Customer Reviews

Canon Optura 40 MiniDV Camcorder w/14x Optical Zoom

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

 

 

I pre-ordered this camera and got it the day it was "released" (5/20), thank you Amazon. Overall the feature content is pretty slick but I have a few issues I need to investigate before I declare that I am in love with this camera or that I am disappointed.

My big concern is that I see a very strange effect when I am mildly zoomed on a subject and the subject is moving around. I see a "fluttery" effect as though the shutter is too slow for the action. It gets really bad at times and is really annoying. I am not sure if the camera (in its "auto-everything" mode) is attempting to adjust to the change in the subject but whatever it is its not good. I will follow up with Canon to determine what the issue is to see if this is a feature of the camera, if my camera is defective or if I am not using it correctly.

I did a side by side comparison with my old Sony DCR-TRV20. The Canon's image at times shows off the 3x more effective pixels and is generally brighter than the Sony but again I am not totally blown out of the room with improvements with the Canon. Low light is a problem and it generates grainy pictures.

Update: june 13, 2004

I noticed the review where the guy mentions the "auto slow shutter" control. BINGO. Barring this strangeness that is now solved, this camera is excellent. In my opinion the video quality is more film-like than video. I assume this is due to the high number of pixels.

As far as the still image feature goes, I've taken really good and really bad shots. Its all about holding the camera still and in my opinion its a little challenging considering the location of straps and buttons on this camera for still shots. None-the-less, if you take your time and think about it, you can get some great stills.

Great Camera.

The Optura 30/40 has two default settings that need to be changed. The first is that in Easy and Auto modes, shutter speed can be a slow as 1/30 second. This causes video to blur, ghosts with fast movement, and blur (grain?) in low light. Go to Auto Slow Shutter (A.SL.Shutter and turn it OFF). The shutter speed will be no slower than 1/60, creating much sharper video.

The second is that audio is defauted to 12 bit. Change this to 16 bit for better audio.

I am extrememly pleased with my Optura 40. It's great in low light, is user friendly, stabilization works well in both 5:4 and 16:9 modes, and the 14X optical is all I'll ever need. The quality of the video and audio is great. It's comfortable in my hand and feels "solid". I like it being a top loader since I use both a monopod and tripod when I can.

Negatives include: In 5:4 mode, tele isn't wide enough (but is fine in 16:9), the cover for the S-video jack seems cheap, and I wish it had optical stabilization. However, it does have better stabilization than my Nikon Hi8 camcorder that has optical stabilization--so it has excellent electronic image stabilization. Also, the 34mm filter/adapter size is unusual. However, step up rings are available (e.g. 34mm to 37mm)and with the fast selling Opturas 30/40 and Eluras 60/65/70 having 34mm filters, I suspect that they're be plenty of 34mm filters available shortly.

I originally wanted a Sony because that is what all my co-workers recommened, however, I had to agree with the sales person who suggested the Canon. After comparing the Canon Optura 40 to several Sony models I believe I made the right choice.

It didn't take long for me to read the manual and familiarize myself with the camera. I found it very easy to use and intuitive. It does have many features but the camera is not cluttered with them. I started taking pictures and video in Las Vegas, Grand Canyon and Yosemite but I wasn't sure how they were coming out because I couldn't connect it to a TV until I got to San Francisco.

When I finally hooked up the video to the TV I was stunned. The video clarity and colors were just amazing! Everything was so natural, clear and vivid. I felt like I was reliving the whole experience again. I'm not sure if it's because of the Canon lens or the digital chip but whatever it is the Optura 40 does a super job. I also learned I need to move my hand more slowly! The image stablizer did a great job of correcting my jitters without any loss of video quality. I understand that Canon has one of the best image stabilizers and I believe it. I later found out why the video looks so great on the Canon. Part of the reason is a 2.2 megapixel CCD and their own RGB color filter which sharpens the colors much like the new 3 CCD camcorders.

The digital pictures also came out great. My brother-in-law purchased an Olympus 3 mega-pixel digital camera on the trip and the color and detail of my photos were just as clear if not even better. It's also very easy to switch between video and pictures with a quick flip of the switch with your right hand which is comfortably positioned on the camera. Also the 14X zoom is great. We couldn't see the climbers in Yosemite but with the zoom it was possible.

