5 comments about Canon Elura 60 MiniDV Camcorder w/14x Optical Zoom.

1. I had this camera for about 2 years.
   The quality of the pictures and movies with low light is very
   very bad.
   It is also heavy and not so easy to use.
   On top of that, mine stopped turning on completely and had to
   send it back for repair.
   I was very disappointed with the camera from the beginning, even
   before it broke.
   Thankfully someone stole it from me and I do not have to dispose
   of it anymore.



2. Add me to the list of customers who have been burned by Canon camcorders...and for me this is the second time around and with a completely different camera.
   I owned an expensive Elura 2MC and liked the camera a lot - until it began eating tapes. I took care of this camcorder, live in a dry climate (i.e., have no condensation issues), and used the camera as intended so was surprised and angry that it failed. Unfortunately the tape-eating problem surfaced just before a trip so instead of having the camera serviced I shelved the Elura 2MC and bought a new Elura 60 - a downgrade at something less than half the cost of the Elura 2MC. My reason, though, for sticking with Canon was I was a fan of Canon optics and I assumed the failure was either a random event or a problem isolated to the Elura 2MC.
   Needless to say I nearly blew a gasket last night when my Elura 60 refused to accept tapes (I tried several). The problem, thankfully, does not appear to be the same I had with the Elura 2MC but the camera is not functional and in my view it is completely unacceptable that expensive camcorders from a top tier company like Canon should have these failures. I will likely send this one in for the dreaded repair but I intend to buy a new Sony and donate the Canon when I get it back.
   I gave Canon the benefit of the doubt but will not go back to the well a third time.



3. Had this camera for 3 years. It has always had problems, and the thing just keeps getting worse. Had numerous problems including the 'eject tape' warning, no tape detected, viewfinder has gone out, buttons stop working, photo camera doesn't work, zoom malfunctions and randomly starts zooming in or out, and now something is seriously wrong with the digital chip, as I can't play back the tapes.
   All these problems with 1 camera. Wow. What a piece of junk. Seriously, avoid this camera at all costs.



4. Our Elura 60 also has the "Remove the Cassette" problem that other reviewers have posted. Search for this error code and you'll find thousands of pages of frusterated Canon owners and no fix to be found.



5. I have owned it for 3 years and 4 months. Within the first two months, we had to return it for service because it didn't have any picture. I was told the whole lense assembly needed to be replaced. Now it has an eject tape error and the tape won't eject. It makes grinding noises. It has been well cared for. People who give it good reviews haven't owned it very long

5 comments about Sony DCRTRV25 MiniDV Digital Handycam Camcorder w/ 2.5" LCD, MPEG EX, Memory Stick & Mega Pixel Video/ Still.

1. Sony brand name so no problem with quality. We went to Las Vegas & night shooting was too good. This has everything for indoor and outdoor shooting. It has good digital camera buit-in but you have to add memory stick (comes with 8MB). Only downturn is you have to use Sony's memory stick (money making tricks) We have Canon S30 digital camera in which you can use any memory stick.
   But performance wise & features are too good. We LOVE it.



2. I now have 3 Sony camcorders, this being my third. I bought a VHSC a long time ago, moved on up to Hi-8 in 1999, and just got this mini DV in December. I could not ask for more! This camera has it all. The features are remarkable and the quality is like no other.

   I began getting into video editing and saw the real need for a mini DV to produce more quality in my work. I actually first bought a Canon mini DV for its size and price. That went right back to the store! Its quality was worse than my VHSC, really it was. If you are serious about quality and durability go with Sony. I have never been displeased with any Sony I have owned and still retain all 3 camcorders!

   On a side note, if you are just looking for a camera to tape your kids sporting events, family functions, etc...you may not want to go as far as this mini DV only because there are so many features and things to learn it may take quite a bit of practice before it is ready to use. For those uses I would definitely recommend one of the Sony Digital-8 cams. Also note that the still picture quality is not what you would get with a digital camera, not even close. But that is not what this mini DV is for, so I totally dismiss that and consider it another cool feature to play with! One great thing also about this camera is that it will record MPEGS!

   All in all, an excellent buy!




