Canon Optura 50 MiniDV Camcorder w/10x Optical Zoom
List Price: $899.00
Details
- 16 - 9 Widescreen Method
- Still Doppelgaenger resolutions - 1632 x 1224, 1280 x 960, 640 x 480
- 2.5-inch. TFT go red in the face screen
Description
The Canon Optura 50 Digital Camcorder combines 2.2 Megapixel bringing off with advanced controls. Multiple exposure modes give you more control for a assortment of settings, compensating for different lighting conditions and different subjects. Cast stabilization captures that shot clearly - no more unsteady, out of focus images. Built-in reminiscence slot let you transfer and share files with ease. Record flicks clips to your memory cards multiple resolutions. Night Look boosts shutter speed for brighter pictures in dim lighting. Gap Priority and Shutter Priority settings let you control the depth of arable while giving you fast-moving, dynamic shots. Motion picture resolutions - 320 x 240, 160 x 120 pixels, 15 frames/sec. Summit Recording Time - SP - 80 min, LP - 120 min (with an 80-min. demo) Fast Forward/Rewind time - 2 min. 20 sec 6 new Disturbance Modes - Foliage, Fireworks, Beach, Snow, Sunset and Limelight Auto Exposure Bracketing takes 3 shots at once - 1 customary, 1 over, 1 underexposed Vivid, Neutral, Low Sharpening, Cushion Skin Detail settings Continuous Shooting Mode for sports and deportment Aperture Priority selects lens aperture for controlling deepness of field Shutter Priority selects faster shutter speedsGenerallyNight Mode 16 bit PCM digital sound Captures still video in JPEG and video in Activity JPEG Built-in flash Inputs - Audio inPredominantlyOutputs - 1 IEEE1394 DV, 1 Video, 1 S-VideoEspeciallyStereo microphone Accepts SD & MMC cards for still image nab Supports Exif Print 2.2 Dimensions - 2.8 x 3.2 x 5.2 in. (70 x 82 x 133 mm) Power - 1.2 lb. (530 g)Customer Reviews
Canon Optura 50 camcorderThis is an distinguished single chip camcorder. They don't make them like this anymore unless you are ready to spend upwards of $2,000. It has excellent automatic features but the value lies in the directions controls for shutter, aperture, standard/widescreen, white footing and audio. What makes this camera stand out from today's consumer camcorders are features like auxiliary shoe, mic input, headphone output and top loading. Great camera!
one trim family minidv camera
i'm a mac owner who wanted a family camera so i can input footage into the mac and edit the footage. after spending way too much even so researching video cameras online and at brick & morter stores, i purchased the canon optura 50.
the optura 50 has firewire which is needed to have the footage transfered from the camera into a mac and have the mac emend software (imovie/final cut express/final cut pro) "see" the camera. this standpoint has worked flawlessly.
the optura 50's specs are decent. it has the largest splinter size of any 1-chip camera. now u can graduate to a 3-chip panasonic but this contemporaries of panasonics does not come with firewire (see above).
the optura 50 also has knobs and buttons to admission menu settings. i much prefer this to the sony's touchscreen menu system which peradventure fine for setting up a camera but interferes with the camera when in operation.
the optura 50 also has jacks for an outside mic and light. all camcorders at this level have so-so on-board mics so the ability to add an alien mic is a cheap solution to an obvious problem. but not all camcorders have an external mic input.
the optura 50 produces mark video outside. its color rendition is excellent. indoors it pays to offering all 1 chip camcorders as much light as possible. when that is done, the canon optura 50 does as well as others in this assess class. the kid's birthday parties have been fine, bringing the dog home was huge, a surprise party for a friend all caught on tape.
for the price and the results i've gotten, i'd buy the optura 50 again. nothing but one person's experience.
Leading feature-set and performance for the price
The Optura 50 irrefutably isn't perfect and there are any number of higher-priced cameras which outperform it. However, the feature-set and scene for the price make the Optura 50 an excellent value.
The automatic silver balance on the Optura 50 is more easily fooled in difficult lighting than challenger cameras so you may frequently find yourself manually choosing a white balance mounting. It's not a huge problem since the controls are easily accessed but it's something to be aware of. Low-supportable is not this camera's strong suit due to image noise.
A more serious issue is that a minority of units offer higher than normal tape transport noise. Several people including myself have had to trade cameras that were much louder than they should have been. I haven't heard of anyone who got two bad cameras in a row though.
Strengths:
Visual Image Stabilization (unheard of at this price-point)
Easily accessed tiller
True, high-resolution 16:9 widescreen mode
Microphone-in harbour with manual audio level control (unusual at this price-direct)
Accessory shoe (cold)
Tilting, extendable viewfinder
Weaknesses:
Other cameras get ready for a better image in low light
Automatic white balance could be both more unerring and more consistent.
