Quick Review Camcorders : Canon Elura 85

The Elura 85 is yet another of model in a series of affordable, quality camcorders from that “Old Reliable,” Canon. This is not a disparagement. The Elura series is part of the reason why Canon has been so successful in the market. They produce easy to use camcorders with excellent optical systems. Placed between the Elura 90 and the Elura 80, this middle child offers solid performance at a great price. All three include identical image systems, and are differentiated mostly by useful and not-so-useful bonus features.

The Elura 85 features a 1/4.5” CCD, decently sized for the price range (around $450). The optical zoom extends out to an impressive 18x (digital zoom at 360x). The video performance was generally good – sharp, but the colors were slightly washed out. Unfortunately, the performance in low light was not as strong. Even at a moderately high “low light environment” (about the brightness of a room lit by a single window with indirect sun) the picture was riddled with grain. This has been a problem plaguing Canon’s consumer cams for quite some time, so you may want to look elsewhere if low light performance is a key factor for you. All of the Eluras gave the same performance.

The Elura 85 can record stills to SD/MM cards in two resolutions (1280 x 906 and 640 x 480) and three quality settings. A decent array of options is included, such as continuous shooting and burst mode, but this is not what we might call a full-fledged “hybrid” camcorder / camera. The stills came out looking crisp, but like the video, a bit washed.

Handling the Elura 85 is almost a perfect experience. It’s solid, well balanced, and feels good in your hand. But it suffers from a design flaw that runs straight up from the lowest Elura 80 to the mid-range of the Optura series (the Optura 60). The Menu button and jog dial have been placed all the way at the front left side of the camera. When the LCD screen is open, they cannot be seen. This is, of course, inconvenient, but you might be able to feel your way around. What’s worse, though, is that the buttons are eclipsed when the LCD is tilted up at a certain angle (an angle that’s pretty likely to be used), rendering the buttons inaccessible.

Aside from this problem, the Elura 85 is easy to use. An Easy mode is available with the flick of switch. Automatic controls are not terribly great. You’ll notice some significant lag time as the camcorder makes its adjustments. Some controls are better than others; automatic white balance is good, while focus (especially in a tight zoom) is not so good. Manual controls are available, but not recommended. Canon has designed the Elura series with point-and-shooters in mind. Focus, aperture, shutter speed, and white balance are all available, but only the shutter speed has a decent numerical measurement. The rest involve too much guesswork.

You’ll have a decent amount of room for expansion. The accessory shoe on top is cold, but a microphone input allows you to plug in easily. You’ll also find USB, DV, and A/V ports, in addition to the SD card slot.

As mentioned earlier, there a few real differences between the Elura 85 and the other Eluras. The Elura 80 lacks the autofocus assist lamp and mic input. The Elura 90 includes a better zoom (20x), a video light, and a wide angle lens converter. These differences are negligible, by and large, except for the mic input. That’s a must-have.

The Elura 85 is a great deal among similarly priced camcorders. But be sure to try it before you buy it.

Canon Elura 85: THE BOTTOM LINE.... Rating: 212.45

Likes

-Video performance -Still performance -Still capability

Dislikes

-Button placement -Handling -Low light performance

Canon Elura 85 compared to...

Canon               Elura 90        Rating: 202.38	Panasonic         PV-GS35  Rating: 199.07	Canon                 ZR-400 Rating:201.22	Sony DCR-HC32             Rating: 182.70	JVC                    GR-DF550    Rating: 195.29
Better	Better	Better	Better	Better
-Optical zoom specs -Wide angle	-Optical zoom specs -Manual control -Navigational system -Low light -Ports	-Portability -Wide angle	-Automatic control -Ease of use -Zoom specs -LCD -Still capability -Wide angle -Portability	-Automatic control -Portability -Still capability -Low light performance (slightly better) -Wide angle -VCR Mode -LCD -Battery life -Ports
Equal	Equal	Equal	Equal	Equal
-Video performance -Low light performance -Still capability -Manual control -Ease of use -VCR Mode -LCD -Audio -Handling -Portability -Widescreen		-Imager specs -Low light performance	-VCR Mode	-Handling
Worse	Worse	Worse	Worse	Worse
-Automatic control	-Video performance -Automatic control -Still capability	-Video performance -Ports -No accessory shoe -Digital still capability	-Manual control -Low light -Still capability -Ports -Audio	-Video performance -Ease of use -Optical zoom specs -Audio -Widescreen