Besides the higher-resolution sensor, the DC230 sports one minor upgrade over the DC220: a remote control. It's not the most surprising or revolutionary upgrade, but it helps to justify the camcorder's $50 premium over the DC220 a little bit more than if it only featured a new sensor. Considering the camcorder's slightly awkward controls, the remote control offers a welcome alternative for playback and menu navigation.
For an inexpensive, standard-definition DVD camcorder, the DC230 pleasantly surprised me with its video quality. While the bump up from 0.68-megapixel sensor to a 1.07-megapixel sensor might seem minor, that new sensor drastically improved its picture compared with the DC220. I noticed relatively little noise and artifacts, and fine details like grass and fur came out quite clear. The 35x lens focused quickly at most magnification factors and from most distances. Despite its lens' long reach, the DC230 uses a digital-stabilization system. Optical image stabilization, which shifts some of the optical elements within the lens in order to combat shake, typically works better. The DC230's system chokes down the number of effective pixels when recording to correct and reduce camera shake. It works well enough and doesn't seem to seriously affect the video, but if you want the absolute best results from this camcorder, you should set it on a tripod and manually disable the image-stabilization feature.
While the Canon DC230 doesn't have a lot of frills, it still stands out as a solid, inexpensive DVD camcorder. The slight bump in resolution over its little brother gives it much-needed improved video quality, and its modest feature set should satisfy most casual videographers and home movie buffs.
- See more CNET content tagged:
- sensor,
- camcorder,
- remote control,
- Canon Inc.,
- lens
Canon DC230:
