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Product Reviews:
Canon Optura Xi MiniDV Camcorder w/11x Optical Zoom |
Rating: 5 (out of 5)
Summary: I endorse this DV camcorder
Comments: I have owned the Optura Xi since June 2004 and my experience has been wonderful. I am a novice user in that I have not spent a lot of time learning the intricacies of the many, many features on this camcorder, such as the aperture settings and things of that nature and outside of using the zoom feature, I let the camcorder figure out the best options for what I am filming.
however what I can share is that the video is clear, crisp, and I give it high ratings. The image stabilization is great and the zoom feature is awesome. The audio is so-so and if you are filming something that requires adequate audio, you may want to invest in1of those boom microphones that can be attached to the camcorder. The low light limitation is also pretty frustrating and the filming in my house did not have great results more than half the time. I had to turn on way too many lights to get a halfway decent video. I have actually broke down an ordered the VLF-1 auxilary light to combat this limitation. I haven't received yet, however I am pretty sure it will vastly improve my problems when filming indoors.
All in all, it has been alalmost all a year and I still get a thrill when I play back something that I have taped and see the clarity and resolution. I have also made some great DVD's of home videos, with music, cut scenes and narration...pretty cool, indeed!!!! |
Rating: 1 (out of 5)
Summary: Disposable Cameras
Comments: Nice features which are included because Canon saved money by using a cheap tape transport. Within little time expect to be continually exposed to the "Remove the Cassette" which can, apparently, only temporarily fixed at the Canon Repair Center. It appears that the cheap transport is not model specific. Caveat Emptor |
Rating: 5 (out of 5)
Summary: Amazing!!!!
Comments: This cameras amazing1of the best canon has to offer (for the price anyways) this camera has great zoom features not to mention it takes great pictures which is half the reason I purchased it. I recomend purchaseing this if you have nice video editing software...I do not think imovie will cut it however vegas 5.0 is compatible with this camera..I have not had a problem yet... |
Rating: 5 (out of 5)
Summary: Best value fo rmoney - awesome picture quality
Comments: I recently purchased this camera for $1000 (with the $200 rebate) this was a steal. I had a Canon ZR65 earlier and I wasn't too happy with it's low light performance and hence decided to purchase this camera. The other thing I did not like about the ZR65 was it's inability to reproduce true colors.
This camera is amazing. We took a helicopter ride recently and the pictures of the sky , the terain was stunning. Once we played it back on our TV, the quality was was as great as broadcast quality playback. It was honestly amazing!!!!!! I highly endorse this camera.
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Rating: 5 (out of 5)
Summary: Alalmost all as great as a GL2, for half the price
Comments: I purchased my Canon Optura Xi2months ago. I alalmost all purchased a Canon GL2, until I studied the spec sheets. Both camcorders have the same features: 16-bit stereo recording; f/1.6 lens; 11x zoom; Av, Tv, and manual exposure control, etc. What stands out as different in their spec sheets is their CCDs (the chips that record the image). Digital video (DV) is 640 x 480 pixels, or 307,200 pixels, or one-third of amega pixel. NTSC broadcast video is 525 lines with a 4:3 aspect ratio, or 367,500 pixels. To get color you need3times that number of pixels (for red, green, and blue), or about1megapixel. In the past, CCDs had far fewer pixels, so camcorders had3chips to get enough pixels. The GL2 has31/4" chips, each with 380,000 pixels.3chips demands a lens3times bigger. Splitting the light3ways requires a big, heavy prism. 3-chip camcorders are big, heavy, and expensive.
The Optura Xi takes a different approach. It uses1chip with 1,230,000 pixels. The CCD is between 1/3" and 1.4"; in other words, bigger than the GL2's 1/4" chips, however smaller than the XL1S's 1/3" chips. (Pro video cameras have31/2" or 2/3" chips, making them much bigger and heavier.) The Optura Xi has more pixels than the GL2, yet doesn't need the prism. The lens and body are smaller and lighter, and the Optura Xi is half the price.
I have found that my Optura Xi has accurate colors (unlike my old Canon Optura 200MC), and it performs well in low light conditions. The GL2's colors look a little better (more saturated) however only a little. The Optura Xi appears much better than previous one-chip camcorders.
Apparently the size of the pixels make a difference. Imagine a CCD with tiny pixels the size of1photon. The state of such a pixel could be described with a1or a zero (either a photon hits the pixel, or no photon hits it). Imagine a CCD with pixels1million times bigger. You'd need a number between1and a million to describe how many photons hit each pixel. This illustrates that a camcorder with bigger CCDs (and a bigger lens) should produce more color detail, especially in bright or dark parts of your picture.
The GL2 is only slightly better than the Optura Xi, and costs twice as much. To get a camcorder substantially better than the Optura Xi you will have to pay many times more, such as for a Panasonic AG-DVX100A or a Canon XL2. I am saving my money until HD camcorders are available. (I do not consider the JVC GR-HD1 to be high-def, as it has11/3" CCD with 880,000 pixels trying to fill a 1280x720 one-megapixel format!!)
My advice is to purchase the Optura Xi, then spend your money on microphones, and great tripod, lights, video editing software, etc. you will make better videos than people that blew their budget on a GL2.
Another word of advice. I did a "price search" on the web and found various places advertising prices lower than Amazon (and lower than eBay prices). When I ordered from them, they were "out of stock" and tried to bait-and-switch me to other camcorders. I found that the lowest prices for camcorders that really existed are on Amazon.
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Review by Thomas David Kehoe, author of "Hearts and Minds: How Our Brains Are Hardwired for Relationships" |
