Customer Reviews

Canon DC20 2.2 MP DVD Camcorder w/10x Optical Zoom

5 star:		(5)
4 star:		(3)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(4)

 

 

I took a chance on a Canon, in part because of Sony's lengthy rap sheet of offenses against its customers, in part because a lot of people really seem to like their products. Up to this point I've used a miniDV Sony purchased in 2000. Unfortunately, my gamble with Canon didn't pay off. Two major problems:

1) There is a noticeable scraping noise every 5 seconds as it engages the DVD drive, which the microphone picks up unfailingly in quiet situations. (Imagine filming your sleeping newborn and noticing during playback a sound much like mice hard at work just off camera.)
2) It was hot to the touch within minutes of being powered up, i.e. before I finished recording sample footage. (I was using the AC adapter, not the battery.)

In case it is relevant, here is what pg. 124 of the instruction manual says:
"Problem: The disc's rotation can be faintly heard. Solution: The disc is activated from time to time. This is not a malfunction.
Problem: Occasionally the operation sound can be heard. Solution: The disc is activated from time to time. This is not a malfunction.
Problem: Pressing the start/stop button will not start recording. Solution: The camcorder has exceeded its operational temperature. Disconnect the compact power adapter and remove the battery pack and let the camcorder cool down before resuming use."

I didn't buy it from Amazon.com (I didn't want to wait for it to ship over the holidays) & I'm not looking forward to paying a restocking fee to return a "not malfunctioning" but basically unusable product.

P.S. The two stars I gave it are for its compact size and cool appearance. Better luck next time on the rest.

I thought I would try this camcorder as I have used Canon products before and have always liked them. The controls seem easy to follow. I spent some time reading the book and playing with the camcorder getting used to how the controls work. Video playback quality was very good. I made some test videos on mini DVD-RW disks and loaded them onto my computer and burned them to regular-sized DVD's. Everything worked great. Overall, I am very pleased with this camcorder.

Size of camcorder is awesome and best sellng point. It's also pretty to use.
Video is excellent when shooting outside, and inside with plenty of light.
Video is only average when indoor lighting is moderate to fair.
Battery life is OK - about what you find on other camcorders in this category.
Stay away from Memorex disks. Only getting 14 minutes (instead of 20) when shooting in highest mode. Have heard similar complaints from a Sony camcorder owner.

The camera does heat up when attached to the charger.I complained to Cannon support about the camera getting hot enough to the point that you cannot touch it.
They didnt know anyhting about it (even though the manual that came in the box does point out issues with reaching optimal temperature).
I returned it after a week.
Although I should say that it is a very slim/light camera and does have a superb video quality.

If it wasnt for the battery/charging I would have kept it

Pros:
1.Camcorder is very easy to operate.
2.Has most of the option to capture video/photo - Auto, pre-progrmmed.
3.Has manual control to explore more.
4.Video quality is excellent and can be viewed in 21" Screen with clear picture.
Cons:
1. Battery life is less if you use display and zoom
2. The Roxio software gives problem while downloading. So better go for some other software. Even i am searching for the suitable software.
3.As the picture is only a 2MP, it is not must suitable for photos. but reasonable quality can be achieved with 2MP.

When I bought the unit, I loved it. Then after recording many items onto a disk, the disk became unreadable. Oh, my first use of memorex media. I switched back to old reliable TDK. Nope. It wrote a whole disk of recordings, but cannot reliably read them, nor can I transfer them to a computer or play the disk on a DVD player. It stoped working, was expensive, is not that old, and I don't know what to do.

This is a good camera and couple that with the price and you have a great camera. The picture quality is much better than similarly priced DVD camcorders and the optics are first rate. I will say that if you have a hard time with directions then may consider buying a hard drive or mini DV camera instead. Using a DVD camcorder is not as user friendly as using a mini DV or hard drive camera. Most of the negative feedback that I have read regarding DVD camcorders has been a direct result of the user not understanding the directions or misplaced expectations. As far as the free sample software that comes with this camera, it is virtually of no value (that is probably why it's free). Expect to buy the upgrade from Roxio or buy your preferred brand from a software retailer. For that matter if you are planning on doing heavy editing you should strongly consider buying a hard drive camcorder but if you are like me and just do the occasional edit then this is a great choice. The biggest drawback to this camera is its limited optical zoom (this probably because of its compact size). For the casual user (shooting birthday parties, Christmas, etc.) this will not be a big concern but if it becomes a concern down the road, then just buy the 1.5x or 2.0x lens attachment. As far as still picture shooting goes, this camera does an average job. It will not replace your digital camera but for what it is, it is fine. I have heard that the DC 20 is being discontinued and is being replaced by the DC 22 but the bottom line is: the Canon DC 20 is the best value in the 2 MP range.

This is a nice little camera, and the video quality is excellent. However, I cannot recommend it because the video editing software is from Roxio. Canon clearly states that they do not provide product support for the software. Roxio also avoids supporting the software - if you have a problem, they will allow you to call tech support for $40, or they will kindly sell you an upgrade for $39.95. I have been trying, unsuccessfully, for 6 weeks to get an unlock code from them to allow me to use the software. For some reason, when I installed the software and registered it as instructed, I never received back an unlock code, so the software is useless. Roxio obviously made a piggyback deal with Canon in order to force people into buying their "upgraded" product. Roxio simply ignores e-mails.

I own this camera/camcorder, and the first thing you notice is that it is absolutely gorgeous. It's color is two-toned and it is a well-made quality product from Canon. It's very small in size and takes the place of both a camera and camcorder, which makes it convenient to travel with.

It uses mini DVD's for videoing and a mini SD card for photos. Once you get the hang of it, it is easy to use and easy to switch back and forth between camera and camcorder.

My videos and photos come out crisp, clear and in true-life colors. I can very easily transfer my videos and photos to regular DVD's using my Sony DVD recorder or a computer DVDRW drive.

My only complaint and the reason for the 4 stars instead of 5, is the battery's charge is not long enough which requires you to always keep a spare on hand. You can charge the battery in the device, but I bought a spare charger to charge without using the camera.

I have never had a problem with this camera/camcorder.

This camcorder is relatively easy to use. I have not complaints as to how easy this camcorder was designed.

This camera is only held back by the Roxio software it came with. Canon should have just tied up with Ulead. The Roxio program that came with the unit takes such a long time to load the images inside the dvd. This causes the unit to heat up a lot since it takes such a long time to just load the thumbnails to the PC.

To those who have a hard time uploading their images to their PC here are the steps I took to upload faster.

I finialize the disk and use Ulead Video studio 10 to capture the dvd data and then I convert the dvd data into avi or dvd file format (or any other format that you fancy). With this step the camcorder doesn't get over worked and I use less time transfering the data.