Canon Optura 100MC MiniDV 1-Megapixal Digital Camcorder w/ Built-in Digital Still Mode & 8MB SD/ MMC
By: Canon Average Rating: 4.5 Total Reviews: 17
More Information
 On: 2003-06-27
First of all, let me point out that I am not a camera buff, nor do I even know how to work a professional 35MM camera (with aperture, manual focus, etc...) I have always been a fan of technology and of opening the box and using the product without having to do much reading of the instructions. So, heres my review... Ive had this digital camcorder for about 6 months now. Previously, I had purchased a JVC digital camcorder. That one jammed up about a year and a half after I bought it and wouldnt accept video tapes anymore (I just recently got it to work again but Im not sure for how long.) I knew of the Canon line of digital camcorders and owned a Advantix Elph camera so I trusted the brand name and bought the Optura. I was pleasantly surprised. The camera takes great video, it could use a bit more light in dark situations so purchasing a light to mount on the top of the camera. I also purachased additional filters and lenses (wide angle and telescopic) but, to tell you the truth, nine times out of ten, I dont use them. As for taking pictures, the camera aspect is great at taking photos for storing on your computer or emailing, but the quality is just not good enough to print out, even at its higher quality level. The pixels can easily be seen and anyone would be able to tell it was a picture printed off your computer. I purchased a longer lasting battery with the camera, and I highly recommend you do as well, because the battery they give you with the camera will only last about an hour and a half before needing to be recharged. I purchased a 4 hour battery for about [$$$] or less and it works great because I can always charge one while using the other. In addition, a 128 MB card versus the card that comes with the camera would be a great purchase. The 128 card allows me to take up to 250 pictures at the higher quality level (I think abt 1 megapixel or so) before being filled up. All in all, a great video camera but if you want to take stills, I recommend getting a real digital camera. Even without the camera functionality, I would buy this model again in a heartbeat. I was able to take great video of the birth of my first child and many other memorable moments since I got it!
by: Anonymous On: 2003-06-25
Owned Opyura100 for almost 1 year and very happy with it. Video quality is great and is very easy to use although standstill picture is only good for email. Optical stablizer worked very well. Recommend to anyone looking for small camcorder with excellent video quality.
 On: 2003-05-04
I have used this camera in Venice, Pisa, Florence, Rome, Prague,Florida and for a large number of school events over the last 6 months. I have used the video and still functions and am very happy with the product. I am clearly an unwrap, charge and shoot user. I refer to the directions only if necessary or I want an excuse not to work on my tax return. This was ready to go out of the box and, when I do take a moment to read the directions, I am able to make adjustments necessary for my shooting situations. While I have had very good luck with the video in all lighting situations, the auto flash for still pictures is actually not useful in places like old churches with very low lighting. I find myself preventing the deployment of the flash. While it is a bit bigger than the other mini-versions of the minidvs, it is a nice fit for larger hands and has not failed me yet.
On: 2003-03-08
Hi,I bought this camera just over a year ago and waited until now to write the review so I had plenty of time to use it. My background is definitely amateur, but I like movies that I take to be of good quality so I will actually watch them. I have not done any fooling around with the manual adjustments you can make on this camera, although just about everything can be adjusted. I leave it on autofocus and record in Easy Recording mode most of the time, occasionally shifting modes only for specific situations (low light, skiing, or athletics). The quality of the video this camera takes is amazing. I cannot stress that enough: You will be shocked at how crisp and colorful the video you take is. Like most camcorders, sound recording quality is not good when there is a lot of ambient noise (cocktail party for example) but for most things it is fine. Low-light performance is exceptional as far as I am concerned, but keep in mind that image quality is always better with more light. The still photo feature is great - pictures look fantastic integrated with your videos, and they even print pretty well at 3X5. They are certainly good enough to store on your PC. Sure, you can get a great digital camera for a lot less than what you will pay for this camcorder, but if you are like me and dont want to carry 2 cameras, this feature is great. A couple thoughts:
1) I have not had any tape-eating problems
2) Twice soon after I bought the camera, the eject mechanism got stuck halfway. Both times some patience resolved the problem. This would be a problem if you needed to switch tapes quickly and it happened to you right then. Havent had any problems with that for more than 8 months, though.
3) You will want to edit your home movies on your computer. Minimum requirements are something like P3 500 w/ 384 meg of RAM. You will also want a decent video card. Last, I recently had a small problem with the camcorder that required me to send it back to Factory Service. Since it still basically worked and I was going on vacation, I sent it in after I got back from the vacation, 2 weeks after the warranty expired. Canon fixed the camera free of charge and had it back to me in under 2 weeks. Their support people were helpful, courteous, and valued me as a customer. I recommend this camcorder to anyone who wants very high quality video but doesnt have the time or inclination to become an expert at all aspects of shooting video. I would buy this camera again in a heartbeat, and havent seen anything else out there that comes close.