3. This is a great camera to have if you just want to have fun with making movies with a small budget. I have had this camera since Christmas and it has never been a dissapointment. My buddies and I make movies a lot, and we all agree that it is great. There are many features that they dont tell you about in the editorial review like frame recording for animation.(eg. toy soldiers, cartoons, etc.)If you do get this camera and want a good professional look to your movies, I recommend also getting the Pinnacle Studio Version 7 editing software. With it you can capture movies on your computer, edit them, add sound and picture effects, and transitions. Then it is recorded back onto your camera.



4. Great camcorder. Excelent outdoor pictures and sound! Easy to use. Still indoor pictures somewhat grainy though.



5. I have been using this camcorder for some time now; I'm really impressed by this great camera.
   
   Its features are remarkable and the quality is amazing. It is also the best priced camcorder for its features and quality.
   The color and sharpness of this camera is fantastic, but the video and still photos are grainy with low light. So either you buy a light for the camera or make sure to have a good indoor light source.
   Video Editing with this camcorder is really an easy enjoyable experience,
   To get the best out of your camcorder, you will definitely need to add few accessories:
   1 - One or two memory stick.
   2 - One or two Extra batteries.
   3 - A wide angle lens, which is very essential in some situations indoors as well as outdoors.
   And, that is all what you need to enjoy you memories with your family and friends.

No comments about Sony DCRDVD808E DVD Handycam(R) Camcorder for PAL Use.

5 comments about Sony DCRHC30 MiniDV Digital Handycam Camcorder w/10x Optical Zoom.

1. Other than simply recording on this camcorder you have to be a professional videographer to use the other features. Most importantly, unless you have a Sony VAIO computer DO NOT BUY THIS CAMCORDER!!! You cannot transfer video to a DVD unless you have that computer. It's ridiculous! What are you supposed to do transfer to a VHS that's being totally phased out?! Hopefully this review will save someone some money since I wasted mine!!



2. I've had this camera for 2 or 3 years and it still hasn't let me down. I record concerts with it so it takes its fair share of abuse and its still in perfect working conditions. If you're looking for a good camera and not looking to spend a whole lot of money you should really think about going with this camera.



3. I was very pleased with the ease of use of this camera. It took great video and picked up sound through the built in microphone very nicely. It fits great in the hand and very lightweight. The only downside is the touch screen menu. At first, I thought it was a nice feature to have but it is very sensitive and doesn't last long. I've had my camcorder for 3 years and it still records (since that button is on the camera itself) but it will not rewind, play or any other function that you want that requires the touch screen menu. Of course, the camera has a limited warrantee and to have it repaired is a minimum of $200. My next choice of camera will be with the traditional controls on the camera itself.



4. Do not buy this camcorder for the software! The camera works great but buyer beware - the software is useless. Sony could have done a much better job than the Picture Package software that is included. Help from the Picture Package website is virtually non-existant. If you want to edit video you need a firewire (not included) - but DO NOT buy it from sony. They are much cheaper on Amazon or elsewhere. A USB cable is included but is also useles unless you can tolerate the Picture Package software. An extra battery is a nice addition as well. And of course some sort of software to replace the Picture Package junk.



5. Do not buy this camara.It looks atractive but it has big problems with the LCD becoming blank when you are about to recored.There is a big class action against Sony.A lot of people have these problems with this camara including me.

5 comments about Samsung SC-MM10 MPEG4 Camcorder w/512MB Memory & 10x Optical Zoom.

1. This camcorder has some nice features including a powerful zoom, automatic exposure, automatic focus, and a 720x480 video resolution. Though the camera dos not work well in low light conditions, the camera can be operated of the AC power supply, and a high capacity 3.7 volt 2400mAh battery can be purchased at: [...]
   This optional battery will double the record time of the camera.



2. This little camera shoots great video. Don't buy it if your looking for a still camera because it doesn't do a good job at all in this area. If your looking for a compact video camera that fits in your pocket, then this is it. It shoots mpeg4 video which is good quality in a small file size. I'd also suggest getting a 2GB memory stick so you will have plenty of space to shoot your video. Great little camera!!!



