Handycam Elura 70 Mini DV Digital Camcorder (1.33MP, 18x Opt, 360x Dig, 2.5"

Manufacturer: Canon
Model: 9478A003
Digital Zoom: 360 X
Optical Zoom: 18 X
LCD Screen Size: 2.5 in
Recording Media: Mini DV|MultiMediaCard|SD Memory Card
Audio Support: PCM
Additional Features: PC Connection|Self Timer|Viewfinder
Image Stabilization: Digital
Average User RatingAverage User Rating: Number of User Reviews: 6

Reviewed by: krishnathegreat from GA on Sep 26, 2004
Rating:

Experience: 80 Days

Strengths: Compact, easy to use, good optical zoom, decent if not great 1.2MP still photos in SD card

Weaknesses: Slight motor noise. Need to charge the battery in the camcorder, does not come with a seperate charger.

Summary: Excellent battery life, have recorded more than 4 hours of video and lots of still picture so far. Easy to use camcorder, night vision mode is ok but not great. When recording in absolute silence there is slight motor noise, which shows up in playback as well. Optical zoom is wonderful, comes with wide angle lens which may be useful for outdoors. The manual is too thick (just like the battery). Overall, I would recommend this camcorder for budget buyers and yes the price is dropping.

Reviewed by: CanonEditor from PA on Jan 24, 2005
Rating:

Experience: 1 Months

Strengths: Very small to fit in my hand..lol...nice 16:9 effect...nice effects...

Weaknesses: I tape skateboarding...so when i put a wide angle lens on...when you zoom in...it gets all blurry

Summary: This camera is very nice. I am 12 years old, and this camera is very good
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Things it comes with:
Lens Cap
Wide Angle Lens,plus cover for that
shoulder strap
Wireless controller
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i know that is not it...but i have to hurry right now...
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Review:
I am 11 years old, and i love to film and edit different videos. This camera is great for that,and the wide angle lens it comes with, i dont know if it is that great...but is good for beginners...I really like this camera....i would definitley buy another canon camera

Reviewed by: jenniebean from NE on Jun 8, 2004
Rating:

Experience: 3 Weeks

Strengths: great optical zoom, easy to use, sharp clear picture, long battery life

Weaknesses: image stabilization needs help

Summary: I am completely satisfied with this purchase! I use it primarily to shoot footage of my children's events. The picture is clear and sharp in both low light & bright light. You can leave it on auto mode and get great shots, or you can easily play with the features to perfect the picture quality (I used spotlight mode to film my daughter's ballet recital, for example.) The menu is easy to navigate, and while others have complained about the placement of the menu buttons, I did not find it awkward to use. The 2.5" screen is easy to see both indoors & outdoors, even in bright light. I have yet to wear out the battery completely, so it seems to have a relatively long life (which is a refreshing change!) The other big selling point for this camera was the large optical zoom. I'm frequently filming events where I'm sitting a good distance away from the subject, so I need a good zoom lens (I only use optical because digital zoom simply doesn't product a quality picture.)

My only complaint would be the "image stabilization." I'm not sure if it's because the camera is so lightweight that I end up moving more or if it's more sensitive to my movements, but I ended up with significantly more unsettled footage than my old Sony analog camera (which weighed a ton, so perhaps I was less prone to fidget.) It was especially "wild" during low light footage, and would highly recommend use of a tripod for low light events.

The only part of the camera that I haven't played with is the digital still picture mode. I already own a 5 MP digital camera, so I use that to get quality still pictures rather than use this camcorder, which only produces 1.3 MP stills.

All in all, I am completely satisfied with the purchase of this camera and would definitely recommend it to anyone.

Reviewed by: mardog_82 on Nov 28, 2004
Rating:

Experience: 3 Months

Strengths: The zoom is great, and the mic picks up ok, and the wide angel lens is a nice tool to use fro those close up shoots. The battery life is really good and goes the distance.

Weaknesses: Grainy in low light situations, and night time setting makes the video really chopy. the photo mode does not cut it, the picture quality is gainy and can be distorted in low light.

Summary: The camera not going give you movie quality shot. Not advised to use in dark or even low light if u want clear video. Photos are of grainy and what you would expect of a 1.33 MP camera.
But the quality in lighted areas is good enough, like at a football match. Zoom is really really great, you will be suprised at how far it goes. battery life too.
mic picks up the motor noise in quite situations soon interviews might require a wire mic.
all round, if you just need a camera too shoot friends and family events, it a good buy, if you are into video editing and planning on shooting event with a higher level of quality, you might want to look for some thing with a little more.

Reviewed by: supingmei from NY on Jun 17, 2004
Rating:

Experience:

Strengths: long battery life, nice picture

Weaknesses: noise when play back on lcd

Summary: The long battery life is very impressed, video is clear & sharp, even in night mode. I don't know why when I put it on video mode, it has some noise from the motor, when I play back the video it's noisy too. I don't know if that's normal. That's my biggest complaint.

Reviewed by: rodrigaoclark from NY on Dec 20, 2004
Rating:

Experience: 4 Months

Strengths: None

Weaknesses: Noisy tape (the camera is not built to have a long lifetime) Poor mechanics Unreliable Canon has a ridiculous customer support

Summary: I bought my Canon Elura 70 and after four hours of use (4 one-hour tapes recorded) the tape compartment refused to close. The camera was sent to Canon Factory Service for repair. Canon has the most horrible customer service I have ever seen in my life. I sent the camera and never received any feedback from Canon. An entire month passed and they didn't sent me a single email nor a single phone call to acknowledge the receipt of the camara. I called them many times. In the fourth time, an enlightened soul gave me my order # and they found the camera. They shipped the camera back to me but after a few recordings, the tape compartment was not closing again. My Canon Elura 70 will now go to where it deserves most: the garbage bin. I will never again in my life buy anything from these crooks. There is one word that defines what Canon products are: CRAP. If you are in the market for a Digital Camcorder I would strongly recommend you to stay away from the Canon Eluras. Go for a SONY. SONY products are more expensive than the Canon Elura 70, but believe me, they will save you a lot of headaches. What bothers me most is the fact that before buying the camera I saw the bad reviews that the Canon Eluras have on the internet. I decided to take my chance. Will you take yours?