This Camera Done Me Right

Author's Rating:

Pros: Easy to use, great quality

Cons: Price isn't really affordable for everyone

Author's Review
A few friends and I used the Canon GL1 MiniDV for our recent film short and we were all really pleased with its performance.

It has a great blend of the simplicity of the point-and-shoot and with a lot of professional-level techie-pleasing features, including a handheld steady-cam setting, a top-quality viewfinder and three interior imaging chips (one for each primary color).

We used the full lens range from macro zoom to its widest wide angle and weren't frustrated by lack of options. And we also made good use of the sound/video playback, which was great for picking up a lot of little missed details before we started taking good production notes.

The only annoying feature for us was the auto shut-off, which beeped at us during our between-shot set-ups and actor coaching time. There's probably a way to shut that down in the manual, but it wasn't clearly evident on the camera itself.

But overall, we had a great shoot and a terrific time using it. If it weren't for the price, I'd buy one for myself!