6/28/2011

Canon Optura 300 MiniDV Camcorder Review

Canon Optura 300 MiniDV Camcorder
Average Reviews:

(More customer reviews)
the optura 300's selling points are its small size and ability to capture 2MP stills.but in my opinion, there are two hundred reasons ($$) to look elsewhere.
pros:
- ultra compact design (2.0 x 4.6 x 4.0 inches), very light weight at 15.9 oz.
- 10x optical zoom.
- very good video performance when you have enough light.
- analog-to-digital conversion.
- 2MP stills.
- ability to capture MPEG4 movies directly into SD card.
- allows a good deal of manual control.
- supports add-on lenses and lots of optional accessories.
- miniDV media is widely supported.
- great connectivity options: firewire, USB, S-video, headphone, mic input, etc.
- very silent motor operation - you can't hear anything even in a quiet environment.
- built-in pop-up flash and AF assist lamp for taking stills.
- continuous shooting mode at 30 VGA images at 3 fps.
- bright LCD.
- as with most canon products, the printed manual is very good.
cons:
- high price, especially compared to sony's pc-105 and panasonic's gs-70.
- below average low light performance.
- no accessory shoe (it's really puzzling to me why canon didn't incorporate a hot shoe).
- lots of controls in the rear part of the camcorder - this will take getting used to.
- image stabilization could be better.
- below average battery life with included battery.
- video is pretty useless (very choppy) with low light modes, even with built-in LED lamp.
- this camcorder loads from the rear; depending on your tripod, you may or may not be able to replace your tape while mounted on a tripod.
- viewfinder does not extend.
- as with the Elura 50, mic placement is on top of camcorder (most vertical camcorders do) which means it picks up the videographer's voice more readily.
- higher capacity batteries are bigger than what was supplied (BP-407) and WILL protrude sideways from this camcorder's body, making holding this unit a bit awkward.
- even with 2MP stills on this camcorder, you can still do better with a stand-alone digital camera.
- it would have been nice to get a bigger 3.5" LCD.
- 8MB SD card provided is inadequate so add $$ to your budget to buy more memory.
- you'll definitely want to buy a spare battery so add a few more $$ to your budget.
the optura 300 is a solid camcorder when you have sufficient lighting with the hook of 2MP stills.but i believe that you can do better.if you want a matchbox style ultra-compact camcorder, you would be better off with sony's pc-105.or, you can get panasonic's gs-70 and move up to 3CCD video performance.either way, you'll end up with a camcorder with similar features as the optura 300 (except for the 2MP still capability) and have a couple of hundred bucks left over for more electronic toys!
i hope this helps you with your buying decision.peace

Click Here to see more reviews about: Canon Optura 300 MiniDV Camcorder

Product Description:
The Optura 300 makes having the best of everything a reality. Offering unparalleled expertise in video and digital photography, it puts cutting edge performance in the palm of your hand. Its sophisticated, streamlined design makes it compact enough to carry anywhere. Dreams materialize before your very eyes as two imaging worlds are seamlessly linked together with stunning detail and unprecedented realism. Sight and sound have been elevated to the pinnacle of perfection.

Buy Now

Want to read more honest consumer review about Canon Optura 300 MiniDV Camcorder now ?

0 comments:

Post a Comment