Rating: 
Summary: A great camcorder...especially for the size
Review: I bought this camcorder for a trip to Europe and I love it. I could store it in my jacket pocket when not using it and didn't have to drag around a huge bag with a bunch of useless equipment. This is my first camcorder (and first camera since an old Olympus 35mm), so I'm clearly an amateur. It's got more features than I'll use in 2 lifetimes, so there should be enough to satisfy almost everyone. Video--is excellent, especially outdoors. Weather doesn't matter, as long as it's outside. It was cloudy all but one day and the video is awesome. Indoor is grainy if the light is too low, but reading reviews of other camcorders, I couldn't find one which said "great video quality indoors." All are grainy indoors. Live with it. You buy this for the size. Still Pix--are not great. But are you buying a camcorder or camera? If all you care about are still pix, save yourself a few hundred bucks and buy a still-camera. No small camcorder offers a 4 or 5 megapixel resolution with stills. Even the Sony MicroDV only offers 2MP still resolution. With the exposure set to "super fine" I was pleased with the resolution, but I've seen pictures from a 4 MP still camera, and the images don't compare. The pix are not bad, but not excellent. But then, I care about video...not pictures--it's a camcorder afterall. Sound--I think is great. Yea, there is the motor whine when it's quiet. But guess what, after a few seconds, you tune it out and forget about it. It is not very annoying at all. It does tend to amplify the voice of whomever is doing the recording. But what microphone doesn't amplify the sound closest to it? SD/MMC card--is only tested by Canon to 64MB (per customer service) which is bad. They recommend not using anything higher than 64. Battery--doesn't last too long, especially the smaller one. I forked over the money to buy the larger battery and it is well worth it. This way, when it runs down, you pop in the small one and you have another 30-50min of filming. Ease of Use--I had filmed some items and was watching it on TV within 20 minutes of taking it out of the box. I had the still camera and fader/digital effects figured out within another 20 minutes or so. You must read the manual. It's real easy. Buttons--are not small considering the size of the camcorder. If you need bigger buttons, buy a bigger camcorder. Remember, you buy this for the size. Overall--it is great. Fantastic outdoor video and sound pickup with unbelievable portability and ease of use. This is not a "professional" camcorder. It should be used for "hobby" filming and as a great travel-size camcorder. If you need more bells and whistles (external mic mount, attached light) you need a bigger camera. As far as the "save yourself the trouble and buy a Sony" crowd, I've owned many Sony products and find they don't perform any better than anything else. But Sony always seems to want a few hundred more of your hard earned dollars to make you think their product is better. Ask someone about software compatability with their MicroDV camcorder...then watch 'em squirm.
Rating:
Summary: I like it...but NO camera is all things to all people
Review: I got mine a month ago for a trip to Europe and love it. I could fit it in my jacket pocket so the size is perfect. This is my first camcorder (or first camera other than an old Olympus 35mm), so I'm clearly an amateur with this stuff. But, the video looks fantastic, especially outside. Weather doesn't matter since it was cloudy everyday but one. Video still looked as good as any TV image. It has more features than I know how to use, or even care to use. Yes, the still pix are lower quality, but what MiniDV camcorder has a 4 or 5 megapixel resolution?? Sony only offers a 2 MP resolution on its MicroDV. But who's kidding who? If you're buying this camera for it's still picture ability, save yourself a few hundred bucks and buy a still-mode camera, not a camcorder. If you want a very small and highly portable camcorder which takes great outdoor video, then this should be on your list. Yes, the indoor video is not as great as the outdoor video, but realize this--you buy this for the size--it can't possibly be everything to everyone. If you need a camcorder for exclusively indoor action, buy one designed for that with all the low light/night modes/infrared/light attachment gizmos. As far as the "motor whine" picked up from the mic, I don't find it all that annoying. You do hear it, but after a few seconds you forget about it and tune it out. However, I believe the audio is great. I have no issue with the sound. It picks up distant voices and sounds just fine. Yes, if you hold the camera too close to your head as you narrate, then your voice does seem amplified compared to others. But then, what camcorder doesn't amplify the voice closest to the microphone? I have big hands but I don't have any problem with the buttons. Realize, this is a small camera so if you need big buttons, get a bigger camera. Canon customer service told me they have not tested any SD/MMC card over 64MB, so they recommended I not use anything larger. I do admit, this is a big drawback, as one 128 or 256 card is much cheaper than 2 or 3, 64MB cards. Plus you'd have fewer cards to keep track of. I don't believe this camcorder was designed for strictly professional use. If it was, it would be 5x the size and 10x the weight. You buy this camera for its size/portability. This should be used for "hobby" filming and as an excellent travel camcorder. As far as the "save yourself the trouble and buy a Sony" crowd goes, I've bought numerous Sony components over the years, from TV's to cordless phones. For the $$, Sony doesn't work any better than anything else out there. They just want a few more hundred dollars of you hard-earned coin to make you think you got a better item. Ask the Sony-lovers about software compatability for the MicroDV...and then watch 'em squirm. Read the Amazon.com reviews of the DCRIP7BT. That's what kept me away from Sony.
