - Keep Memories of Family Vacations
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Epinions.com ID:
colorspace01
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Reviews written: 2
Trusted by: 0 members
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