On the downside, I was a little disappointed with video in low light conditions. The video gets grainy and unclear. But thank goodness for the other reviewer who suggested to turn off the auto slow shutter setting and for using the indoor mode. Much better video quality thank you! The night light really only works for close ups and still motion. I thought I could take video of the Las Vegas strip with the light but it creates a trailing effect. Also the battery doesn't last very long. I got just under an hour.

The Canon is a great camcorder/camera: easy to use, briliant colors, and high build quality. A great value. And with the quality digital photos I don't think I'll need a separate camera.

Last, thanks for reading my review and thanks to all of you for contributing your own reviews. This is my first review and I appreciate all of you taking the time to write which really helps average consumers like me make more informed decisions. Thanks!

Most of the negative comments I read about the camera are from people that don't know how to use the camera. It takes a little time to go through the menus and read the cryptic (non-detailed) manual. And, not all the features are described in the manual.

- The camera does very well in low light indoor situations if you put it in "Indoor" mode.

- I barely noticed the camera motor noise during quiet scenes. I think the only reason I noticed it is because I was listening for it.

- The camera fits very nicely in my hand, with the strap and zoom switch in just the right positions.

- This is my first digital camcorder and it was very easy to learn how to use the basic features. Some of the advanced features took some trial and error to figure out.

- My only disappointments were that it did not come with a tape or firewire, the manual is poor, and the included 8MB card is ridiculous (buy a 256 or 512).

I did a lot of research before selecting this camera, and I am confident I made the right choice. I would have given it 4.5 stars if I had the option.

I will give 5 stars for the Optics - just amazing pictures, especially in daylight. I shot a few pictures under a 60 Watt (yellow) light and the picture quality was surprisingly good.

What I liked most about this Camcorder:

1. Great image quality, especially in daylight (comparable to the panasonic 3 ccd model which is much more expensive)

2. Very sleek and compact. Love the look of it

3. Robust. My 3 year old has already dropped it twice and the camcorder has taken it very well.

4. Very good Mic. Audio quality of the recorded movies with the built-in mic was amazing

5. The LCD is big, bright and has crisp images

What I did not Like (complaints):

1. The manual sucks. It is just a little more than a complete listing of all the menus that the camcorder provides. Not much explanation and no good flow.

2. The camcorder "automatically" chooses between optical and digital zoom. There is no way you can manually control that

3. The battery lasts for just 30 minutes (at least in my case). I had to buy a high capacity battery seperately to make it meaningful.

4. The camcorder provides a 12 bit and a 16 bit audio mode. But if you choose 16 bit mode, then later on, you cannot mix audio with the movie using the Audio dubbing feature. The audio dubbing just stops if it sees a 16 bit clip, it works only with 12 bit. Very annoying and very nonsense. I think the reason is that the camcorder stores both, the original as well as the dubbed audio and needs the extra bits for this. But nevertheless, annoying.. (In my enthusiasm, I recored two tapes in 16 bit mode and now am stuck, I cannot mix in audio without first converting them to 12 bit and there is no easy way of doing that).

But overall, this camcorder is a champ.

I received Optura 40 as a gift about a month ago. This is my firs DV camcorder.
The quality of movies is amazing, colors are just perfect, and it performs quite well in a low light condition. The are also night modes that turn night in a day (not too realistic, but would be great for recording a wildlife at night for example). Quality of pictures is also great - I do not have to buy a separate still camera, 8X10 enlrgements came out fantastic, and combined with 14X optical zoom you can make it a spy tool. The camera is quite easy to use and intuitive. I really enjoy using this camera. The ability to record 16:9 picture is according to some specialists the best solution on the market unless you want to spend big money on 16:9 CCD camera.

The downsides:
MANUAL!!! I was close to returning the camera to the store after getting frustrated with it. Just sucks.... everything is actually in there, but it as readable as a phone book.

Software - Why there is not a single software for DV capture to a PC? I realize that a lot depends on the card controller, but there has to be a more or less universal solution. So far, Windows Movie Maker 2 fails to properly record sound in DV quality, Ulead has a similar problem and the only one working properly is Adobe Premiere 7.... But maybe it is my Firewire card, who knows...If thre is anyhing more frustrating than recording DV onto a computer, I have yet to find it. I feel Canon could include a simple capture utility and editing program.

