วันพฤหัสบดีที่ 5 กุมภาพันธ์ พ.ศ. 2552

Canon Optura 300 MiniDV Camcorder

Canon Optura 300 MiniDV Camcorder

Canon Optura 300 MiniDV Camcorder

The Optura 300 makes having the best of everything a reality. Offering unparalleled expertise in video and digital photography, it puts cutting edge performance in the palm of your hand. Its sophisticated, streamlined design makes it compact enough to carry anywhere. Dreams materialize before your very eyes as two imaging worlds are seamlessly linked together with stunning detail and unprecedented realism. Sight and sound have been elevated to the pinnacle of perfection.

Product Details

  • Amazon Sales Rank: #51507 in Camera & Photo
  • Brand: Canon
  • Model: 300
  • Display size: 2.5


  • Features

  • MiniDV camcorder and still camera with 2.0-megapixel CCD
  • 10x optical zoom lens (digital zoom to 220x) and image stabilizer
  • 2.5-inch LCD with 180-degree rotation
  • Make MPEG-4 movies and send them straight to your computer
  • Record for up to 75 minutes on one battery charge



  • Editorial Reviews

    From the Manufacturer
    The Optura 300 makes having the best of everything a reality. Offering unparalleled expertise in video and digital photography, it puts cutting edge performance in the palm of your hand. Its sophisticated, streamlined design makes it compact enough to carry anywhere. Dreams materialize before your very eyes as two imaging worlds are seamlessly linked together with stunning detail and unprecedented realism. Sight and sound have been elevated to the pinnacle of perfection.

    2.0 Megapixel CCD

    Auto-Exposure Bracketing
    In uncertain lighting conditions, the Auto-Exposure Bracketing feature will make sure your bases are covered: With a single press of the PHOTO button, the camcorder records three photos with different exposures. Later, you can choose which photo is best for printing or storing.
    To deliver superior video and photo quality, the Optura 300 uses a powerful 2.0 Megapixel CCD. Combined with Genuine Canon Optics and Canon's Optical Image Stabilizer, the camcorder captures images with outstanding clarity.

    Genuine Canon Optics: 10X Optical Zoom/200X Digital Zoom
    Canon Genuine Optics are unparalleled in the industry. The same Canon experience and expertise that goes into precision lenses for 35mm and broadcast TV cameras goes into every camcorder lens we manufacture. At Canon, we never compromise. The result is a lens with superb definition and exceptional contrast. The powerful 10X optical zoom lets you capture your subject with razor-sharp detail even from a distance. The powerful 200X digital zoom takes you even closer, revealing details too small to see with the naked eye.

    The 10X optical zoom gives you the same range of focal lengths as a 48.9-489 mm lens on a 35 mm still camera. Add an optional Wide Converter WD-H30.5 (Item Code: 9065A001) and you get the same wide view you'd get with a 34.2 mm lens on a 35 mm still camera. Add the Tele Converter TL-H30.5 (Item Code: 9064A001) and you have the same magnification power of a 929 mm telephoto lens on a 35 mm still camera. And, that's not the end of the Optura 300's optical versatility. When capturing digital photos to the memory card, the zoom ratio remains 10X zoom, the equivalent of a 38.3 - 383 mm lens on a 35mm photo camera.

    Image Stabilizer
    Don't miss a shot -- even if you're shooting hand-held, at full telephoto, or while you're on the move. Canon's superb Image Stabilization system compensates for camcorder shake instantly, making your videos look steady and natural. Unlike other brands, Canon's Image Stabilization is effective even while panning and zooming.

    DIGIC DV
    DIGIC DV is a system for achieving superior video and photographic quality images. Canon's expertise in imaging and electronics is flawlessly blended together, resulting in outstanding performance. It offers substantial benefits in color reproduction. DIGIC DV makes it possible to achieve accurate color for both video and digital photos. Since video and photos have different color requirements, DIGIC DV utilizes two different color techniques to maximize video quality on a TV and still image quality for print or computer display.

    Advanced Photo Features
    To fully complement the camcorder's superior video quality, it offers features to expand your photographic horizons.

    Multi-image Screen
    You can divide your screen into four, nine or sixteen pictures with the Image Capture function.
  • With the Simultaneous Photo Record feature, you can record high quality video to a Mini DV tape and e-mail ready (640 x 480) digital photos to a memory card at the same time.
  • With the Optura Xi's Selectable AF Frames, you can choose one of three different Auto Focus points to automatically put the subject you want into sharp focus. Taking off-center subjects can add more impact and a new dimension to your photographs.
  • Continuous Shooting Function: All it takes is a single press of a button, and your camera records 30 VGA (640 x 480) frames at a rate of 3 frames per second, or 10 SXGA (1280 X 960) frames at 2 frames per second.
  • Built-in Flash
  • Stitch Assist displays the previous photo on the right half of the LCD screen and a live image on the left. Just line things up and shoot. Repeat this process as many times as you like. You don't have to match things perfectly, because the included Canon PhotoStitch software lines up and pieces the individual images together into a seamless, magnificent photographic vista.