3. I had many of the initial issues with this little jewel, but found two ways to get things on track with my MacBook Pro. Google "deSEDG" and you will find an extremely helpful app that will allow you to convert the avi files so that you can open them in Quicktime and import them into iMovie.
   
   I also installed the Windows codec using Parallels, and this allowed me to view the files automatically in the Windows Media Player. Both results were excellent, and with iMovie I can edit them quite easily.
   
   The information in the guides that comes with the camcorder are insufficient for those using the Mac, but at least there is now a way to benefit from this wonderful piece of equipment.



4. This camcorder is great, for an amateur. I bought it for my [...]son after I returned the Sanyo Xacti VPC-C40 because it would not charge the battery a second time. The Sanyo was easier to transfer the video to a computer, no software to install. The Samsung is just as easy other than that. It only takes about 2 minutes to install the required files (2)on a computer running XP but might be a problem if you want to send the video to a family member since they won't have the dv driver and video codec. My son has made several short takes with only the TV for background light and they are fine. It will not accept any of my 2 gig SD cards but that may be because they've been used in other cameras. It works great with "new" 1 gig SD cards. If this camera was designed for fun then it hits the mark. If you want professional videos then you should buy a professional camera.



5. this camera has loads of cool features, is very easy to use and is quite affordable for what you are getting. I recommend this product highly.

5 comments about Canon ZR80 MiniDV Camcorder w/18x Optical Zoom.

1. I took it to europe thinking I would get great video, instead I arrive at London and it says SORRY NO LIGHT SOURCE FOUND. Ever since then it has been pitch black vido and picture. Even though it says it has a warranty, they say I broke it no refunds. DON'T WASTE YOUR MONEY, GET JVC!!!!!!!!!!!!!



2. Canon recalled this item for a faulty CCD, the symptoms of which are static or no image at all recording to the tape. After about 15 hours of use I ran into this problem and was pretty bummed out, but after checking the Canon website I noticed that they had recalled the product and were offering free repairs (and free shipping). So, if it breaks, check the site, and send it in!
   
   I've used this camcorder for home movies, school projects, and short video profiles. I now use a more professional 3CCD camcorder for my projects, but I keep this little one around as a backup, or use it for situations where portability is important. It has served me very well in the 4+ years I have owned it, but does have a few drawbacks.
   
   Pro's:
   -Good picture for a 1-chip portable camcorder
   -Decent audio for an internal microphone (zoom out and get as close to your subject as possible for better audio, or get a wide-angle lens for best results)
   -Feels solid
   -Manual modes; white balance, focus, shutter speed
   -Decent night shot
   -Syncs and imports perfectly with editing software (like iMovie)
   
   Con's
   -No external mic input (this is my only "real" complaint)
   -Loud bass records static (doesn't do concerts very well)
   -Lens cap falls off way too easily
   -Faulty CCD, but free repair
   
   They sell on eBay for about 50 bucks, and even 4 or 5 years after its release, it's an overall good buy.



3. We got this camera 3-years ago as a baby shower gift. The camera does not have high quality video indoors, the battery life is really short (lasts only about 30 minutes after being fully charged), and we ended up with the black screen of death (see reviews for Samsung SCD23 MiniDV Camcorder with 2.5 LCD). I would expect a video camera to last much longer than 3-years. I'm very disapointed with this camera and would not recommend it to anyone.



4. I bought a ZR80 about 3 years ago. It really seemed the perfect camera for me, new mommy who wants to record all the baby stuff. I got lovely videos and everything worked perfectly for almost 2 years. Suddenly, the screen started to appear black. It would record only the sound but not the image. It worked randomly, sometimes it would record the image, sometimes it just wouldn't..... very frustrating and disappointing! I have read other reviews stating similar problems. I will never get another Canon camera, as I don't plan to replace it every 2 years!!



5. I purchesed this camcorder 5 years ago. Haven't used it a lot but when I have I have bee happy with it. The only thing is the batterry. It only last 25-30 minutes. It sopose to last an hour. The tapes are 1 hour so you have to find a plug that you can use and are not in the way while shouting. The quality is great.

