Quick Camcorder Review : Canon DC100

The Canon DC100 marks the company’s entrance in the entry-level DVD camcorder market. Canon has built a reputation on quality video performance, simple operation, and a decent array of manual controls. The DC100, for the most part, lives up to those achievements, though the nagging reminders of DVDs’ deficiencies compared to MiniDV remain.

 

The DC100 uses a 1/6” CCD, which produced decent color balance, but not quite as strong as more high-end Canon camcorders. The picture had an overall soft look to it, almost blurry, though you could still make out most of the fine detail in a shot. In low light, the DC100 did no fare so well. The imagers of most entry-level camcorders are simply too small to perform in such conditions. As a result, the noise levels are rather high. The colors managed to stay strong, though, which seems to be a strength of Canon’s this year.

 

The design decision may have seemed minor at the time it was made, but Canon’s decision to use a four-way touchpad rather than the joystick found on all other Canon DVD camcorders has serious repercussions for handling. Joysticks, especially well-placed ones, work well. This touchpad is neither well-placed nor does it work well, due to its diminutive size.

 

Fortunately, the menu is laid out cleanly enough, split into two parts: the main menu and the manual control window. Making manual adjustments is intuitive. Manual controls include white balance, focus, exposure, AE modes, and separate aperture and shutter priority modes. This is more or less the standard set-up for a Canon camcorder and holds up favorably against the competition. Panasonic camcorders remain the undisputed king of manual controls.

 

For the point-and-shooters less interested in fidgeting with operation, there are automatic controls on the DC100. The mode switch on top has a clearly marked Auto mode. In it, white balance and focus seem to give the best responses, while the auto exposure tends to blow out white areas a little to readily. You’ll have to be careful with your shots involving mixed patches of dark and light.

 

The DC100 records onto DVDs in a limited number of formats: DVD-R and DVD-RW. You’ll have no trouble finding these varieties in your local store, but it’s always nice to have options. We’re hoping that next year’s replacement offers Dual Layer capability for extended shooting times. As it is, you’ll only get about 30 minutes of footage onto a disc.

 

The DC100’s battery design, enclosed in the LCD cavity, precludes the possibility of buying an extended life battery. In testing, we found the battery to last only 93 minutes. Coupled with the short shooting life-span of each DVD, for recording while on vacation this camcorder's offerings are limited.

 

As mentioned in the introduction, for the price of an entry-level DVD camcorder, a mid-level MiniDV camcorder could be purchased with better image quality and a simpler editing workflow. “Aren’t tapes old school?” you may be asking. No, settling for poor quality when a better choice is staring you in the face – that’s old school. Your research tools are right here at your fingertips. If you’re committed to purchasing a DVD camcorder, we understand. There are certainly enhanced levels of simplicity, and DVDs are very shiny; who doesn’t like that. The DC100 is a fine choice for an entry-level DVD camcorder, but you can do better with your hard-earned dollars. Climb up the chain to a mid-level DVD camcorder, where the video quality becomes acceptable, or look towards tape.