Canon Elura 40MC MiniDV Digital Camcorder w/ 2"LCD, MMC Card and Digital Still Mode

by Canon

Product Details

Product Manual [2.65mb PDF]

• Shipping Weight: 1 pounds
• Shipping: Currently, item can be shipped only within the U.S.
• ASIN: B000068DB8
• Average Customer Review: 2.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (33 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #18,192 in Camera & Photo (See Top 100 in Camera & Photo)
• Date first available at Amazon.com: May 14, 2003

Product Description

Amazon.com Review

Canon's Elura 40MC is one of the smallest, lightest digital video camcorders available. Weighing around 14 ounces, this vertically oriented camcorder fits snugly into the palm of your hand (not resting on your hand like most cameras, this one fits almost inside it).

Because of its compact frame, some of its features had to be trimmed. Its 2-inch LCD is smaller than most, but its bright screen can be viewed easily even in daylight. Unlike many other camcorders, the Elura's viewfinder displays in color, not black and white. It also offers only a 10x optical zoom, not as high as other cameras, but still adequate for most users.

Unlike many camcorders whose still image quality is subpar, the Elura 40MC captures 1024 x 768 pixel still pictures on a Secure Digital media card (an 8 MB SD card is included) rather than on the MiniDV media. And if coupled with a Canon CP-10 card photo printer, you can directly print images from the Elura without going through your PC.

But it's video quality that matters most in a DV camcorder. The Elura 40MC captured excellent video, even in poor lighting conditions. It doesn't have a built-in light, but its low-light mode still managed to record impressive video with realistic colors and limited graininess.

The Elura's autofocus worked quickly and accurately, and its zoom buttons were within easy reach during filming. The basic modes of the camera make it point-and-shoot easy for the novice user. Audio quality with the built-in mic wasn't the best (we noticed some noise during recording), but the Elura comes with a port that lets you connect an external microphone.

It's not the least expensive camcorder out there, but the extreme portability of the Elura 40MC paired with its excellent video quality make it an appealing choice. --J. Curtis

Pros:

• Light and compact
• High quality video
• Good still image capture

Cons:

• Average optical zoom
• Some audio noise

Product Description

Canon 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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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

38 of 39 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Previous Comments (both good and bad) are Right On!, August 28, 2002

By A Customer

This review is from: Canon Elura 40MC MiniDV Digital Camcorder w/ 2"LCD, MMC Card and Digital Still Mode (Electronics)

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.

23 of 23 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars An great camcorder and VERY easy to take with you., July 23, 2002

By 

Eric Majewski (Columbus, OH USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Canon Elura 40MC MiniDV Digital Camcorder w/ 2"LCD, MMC Card and Digital Still Mode (Electronics)

Armed with lots of research and my wife's two criteria for selecting a camcorder (it had to be small and easy to use) we bought the Elura MC 40 for its list of features in a very small and very cool package -- plus the canon quality. This one has all the features of a full-sized DV cam, but fits into a small, padded waist pack with a couple of tapes, batteries, and the charger without a problem. This was key as we are expecting our first child and didn't want to add too much to the extra baggage we'll be carrying.

This one doesn't have megapixel stills at 1020x960, but it's still tons better than 640x480 on most compact cams, and we have a 35mm for the serious photography anyway. Lots of great on-camera editing and shooting features, and some basic photo and movie editing software included. If you're going to do some serious movie editing, I'd recommend purchasing a better software package or taking advantage of one of Canon's mail-in rebate deals.

Mac users, you'll love this one. We had a pre-USB Powerbook running OS 8.6 and bought USB and Firewire PCMCIA cards for it. It runs just great without spending the extra cash upgrading the OS like the card manufacturers say to. Also, I wouldn't spend the extra cash on the expensive firewire cards that a Mac specific. I picked up an inexpensive IBM card [$$] at the local computer store, plugged it in, downloaded the supporting drivers from Apple, and it fired right up.

You will have a lot of fun with this cam. We took it out for the first time on July 4th, and everyone was amazed by it. Plugged it into the S-video on the nearest TV, and we had a great time watching the day's events!

22 of 24 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars A great camcorder...especially for the size, January 9, 2003

By 

iam42 (Houston, TX United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Canon Elura 40MC MiniDV Digital Camcorder w/ 2"LCD, MMC Card and Digital Still Mode (Electronics)

I bought this camcorder for a trip to Europe and I love it. I could store it in my jacket pocket when not using it and didn't have to drag around a huge bag with a bunch of useless equipment. This is my first camcorder (and first camera since an old Olympus 35mm), so I'm clearly an amateur. It's got more features than I'll use in 2 lifetimes, so there should be enough to satisfy almost everyone.

Video--is excellent, especially outdoors. Weather doesn't matter, as long as it's outside. It was cloudy all but one day and the video is awesome. Indoor is grainy if the light is too low, but reading reviews of other camcorders, I couldn't find one which said "great video quality indoors." All are grainy indoors. Live with it. You buy this for the size.

Still Pix--are not great. But are you buying a camcorder or camera? If all you care about are still pix, save yourself a few hundred bucks and buy a still-camera. No small camcorder offers a 4 or 5 megapixel resolution with stills. Even the Sony MicroDV only offers 2MP still resolution. With the exposure set to "super fine" I was pleased with the resolution, but I've seen pictures from a 4 MP still camera, and the images don't compare. The pix are not bad, but not excellent. But then, I care about video...not pictures--it's a camcorder afterall.

Sound--I think is great. Yea, there is the motor whine when it's quiet. But guess what, after a few seconds, you tune it out and forget about it. It is not very annoying at all. It does tend to amplify the voice of whomever is doing the recording. But what microphone doesn't amplify the sound closest to it?

SD/MMC card--is only tested by Canon to 64MB (per customer service) which is bad. They recommend not using anything higher than 64.

Battery--doesn't last too long, especially the smaller one. I forked over the money to buy the larger battery and it is well worth it. This way, when it runs down, you pop in the small one and you have another 30-50min of filming.

Ease of Use--I had filmed some items and was watching it on TV within 20 minutes of taking it out of the box. I had the still camera and fader/digital effects figured out within another 20 minutes or so. You must read the manual. It's real easy.

Buttons--are not small considering the size of the camcorder. If you need bigger buttons, buy a bigger camcorder. Remember, you buy this for the size.

Overall--it is great. Fantastic outdoor video and sound pickup with unbelievable portability and ease of use. This is not a "professional" camcorder. It should be used for "hobby" filming and as a great travel-size camcorder. If you need more bells and whistles (external mic mount, attached light) you need a bigger camera. As far as the "save yourself the trouble and buy a Sony" crowd, I've owned many Sony products and find they don't perform any better than anything else. But Sony always seems to want a few hundred more of your hard earned dollars to make you think their product is better. Ask someone about software compatability with their MicroDV camcorder...then watch 'em squirm.