Canon Elura 70 MiniDV Camcorder w/18x Optical Zoom

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Product Details

Product Manual [10.63mb PDF]

• Shipping Weight: 5 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Shipping: Currently, item can be shipped only within the U.S.
• ASIN: B0001GCAWO
• Item model number: 70
• Average Customer Review: 2.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (17 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #10,127 in Camera & Photo (See Bestsellers in Camera & Photo)
• Date first available at Amazon.com: February 8, 2006

Product Description

From the Manufacturer

Life is full of special occasions that we wish could be savored forever -- the ultimate vacation, the excitement of a high school graduation ceremony, your family's first trip abroad, the antics of your favorite pet. With Canon's new line of Elura camcorders, no matter where you go the moment never has to end. Elura camcorders feature Canon's DV Photo Plus. DV Photo Plus unleashes the full digital imaging power of your Canon Megapixel camcorder, promising a superior level of clarity, color and excellence for video and photos.

Auto-Exposure Bracketing In uncertain lighting conditions, the Auto-Exposure Bracketing feature will make sure your bases are covered: With a single press of the PHOTO button, the camcorder records three photos with different exposures. Later, you can choose which photo is best for printing or storing.

Canon's DV Photo Plus
DV Photo Plus unleashes the full digital imaging power of your Canon Megapixel camcorder, promising a superior level of clarity, color and excellence for video and photos.

Spoil yourself with brilliant color and clarity
The new line of Elura camcorders combines refined design sensibilities with the best in Canon technology. Featuring a 1.33 Megapixel Image Sensor, the camcorders deliver images with brilliant color and clarity. Photos can be captured at a variety of different image qualities and compression sizes (Superfine/ Fine/Normal) giving you the ability to balance quantity with quality.

Shoot video and photos without interruption
No more struggling to switch your camcorder between video- and photo-taking modes. With the new line of Elura camcorders, you can capture e-mail ready (640 x 480) photos to the memory card while simultaneously recording high-quality video to the tape. You won't miss a minute of the memories you want to capture.

Zoom in on superior images
With an Elura camcorder in your hand, you have image-making power designed by a company renowned for high-quality professional optics. The Genuine Canon Optics found in every Elura camcorder is the result of Canon's vast expertise in designing and crafting precision lenses for 35mm and broadcast TV cameras. The Elura 70 offers 18x optical zoom lens, and 360x digital zoom, taking full advantage of the DV format.

Catch all the action without the shake
Thanks to the Elura's high quality Image Stabilization system, your videos will always look smooth, steady and natural... even when shooting hand-held at full telephoto. In addition, the bright 2.5" LCD view screen makes it easy to compose sensational shots without having to squint into the viewfinder. You can rotate the screen for high-or low-angle shots, or turn it around 180 to record yourself. When you're done shooting, the screen is perfect for reviewing your scenes.

Print and transfer images with ease
The first camcorders to offer a Print/Share button, the Elura makes direct printing and downloading images to a computer a quick, easy and enjoyable task. When the Elura camcorder is connected to a printer, the Print/Share button lights up blue, letting you know that you can begin printing simply by pressing it once. You can also transfer a photo directly to your computer, with just a single press of the button.

Shoot close-ups they'll love
When shooting close-ups of people, the Elura-series camcorders utilize a Skin Detail Function to automatically soften details. The result is a more complimentary appearance that will keep your subjects coming back. And for those moments when your subject is not in the centre of the frame, the Elura camcorders offer three focusing points that will automatically put your desired subject into sharp focus.

Relive those low-light moments
Thanks to the Elura's Night Mode feature, you can easily capture low-light images with the press of a button. Night Mode automatically selects a slow shutter speed and increases the sensitivity of the CCD to brighten up the image, while still preserving color. With Night Mode, what you record is closer to what your eye sees.

Seamlessly connect to your computer, TV or VCR
Embracing the industry's latest and most sophisticated technology, Canon's Elura camcorders feature an exclusive connection circuit called VIC. VIC is a virtual powerhouse. Traditionally, multiple chips were needed to perform the camcorder's input and output functions. However VIC manages it all with one single chip. The result is seamless connectivity whether you are connecting to a computer, TV, or VCR.

