Canon GL2 user reviews

Cons is no cons. on June 25, 2005 by civicskater  | Read full review

Cons Poor low light video, horrible reliability on May 21, 2008 by gvideo  | Read full review

Cons There is no button on the camera to turn off the gain, which causes alot of noise (grain on the picture). Even after that, the picture gets a little grainy in low light, which really sets things back if you are into low key or high contrast lighting for on January 12, 2005  | Read full review

Cons Adjusting the hand strap to be comfortable can be a pain at first. The manual controls and menus have a learning curve that takes time to learn to navigate well. Wish the iris controls were part of the lens ring. on July 12, 2004  | Read full review

Cons One con is that the handle on the top can not take a lot of pull on it, as I recently found out.(True story) I was down in the city(Philly) and was robbed. They tried to take the camera by pullin the handle, and trying to rip it from my hands. The handle on March 10, 2004  | Read full review

Cons Plastic casing, but that is soon overshadowed by what is inside. on December 29, 2003  | Read full review

Cons None yet, getting some wow and flutter with the onboard audio (auto leveling), but probably just settings on December 15, 2003  | Read full review

Cons Like the GL1, only the remote control enables single frame advance. Unlike GL1: (1) autofocus can't be overridden by turning the focus dial. (2) Labels for FF, play, etc. aren't ON their buttons, so are confusing. (3) Lock lever cancels TV shutter set on October 9, 2003  | Read full review

Summary To the users who are concerned about the low light quality don't be if you use it write it provides great low light quality. I bought one for doing live music videos (dark clubs usually)and was concerned that it wouldn't provide the results I needed. At first I observed the problems "Cheule" was talking about and did see it. But I found a way of removing the graininess you use the custom presets bump the sharpness down 2 or 3 notches and bump up the setup level a notch or two. I did a shoot last week with my GL2 and I rented a brand new XL1s and to my suprise the GL2 looked identical and was sharper. I also noticed that the XL1s was constantly hunting for focus were the GL2 was realy quick at finding the focus areas in low light. I was really considering purchasing an XL1s but after that night and looking at the video side by side I purchased another GL2 for my B camera! Another great thing is that all the menu's and all most all of the ******** from the XL1s are on the GL2 .ie variable cotrol zoom's on the grip and handle. The only thing I don't like is the size I am more comfortable with the XL1S for doing free standing shooting but for alot of people that will be a plus. This camera rocks!

Summary I've had the GL2 for a month now and it's awesome. The quality of the images is outstanding. And it's interesting how the test shots I made on the superior chip sized Sony VX-2000 were no match for the smaller chip GL2. This is one time where size is really no indicator of quality. The Sony should have blasted the GL2 off the map with its larger chips. The GL2 also simply handles better and once you get used to the menu it's very easy to set up. Manual focus is easy and adjusting aperture is just a flip of a switch away.

Summary Would be a nice camcorder if not for the red push. If you like pink skin tones get one. If you prefer true skin tones, Opt for the VX2000, or if your very lucky, a GL1. The GL2 is a disappointment.

Summary My first video camera was a Canon VC-20, backpack and all. My new Sony VAIO laptop had me leaning towards the Sony's VX-2000. They are priced the same, so after checking them both out online and at the stores, I went with the Canon. My Christmas videos came out cryst al clear inside, at night, without any additional lighting. Audio was perfect. I am challenged trying to use the Firewire from the Canon to the Vaio. I am still plugging away trying to get Windows XP to recognize the camera. It could be the other USB ports in use. The Canon comes with a Firewire/USB connector. I should probably pull out a straight Firewire to Firewire connector. I do not think I'll return it for the Sony, even though I have two weeks to think about it.

Summary I read numerous online reviews regarding the Canon GL2 and Sony VX-2000, and the Canon GL2 seems like the winner in this close race. After owning the GL2 for a week, I was so disappointed with the low-light performance and digital still feature that I returned the GL2 and bought a Sony VX-2000 instead. After using the Sony for a week also, I am glad I did. In my opinion, the Sony VX-2000 wins between the two. Don't get me wrong, the GL2 is one sweet camera, but I feel that since the pricepoint of the GL2 is nearly identical to the VX-2000 which has much better low-light performance, the canon was just not for me. (I do a lot of low-light shooting on Halloween each year, and this was a feature of paramount concern). On the whole, I found that in a normal house at night with typical lamp lighting the Canon GL2 had to be full open on apature and +18db gain to achieve good exposure. This produced considerable picture noise. In contrast, the Sony VX-2000 can handle the same scene at full open apeture with no gain. This is due to 1/3" CCDs like you would find in Canon's much more expensive XL1. Here are the GL2s advantages vs VX-2000: === -Better optics (better color due to flourite, 20:1 vs. 12:1) -pixel shift combined with higher pixel count on CCDs seems to offer a bit more clarity, but this is arguable. (GL2 410,000 pixels/VX-2000 380,000 pixels) -Lighter weight, slightly smaller helps long hand held shooting. -30 fps progressive scan (Sony only offers 15fps progressive scan, shame on them) GL2s disadvantages vs VX-2000: -smaller CCDs (1/4" vs 1/3") which mean much more video grain in low light -more plastic-y feel, Sony is more metal-ish, robust feeling. -tape eject/transport on Sony seems more robust (I have no data on this, just casual observation) -control layout seems more ergonomic, less fumbling while recording. -manual zoom ring! All in all, I feel that the GL2 has better features, one cannot deny the superior better optics Canon has provided. If you plan on always shooting daylight footage, or using feature film style lighting, the GL2 is your cam. However, the 1/3" CCDs the Sony VX-2000 offers made the grade for me. I do shooting at night, and do not want to have to resort to sun-guns. For me, what good is an extra 200 mils on the lens (35mm conversion) if the picture is full of gain noise? I hope this helps others purchase the correct camera for them! Remove "antispam" from my email address to drop me a line.

Summary Recipe for success in the GL2: 20x optical zoom L-series pro lens, 410k pixels/CCD with pixel shift, excellent mic, no hot pixels on my GL2's CCDs, low-light is great, this thing see better in low light than me, and build quality that inspires one to use and use it for years to come. And, video and audio results that will hold up to your satisfaction for a long time. Why mess around with the average palmcorder for 1500 bucks? Get one of these.

Summary Outstanding Quality! We use ours for broadcast on a local cable-access station and for Industrial Development & CofC work. I can't get enough of it. I use it for both A/V and DV work - unreal! If I had to complain, it would be in three areas. 1. Too light - I sometimes think that I am going to break it. 2. Auto-focus a little goofy in action shots or high-contrast. 3. AV out jack does not look sturdy. But, well worth the money! Great! Great! Great!

Cons Nothing major. on February 17, 2005  | Read full review

Cons It is not cheap. on July 29, 2010 by r_krall  | Read full review

Cons Major issue with tape deck getting stuck and not ejecting the tape. Not good when you are shooting a wedding and you can not change tapes. There are ton of similar complaints online and Canon has not addressed it as of yet. on March 24, 2010 by pattiann1970  | Read full review

Cons Image stabilization lacks. On Board mic is very limited on July 23, 2009 by 1rockman  | Read full review