Quick Review Camcorders : Canon Elura 70

The Canon Elura 70 can automatically adjust the white balance, focus, shutter speed and exposure – and it does so quickly and seamlessly. Once the user gets curious, there are manual options to experiment with. The manual controls are scattered about the body of the Elura 70, with some additional choices in the LCD menu. The white balance, which can only be accessed in the LCD menu, has four basic settings: Auto, Indoor, Outdoor and Set. Manual shutter speed can be adjusted from 1/60th to 1/2000th of a second.

With a 690,000-pixel 1/4.5-inch CCD, the Canon Elura 70 shoots good video in bright light and sub-standard video in low light. At 3000 lux, colors were represented accurately and resolution bars were clear. However, the image quality suffered in darker lighting. This is typical, especially because the manufacturer recommends around 100 lux for good video, while we test low light performance at a miniscule 15 and 60 lux. At 60 lux, colors are evenly saturated and separated, but lacked vibrancy and looked almost pastel. There is some noise and grain, which increases at 15 lux. In this low light, resolution bars blurred, colors bore a brown hue, and noise took over the image.

The Canon Elura 65 is one step down in the line from the Elura 70, but the only difference between the two camcorders is the zoom lens; the 65 has 16x optical zoom and the Elura 70 has 18x optical zoom. The Elura 70 also sports a 72x and 360x digital zoom, although this feature compromises the image quality. The 1.1-pound Canon Elura 70 also comes with a .33-inch, 133,000-pixel color viewfinder with an extendable eyecup. The eyecup comes out about an inch and can be adjusted around 45 degrees. The 2.5-inch LCD monitor can be rotated to almost any position, although some spots will inhibit use. (For example, when the LCD is rotated more than 30 degrees, the jog dial is blocked.) The 123,000-pixel LCD screen also over-saturates images, making it difficult to adjust lighting and shooting techniques accurately.

A few perks accompany ownership of the Canon Elura 70. A digitally manipulated widescreen option converts video into 16:9 format for those big television screens. The 70 has one of the better still photography modes on the market. The designated photo button makes access easy. Adjustments can be made automatically or manually. Image size options are 1280 x 960, or 640 x 480 for still images. Movies can be shot to SD/ MMC cards at 320 x 240, or 160 x 120 for fast uploading and sharing. The Canon Elura 70 has ports galore: microphone, headphone, S-Video, FireWire, DC, and AV-in and out. This camcorder can convert those old analog tapes to digital format. There is also an advanced accessory shoe atop the Elura 70, allowing the user to attach a spotlight or microphone. For users who won’t use such things, there is also a stereo microphone on the front of the Elura 70, away from wandering fingers so audio can be captured without disruption.

Overall, the Canon Elura 70 is a great camcorder for the point-and-shoot consumer who won’t be recording in low light and appreciates a compact camcorder and lots of automatic and manual features. At 3.1 x 2.9 x 5.1 inches, this model is comfortable to hold and boasts a nice 18x optical zoom lens. At $799, the Elura 70 can be a bit pricy. However, street prices are around $500, making this a good bargain for entry-level consumers.

Canon Elura 70 Compared to the...