On: 2002-11-23
I bought my Optura 100MC earlier this year. I looked at the Sony models but went with this one instead mostly because of optical image stabilization (rather than electronic) as the more elegant technical solution (and presumably better quality too). Except for some extra built-in effects in the Sony, the top consumer models are pretty much the same between the two companies. The Canon unit was worth the investment and Ive already produced a number of feature length homevideos. The range of accessories is great (I have a wide angle lens, a directional microphone and a videolight that plugs into the accessory shoe and is powered by the camera battery). If youre new to digital video, as I was, dont underestimate the long slippery slope of follow-up purchases that you will inevitably get sucked into (I got a new PC at 2.4GHz speed, 1GB RAM and 80+120GB storage, with DVD burning capability and Adobe Premiere editing software to do it "right"). Ive run the camera for 6 months now (with approx. 20 hrs. of raw footage, translating into maybe 5 times as much in terms of "tape operation" time) without running into any real problems, and specifically: no tape eating. (To be transparent, I also try to avoid recording over existing material). Only glitch was that the screws of the hand strap inside the tape door came loose and had to be fastened (I used a Swiss knife) and secured (glue). I love this camera.
by: Anonymous On: 2002-10-28
I had been "window shopping" the digital video format for about 2 years. My criteria were simple. I desired a quality picture, simple to operate (meaning I had a fighting chance), and a minimal digial still picture option. I narrowed my selections down to the Canon and a simular sony model. The fact sony uses the memory stick and my other devices use the Secure Disk helped me make my decision. The first test for the camera was a trip to Italy. I was extreemly happy with the video quality in both low light (nothing like the old church test) and bright sunlight. Too, the still pictures were very good in full sunlight, but indoor with flash (including my childrens sporting events) I have been less happy. The truth is, I knew I needed greater still resolution, but I considered the still fuction more of a bonus. The size of the camera is also nice, given I have larger hands (the canon mc40 was just too small). Ease of use is great and there are clearly more options than I will ever desire. I am very happy with my value for money.
 On: 2002-10-23
This is a nice, compact DV camera... has good features and shoots decent quality footage for a 1CCD camera. However, it does suffer from the "tape eating" syndrome others have reported here.If you want a trustworthy camera, look elsewhere.
by: Anonymous On: 2002-08-26
After 6 months of researching digital camcorders, I finally settled on the Optura 100MC. I am glad that I did. It got some heavy use over the past month and I am extreamly pleased with its performance.Highlights:
> Great video
> Easy to use (once you read the instruction booklet)
> Fits nicely in your hand
> Numerous manual options to control lighting, etc...
> Takes real good digital stills
> Fun to use
> Have not encountered any tape eating problems Drawbacks:
> Instruction booklet is long so allow about 3 - 4 hours to read it in order to get the most out of your camcorder
> High price but you can find it cheaper by doing a little searching on the internet
> Cover on front of camera to protect DC adapter plug and S-Video port is attached by a cheap plastic connecter
> Audio pickup is not that good I am extreamly happy with the Optura 100MC and it took me a long time and a lot of hours of research to locate the most bang for the buck. Definetly consider the Optura 100MC if you are purchasing a digital camcorder.
On: 2002-07-19
I just received this camcorder and let me tell you this is one hot item. I have recorded, fast forwarded, and finally i rewinded to test about tape eating. NO TAPE EATING here. I have did this test several times and again no tape eating.
The quality is great and user friendly. This is a great camcorder and my only gripe is the large book that came with it. You will have trouble carring it around in your bag, but other than that no problems yet.
Hope this helped and God Loves You!!
by: Anonymous On: 2002-06-27
I purchased the Canon 100 MC in October and enjoy the camera. I also encountered the tape eating problem while rewinding. The loss of timecode seems to have caused the problem. Unfortunately the footage is of my daughters birth with family. I will probably transfer the footage to VHS just in case the tape becomes further damaged. The damage caused some heavy blocking and audio loss.
On: 2002-04-11
I have read these reviews, and I have searched all over the internet. This is the only place that I have found any bad reviews, talking about the tape being chewed. It has made me so nervouse though that I can not decide what I should buy. I would really like to buy this camera but I would really like it to work also. The only thing I have read that gives me some advice, is that you should not change the brand of DV tape that you use, they each use a different lubricant gunk, and something like the different gunks tend to addup or something. I can only guess that they stick to each other. The build up, I have read, is on the "capstan"? There is a good description of this happening on another brand, the sony trv900, which is reported to be a very good, but older camera...
On: 2002-03-26
I bought this camera almost 3 months back. I am more than satisfied with the handling and the image quality. However, I also am encountering the tape getting stuck while doing a rewind. I thought initially that it was a problem with the tape but after reading the reviews, I am realizing that its a design defect. I would expect Canon to offer some solution since its been a decent investment in getting this camera. Besides that its a very nice camera and I am glad I chose this over a Sony.
