Canon Optura 20 MiniDV Camcorder with 3.5-inch LCD and 16x Optical Zoom
By: Canon Average Rating: 3.0 Total Reviews: 28
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 On: 2008-04-29
This camera is perfect for my 18-year old. Perfect condition & works great. He cant thank me enough! I cant thank the seller enough. (Thanks again, by the way)! The advice he gave was extremely helpful as well.
 On: 2008-04-19
Over the last two years, the camera has gotten progressively worse. It is out of warranty and the Stuck in low light mode problem has gone from once in every five startups to about 9 out of ten. The only thing that keeps me from giving it a one star rating is the large screen and general ease of use. When it is working , it is the best small camcorder I have used. (not that I have used very many) I have been looking for a solution to this problem, but when my daughter takes the Optura 20 to school and calls me in the middle of the day to ask how to fix this, it is time to give it the old heave-ho.
I have tried a new CR-2025 battery, but that didnt work. I have tried jiggling things after starting, and before starting. Nothing seems to work every time. Since it has progressed over time, it seems to be connected to a sensor cleanliness and firmware combined problem. But I wish that I knew more.
On: 2008-04-17
I bought this camera in early 2004 and have had no problems that other users have experienced. Maybe I just got lucky. My main use for this camera was golf swing analysis. I looked for 3 main features: Manual shutter speed of at least 1/2000, manual focus, and a larger LCD screen, because at that time I didnt have a laptop and planned on doing analysis at the driving range through the screen.
The Optura fills all of those criteria perfectly. Since I bought this camera, Ive also added a laptop to the mix and the firewire port works great.
One other interesting feature with this camera that I didnt know when I purchased it is the analog to digital converter. You can hook up analog A/V, change a setting in the menu, and the camera will convert it to digital and output the a/v through the firewire. So I can record TV shows (yes, golf swings.. such as the CBS SwingVision), in real time. Pretty cool.
The ONLY con I have experienced is that its not a very good low light camera. I do have to crank the shutter down to about 1/250 when Im inside in a dome. But outside during the day whether overcast or sunny it works great.
 On: 2008-01-21
A huge warning for anyone out there looking at this camera!! We dont use ours often and one day it started loading up and being stuck in its low light mode. this means any amount of light in the room causes it to wash out and record as blur. When I looked into this issue, it turned out that there were plenty of others out there that had the same problem with the Optura 20. It will cost you $150-300 to fix. its sad, becuse in so many other ways it was a great camcorder- but a flaw like this can ruin it all.
On: 2007-10-17
Avoid this product and perhaps all Canon Camcorders at any cost!
The IRIS is stuck in the low light setting like many others have posted.
Search CNET and other forums as well for many other reports of this problem.
Canon Customer Service has been very poor in responding to this
and say that this is an unknown problem! You will have to shell out
almost the cost of the camcorder to get this repaired or otherwise
live with a bad paper-weight.
On: 2007-06-19
These camcorders have an inherent manufacturing defect that apparently Canon hasnt fessed-up to. I use mine rarely. I bought a reconditioned Optura 20 several years ago. I quickly noticed that it operated only in low light mode unles it was "warm". I was using it backpacking and it would work ok when I left it in the sun or put it inside my coat, but once it got cool, the only thing I could photograph was a polar bear in a snowstorm. Ive fixed and torn apart camcorders before, so I got me a busted Optura 10 on eBay with a bad tape drive for a song and a dance...less than 20 bucks. I figured I could swap the CCD board out if my Optura 20 got any worse. Wrong!! The optura 10 had the EXACT same problem. As for the Optura 20, the problem has gotten worse with time. now, it has to be really warm to function. Avoid this camcorder like the plague.
On: 2007-03-04
Do not buy this camera!
I believe that this is a firmware problem of some sort, though I could be wrong. Whenever I am affected by this problem, I can no longer hit the Exposure button to adjust the exposure. My current work-around is to play a video (tape or card), and go back to the record mode. Very annoying, and it might not work later on.
On: 2007-02-22
Ive experienced the same bad iris problem too after several years of normal functioning. Canon wanted me to send the camera in for repair--has anyone else actually had the problem fixed by Canon? If so how much did it cost and did it fix the problem? Im wondering if I should get it repaired or just buy a new camera.