No comments about Sony DCR-DVD608E DVD Camcorder.

5 comments about Mustek DV4000 MPEG-4 7-in-1 Multifunctional Digital Camcorder w/1.5-inch LCD and 4x Digital Zoom.

1. I am very frustrated with this... You need to have super great lighting to get anything worth while out of this thing. Everything would be great.... But make sure to have major lighting. Its very finiky in that way. Other wise the pics are great (with proper lighting) as well as the video. Works great as a webcam how ever doesnt zoom while in webcam mode.



2. This camera is not worth looking into. I took it on a trip to Alaska and feel like i need to go back in order to get my memories back. the picture quality is horrible if the sun is not blaring. Don't even bother taking pics in low lighting. They come out blurry and grainy and the video cam feature is the same. Everything came out blurry and choppy and who makes a digital cam without a built in flash?! Waste of money. We bought it when it first came out and it was $300. Will never buy mustek product again. In defense of Mustek, shots no more than 10-12 feet away on a bright sunny day do come out great. But that's not realistic shooting circumstances. The more you zoom, the worse the quality.



3. Ive had this item for about a year and it has withstood severe beating. It is made out of cheap material, but despite being dropped numerous times and being kept in my pocket during school, it still works perfectly. Its got terible resolution and im sure that it's camera isn't a 4 megapixle one, but i have had a ton of fun with it. I enjoy the mp3 player. Its all right. The only problems Ive had are dents, scratches, and small problems with the battery lid thing.



4. In another review it said you need good lighting. This is very true. If you turn it up to high resolution, you need all the more light. I misread the ad and thought the camera maintained 30 fps at all resolutions. I WAS WRONG!!! My son likes the camera, so I'm not going to complain. If it was for me, though, I'd send it back in a heartbeat, just because of the misleading ad. The sound quality (when files are moved to the computer) is pretty good. The software for transferring the files to the computer is glitchy at best. Sometimes it works, but most of the time it loads and says that there's no camera connected. Funny thing is, windows explorer has no problem seeing it (and what caused the program to auto-launch in the first place?) and moving the files. I went to the manufacturer's website and found the software and drivers had not been updated since 2003. To be honest I am very disappointed, even at the price I paid. But, again, my son likes it.



5. Well, I've had this camera for over a year and it's done admirably. I've taken it across the country and it's taken quite a few beatings, it's showing some wear [dents/scratches] but works fine. The frame rate is a little bit slower than i'd like [you won't be able to see and baseball pitches, but you will see them hit : ) ]
   I like it as an entry camcorder and the mp3 player is nice to spend idle moments with. I would suggest getting at least a 512 mb. sd card, otherwise you may feel a little bit limited. Notice - there are ajustable frame rates and it is vital that you adjust these...I took the longest time to understand this, and regretably got several slow videos. still working strong though and i strongly recommend it.

5 comments about Aiptek DV5300 5MP MPEG4 Pocket Digital Camcorder.

1. ...so you're not gonna get "down-in-the-mud" information - but I've been waiting for this thing for awhile now and I'm excited to tell you what I've learned so far. First off, the camera is very "cheap" feeling - all plastic - and extremely light! Not that that is a bad thing - in fact, its size and weight is one of the reasons I ordered this. I put in my Sandisk 512MB card and it worked perfect. I took a few mins to go through the menu/setup - which is very straight forward - you can follow right along on the LCD screen for your information and its all spelled out. Once I had it set up, I took a few pics at the 2nd highest resolution - which was "4M" (according to the camera screen) - the flash went off and it took the picture - then the little red light on the camera continued to flash quickly for about 30 seconds - I guess its writing it to the mem card??? I'll have to check that one out... maybe the flash wasn't ready??? Don't really know. But I took the mem card out of the camera and put it in my computer to look at the quality - and it looked great! Just as good as my FujiFilm 3.1M camera. Then I tried to do some video - the room is kinda dark - and the camera really doesn't handle the darkness too well... but that does not surprise me - a few reviews I read on other sites said the same thing. But - with the lights on - at night - inside - it did okay. Thats all I have for now - I will write more when I spend more time with this...