On: 2001-12-13
Think, Cannon has been involved with optics for many years. Trust me the image quality is uncomparible. Dont fall victim to a big name such as Sony. Because theyre just a electronic distributor. As for the tape eating problem, I have not experienced that, however the Mini DV tapes are not ment to be taped over-and-over again. (Look into "nuking" the tape and relaying "control track.") Possibly record just black over the whole tape without audio.
On: 2001-12-09
I bought my Canon 100MC in October and have been impressed with the quality of the recordings - both video and still (good for 1.3 megapixel) - and the ease of use for basic video recording. I have recorded at night in football stadiums, indoors day and night, by a large campfire and of course daylight outdoors. Last Sunday, 12-2, I recorded 21 minutes on a brand new tape right out of the wrapper. Took it home, rewound it, watched the recording, and started rewinding again. The exact same thing happened to my tape/camera that happened to John Fallisgaard. This was the start of my third full tape. I probably recorded over the first tape (all 60 min. SP) twice. I have used a head cleaner on the camcoder per the owners manual and the instructions with the head cleaner since I bought it. Ill be watching this site for other reports.
On: 2001-12-03
I debated between the Canon and Sony lines for weeks, trying each one. It came down to comfort and ease of use. The canon feels much better in my hand, and is much easier to use. Sony is a bit more difficult because it has more features. If you are going to edit on your computer (like me) you dont need any special features. The quality is great, like all camcorders much better outdoors than in. I wish someone would have told me about their whole setup so I didnt have to spend weeks researching, so here it is:Camcorder: Canon Optura 100mc
Computer: Dell 600mhz, 384 RAM,
Hard Drive: 80gb External Maxtor 3000dv (need lots of room)
Video Card: Nvidia gForce2 400mx
Editing Software: Pinnacle Studio DV Version 7.X With the exception of the computer, I bought all of the other pieces after the camera and they all worked perfect. Already edited my own home movie from Thanksgiving and worked perfect. Hope this helps
On: 2001-11-13
I have worked with professional level Beta units, and prosumer DV cameras such as the Canon XL1. Although the Optura lacks some of their useful features, like zebra striping, it has fantastic image quality that rivals 3-CCD units, in a very compact package.Having the flash is a must to make the still mode useful, if you ever want to use it. Exposure was good and image quality fairly good, considering it is only a 1.3 Mpx image. I have larger hands but I found the camera very comfortable to hold. I have had problems with other Canon gear because I find they design for very small hands compared to Nikon. I have not seen any of the rewinding problems reported in the other review of this product, after about 20 hours of use. My only complaint is that low light performance can be weak. I would be concerned about trying to shoot good video in candlelight conditions (i.e. Thanksgiving Dinner) but those would be tough conditions for any camera. Nor would I ever consider using something like Sony NightShot -- Im not interested in family video that looks like war footage. A great camera, at a better price point than the comparable Sony PC-110.
 On: 2001-11-04
I have owned the Optura 100MC for a few weeks now and in general (with one exception) I am pleased with it. However, I suspect there might be a design defect with this camera. I have had two of these now which have had to be returned (I am awaiting my third) due to the tape getting stretched or broken by the mechanism. It happens during a prolonged rewind. Not every time, but all it takes is once and the tape is ruined, particularly on these cameras which have a time code stamp. If the time code is lost, the camera stops and you get a "REMOVE TAPE" warning. Thus as soon as the tape is munged, you cannot rewind past it.I have called Canon on this and they repeatedly have said that I am the only customer who has complained of this problem. That would be fine if not for other bulletin boards where I am starting to hear about the same problem. I have read about 6 other people who have had the same experience, so so much for me being an isolated instance. I think there is a design defect here which canon is not admitting to yet. I would wait to consider this camera until canon comes clean and guarantees they have fixed this problem.
On: 2001-11-03
I have owned the Optura 100MC for a few weeks now and in general (with one exception) I am pleased with it. However, I suspect there might be a design defect with this camera. I have had two of these now which have had to be returned (I am awaiting my third) due to the tape getting stretched or broken by the mechanism. It happens during a prolonged rewind. Not every time, but all it takes is once and the tape is ruined, particularly on these cameras which have a time code stamp. If the time code is lost, the camera stops and you get a "REMOVE TAPE" warning. Thus as soon as the tape is munged, you cannot rewind past it.I have called Canon on this and they repeatedly have said that I am the only customer who has complained of this problem. That would be fine if not for other bulletin boards where I am starting to hear about the same problem. I have read about 6 other people who have had the same experience, so so much for me being an isolated instance. I think there is a design defect here which canon is not admitting to yet. I would wait to consider this camera until canon comes clean and guarantees they have fixed this problem.
|
|
