Canon Elura 2MC MiniDV Digital Camcorder with Built-in Digital Still Mode Review
I was very sceptical about this camera upon purchase. My needs are for a camcorder for family activities. We never used the Hi-8 unit we have had for 5 years, just sits in the closet to bulky to be practical or convenient. The size is perfect for my needs. I was concerned about quality, robustness, and utility (would controls be impossible to reach).
Seems to work well for my needs. The battery winds down pretty quick (about 60 mins on a charge with no LCD usage and only recording usage). However seems to retain charge over a period of time (unlike some other comments read).
Pictures are very clear, and am amazed at the quality. Stability mechanism works well. Do not use the digital zoom, as feel this is only a gimmick and of little real use.
Controls are reasonably intuitive, seems like manual overrides for most anything, but use on automatic mode most of the time. Would like a wide angle lens, as equivalent of a 50mm lens. Quality definitely deteriorates under low lighting.
After 3 weeks of use give a heartly thumbs up, seems like a keeper.
Canon Elura 2MC MiniDV Digital Camcorder with Built-in Digital Still Mode Feature
- MiniDV camcorder
- Progressive-scan CCD
- 10x optical, 40x digital zoom
- MultiMediaCard digital still storage
- 2.5-inch color LCD monitor
Canon Elura 2MC MiniDV Digital Camcorder with Built-in Digital Still Mode Overview
A digital camcorder that fits into a purse, a glove compartment, or a coat pocket? That's the Canon Elura2 MC (Memory Card) - designed to snuggle in your hand and to commune with your computer. It will go where you go, see how you see, and let you capture your experiences, get creative, and share them like you never have before. Weighing about the same as a can of soda, the Elura 2MC uses Canon's miniaturization technology to give you all the functions and usability you want in a friendly, hand-sized package.Canon's image stabilization system corrects camera shake, so the movies you make come out clear. Professionals and business users appreciate the ease of shooting long telephoto views without a tripod. Everyone appreciates that the minor bumps and wiggles because of car vibrations-or having one cup of coffee too many-won't become part of your treasured memories!This camera provides an incredibly high definition, outstanding contrast - a pure reflection of the high-resolution capability of DV. The zoom technology employed in this camera is the same as Canon uses in their Broadcast TV lenses - the lenses that have come to be used on 60% of the broadcast cameras in the world. When you experience the Elura2's zoom technology, you'll see why. With a crisp, 2.5" color LCD viewfinder, it's easy to tell if what you're shooting is coming out the way you want it to-and it's easy to view and share with others. Twist & flip the viewfinder however you want, so you can shoot from any angle. The ELURA2 MC offers two digital audio modes. The 16 bit mode produces the higher (better than CD quality) two-channel sound quality while the 12 bit mode records on two of four channels - leaving two other channels free to dub extra sound at a later date.
Canon Elura 2MC MiniDV Digital Camcorder with Built-in Digital Still Mode Specifications
Canon's Elura 2MC is small and light enough to pop into a pocket, purse, or glove compartment, making it easy to bring along to any event. Despite its diminutive dimensions, the Elura 2MC is an advanced camcorder, featuring electronic image stabilization, a 10x optical (40x digital) zoom lens, a progressive-scan CCD, and digital still mode.
The Elura 2MC has been designed for point-and-shoot simplicity, making it easy for even beginners to shoot great videos. A number of different programmed auto exposure modes (including sand and snow, sports, portrait, and low light) automatically adjust settings to take the worry out of shooting in challenging conditions.
Besides the different programmed auto-exposure modes, the Elura 2MC also offers three different shooting modes. You'll probably leave the camera set to normal movie mode a majority of the time. Digital photo mode lets you use the Elura 2MC as a digital camera, recording a still image for six seconds on the miniDV tape, and allowing audio commentary. There's a lot of flexibility here: you can switch between movie and digital photo modes and create a unique collage of stills and video. Finally, the digital motor drive mode uses the progressive-scan CCD to capture a full noninterlaced 30 frames per second. This means you can use the footage as a series of independent photographs. The Elura 2MC also comes with a MultiMediaCard for storage of still images.
As a DV camcorder, the Elura 2MC has an IEEE 1394 port for digital editing, or for transferring footage between IEEE 1394-compliant devices, such as computers or other DV camcorders. The Elura also features S-Video input and output. Analog inputs allow you to transfer old footage to DV for archiving. Digital effects include art, black and white, mosaic, and sepia, and built-in faders help ease scene transitions.
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Customer Reviews
Tape Eater - -
Sending mine back-- liked the small profile and features. Shot a few minutes of video on a new tape. Brought it home to watch it and ate the tape up when I tried to rewind it. I'm glad I was only trying it out, I'd hate to have the tape of something important get eaten by the machine.
best DV & camera - -
Very small...works great...easy operation...also films in B&W and sepia which i love...this is my 4th digital camera, and i like this one the best....only problem is the battery does not stay charged for long periods of non use...but recharges fast..maybe i should look into a larger battery?
Motor noise kills an otherwise great camera. - jrvb -
While the small size of this camera makes it great to take around, and easy to use, it apparently doesn't come without a price. When I brought my Elura 2MC home, and shot a few minutes of test video, I was shocked to discover just how loud the motor noise was on the recorded video. Although there is a built-in noise filter, it seems to have no effect on the constant hum from the motor while filming.
Given the price, I assumed that my camera had a manufacturing defect, so I took returned it for a new one. Unfortunately, the second camera had the same problem. While the camera is otherwise quite nice, the constant, annoying background really ruins the video it takes. ;-(
**Product Information Jan 29, 2010 12:00:12**