	USB Terminal The USB Terminal also allows high-speed transfer of images from your SD Memory Card or MultiMediaCard to your computer. By using the USB cable and software provided, you can process and organize your images on your PC.

Enjoy wide-screen images
With the Elura 70, you can record high-resolution video in 16:9 format for playback on wide-screen TVs. Unlike systems that record a vertically stretched picture, the Elura 70 uses the full width of the CCD, resulting in a wide-screen picture that has higher quality and shows more of the action happening at either end of the screen.

Multi-image Screen You can divide your screen into four, nine or sixteen pictures with the Image Capture function.

Take continuous shots at the press of a button
With the Elura's improved Continuous Shooting Mode, you can capture a rapid succession of digital photos to the memory card just like a camera's motor drive. Shoot 3 images/second at 1280x360 resolution, and an incredible 5 images/second at 640x480 resolution. It's the perfect feature for times when the action's happening fast and you don't want to miss a single moment.

Make mini movies at a moment's notice
With the Elura's improved Motion JPEG feature, you can record short movie clips in 320 x 240 or 160 x 120 for the full length of the SD Memory Card. Afterwards, quickly transfer your mini movie to a computer and attach it to an e-mail or post it on the web.

Get creative with the supplied software
The Elura Kit includes software for image management and editing: ZoomBrowser EX (Windows) and ImageBrowser (Macintosh) which let you easily download, browse, archive, and retouch your photos. It will even automatically resize images and allow you to attach them to e-mail, arrange them for printing, and add text.

Take control of your creativity
The Elura-series camcorders will have you shooting like a pro, thanks to the pre-programmed auto exposure modes (Auto, Sports, Portrait, Spotlight, Sand & Snow and Low Light mode). Each mode is carefully designed to give you the best possible image results under special shooting conditions. More experienced users will also appreciate the manual focus, exposure level, white balance, and shutter speed controls.

Faders and Special Effects The Elura camcorders come complete with a wide selection of faders and special effects that can add visual appeal and greater imaging variety. Choose from Fade Trigger, Wipe, Corner, Jump, Flip, Puzzle, Zigzag, Beam and Tide. For a more creative look, you can switch on the following digital effects during recording or playback: Art, Black & White, Sepia, Mosaic, Ball, Cube, Wave, Color Mask or Mirror.

Personalize your Elura camcorder
Want to truly set your camcorder apart from the pack? Personalize your camcorder by customizing the start-up image and camcorder operation sounds. With an Elura camcorder, you can choose a start-up image from the included software CD or use your own digital recordings. In addition, the camcorder offers a multi-language display of information in the LCD or Viewfinder, including English, French, Spanish, German, Italian, Russian, Chinese, and Japanese.

Product Description

Canon's Mini DV megapixel camcorders - the Elura 70, Elura 65 and the Elura 60 - prove once again that high quality digital camcorders can be easy to handle, easy to afford and easy to use. These streamlined lightweight, 1.33 megapixel video cameras are easy enough for any beginner to use anytime, anywhere and for any occasion and simple enough to turn memorable moments into family heirloom video and prints.The Elura 70 model - Canon's top-of-the-line entry - provides many extras that more than offset its difference in price with the Elura 65 and Elura 60 camcorders. Most notably, the Elura 70 camcorder features a powerful 18x optical zoom combined with a 360x digital zoom (compared with the Elura 65 camcorder's 16x optical/320x digital zoom and the Elura 60 camcorder's 14x optical/280x digital zoom). The Elura 70 also comes with an exclusive 0.7x wide attachment lens that expands the camcorder's wide-angle capabilities. As an additional value, the Elura 70 camcorder ships with Canon's new double capacity rechargeable battery (compared with the standard capacity battery included with the Elura 65 and Elura 60 models).

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

82 of 85 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Take it from someone who has researched., September 30, 2004

By	James Michael Sadek - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

I'm about to shoot my first independent film and I looked long and hard for the right camera at the price range I could afford. In the end, I was really torn between this camera and the panasonic PVGS120.

What I was really looking for in a camcorder was good video quality. The canon definitely has better stabilization than the panasonic but what got to me the most was how bad the GS120's picture distorted after 32X or so. The advertized 700 zoom is a waste of time and space not to mention the consumers money. Why have that in when it's almost unbearable to look at?