2. Pros:
   
   This is one of the cutest gadgets out there. It is:
   
   Extremely light. This is important when you take long videos.
   
   Has a good screen. It can be turned over to tape yourself (if you really want that).
   
   Video files are really compact, even in 640x480 resolution due to mp4 compression.
   
   Fairly good battery life, except when using the flash or if you like to review your videos over and over.
   
   
   Low points:
   
   Slow. As you could expect from the combination of high resolution and low price.
   
   Bad pictures with low light, especially if you put your index finger in front of the flash (believe me, it's easy). Even if properly used, the flash will not really give you the best pictures at night.
   
   
   In general I am convinced it is no match for a regular still picture camera, but as a video recorder it may become a nice tool. I purchased a 512megs high speed sd card and it works great. Practically you can record video until your batteries run out. As far as pictures it works fine as long as the sun is high. In my opinion it doesn't make any sense to use resolutions higher than 3M. It will only make your pictures bigger but with 3M quality (which by the way is also big enough for me).
   
   Hope this helps... :-)



3. Yes, is a beautiful gadget, it's light and affordable, but, at least my specimen, is almost useless.
   Why?
   I have to change batteries every 2 or 3 photos or every 15-30 seconds of recording movie. And if you don't illuminate with a 1,000,000 candles light (literally, I did it) you wont be able to record any indor movie. And, if the batteries are very fresh, I mean really fresh, and you are able to take a picture, every snapshot will take almost 30 seconds to record in a 512 Mb card, so forget spontanity.
   I didn't expect for this price major brand quality, only to have an always handy device to record some short movies of my daughter, but this is ridiculous.
   I do not return the item because I'm out of country....



4. Is easy to use, easy to hold, but not big deal, It's like a toy



5. i just wanted to tell you ppl that u can buy one from aiptex's website for around 60 dollars.

5 comments about Panasonic PVDV102 MiniDV Multicam Digital Camcorder w/ 2.5" Color LCD and SD Drive.

1. A great camera, small with lots of great features.



2. I am an aspiring film director and find that with the appropriate settings and tapes, that this camcorder performs famously. It has a lot of bells and whistles, which to some, may not be needed. However, for those of us who enjoy the detailed aspects of film making, it is a good choice. The picture is clear and concise, it loads fast, and so on and so on. The only flaw I would point out, would be that the batery is a little below average. You can of course upgrade and get a higher standard battery, which basically means that flaw is not a major worry.



3. This is an excellent camcorder. I have had mine for a about a year and I have had no problems at all with it. The buttons on top are a little small for large hands but if you buy the optional remote control then you don't have to worry with them. I create digital movies on my computer using the USB cable that was provided. The special effects built into this camcorder work excellent. I have recommended this camcorder to all of my friends.



4. I can't say enough good things about this camcorder. I've made a Las Vegas documentary, a skateboard movie, and simple home movies with it. Not only that, I managed to make them look professional. It transfers video without flaw onto the software I use to make movies (Windows Movie Maker) and also makes flawless re-transfers back onto the tape. Using an SD card, it can be used as a digital camera (albeit a very low quality one... it's still-pic mode is only .5 megapixels).

   Pros:
   -Great for beginners to home movie making
   -Great for beginners to digital camcorders
   -Amazing film quality
   -SD card slot to save still pictures
   -Great sound
   -LCD screen

   Cons:
   -Poor explanation of how to use the digital zoom
   -Lens cap is detatched
   -Doesn't come with a FireWire, which is necessary to transfer video to the computer
   -Still pics saved to the SD card are very low quality

   Besides these four problems with this camcorder, it is a dream come true for those into amateur movie making. It really couldn't be any easier to use, save the digital zoom control. Other than these flaws, the camera is amazing and I would recommend it to anyone who wants to make professional-looking home movies. Great product, strongly recommended.




5. I bought this camera my birthday and thought it was great. A couple months later, I began to notice that the sound skips, and it would constantly eat tapes. And then it goes on some sort of safety mode where it wont let you do anything on the camera because it thinks it might break itself. And whats up with all that extra space around the flip screen? I should have done more research before I bought this camera, and now im paying the price.