Average Reviews:
(More customer reviews)I had it for almost three months. I am generally happy with it although I feel that I could have gotten something else at a cheaper price with better quality if I didn't want something so compact.
First, the picture quality suffers significantly in any low light, like other posters have pointed out, but it is still acceptable for most amateurs and home-moving making purposes. By the way, when I say low light, I dont mean dark, but simply a low light environment like a room in a daylight without the internal lights turned on. The picture gets very grainy as darker it gets. But, it is still acceptable though. Having said that, the picture looks absolutely sharp under normal condition, especially outside under the sun.
Second, the battery lasts about 45 minutes tops. You definitely need to get a second or even a third battery if you want to tape some of the popular home video taping events like graduation. Not using the LCD screen helps, but I bought a camcorder with LCD screen so that I can use it!
Third, the digital image stabilizer is not that good. This is a common fault with other camcorders with digital image stabilizer. If you really want the smooth picture stabilizing function, you have to go with optical image stabilizer, which will set you back some more money.
Fourth, Firewall connection cable (IEEE 1394) is not included, and you have to buy one. You cannot use USB connection to transfer movies from the camcorder to your computer. Be aware of this and add another $$$ bucks to the total cost if you don't have one.
Fifth, the microphone range is very limited. Unless you are within 10 feet of the camera, you will not be heard. Plus, if you talk while filming, you will be the loudest voice on the tape by 100 times over others around you. It is that sensitive. On the infamous Canon camcorder feature of picking up the motor noise, I think it is not that bad. You can hear it, but it is not really that loud. I will be surprised if most camcorders don't record at least some motor noise especially at ones at this size. Unless you are absolutely sensitive about picking up some, very faint noise in the background, I would disregard this popular (almost religious) Canon complaint when thinking about purchasing this camcorder.
Sixth, it is remarkably small, and it is about the size of my digital camera. So, I guess you are giving up on some features for the compactness of the device.
Overall, the camcorder has worked fine without any mechanical problem in three months of ownership. I called the 1-800 call center for some technical help, and they were very helpful. I think you can get better features at a much lower price if you can deal with a camcorder that is not so compact but still fits in one hand.
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Canon Elura 40MC MiniDV Digital Camcorder w/ 2"LCD, MMC Card and Digital Still ModeCanon Elura 40MC Battery Extended. This is a 7.4 Volt, 1000 mAh, Li-Ion Battery . Dimensions: 1.80 x 1.32 x 1.20. 100% OEM compatible.
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