Canon ES75 Hi8 Camcorder with Color Viewfinder

by Canon

Product Details

• Item Weight: 1.5 pounds
• Shipping Weight: 4 pounds
• Shipping: This item is also available for shipping to select countries outside the U.S.
• ASIN: B0000638RV
• Average Customer Review: 4.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (4 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #20,337 in Camera & Photo (See Top 100 in Camera & Photo)
• Discontinued by manufacturer: Yes
• Date first available at Amazon.com: September 4, 1973

Product Description

Amazon.com Product Description

Hi8 technology has been ignored lately because of the digital revolution, but price-conscious buyers can still find great picture quality and feature-laden Hi8 camcorders, and the Canon ES75 is no exception. Some of its many features include a color viewfinder, built-in video light, time base corrector for a more accurate picture, and digital effects such as art, black and white, sepia, negative, and 16:9 screen ratio. There are also custom keys where you can set the most used or favorite functions close to your fingers.

Lens
The optical zoom has a power of 22x and a digital zoom of 800x. The digital zoom works by electronically enhancing the optical image and comes in handy for objects far away. The autofocus and autoexposure functions keep you concentrated on the action rather than on trying to find the ideal setting for each moment. For greater control you can use the focus controller and direct the camera to focus on an off-center subject. The ES75 has programmed autoexposure settings to match a variety of shooting situations: auto, sports, portrait, spotlight, and sand and snow.

Inputs and Outputs
The standard RCA input-output and cable are included so you can hook the camcorder to a TV for convenient viewing or a VCR for dubbing to regular VHS.

Contents
This package contains the ES75 camcorder, battery pack (model BP-911K), shoulder strap, power adapter (model CA-550K), and AV cable.

From the Manufacturer

Capture life's highlights in thrilling color and fine detail with the Canon ES75 Hi8 camcorder. The ES75's advanced functions and user-friendly design let even absolute beginners achieve smooth, professional-looking results. For exciting videos and crisp still pictures you'll treasure again and again, trust your memories to a Canon ES75.

Optical 22x (Digital 800x) Zoom

Canon's exclusive precision optical zoom lens lets you capture everything from sweeping panoramas to thrilling close-ups, all in flawless detail. The powerful digital zoom lets you increase magnification to an incredible 800x,for even more dramatic results.

Point-and-Shoot Simplicity

The great video opportunities can come suddenly, and even if you're ready, is your camcorder? When there's no time to adjust focus, exposure or white balance, rely on the ES75, which does it all automatically for you. Just switch on, point and shoot.

Built-in Video Light

The built-in video lights lets you keep on shooting even when the light fades. Even in total darkness, the ES75 lets you capture the nightlife without having to carry or connect any added gear.

FlexiZone AF/AE

This exciting and exclusive innovation by Canon lets you keep your subject in perfect focus and exposure regardless of the shooting and lighting conditions. Simply use the FlexiZone controller to align the FlexiZone with your subject in the viewfinder. The ES75 does the rest!

High-Resolution Color Viewfinder

The ES75's high-resolution color viewfinder lets you see your subject in clear, living color, making it easier to compose your shot and predict what the finished scene will look like. Not only will your results be better, you'll enjoy shooting more, too.

Programmed Auto-Exposure

While the ES75's Auto mode is fine for most shooting situations, the camcorder also includes four additional pre-programmed auto exposure modes, each carefully designed to give you the best possible image results under special shooting conditions.

Digital Effects

The ES75 features 8 special digital image effects (Art, Black & White, Sepia, Negative, Mirror, Mosaic, 16:9 and Cinema) to add to your video recordings, for a touch of variety and impact at the touch of a button.