Rating: 
Summary: Malfunctions Malfunctions
Review: The zooming feature on this camera I purchased went haywire. The camera would constantly zoom in on everything unless I held the W down, causing great annoyance. Other malfunctions such as on the LCD, the "no memory card inserted" symbol would light up even after its proper insertion and formatting.
Rating: 
Summary: great camcorder
Review: this was my first digital video camera and i think it is perfect for anything i would ever want to do. it has many different lighting options that actually absorb what little light you have and spread it throughout your video. it is an amazing little camera. only problem is, you gotta buy the firewire stuff if you want to edit. still a great little camera!
Rating: 
Summary: Tape eating problem
Review: I got two years old Canon Elura 2. It's basically same as Elura 40. I love this camcorder, very handy. Its low-light performance is not good but tolerable. The real problem is eating tape and losing data. It's not only for Elura but also for Zr10 and others. I believe all the Canon camcorders have the defect. You never know when it will start or not but I saw many posts about this problem. I'm not going to buy Canon camcorder anymore.
Rating:
Summary: Small wonders
Review: Other than the so-so optical zoom at 10x -- you should never pay any attention to digital zoom claims -- this new Elura is a winner. The miniscule size is definitely its strongest selling point, emphasized by stylish styling. It uses the industry-standard MiniDV tape, unlike Sony's MicroDV model which is slightly smaller but uses the faulty MicroDV format. The Elura is a carry-anywhere, shoot-anywhere camcorder that allows you to capture all the unexpected moments in life. Like other digital camcorders, the still mode is so-so, more an added bonus than a real digital camera, but as such the Elura's still mode yields good-quality photos for its resoluton rating. All in all, a worthy contender in the pocket-size camcorder arena and you won't regret the purchase.
Rating:
Summary: Great size !
Review: Pros:
1. Small size - smaller than my 3MP digital camera !
2. Standard USB, IEEE 1394 ports, S-Video, RCA everything
3. Ability to take small 10 sec AVI files on the MMC Card Cons:
1. The zoom button does not feel comfortable - needs getting used to
2. Low light quality not great - most cameras are bad at low light
3. Focus not as good as Sony
4. LCD not as bright as Sony General:
If you are buying the camera to take still shots - do not. The quality is very poor - it is good extra feature - NOT a primary feature
Sony cameras fell better overall, but my last Sony died after 13 months of buying (perfectly timed after the warranty period expired ! - wonder if they had timer going !) - servicing was very costly and would cost me more to replace the camera than get a new one. So this time it is a Canon ! Overall a great camera - bought it and am satisfied so far
Rating: 
Summary: Size vs. Quality
Review: If you are looking for size, this is a great camcorder; but if you are looking for a camcorder that takes quality still pictures as well as digital video, then you better look elsewhere. I bought this camera because I thought the quality of still pictures could replace having to buy a seperate digital camera; however, even after changing the settings to fine the still pictures very not good. As far a the video quality goes, I am fairly happy. The audio is not terrific however and you will need to have alot of light. If I could return this, I would.
Rating:
Summary: Truly as bad as some reviews say!
Review: I had read some bad reviews here on Amazon.com and CNet but I thought "hey, its Canon, they sell a ton of them, it must just be whiners". I was wrong. The picture quality of the Elura is awful. It is a nice size, great ergonomics, but lousy picture - very grainy and virtually no color fidelity. I returned it immediately.
Rating:
Summary: Great camcorder--Some easy solutions for the drawbacks.
Review: This is a great camcorder! I got one and my wife loves it so much. We enjoyed all the pros of the camcorder and we also solved all the cons easily. Cons: 1. Motor noise, yes, it is there, but not that noticable. Besides, any decent video editing software is able to filter that out. We also have a small,cheap standard Mic(got for free? Forgot), it also work fine to get rid of the noise. 2. Battery life: Well, you always need at least one additional battery for any camcorder ... Best price for standard additional battery is at batteries.com, 29.99+3.99 shipping; Really cheap compare to many other places. FYI, the standard battery is the same one for Canon S30/40. This is very convinient if you have both. 3. Low light: Come on...even 3000+ camcorder has low light problem too. We bought a cheap samnite(29, maybe?can't remember exactly) light set at bestbuy and everything is fine now... You will love it...:)
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