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Canon Optura 30 MiniDV Camcorder w/12x Optical Zoom
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List Price: 0
Our Price: Too low to display
Availability:
Manufacturer: Canon USA
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Average Customer Rating:   
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Binding: Electronics
Brand: Canon
Display Size: 2.5
EAN: 0013803040913
Feature: MiniDV camcorder and still camera with 2.2-megapixel CCD
Floppy Disk Drive Description: None
Has Red Eye Reduction: 1
Is Autographed: 0
Is Memorabilia: 0
Label: Canon USA
Manufacturer: Canon USA
Maximum Focal Length: 57.6
Minimum Focal Length: 4.8
Model: Optura 30
Optical Zoom: 12
Publisher: Canon USA
Studio: Canon USA
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Features
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MiniDV camcorder and still camera with 2.2-megapixel CCD
12x optical zoom lens (digital zoom to 240x) and image stabilizer
2.5-inch LCD with 180-degree rotation
Capture low-light recordings with Night Mode and record in 16:9 format
Record for up to 225 minutes on one battery charge
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Editorial Reviews:
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Canon's new OPTURA 30 Megapixel camcorders unite the world of video and photography like never before. Featuring DV Photo Plus, Canon's one-of-a-kind system for achieving premium image quality, and fueled by a 2.2 Megapixel CCD image sensor, they capture video and photos with stunning clarity. An RGB Primary Color Filter adds dynamic realism, making colors come alive. Experience the ultimate in picture quality, while still enjoying unbeatable style and performance. Imagine a camcorder, digital camera, and webcam seamlessly combined, and fitting in the palm of your hand. Compromise is a thing of the past; the OPTURA 30 delivers the best of both worlds, giving you the freedom to capture exceptional quality video and breathtaking photos.
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Spotlight customer reviews:
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Customer Rating:
Summary: works good
Comment: Does what you ask reasonably well.
I got this product because it met four requirements. Uses same battery as two of my still cameras. Has genuine optical stabilization (I need this for technical reasons), has a reasonably long zoom range with decent optics, and its digital.
Not many complaints yet. Like most of the new gadgets, it takes a while to learn to use all the features. Build quality is good.
Main complaint is that the batterlife is kinda short with the batteries that I swap out from my still cameras.
The night function is not so thrilling. If you want excellent low light capabilities, look elsewhere.
Customer Rating:
Summary: Very good camera if you have a lot of light
Comment: We have owned this camera for over a year and our feelings are mixed:
For outdoor filming, this camera is outstanding. The color and picture quality are top notch.
Unfortunately, indoor filming is very poor (even during the daytime with all of our windows open and lights on). We bought the camera to film our young children and find ourselves not turning the camera on as much as we should because there is not enough light (and we have a very bright house).
The manual settings on the camera are nice (one of the primary reasons we chose the optura30), but the menu is not very intuitive and the manual is not very helpful.
Field of view is also quite small - recommend using a wide angle lense. We also recommend trying out any camera in person in an average lighted room, not an overlighted show room.
Customer Rating:
Summary: Fantastic outdoor camera
Comment: I shot over twenty hours of footage on this camera with brilliant results. The 2.2 megapixel ccd makes for outstanding video quality outdoors. Because my video is shot in widescreen, my friends often tell me my home movies look like independent feature films. When there is enough lighting, you will be impressed with this camera.
Unfortunately, when the lighting goes down, this camera has pretty poor results. For instance, you will often see ghosting of video because the automatic shutter kicks in to open the aperature more. Don't bother with the night mode because it has a terrible strobe like effect making video look completely unacceptable.
Customer Rating:
Summary: So far, so good.... and a little word to the Canon-hater!
Comment: First, about the camera. I've only had the Optura for about two weeks. I've only used it indoors and the quality is acceptable under moderate indoor lighting. Is it great? No, but it's also not a pro camera. The quality seems to be a little better than the Sony it replaced, as far as I can tell. That's about all I can say at this point. I did notice the battery going down pretty quickly, but at this point for my family, a battery that needs to be charged often isn't a big deal. If and when it is, I suppose we will purchase another battery. Considering we paid $425 including s/h and after the rebate (from MPSuperstore) I can't complain too much.
Normally I wouldn't post a review without using the camera more, but I just have to respond to the guy who posted about his ZR10. First, buddy, if you aren't reviewing the Optura 30, why are you here? Second, after my experience with a Sony MiniDV -- with less than 10 hours of record time I've got a malfunction that could cost more to fix than to replace it -- I could say the same thing about Sony. Yeah, I'm pissed as hell. And I surely won't be buying another Sony camcorder. But I'm not about to make a blanket statement that all Sony camcorders suck b/c I'm not exactly qualified to say that. And to say that all Sony products stink just b/c my $500 camcorder prematurely kicked the bucket, well, that's just foolery.
Customer Rating:
Summary: Awesome little camcorder packed with features.
Comment: The Pro's
1. I don't see what all the fuss is about with the low light? From what I was reading I think Canon made some changes around July of 2004 to improve this feature. I was worried about this so I did a test in the basement with minimal lighting. The result was a little bit grainy but if I you are shooting video footage in the dark what do you expect? Compared to my other JVC it was 3 times better in the low light performance.
2. The next best thing is the WIDE ANGLE!!!! My JVC stretches and distorts the image like most other camcorders but the Canon was AWESOME!!!! Turn off the image stabilizer and you get an even wider angle. I have a big screen HDTV and this feature is a must for Widescreen HDTV owners. Truly one of the best features.
3. Color and Resolution - Near perfect. I do a lot of landscape and outdoor shooting so I was going to go with the Panasonic 3 CCD for the color rendition. To my surprise the resolution and color clarity on this camcorder was damn near perfect. The Blues were great, greens good, reds a tad off, yellows a tad off but overall the 1.3 MP sensor and color filter do a superb job, I could not ask for more from a non 3 CCD camera.
4. The next best thing I loved about this camera was the stabilization. I often shoot while driving and with my JVC sometimes I would get car sick just watching some of the footage I took! I zoomed in 12X and purposefully shook the camera, then I turned off the stabilization and did the same thing. The results 10 times better with the stabilization. It also did not chop the frames like some other camcorders do.
5. The Miscellaneous Features, I like the feel of this camera, small compact and light. I liked the Output and input jacks. Firewire, USB, S-Video, etc etc this baby has it all.
6. Last but not least the price. $450 after [...]!!! I'm a penny pincher and this camera more than met my expectations
7. Comes with Pinnacle Studio 9 SE, great software for the average video editor.
The Cons
1.The battery has a short life. Take a hint go to E-bay buy a cheap knock off or 2, I got 2 NB-2LH batteries for $25!!
2. As with all digital stills from a camcorder. If you haven't read any other reviews yet they all say the same thing and it is true with all camcorders, The CCD is meant for live moving pictures, not stills, They are OK but cannot compete with my 3 MP Kodak
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