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Canon ES8400V Hi8 Camcorder with 2.5" Color LCD Screen & Image Stabilizer

Canon ES8400V Hi8 Camcorder with 2.5" Color LCD Screen & Image Stabilizer

List Price: $349.99
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Product Info Reviews

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Rating: 3 stars
Summary: There is no wireless controller!
Review: I just wanted to tell you that I didn't recieve any Wireless controller.

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: Top of the Line
Review: I may be 13, but I know a lot about camcorders. I've had my eye on this one for several months, and soon enough my dad gave in because he also needed a camcorder for a few things. So he ordered it, and two days later it came. Its silver body is very cool, and the whole appearance is amazing. It has a very compact size and for the great price the camcorder is even better. The effects include art, (you look like a cartoon) B&W, (black and white) sepia, (western- tinged)negative, (turns all the colors inside- out) mirror, (you see double!) mosaic, (little squares all over the screen so it looks sort of like a collage) 16:9, (Makes the screen stretch out lengthwise or up/down wise) cinema, (black lines at top and bottom of screen like a theatre)strobe, (picture after picture, kind of like a strobe light) and ghost (When you run around you look invisible and leave a trail). They're all really cool. This is my third day using it, and I find that the sound is very, very clear, the zoom is easy to use and clear when you're not zooming in on something within 7 feet of you, and the photo mode is very helpful- a 7-second picture at the touch of a button. Overall, the camcorder is one of the best you can get, and it's something I highly suggest!

Rating: 4 stars
Summary: Picture Qua;ity
Review: I read the other review which said that the picture was grainy. More so than a Sony camera of comparable qualty. I took pictures in good light and found that the video quality was excellent in normal and telephoto shooting. I used Hi8 video tape. The picture was grainy only in low light situations. In a low light situation I don't plan to take videos, although the lens is light sensitive enough to take such pictures. I have several other camcorders of different models and types and this camera stands up with the best of them. It is also small and very easy to carry and take pictures... I plan to keep it. It is an excellent camcorder.

Rating: 3 stars
Summary: Pretty Good But There are Better for the Same Price
Review: I recently bought the Canon 8400 after having a Sony CCD 8 mm (non HI-8 format) for 5-6 years, which was great. Here are the Canon's Pros: It's small and light weight. It has a light and image stabilization. It has a LCD screen. It has a high power zoom.

Canon's Cons: Compared to the Sony, I'm a little disappointed in the picture quality. Although the zoom is easy to use, the picture quality was fairly grainy, even at what I would consider relatively short distances (15-20 feet). I frankly don't think it's any better than the Sony non-Hi-8 format. Also, the 2.5" LCD screen is too small.

I think if I were buying again, I would look more seriously at the Sony's. The comparable price point Sony model didn't have image stabilization; however, that feature I now realize isn't as important as picture quality.

Rating: 4 stars
Summary: A good camera for a good price.
Review: I recently purchased this camcorder from amazon and I am quite happy with it. Before I bought this, I used an RCA camcorder that I was satisfied with. However, the RCA used VHS C tapes that weren't very good quality. I shopped around looking at different cameras. The digital cameras are the newest, and eventually will probably be the way to go, but the good ones are up around $1000+. Then I came across this camera and I decided to buy it.
I am very happy with the features on this camera, especially the 22x optical zoom. I usually find myself zooming in often because at the extreme wide angle position, you do lose some picture quality. Also, the digital effects are fun to play with; I especially like the negative conversion. Another nice feature is that the playback also lets you hear sound. The image stabilizer is very helpful as well, especially in telephoto. Also, people have been saying that the LCD could be bigger, but I think that a screen much bigger than that would drain the battery very fast. The built in video light is very nice too.
As much as I do like the camera, there are a few cons. First of all, the view finder could be in color, I often find mysef using the view finder on sunny days, because the LCD gets glared. Also, I wish there was a way to turn off the microphone when you don't want sound. Also, there is no way to program your own titals into the camera. The pre-set titals are too general, and I can't program in the ones I want. Another thing is that the 800x digital zoom isn't all what it is said to be. When you zoom into the digital zoom, immediately you see diminishing picture quality, and if you zoom in 800 times, the pictures are grainy that you can't distinguish the picture. But the zoom is nice at the low stages of it.
Overall, I am very happy with this camcorder, and I am enjoying it. I highly recommend this camera to anyone who is seeking out a good camcorder for a good price.

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: Simple operation, excellent results & great price / value!
Review: Its light, simple to use, and the picture quality is excellent. For under $300 this is a great piece of technology. Forget Digital, its not worth the price and hipe. They record on magnetic tape also, (surprized?) but offer you the option of PC editing. Big deal. Are you really going to go through all of that fuss? Sure Digital gives you a TAD more sharpness, but unless you are a fanatic, and you are not if you are browsing Hi 8 camcorders, go with this model. I have had many a Sony product break down after a year or less, so I don't even look at Sony. Canon makes wonderful cameras, and great lens for the photo industry. The camera is very well thought out and easy to use. My 80 year old mother taped me making a pizza and it came out great. I had my bestgirl go for a ride practice with it and she came back with a respectiable 20 minute video, that was really quite funny, after only a 3 minute lesson on operation.
The Digital zoom takes over automaticly when you reach the limit of the optical zoom, and like any other digital zoom quality goes down when you reach way out there. The first 1/3 of the digital zoom is still not bad at all. I like the seconds counter in the viewfinder, it helps you cut your take so your movies are not boring, it counts up to 10 seconds.
I used to make serious amature movies, and this camera and its features rival the professional film camera I used to use. The fade feature is very nice. You will not be disapointed with this model. The viewfinder is B/W, not a big deal, as you trade this off for features that are useful, as comparied to the next level down that has a color view finder but does not have a LCD display. That feature (LCD View screen) is really nice to shot things with out looking in the viewfinder. Hard to see in sunny outdoors, but very handy. And you don't need a battery hogging large screen. As you can see I am sold on this Camcorder, its my first Canon Product and I think its well designed and well made.

Rating: 1 stars
Summary: worst product you can buy
Review: Just stopped working after 2-3 hours of use. Retailers don't honor supposed lifetime warranty and Canon wants to charge approx. 30% of the value of the camcorder in order to repair it. Definitely a no-no. Thought that with a "reputable" company like Canon would have no problems and warranty would be honoured; don't make the mistake I made... buy Sony.

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: GREAT CAMERA
Review: This camcorder is great.It has image stabilization witch helps alot.The flip out screen is big enough to watch what you recorded.Highly reccomended.

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: WOW! I LOVE IT!
Review: THIS IS THE BEST CAMCORDER EVER. DONT GO SPEND 1500 BUCKS ON A DIGITAL CAMCORDER,THIS IS BETTER AND NOT TOO BIG W/ IMAGE STABILIZATION.HIGHLY RECCOMENDED!

Rating: 4 stars
Summary: First time user feels like an expert!
Review: This is the first camcorder I've ever bought and used, and I'm pretty happy with how easy it is to use. Plus all those options to work with, especially the image stabilizer! It is also very easy to copy the Hi8 tape onto VHS tapes. I still have to experiment with all the different settings, but I know I will have fun doing it! Make sure to get a longer-lasting battery pack; you'll have so much fun you'll forget about the battery lasting only so long!


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