 On: 2007-02-05
I bought mine used, and after a month or so it started developing the now seemingly notorious iris problem that makes the image look as if youre somewhere in the vicinity of the South Pole. The over-exposed image can only mean that the iris is stuck in a wide open position, as other reviewers have said. It happens about 25& of the time when I turn it on, and the only way to fix it is to take the battery out for a few minutes, then put it back in (what Canon refers to as "resetting the camera"). I suggest everyone else who doesnt feel like paying a ridiculous amount of money for repair to try the same approach.
Iris issue aside, this is a good camera for the price. Low light performance isnt great, but I do a lot of closeup work with a 75W key light, and the footage looks pretty nice (no noticeable grain).
On: 2007-01-14
Thanks for this site, I know realize my optura 20 is doing the same thing. It seems like its stuck in low light mode. It goes into the is about 80% of the time when I power it on to the record mode. Sometimes I get lucky, but you cant shut it off, because if you do you may not be able to get it into the right mode again. You cant really use it because everything is slow and too white. Ive had the camera for 3 years and its been used very little. Not good build quality, now I cant wait to hear what the cost of repair will be. Is there enough people out there for a class action?
On: 2007-01-02
I should have known what to expect...this appears to be a fundamental design/component issue. When I first shopped around for this unit in Dec 2003, the display unit at the Best Buy had a washed out picture. Yet, I purchased based on reviews. I would give it 5 stars then. I experienced the "iris problem" with washed out picture in Jan 2005, just 1 month after warranty expiration. Sent unit to Canon, with a letter expressing my disappointment and disgust, since I had previously bought Canon SLRs and liked the quality. Surprise, they fixed it free of charge! However, have the same problem again. I guess I will have to pay this time. Next time, Sony. My Sony CCD101 Hi-8 purchased in 1991 gave almost 12 years of hassle free service.
On: 2006-12-20
Count me with the Bad Iris Brigade.
Ive babied my Optura 20 for three years, and now its suddenly stuck in low-light mode. The exposure and shutter speed will not change, neither through the menu, the recording mode, nor through the exposure button. Ive searched "optura 20" "iris stuck" on a few search engines and am disheartened to read that many other Optura-ites have experienced the same problem and an expensive estimate from the folks at Canon... and then no help.
While it worked, this camera was great. It was light, easy to handle, easy to figure out, and the picture was crispy and nice. I bought the accesory mic and was happy with that, too.
Now its just a lovely paper weight. What a shame.
On: 2006-12-19
I had the same exact problem as described by Michael A. Criswell "the_criz". I called support, they said we can fix it, just ship to our Canon Factory Service Center. I get an e-mail back from them saying that the camera has an over-exposure problem. (Duh! That is why I sent it to you.) They want $170 to fix and no explanation regarding the problem and why it happens until after they fix it and get there repair money. I have not even used this camera a lot.
On: 2006-08-30
Do NOT buy this camera. After two years you WILL have an issue where the iris will get stuck in an over-exposure. Many people have had this issue and there is no known fix from Canon - they charge $170 just to look at it, which is beyond the acceptable margin in my opinion.
Do yourself a favor and look at newsgroups to confirm this, dont just take my opinon...
On: 2004-08-26
I just bought this camcorder and took it to an MLB game. It was
On: 2004-08-25
I just bought this camcorder and took it to an MLB game. It was
by: Anonymous On: 2004-06-24
I have owned this camcorder for six months now, and have found no fault with it. Before buying it, I was concerned about negative reviews regarding motor noise, low light, and body size. Fortunately, none of these has caused me a problem. The surroundings have to be completely silent to hear the motor; I have yet to have a problem with low light, and I like the feel of the body. I particularly like the ease with which I can take a still photo with only a minor interruption in video recording. I wanted the 16X zoom for sporting events, but I found it also useful at a recent graduation. While seated, I find I can hold the camcorder adequately still, even at 16X zoom, but a tripod is always useful. In the presence of a live orchestra, the audio quality is outstanding.
On: 2004-04-06
I had this camera for a week and had to return it to the store. I liked its look, controls, picture quality, colors, menu, battery life, accessory options. But when I played-back my tape on the TV, I was shocked with high-pitched metal noise. I first thought that its the tape, so I tried another tape - same result.
When you remove tape from the camcorder - there is no noise, there is also no noise when you switch to VCR mode (not playing your recorded tape), but once tape is in and you are ready to shoot, listen: it hums and whistles, quite but steadily. And when you play it back noise becomes NOISE. I have read re-views on cnet.com, but I thought it just some minor motor noise you can here on almost every camcorder - not the case!! I had Sony-hi8 before and I know the difference. I think it has something to do either with flaws in videoheads or tape mechs, or with bad placement of the mic.