Last Canon attain for a while...
I own any tally of Canon products (printer, film camera, Rebel XT, Powershot A40...), and I'm done. Their calling model is just set up so that you just have to keep on buying, and it's driving me nuts (for illustration, the printer only works well if you use the premium Canon paper, and it has 6 ink tanks, only 3 of which I can ever find in the stores, so I'm phoney to buy extra inks that I don't need in a "pack" so that I can get the photo cyan that I in point of fact need -- at a cost of $70. Next time, I'm just buying a new printer. The A40 was ok, but is now defeated (just this morning I was considering buying the A60 as a replacement, but when I found out that I still need to buy a whole clutch of stuff to get the video I took onto my computer, I decided I'm going with Nikon.)).
For the camcorder, the whole drive of buying a DIGITAL camcorder was so that I could transfer to the computer, edit, burn to disk, etc., without having analog deprivation issues. I've read as much as I could, but NO WHERE did I see that if you don't have a firewire connection or a special video condolence card, you can't transfer with this camera. I actually have the video card, but it stinks (which is why I wanted to upgrade from my existing analog camcorder to a digital one), so you end up with a detestable transferred picture. The included USB cable, as well as the "DIGITAL VIDEO SOLUTIONS" disk are not for VIDEO solutions or transfers, they are for STILL Dead ringer transfers (of the 48 pages in the "video" solutions software directions, only 5 relate to "video" transfers -- they deal with how to install the driver, and are for the Optura 60 and 500 only -- the remnants is dedicated to the relatively useless still image functions, how to download those, use require print or something, etc.). How the frig' someone can sell a DIGITAL VIDEO trick with NO means of transferring to a computer or doing anything with the video is beyond me (even if you do have a firewire connection, they don't contain the firewire cable). Note that the Optura 60 includes all the same cables, etc., that the Optura 50 has, but for some sanity video transfer with the (same) included cables is enabled for the Optura 60, but NOT for the Optura 50. I was already on the avert about getting the 60 or not, and had I known I might have picked up the 60 instead. But now I'm only stuck.
The main reason I went with the Optura line is that, all else being equal, it takes the same batteries as the XT, and I already had two of those batteries, with a manageable charger. So now I have three, which was convenient on our recent trip. Of course, the $50 I saved on being masterful to use my extra batteries is going to be more than eaten up by having to buy/install a firewire behave and cable, as well as having to buy video editing software. I'm not looking for anything craving for, just something basic to capture the video and let me burn it to a DVD. But Canon doesn't even encompass that.
As to the merits of the camera itself, with the exception of trying to get the video to some other device, it is tolerably easy to use. I can't speak to the quality of the video just yet -- I've worn out most of our first day back trying to figure out how to get the video to the computer, and then went nuts when I realized that I fair-minded can't with my current configuration and what they include. Most reviews I read before purchase said the zoom travel over wasn't that great, but it wasn't that bad, either. I tend to disagree -- I remarkably would have liked a little extra room on the wide range in picky detail -- filming family (young kids) on the trip I found myself continually having to back up to fill them all in the casing (admittedly, they are young kids, so they were getting pretty close -- if you have a more in compliance subject this may not be an issue). In keeping with their business model, though, you could get a to the utmost angle attachment for "only" $120. One of the function buttons gets arcane by the screen if you tilt it -- a pretty stupid design, since most populace hold the camcorder slightly below eye level, and tilt the screen, and that's when the knob is blocked.
The other feature that distinguishes this camera from others is the steady shot (visual on this one vs. digital on most camcorders). I thought this feature worked less well, but nothing spectacular.
All in all, I wouldn't buy this again, and I'm done buying Canon products. I just can't help hint like I'm being nickel and dimed. If you are interested, consider the additional expenditure of cables, DV cassettes (at least I knew those weren't included ahead of all together, and was able to compare accordingly), video capture/editing software, and maybe the wide angle attachment. Even with all those issues solved, though, the limited zoom area is the killer (the attachment shifts the entire zoom range, so it's still only 10x, and doesn't get as close-matched on the tele end, unless you have the action stop and then go back and forth putting it on and compelling it off -- too much of a hassle, if you ask me). As for me, I'm done with them.
Canon Optura 50 MiniDV is a Gigantic Camcorder
We have been using the Canon Optura 50 miniDV camcorder for almost a month now and we are very pleased as Punch with its performance. The picture quality is very good, it is easy to operate, and the digital camera is leisurely to use with good quality pictures. I have not yet tried the software to burn DVD's, but if that works as well as the camera it should be a gust. I highly recommend this camera to others.
