Rating: 
Summary: quality video but make sure you have enough light!
Review: if you are going to shoot videos with plenty of light and you want a very compact camera, the elura 50 could be for you. however, if you plan on shooting low-light scenes, you'll be disappointed. there's not even an accessory shoe so you can use an external light source.pros:
- very small and lightweight: 1.9"W x 3.4"D x 4.2"H, 13.4 oz.
- very good video performance when you have enough light.
- uncluttered, easy to use menus.
- 10x optical zoom.
- 1 megapixel still capability. - progressive photo mode.
- miniDV media is widely supported.
- great connectivity options: firewire, USB, S-video, headphone, mic input, etc.
- allows some degree of manual control.
- ability to record mpeg videos directly to SD card.
- as with most canon products, the printed manual is very good.
- digital image stabilization works well. cons:
- a couple of deal breakers for me: poor low light performance, and,
- no accessory shoe (to think that you would really need an accessory shoe for an external light given this camcorder's low-light performance).
- mic placement is on top of camcorder (most vertical camcorders do) which means it picks up the videographer's voice more readily.
- a greater capacity battery protrudes sideways from this camcorder's body, making holding this unit a bit awkward.
- the lcd is real small, only 2".
- you could do better on the still photo department. for example, sony's trv80 and trv70 and panasonic's PVDV953 have 2-3 megapixel capability but those camcorders are much more expensive.
- don't expect miracles from 1 megapixel stills.
- video too choppy with low light modes.
- motor noise can be heard when recording a very quiet room.
- the included 8MB SD card is unacceptable. be prepared to shell out more money for for more memory (at least 32MB). at this price point, i would recommend panasonic's gs70 or sony's trv33 or pc-105. although slightly bigger, i believe these camcorders offer a better package than the elura 50. peace.
Rating: 
Summary: The truth about Canon Elura 50
Review: I just purchased the Elura 50 yesterday. Before I purchased this unit, I did some research online and found a bunch of bad reviews on its previous version Elura 40. I owned a PowerShot digital camera from Canon and because of its ease of use and good software interface with the computer, I decided to check into Canon camcorders. I walked into the store to check it out and was right away impressed with its small size. I spent sometime trying and finally decided the reviews I saw was questionable! I actually saw the one and only review posted on Amazon.com on the Elura 50 model and all other reviews were on the Elura 40. I can tell you now after buying that it is the most impressive camcorder I have experinced. The video was clear, no grainy effects, true to the color and brilliant. There was no motor sound that was suggested by other people. Whatever problems existed on the Elura 40 were not there on the Elura 50. I tested the camera using Auto on the outdoor, inside using low light setting, in quiet surroudning as well as noisy surrounding. I replayed using the camera, as well as connecting to the Plasma display. Everything was so perfect and the interface with the display unit was faultless. The video using Auto setting was impressive and the indoor shots were even more impressive. The colors were so vivid. I cannot believe my eyes the quality of the video and the sound was great. The menu and the controls are easy to use. My husband was standing 10 feet away from the camera and I could still catch his conversation on the video when I ran that on the audio receiver and plasma. I can say that the speaker sound when I did the replay on the camera was not very clear but if you think about it, why do anyone wants to use the camera for replay. It is best to run it on the TV or the plasma so that everyone can see. The great thing is when I replayed the video using the plasma, it automatically displayed using the wide screen format. I will highly recommend this unit to anyone. I decided to get this unit even with the bad reviews because the technology of these things are getting smaller and smaller and I didn't want to buy something that will be outdated in a year. I am not a video professional but the result I got was of professional quality!! This is the first time I got a camcorder from Canon, I used to own a JVC and I think Canon makes great product. I don't work for Canon and I am only an average housewife who loves to use new electronics.
Rating:
Summary: The Haze Clears From My Eyes
Review: This camcorder is great! It met all of my expectations that I had when I was in the market to buy one. The picture quality is very good but I mostly have been using it for video, and that, my friend, is perfect! So all in all I really do like this camcorder and it is highly recomended.