Of course I could buy an external mic, but do you want to carry it always with you - at home and on the trips?, and besides it makes the camcorder much bulkier.
(2 stars are for picture, but sound ruins the rest)
by: Anonymous On: 2004-03-13
I was a little uneasy about buying this camera because of some negative reviews (although overall, the reviews seem to be pretty positive). Its the best one I could find with respect to the raw specs and price, though, so I decided to give it a try anyway.I have to say that the footage comes out just fine. I tried it at dusk outdoors, typical indoor lighting at night, and bright and early in the morning when the contrasts (sun and shadow) are at their sharpest. The color reproduction is okay. I love the LCD because of the size and clarity. Importing the footage into my iMac was a breeze (Apple yeah!), although the picture is a little darker compared to the LCDs. I do agree that the supernight light mode is bad, but is there really a camera that can take a great picture at near total darkness and doesnt cost a fortune? As for the noise, there is a hum that is discernible when you turn the playback volume way up and the footage is of a fairly silent space. Just to see how prevalent this noise is, I tried a Canon MC ZR50 that I had lying around, and the Optura is as quiet as a mouse compared to that. I should experiment with a Sony when I get a chance just to see how that really stacks up. I think that for the price, this is a pretty good buy.
by: Anonymous On: 2004-03-07
Ive owned this camera for almost a year now. I also was looking at the Canon ZR series (the high end of that series) and some Panasonics available at the time. I wanted MiniDV and wasnt happy with what any other manufacturer offered at the time.My main concern is video quality, and so far Ive been very pleased with this cameras performance. I use a firewire cable/card (purchased seperately) to transfer the video to my PC for editing. However, even playing back using the outputs on the camera to plug into a TV revealed excellent quality. I do notice some camera noise when using the built in microphone, but it is widely known that the microphones they put in these cameras are of a lower quality. I have the ability to clean that up during editing, so its not a big deal to me. To get even better quality source audio, I would suggest an external microphone. Finally, if you havent already, take a look at jemaer_rfs review (September 13, 2003) . I agree with everything in that review except that the size is too big. My preference is to have a "larger" camera so that theres something to hold on to. I played with a few of the tiny cameras at a local electronics store and they were too small for me. If youre happy with the size, then consider buying this camera.
by: Anonymous On: 2004-01-14
This camera is a piece of junk, do not buy it. I had 3, yes, 3 defective ones, or maybe Canon just doesnt care about the loud grinding motor noise when recording and during playback. Yes, some cameras have a little motor noise, but this one was horrible, and picked up on the recording, ruining a few of my projects. I had nothing but problems with this camera, the construction leaves a bit to be desired, not to mention the motor buzz and noise. It is easy to use, and the picture quality is ok, but dont buy it. Spend a bit more, and go with a Sony. I did not want to buy a Sony, but they are better cameras. After much bickering with Best Buy, (that is another bad review altogether), I got them to return the camera so I could buy a different brand. I went with the Sony DCR-TRV38, which is a far better quality camera for a little more. I am so glad to be rid of the Canon, I will never buy anything Canon again, I am surprised they let this model go out the door, especially after all of the hype surrounding it. DONT BUY IT.
by: Anonymous On: 2003-12-27
Brilliant! I used to have a Conon Ultura. I got the Optura 20 for Christmas and I absolutely love it.
On: 2003-10-29
I bought a Canon Optura 20 back in September 2003 for two reasons. First, my wife and I were expecting twins in a few weeks and I needed to get a camcorder to record their first few hours and days, weeks, years, etc. (like any obsessive new father). Secondly, I teach online geology courses and I needed a good digital camcorder to record movies of mineral, rock, and fossil specimens for my students. Why did I buy this camcorder? First, I was impressed by the amazing clarity of the 3.5" LCD. I went to a warehouse electronics store to "test drive" various camcorder models before I ordered anything on Amazon.com. The Optura had the best LCD of all models tested - Sony, Sharp, Canon, JVC, and Panasonic. I assumed this would translate into high quality video (WRONG!). The Optura also had the highest optical zoom when compared to other models and competitors. Note that these "tests" occurred at a store without a tape in the camera. So I went to Amazon.com, I saw that the Optura had good reviews, and I bought it. I also liked how the camera felt in my hand, the buttons, and all the different inputs/outputs. As soon as I got it, I made some initial test videos in preparation for the twins and I made a bunch of mineral videos for my online geology class. I was really, really UNIMPRESSED. Why?