The next issue was that of the 3ccd in the GS120 versus the one chip of the canon. I must say that if you compare the two side by side (esp after white balancing) you'll see that the Canon can edge out the colors and look that you'll find through the GS120. Impressive for a one chip cam. And besides folks, a 3 chip cam at this price range is too good to be true. Don't let anyone tell you otherwise (the GS200 and 400 are different stories however!).

As a bonus, the Canon has an audio input which helps ME cover all my audio bases. My intention is to use both an external mic and a digital recorder to make sure I get the best sounds to synch with my film. This is highly important because any person who is good at making movies will tell you that sound is as (if not more) important than what the audience sees visually.

The Canon Elura 70 fits nicely in the palm of my hand and feels great. The menu is so easy to use that I got the ins and outs of my cam in an about 2 hrs.

Now for the con which really isn't that major anyways. The backlight sucks. But then again, you shouldn't even be dependant on it. Get a VL 1 or VL 3 flash to go with it and you'll be set. Not a big deal. Using Nightmode blurs the screen and distorts the shutter anyways. Don't bother. It was nice of them to throw it in anyhow :)

So in conclusion, the factors that helped me lean towards the Canon were the stabilizer, the zoom, and the fact that this 1 CCD camera looks just as good as panasonic's 3CCD cam. I hope you enjoy it and it definitely gets my thumbs up. Take care.

61 of 63 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Great camcorder for the money., October 20, 2004

By	ryan329 (BOCOMO) - See all my reviews

Pros: Great package. The camcorder is small, but easy to use. Mega pixel capacity for little money. Video quality is great. SD memory is handy.

Cons: Not as compact as the Sony HC series.

I am a very savvy consumer and I have spent a lot of time researching cameras and camcorders. It seems like I always end up buying Canon products and there is a reason for it.

The Elura 1/4.5 inch CCD is the best in the class. Sony offers a smaller 1/6 inch CCD for the same price. The quality of materials used to make the Elura series is excellent. The picture is great, but it is the little things impress me. The hinge on the LCD screen is the best designed hinge ever on a camera. The camera is compact and has been well engineered. The video quality is great because it has a bigger CCD than many of the camcorders in the same price range. Don't get me wrong it isn't as good as the Canon GL2, but for the money I am impressed. It has a big lens that lets a lot of light in, which improves low light video.

The SD card slot and the hot shoe is a nice feature. The mega pixel capacity is also great. It doesn't take as good still pictures as my Canon S410, but in a pinch the Elura does good for still pictures. This is expected because this is camcorder first and a camera second. I would recommend the Elura 70 over the 65 because you get a bigger battery and wide angle lens that is useful indoors.

Now for the bad. The only thing that made me almost buy the Sony HC40 was the Sony is more compact. Even though the Sony is more compact, the Canon is still small. I was also weary of the touch screen menu on the Sony.

Overall, I am very impressed with this camcorder and would recommend it to anyone.

71 of 76 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Very good camcorder for the price!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!, July 15, 2004

By A Customer

Not sure what the reviewer below is talking about but based on his lack of details I imagine it's not a genuine review.

Anyway, I spent allot of time researching before buying a camcorder and decided on the Elura 65 -- check out the review of the Elura 70 (the 60, 65, and 70 are basically identical) on http://www.dvspot.com .

The Elura 60 didn't have a hot shoe which I knew I would need since most camcorders in this price range do not have a good light -- if any at all. Daytime recording is excellent.

Some argue that it's only a single CCD camcorder but it's a large CCD as apposed to the three small CCDs in the Panasonic PV-GS120. The Panasonic was my second choice but I read allot of negative reviews about the image stabilization. The Elura also fits more comfortably in the hand when compared to Panasonic. In addition, the Canon has virtually no tape noise when operating.

I highly suggest that you get the double capacity battery BP-2L14, the hot shoe light VL-3, and the portable battery charger CB-2LT. The double capacity battery will last about four hours and adds very little weight to the camera. The supplied batteries drain very quickly. Night shots are notoriously bad for all camcorders in this price range even though some are better than others. The VL-3 light will make a big difference in picture quality at night. Also, the portable charger is more convenient to travel with than the big and cumbersome charger supplied in the box.

I can't comment about the reliability yet since I've only had it for a couple of months. But based on my experience with other Canon products it should be good. Enjoy!