Rating:
Summary: Beautiful camera, solid build, not so good for indoors..
Review: I would take a look at Cnet reviews before purchasing this camcorder. I ignored the low light performance issue and found out the difficult way. I discovered low light means general indoor lighting. This is a well built camera, easy to handle with it's compact design, lovely to behold and most likely the travelers ideal. But, if your going to take home movies in an indoor setting you may find your recordings riddled with grain and with little improvement when placing additional lighting. I also noticed a whirring motor noise picked up in recordings. As frustration set in while fiddling with the settings in an attempt to remedy the grainy video it just became magnified and down right annoying. Although, I will say this is a minor complaint in contrast to it's poor video in low light and would have been easily forgiven. Nevertheless, soon after, back in it's box it went. Btw, if you plan on purchasing this camcorder make sure you check the video quality through the camera video out to your television. Most folks not privy would never discern the low light issue through the Elura's 2" Lcd until it's too late when they decide to play back through the big screen. note: Don't let my negative review scare you off. This was suppose to be a gift for a family member and I just wasn't happy with it's indoor performance. Attributing to it's compact design, it's possible I may have kept it for myself for vacation trips and outdoor use only. good luck,
Rating: 
Summary: Terrible Experience - All Canon Digital Camcorders
Review: I would seriously rethink purchasing this camera, or any from Canon. There is a huge tape transfer problem with Canon Digital Camcorders. Bottom line is that a growing number of them have stopped working after only 7-10 hours of recording - usually just after the warrany expires. There are many theories as to why, but nothing has been resolved. Canon has not been helpful. (...)
Rating:
Summary: Generally Good, But Don't Bring to Tropics
Review: The Elura 50 is a nice camcorder and does everything a beginning videographer like me needs. I just wish it could take higher resolution still photos and was a little better indoors. But most important, it does not tolerate HUMIDITY at all. I had a lot of problems when I took it to the Philippines, all of which cleared up as soon as I got back to LA. My understanding is that many owners have had the same problem when using the camcorder in a humid climate.
Rating:
Summary: Canon Quality Control and Customer Service Stinks.
Review: purchased this camera for travel. immediately it started showing messages like head cleaning required, or eject cassette, or condensation detected - all within the first month.
these messages continued occasionally in the 6 months of ownership. one day i pulled the camera out of my pack on a trip and it just said eject cassette, but eject did not work. canon replied that the camera had 'impact damage'. this camera has had only incidental impact with other items in my backpack.
they sent a bill for 650 - but that's what i paid originally! not to mention is now sells for 560 - the nerve!!! well that's it i'm afraid - SOL as they say.
so i now have a busted camera canon refused to fix for a reasonable fee. it should be covered by warranty since it's 6 months old anyway.
i'm quite annoyed. so next time you are thinking about spendy digital equipment especially if it may require support, skip canon. there are alot of companies that make digital equipment and provide unerring customer service, they understand the concept of creating a customer for life by having a good relationship. canon is not one of those companies.
Rating: 
Summary: My first videocam
Review: Although I wish that I had waited for this good price, I am very happy to have bought the Elura 50. The documentation is good, though book length and I have been learning as I go along and am enjoying my education. I wish that there was an "English only" operations manual so that it would be smaller for carrying along in my camera case.
There is still a little hesitantency in using the camera which will get better as I get braver and take more movies. I still have to get it set up with my computer to edit and transfer and plan to do so soon.
Rating:
Summary: My first camcorder and so far I like it
Review: As the previous reviewer mentioned, I really glad I bought this camera because so far I really satisfied with this camcorder.
All the problems with Elura 40MC,low light quality and motor noise, I did not find it in this model.
My wife taking a lot of taping for my 6 months baby activity :)
Rating:
Summary: Perfect Vacation Camera
Review: Got it for vacation flicks. Don't expect it to be "super" great at night. Perfect for everyday home/vacation use.
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