1. The video quality was abyssal. While the LCD was super-sharp and crystal clear, actual recorded video was grainy and fuzzy under a variety of lighting conditions.
2. The camcorder had horrible motor noise. I assume it was the miniDV tape motor that made the awful shrill squeaks and screeching noises. These terrible noises were easily picked up when recording. It was totally unacceptable. To recap:
- disappointing video quality
- terrible motor noise / audio quality It was not worth the ~$670 I paid for it. In fact, I wouldnt have paid $50 for it. So I returned the Canon Optura to Amazon.com and I bought a Sony DCR-TRV80 from an Amazon.com 3rd party merchant. The Sony was more expensive but the video and audio quality are excellent. The Sonys touchscreen functions take some getting used to but the Canon Optura 20 is nowhere near the league of my new Sony DCR-TRV80.
On: 2003-09-14
canon has a very nice camocorder in the optura 20. its a very nice value and at a street price of less than six hundred bucks, you get a lot:pros:
- very good video quality.
- 1.3 megapixel still capability.
- 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.
- the 3.5" LCD screen is great.
- as with most canon products, the printed manual is very good.
- optical zoom: 16x!
- autolight for supernight shooting mode (although the video is still choppy).
- hot accessory shoe with a boatload of accessories available from canon.
- digital image stabilization works well. cons:
- no pop-up flash for taking stills and no built in video light but you can get a flash/video combo light for less than a hundred bucks.
- you could do better on the still photo department. for example, sonys trv80 and trv70 and panasonics PVDV953 have 2-3 megapixel capability but those camcorders are much more expensive.
- dont expect miracles from 1.3 megapixel stills.
- video too choppy with low light modes, even with built-in LED lamp.
- viewfinder tilts but does not extend.
- motor noise can be heard when recording a very quiet room.
- bottom loading cassette - cant remove tape while camcorder is on a tripod
- not as compact as i would like. dimensions are 3.0"W x 3.6"H x 7.3"D and it weighs 1 lb 7 oz without tape and battery.
- the included 8MB SD card is unacceptable. be prepared to shell out more money for for more memory (at least 32MB). why only four stars? the two most important things for me in a camcorder are video quality and size. the optura is bigger than i would like and in my opinion, there are several camcorders out with better video quality at roughly the same price point (panasonic gs70 which has 3CCDs, and to a lesser extent, sonys trv33 and pc-105). dont get me wrong; this is a very nice camcorder - i just have a few other models higher on my "best camcorder list." i hope this helps your buying decision. peace.
by: Anonymous On: 2003-09-06
Oh, the Optura 20 -- I love what it does!! Im very impressed with all of the features, when I can find my way thru the beforementioned confusing menus and incomplete manual. However, Canon provided me with a very negative experience that I mentally relive every time I pick up my camera to use it.I bought this camcorder because I wanted to digitally edit on a computer... I have to say, it works fine on iMacs, which I have access to at work, but lets face it - iMovie isnt the be-all and end-all of editing programs, and I hate spending late nights alone at work just editing my stuff. On my home PC... well, Ive yet to get it to work thru the 1394 (firewire) card that DID work excellently with a grumpy JVC minidv cam. I plug it in, and it crashes my PC immediately. I called Canon to ask for help with the firewire connection setup nd the person I spoke with gleefully walked me thru the USB setup, which Id already done. Then he became abusive and demeaning and said the problem is all my computers fault, and that I should upgrade it to Windows XP because its a miracle operating system. He treated me as if Im an idiot who cant even run a PC, and not the decently-intelligent person who had a big part in personally BUILDING this PC. Oh, and he took issue with my calling it a firewire card because this is a PC and not an iMac. (Is that REALLY important to point out to me?) Who knows if he was right or not? He didnt really listen to me, and seemed bent on putting me down over the phone, instead of trying to help me make it connect. I wound up reporting him to Canon when they emailed back days later asking how much I liked my call to technical support. I was honest - Ill probably never buy another Canon product because of their customer abuse - I mean support - staff. It doesnt really matter so much about the camcorder, because I remember how bad he made me feel every time I pick up my Optura 20. I regret purchasing the camcorder, but only because of how Canon treated me when I needed assistance. The cameras good, and if you figure it out but never need help, youll love it. Just pray you dont ever have a question thats not answered thru the manual. You wont get the answer.
On: 2003-07-19
Have done lots of shoots with a digital still camera, so ventured into the digicam world 3 weeks ago. Seems like Optura 20 has some potential, but the menus are cryptic and the manual is terrible- constantly refers to terms that arent explained, diagrammed, or indexed. I know what I want to accomplish, but Canon routinely frustates my ability to do it. After 3 weeks, cannot view a still picture recorded onto the card, but not positive Ive even taken one.Microphone is sensitive to low noise (good thing), but on playback the sound is overpowered by motor noise unless youre recording a rock concert. Very distracting, so add $180 for their accessory mike. Wide angle close-ups are amazingly detailed, but images quickly lose their fidelity as you shoot more distant objects (like a house from across the street). Wide angle is a very relative adjective here; its still a narrow field of vision, and Canons wide adaptor is only a .7x (for $160!). I bought a Sony .6x for $39 that did well, and a fisheye that took in about the same breadth as our field of view.
Button for shooting stills is directly under where your thumb fits, so my first attempts at video recorded only stills (I think... see above). Jurys still out on a looong recess with Canons Optura 20, just glad I didnt pay more than $719 for it.
On: 2003-07-12
I have recorded about 2.5 Hrs and feel it is very good. I played the recordings on TV and I am amzed at the clarity of the picture. It is the best picture quality I have seen (seen 1Mega Pixel and 340 Kilo Pixel Recordings on Canon and Sony Mini DV recorders, they stand no where near this). Have not tried different modes yet, but the picture quality I got is close to the real, perfect reproduction. This is my first camcorder and I am a novice.I was initally sceptical about my buy (based on editorial review and one or two user reviews), but realized it is definitely a good buy. Id suggest buying an additional battery, May be BP-522 with a charger. The battery supplied with the product seems to be good only for an hour of recording without recharging.
On: 2003-06-23
I reserched Sony, JVC, and Canon. I previously owned a JVC DVL-300, and had good experience with that camera, but wanted to move up to the Canon for its superior features and image quality. My decision came down between the Canon ZR70 and the Optura 20. For the extra ... in price between these two, the Optura is definatly worth the extra money. The image stabilization was excellent on the Optura, even when zoomed in. The ZR70 was still shaky and was not that stable, especially on zoom. Ive read other reviews complaining about poor low light recording and motor noise (mostly with the ZR series). I have not experienced either of these problems with the Optura. Image quality for video indoors, even with low light, was great. The super night mode does look like a choppy web cam movie, BUT, even though the video is slow in Super Night mode, the COLOR quality was good... even with NO light. I prefer the color night video rather than the green Sony night video. It makes your video look more like home video instead of making your family look like an amateur military unit. I also like the 16x optical zoom (Sony only goes up to 10x optical, even on their best camcorder). Digital photos with the Optura are excellent (for 4x6 prints). But I never expext my camcorder to replace my digital camera (a Canon S330 - which is fantastic). But with the Optura, those few still photos I decide to snap with the camcorder are great (The ZR70 is not as good... another reason the Optura is worth the extra money). Battery life is excellent with the standard battery. My only complaint would be that the batter must be attached to the camera and plugged in to be charged. I wish they had a seperate charger for the battery, so as not to pull out the whole camera when it needs to be charged. Ive owned various Canon products and have always been impressed with their quality. The Optura is no exception. I would definatly recommend this camera to anyone who is concerned with capturing quality video for everyday indoor/outdoor recording. For those concerned with night or VERY low light recording, I would suggest investing in one of the optional light accessories.
On: 2003-05-08
This is my first camcorder and although I am by no means a dummy, this is making me feel a little bit like one. I immediately took it from the box and started using it. Most products I can pick up on like that, not this one. I have been looking over the owners manual and am now finding it pretty easy to operate. I purchased this to film my son and family outings. It has alot of features for video editing etc.. I will probably never use but they are there. Overall I would say it was a good purchase. The image quality is great and if you want a 4x6 still it is great for that too. The night shot is unlike Sony which is what I am used to. There is some sort of delay so when you move the camera it takes a second for the image on the screen to catch up. I dont know if that is from me not using it correctly or what. There is a built in light so you cant be sneaky with it in low light conditions. I would spend the extra money for the 20 over the 10 for the color view finder and other options. I ultimately didnt go with the Sony TRV 38 because of canon quality and recent things I have heard regarding Sony service and the lack of aftermarket support products. All in all a good camera.
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