Quick Review Camcorders : Canon Elura 65

The 1/4.5-inch 1.33 megapixel CCD provides the medium for good video performance. In 3000 lux, the Canon Elura 65 produces good even colors, although they are slightly washed out. This is common for a consumer camcorder. Although the manufacturer suggests at least 100 lux for good video performance, we tested this model at lower light levels of 60 and 15. At 60 lux, colors are fairly represented except the greens and yellows, which appear slightly brown. At 15 lux, reds bleed into yellows and the entire image takes on a muddy hue. Of course, the image is much darker and speckled with noise and grain. This low-light performance is about average as compared to other camcorders in this price range.

Manual control on the Canon Elura 65 is better than average. Manual focus, aperture, exposure, shutter speed and white balance options are available. The focus is adjusted by the jog dial. The aperture can be opened or closed with a numbered value bar on the LCD screen. Exposure can be set from -11 to +11. Shutter speeds range from 1/60th to 1/2000th of a second and white balance can be set on Auto, Set, Indoor and Outdoor. Some camcorders may impress customers with their 17 white balance options, but the Elura 65’s four options are sufficient enough to maintain proper colors in most lighting. Many manual options, such as shutter speed and white balance, are available only though the LCD screen. This can make changing settings while recording difficult.

Luckily, most other functions are easy to use. To take still shots, push the Photo button. To email movies or pictures, press the Share button. There is also a print button for direct printing. Easy. The 1.1-pound Canon Elura 65 shoots still images to an SD/ MMC card at 1280 x 960 or 640 x 480 resolution. Movies can also be saved to the card in 320 x 240 and 160 x 120 resolution.

The 2.5-inch LCD monitor comes with 123,000-pixels and can rotate 180 degrees. However, it often over-saturates colors and solarizes when viewing in bright light. The .33-inch viewfinder extends about an inch and even raises 45 degrees. 113,000 pixels provide an accurate view for shooting. The Canon Elura 65 can hook up to microphones, headphones, S-Video, USB, Firewire, and DC and AV in/out cables, allowing the 65 to convert analog videos to digital. The Elura 65 also has an advanced accessory shoe on top, making a spotlight or extra microphone possible. For consumers who don’t need the extra mic, the Elura 65 has two stereo microphones with a windscreen option.

Canon Elura 65 Compared to the...