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"Excellent Camcorder!"
on by MMDVBPros Easy to use, versatil, beautiful image.
Cons I didn't find anything that I dislike about this camcorder.
Summary This camera was the best one that I found after a hard search for a decent camcorder.
I have tried 2 camcorders (Sony DCR-DVD92 and Canon DC20) before I bought the DC40. The Sony DCR-DVD92 had a good image if the light conditions were right, but I didn’t like the colors and the software that came with. The Canon DC20 had a beautiful picture under right light conditions, nice software, but 2 megapixels weren’t enough for me.
The Canon DC40 has beautiful pictures no matter what light conditions. Of course at night, you should be smart, and turn the little dial button to night shots so that you can get a clean image without any annoying flickering that other cameras show even on the night shots mode.
Another feature that I like is the fact that I can take pictures and make movies at the same time.
In addition, with the camcorder’s software, I was able to easily put all my little movies in one place, then transfer only the ones that I liked to the full size DVD-R and then enjoy watching them on my picky Toshiba DVD player, which played my new DVD without any fuss.
Note: I find easier, to finalize the recorded dvd-rw and then put it in my dvd drive burner to transfer the movies to my computer (via the camcorder’s software), instead of using the USB connection. After you have the movies in your computer and you have given instructions to transfer the selected movies to the blank dvd disc, you better find something else to entertain yourself while the computer process your request, I don’t know about your computer but my Pentium 4 took about 2 hours to get the job done (transfer 23 little movies to the full size DVD-R).
Anyway, I also like the fact that the lens cover is automatic and only opens when the camera is on recording or taking picture mode, this way the lens will always be protected.
Taking pictures on the mini sd card, makes very convenient to quickly take a look at them on your computer (if you have a sd card reader available). The software that came with the camcorder also has a zoom browser, which is excellent to do some adjustments on the still picture like colors and hue, among other options.
In regards the battery life, the box says that it should last about 75 minutes with LCD finder, but of course this is just an estimate. I just make sure that I recharge soon after I use it.
Overall, I am very satisfied with this camera and highly recommend it. I hope that this review has helped you somehow towards your decision. Good luck on your search! -
"Excellent, Excellent Camcorder"
on by loveemPros Superior Quality and Features
Cons Like any other camcorder - Battery Life
Summary I researched extensively and every way I looked at camcorders I kept coming back to this one. Second runner up was the Sony 505.
The Sony offered "surround sound" where this offers "stereo". But the surround sound was just an optional center chanel Bluetooth microphone which is not really surround sound and the Bluetooth presents other problems. The Canon DC 40 has a nice video light. The Canon is better quality than any other camera and a great value. I ordered this one on a Sunday from a CNET approved vendor and it shipped that same day!
Battery life with any camcorder is an issue but i just bought a spare - problem solved. The video quality is excellent, on the fly photos are a great feature, and the camera is so darn small that I sometime confuse it with our Canon A80 digital camera.
Prior to this camcorder we had a Sony Hi8 and although it was a great camcorder, we wanted to convert to DVD. We were tired of transfereing video from tape to DVD and losing some quality in the process. DVD is definitely the way to go.
We highly recommend this camera if you are looking for top of the line and great value. -
"Well Rounded Camcorder"
on by timny70Pros relatively easy to use , good picture quality, clear crisp audio
Cons battery life , slighlty awkward for bigger hand people
Summary After charging up my DC40 I put it to the test. i took both camcorder footage as well as some still pictures. At first i wasnt blown away by the results.The quality seemed somewhat mediocre to me and wasnt sure if this camcorder was worth the money spent.I then decided to give the manual a good look and try out the camcorder setting for different situations.
What a big difference in the quality of my movies and photos after following the manuals directions for settings involvng different lighting ..such as fluorcent lights,spotlights, dim lights etc... The dc40 is a great outdoor camcorder and can be left in its auto setting...but when the cam is used indoors i use the manual setting to better control the results of my pictures.
The dc40 also has other features such as faders,mirror pictures,black and white,artwork that can be added to your pictures and many more nice additives.
Overal i gave this camcorder a 8 its a excellent camcorder for home and family usage .I also would say if that you are looking for a camcorder that is just a point and shoot in any situation this might not be the one ..i achieved best results from this cam by using some of its manual type settings. -
"Great all in one package with 4 megapixel CCD DVD camcorder!"
on by beardivrPros Everything is built into camera, no need for accessory shoe!
Cons No input for converting VHS or Hi-8.
Summary When researching camcorders on line, I looked at a lot of criteria that I required in order to be satisfied.
1. The first and most important was video quality, and ease of sharing video with family and friends. The effective megapixels for recording movies was 3,500,000 pixels, which is excellent for pro-sumers.
2. Secondly, the dvd movie recorded onto a DVD-R can be played in almost every dvd player I own, even my XBOX. Extremely shareable, and easy to rip and burn. BTW, the dvd's are indexed, so really easy to find a scene to copy to a computer.
3. Built in video light, and camera flash meant there was no need to carry shoe attachments for on top of the camcorder, and no additional batteries to charge or cords to carry. (most other DVD camcorders required a shoe accessory varying from $50 to $150 extra).
4. Package contents provided everything to show video, edit content, and manage photo's.
5. Digital still camera built in was an amazing 4 megapixels. My old VR40 captured pictures at a measily 1 megapixel. Having the ability to take pictures separate from video operation was wonderful. I could now leave my 4mg pixel camera at home and just take this. (my 4mg pixel pictures printed very nice at 8x10!)
6. You could take digital still while video taping and the picture would be captured on teh card instead of the DVD.
7. Very few other DVD's boasted a 4 megapixel CCD. This is very important.
Over all, I'm extremely happy with my choice of camcorder. I looked at 8 camcorders in all, varying from Panasonic VDR-300K, Sony DCR-DVD505, Hitachi DZGX3300A, Samsung SC-DC564, and some Fuji model not work mentioning. This model by Canon had everything in one small tight package! -
"Unimpressed!!!"
on by iqbalkPros Built in 4MP camera and DVD video recorder
Cons Poor picture quality!!!
Summary I bought the D40 so that I can have one device to record still photos and video. I took in on a week long vacation. I was not impressed at all. The still photo quality reflected a lot of light. I tried the apeture mode and the shutter modes to reduce the light but still the picture quality was not impressive at all. I tried many of the advanced features to create better quality pics to no avail.
I expected the video quality to be very good. This surprised me as well. Under low light the video was very grainy. My Sony Digital 8 would do better under low light conditions. Also if its even slightly windy the microphone translates it to noise. Did not investigate how to mute it under these conditions. I also found that the video had the same issues with reflecting light. If a person had a white cap on or a shirt, there would be a glare around the shirt or cap.
I returned it and have not yet made a decison on which video camera to purchase. One things for sure I will not be looking for a hybrid video/photo.
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