Super little DV camera

Author's Rating:

Pros: Comfort, size, picture quality, features, optics

Cons: battery life

The Bottom Line: 
Compact, comfortable, stylish with excellent quality at an affordable price - outperforming a camera I spent over $2000 just over 2 years ago.

Author's Review
The Canon Elura 65 sure has come a long way from the old standard VHS camcorder I started with. I was looking for a more compact and convenient successor to my current DV palmcorder - a Panasonic 951D. Once I had identified the myriad of standard accessories - SD card, carry strap, batteries (cell + L-ion), remote control, CD software and a hefty pile of manuals - I was ready to charge it up.

Just getting started was quite an adventure - the options menu is seemingly bottomless though leaving everything on automatic conveniently greys-out (or purples-out on the LCD menu) the kind of settings that get DV newcomers and veterans alike into trouble :) Manual in hand, I persevered and finally had all the cool features at my disposal.

I had considered a number of models including JVC, Panasonic and Samsung around the same price-point but the specifications and feature-set of the Canon Elura 60/65/70 range fit right into my requirements especially with the 1.3MB CCD (great for low-light conditions). The street-price difference between the 60 and 65 is within $60 but the little extra zoom, super night mode and the most important (having just purchased an HDTV) 16:9 format made the choice between the 65 and 70. The $100+ difference between the 65 and 70 models essentially included an additional wide angle lens along with an extra 2X of zoom - I decided to spend the $100 on accessorizing the 65 instead :)

While you may see some great clearance prices, don't even consider the older Elura model 50 as part of the same family, while it shares the same model series name - it is not in the same league. The Elura 50 has poor controls, only a 680K CCD and questionable low-light operation. While the Elura 50 is extremely compact it is completely cumbersome for anyone with hands larger than a 6 year-old. In comparison, the Elura 65 is amazingly comfortable and stable to use.

You will definitely need additional batteries. I considered getting the super extended large (noticeably heavier impinging on the comfort factor mentioned earlier) battery pack for another $45 but unless you are doing long un-broken shoots you can pick up several NB-2L or NB-2LH for $10 or even less apiece. I ordered three additional NB-2LH batteries.

I was wowed by the excellent picture clarity, I really liked the 16:9 especially since we just bought an HDTV projection system that it looks awesome on. The image stabilizer system worked nicely at normal 1:1 zoom but was increasingly challenged once I took it over 10X.

When shooting, there are some excellent pop-up indicators such as the 10 second segment timer which is handy when you want to shoot small (and un-boring) scenes.

You will definitely need a bigger SD card, 8MB just isn't going to cut it as having an Elura 60/65/70 may encourage you to leave your digital still camera at home - especially if you have say 256MB of SD memory onboard. Don't format the 8MB SD card that comes standard with your Elura as it contains some images that you can use for transitions or special effects. At the very least, download the images to your PC first.

Talking of your PC, the software is easy to use and can have you generating basic PC video systems in no time. If you want to seriously juice up the video, you may want to consider getting something like Pinnacle 9 with Hollywood FX.

Bottom-line if you are in the market for a good middle-of-the-road pricepoint next-generation palmcorder - the Elura 65 is a great choice and you won't be disappointed (just get those extra batteries).