Still picture quality with low light is too grainy, looks like the camera tried to go to the highest ISO settings, the results are not too encouraging.

Battery life is about 1 hour without the LCD (elongates somewhat when the battery goes through a couple of initial charge cycles).

Because I am left handed I also use my left eye to see through the viewfiner, but occassionally I start and stop recording with my nose. Fortunatelly the left handed are a minority.

I also had an impession that the camere motor become a bit more noisy recently, but it could be due to a very quiet scenes.

Overall, I love it!!! I think that the quality far outweighs some minor quirks.

Wonderful! I don't know much about video, but I just plugged it in and it worked. I am really pleased with the quality of the video and the nice way it connects to the software that came free on my computer (iMovie).

Yesterday I took video in falling snow. I set the camera to Snow/Sand setting, and it took care of everything. Nice feature.

The manual is minimal. I hope to find something better online.

The camera has superb color rendering. Also has a true 16:9 CCD - recordings look truly remarkable on my widescreen TV. I had no shutter issues whatsoever.

Canon Optura 40 MiniDV

My family just bought the Canon Optura 40 MiniDV Camcorder w/14x Optical Zoom; it is a digital video camera. I fell in love with this camera as soon as my mom charged it up and turned it on. I immediately wanted to take the camera out and start taping the first thing that came to mind. I started with video taping my house just like I was on MTV's cribs. I went in all of the bedrooms of the house, then I went to show off the cars, next I went into the back yard and taped the pool and all of the extensions that we've added on to the back yard. There were three excellent features on this camera; they were the readable buttons, flip-out side panel-viewing window, and the long battery life.
The best part about the camera was the simplicity of the buttons. The buttons on the camera are located on the underneath the flip out screen. The buttons had their symbols on them and also had the function written above. After messing around with the camera for a few hours, I had remembered the order of the buttons. A slight down side to this camera is that it is for right handed people in general, which allows you to have your fingers on the buttons at all times.
The next item is the viewing window on the camera. The camera has a flip-out, rotating, side view panel. This panel has crystal clear imaging that is amazing. Looking at a tape that I had taken a few months prior; I was amazed of how the crystal clear images of the tape place me back in the moment. The tape was of a parade in North Dakota. With me living in Arizona, and to feel as if I were back in North Dakota is truly breathtaking. The reason why the picture on the screen is so realistic is the vivid colors. Even in low light the picture quality is superior.
Battery life is another huge plus with this camera. The battery on the camera can almost last one tape; however, this isn't continued use. If the battery is used continuously it will last about an hour. The battery takes approximately fifteen minutes to charge up. This is a huge plus, if you are in a hurry and need another battery right away or even if it is a back up battery.
There are several other wonderful qualities to this camera: compact, lightweight, comfortable eye piece, clear voice recorder, extraordinary playback, and exceptionally easy to travel with. This camera has a high rating from most of the people that own it. It is definitely worth every penny spent. It is highly recommended by most to go take a look at one soon.

As many camcorder fans, I was excited by the Canon Press Release about Canon Optura 40 Camcorder, pre ordered it and received it late May. After opening the box, the camera looks great: compact, slick, nice looking lens. However, after a couple of time trial shootings, all these nice impressions were gone for good! A few Major disappointments:
1) Poor video image. The video image has too much "digital" jaggies both in regular daylight and lower light environment shooting. When you play back on the TV, you see the "fluttery" effect all the time. When you pause the image, the jaggies are very obvious and horrible. This is even worse when you shoot in the low light environment.
2) Noisy zoom lever. The zoom lever on the top on the camera body was not a well made (or designed) part. When you zoom in & out using the lever, the noise is very obvious and annoying. This noise was clearly recorded heard from the tape when you playback.
3) The still camera quality is less than a regular 2.0 MP digital camera.
4) The strap that holds your hand of video filming is not in the right position to make your hand comfortable.
5) The 2.5" view LCD screen has too much info displayed and this made the small 2.5" LCD very noisy.

I contacted the Canon USA for my questions. No clear answers were given about the image quality. I compared Optura 40 with Panasonic PV-GS200, the Panasonic has far more better video image quality. Big disappointment for me.