PAL TV Playback

The ES75 can convert NTSC-recorded video to PAL60, letting you enjoy your videos in Europe, Asia and other areas using the PAL TV system.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

97 of 101 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Unbeatable value if you think just enough is enough., July 4, 2002

By 

Neurostokaztik "Maha-Sam-Atman" - See all my reviews

This review is from: Canon ES75 Hi8 Camcorder with Color Viewfinder (Electronics)

This is not my first camcorder, but my 3rd.
Its Hi8 recording format beats my previous other VHS-C and 8mm gear.
Its optical system (22X zoom and large lens), allowing night-time low lux shots, has a surprising level of quality for its price. The Li-Ion battery and separate AC charger on international norm (takes 110-240 V) are lightweight but allow over 2 hours of shooting, ( and even if you switch on permanently the built-in torch, it's still over 1 hour). There is no LCD screen, but this is no big loss for me as I did not want one, due to their voracious power consumption. The color viewfinder with its crisp and bright image compensate for this.
Besides, I do most of my video editing on my PC.For those who don't, it has a lot of predefined titles, shooting and transition modes, accessible in an easy to navigate menu.
Most of my shooting situations are family events, so the 800X zoom will rarely be solicited, (therefore there's no need for an image stabilizer either)
There are 2 big bonus, in my view : first is the off-center focusing (with a joystick tracking if needed) ; second is TV playback mode in PAL, required for most countries outside of US and Japan, so that I can immediately show my European friends the footage taken on *their* TV sets.
I wanted a easy-to-use, quick-to-shoot camcorder, which would replace my digital cam (for still shots) and would at the same time let me record more than 1 hour of video at a good definition and framerate (not the ridiculous postage stamp format), since it's now easy to transfer to a PC (via my TV board) and re-encode it into MPEG-1 or MPEG-2 and burn a VCD. I wanted it to weight no more than a small digital cam, battery included, and I wanted to spend as little money on it as possible.
This cute, compact, Canon ES75 meets these well-defined needs, and the surprise bonus is Canon quality for this "toy" price.

50 of 50 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Best value for a Hi8 camcorder, October 29, 2002

By 

Gadgester "No Time, No Money" (Mother Earth) - See all my reviews
(HALL OF FAME REVIEWER)   

This review is from: Canon ES75 Hi8 Camcorder with Color Viewfinder (Electronics)

This is my second Canon camcorder. I loved my first, an ES970 that uses the regular 8mm format. After giving it to my uncle, I was shopping around for a new one when I saw this on Amazon. The price is right, and my very positive experience with the ES970 made it easy to order two of these, one for my parents.

Both my parents and I love this camcorder. It's very easy to use -- no manual needed for the common functions. Even my mom can use it after I gave her a 1-minute lesson. The buttons are easy to reach and feel solid. The 22x optical zoom is the best in the industry, perhaps of any consumer camcorders sold in the States. I haven't tried the digital zoom yet, since I believe digital zoom, in general, is useless.

The included LiIon battery is good, but I recommend buying an extended battery if you plan to go on a trip. My ES970's older-style NiMH battery lasted about 2 years before showing degraded capacity. The Canon LiIon batteries will probably last longer.

This is a great camcorder, perfect for any family. Don't buy into the digital camcorder hype if you aren't going to edit your videos on a PC anyway. This Canon's price makes it deserve 10 stars.

44 of 45 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Great value on an excellent product., November 21, 2002

By 

bixodoido (Utah, USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Canon ES75 Hi8 Camcorder with Color Viewfinder (Electronics)

This is my first hi8 camcorder, though I've had a couple of the old VHS ones before. I was waiting to get one of these until the value caught up with the technology and I could get a high-quality camcorder at an affordable price. Then this little number came along.

The thing I like most about this camera is its color viewfinder. To me, that is a good tradeoff for not having a larger LCD screen, because those typically drain your battery much faster. This was a good compromise--I can see things in color without cutting my film time short.

This camcorder is loaded with special features, and has a 700 power digital zoom! With it you can get as close to something as you want. You only need to rest your filming arm on something or get a tripod--otherwise you won't be able to hold the picture steady.

A Canon is always a good bet for a camera or camcorder, and they have definitely not let me down with this one. If you're looking for a good bargain but still want a respectable brand and some special features, look no further than the Canon ES75.