    Faders and Special Effects
    The Elura camcorders come complete with a wide selection of faders and special effects that can add visual appeal and greater imaging variety. Choose from Fade Trigger, Wipe, Corner, Jump, Flip, Puzzle, Zigzag, Beam and Tide. For a more creative look, you can switch on the following digital effects during recording or playback: Art, Black & White, Sepia, Mosaic, Ball, Cube, Wave, Color Mask or Mirror.


  • Customer Reviews

    Great Family Camcorder, but in low light. . .4
    I bought this camcorder in the fall of 2003 (it is Jan 2005 as I write this). We bought it to take with us on our trip to Disney World. It replaced our Sony 8mm Steady Shot camcorder that we bought back in 1994. I wanted a camcorder that was small enough to pack into a belt pack. The old 8mm required a good-sized camera bag that was a pain to lug around places like Disney World.

    I really liked the fact that the camera could take still pictures too, as it meant there was a chance we wouldn't have to lug our Olympus D510 (2MP camera).

    It worked quite well for that trip. An added benefit of it being so small was the fact that I could bring it along on long hikes. I took it with us the next year when we went to South Dakota to hike the Black Hills & Badlands.

    Outdoors, this camera is excellent. The still photos are OK, I wouldn't recommend getting this camera to replace a camcorder AND digital camera, you won't be satisfied.

    Inside and in low-light, however, the camera leaves a lot to be desired. It is understandable, the small lens can only gather so much light. I would say that our older 8mm camera performs better in low light. For indoor shots, I usually try to make sure we have ample lighting. The lack of an acessory shoe on this camera prevents you from attaching one of those [annoying] video camera spotlights.

    The swing out LCD is the right size for viewing, it rotates around completely so you can use it for self-portraits, or just getting some really odd-angled shot (my relatively new Canon A85 has a similar LCD, though much smaller).

    The one thing that I find is the most useful as of late is something I did not research as a requirement when shopping for a camcorder. The Analog->Digital pass-through feature blew away two other Analog Video capture cards. My old Dell (4550) came with a video capture card that would drop numerous frames. I bought an ATI All-In-Wonder card to import all my old analog and it didn't even compare to the pass through on the canon. Now I connect my old 8mm to the Optura 300, set the video mode to pass through and capture the video through the 1394 port, storing as .avi (on a nice big drive).

    I've never used any of the funky digital effects. I would suggest saving your $$ and not making the inclusion/lack of effects part of your criteria for choosing a camcorder. You can do everything you need in your video editing software (I use Adobe Premiere Elements 1.0 now).

    Somehow I have become a Canon-Fan over the past few years. When I bought this camcorder it was the only Canon gadget I owned. This past year I added the Canon A85 and the Digital Rebel to my collection of digital toys. To add to that last note, I am 'looking' at another camcorder and am only looking at Canon models (the Optura Xi to be exact).

    I realize it might be late in the game to be rating this camera as the Optura 400 & 500 are out now. If you are researching those please take my experiences with Canon & the Optura line as positive notes on their offerings.


    Great camera with certain limitations4
    I bought this camera just a day before my trip to Alaska and it worked out great. Since there was not much time to read the thick manual, the controls were intuitive enough to operate. The video quality was great.
    Pros:
    - Great size. Very compact
    - Great video quality with 2 Mega Pixals
    - Easy to operate.

    Cons:
    - Still pictures come better in light. Not good if the light is less
    - Red eye reduction does not seem to work well for still pictures
    - In the video, the sound recording seem to pick up wind and other noises more than you actually hear.
    - Some times still pictures are not in focus.

    Fantastic Digital Camera Choice5
    I would highly recommend this camera to anyone who is in the market for a camcorder. I purchased the optura 300 several months ago and have been utilizing it heavily ever since. The camera takes excellent movies of both indoor and outdoor events. I could not be happier with my choice. I did purchase a longer-lived battery which has worked out well. I keep the standard battery charged as a backup, but the larger battery has never died on me even during days that I shot a significant amount of footage.

    I would like to point out of few issues I have had with it:
    1) The instruction manual leaves much to the imagination, especially with how to download the recorded motion pictures onto a PC. There are many other gaps in the manual.

    2) This camera is not for the technologically challenged. I would guess that this is not limited to this specific camera, but is an issue with the entire class of cameras. To burn DVDs and do any kind of editing, the user must have a video capture card & firewire installed on their PC. In addition, downloading movies onto a PC requires LOTS of hard drive space. I installed a 2nd hard drive for this purpose. In addition I needed to install a DVD RW drive so I could burn DVDs. I also upgraded my RAM. Although all of these are easy installs in newer PC's, it can be a daunting task just for a person to figure out what is actually needed not to mention knowing how to actually install it. Combined with shortcomings in the manual, I could see this being fatal for some users. If you are technologically challenged, I would recommend the cameras that burn directly to DVD.

    3) At the extreme end of the zoom, the camera seems to have trouble focusing and is very shaky. This is not that big of an issue as long as the user keeps this in mind while framing the video.

    4) I am not really happy with the quality of the still images captured by this camera. These images can be saved onto a flash card or onto the digital tape. With perfect lighting, the images are good, but I have found that when the flash is needed, the images are completely over exposed. The red-eye reduction feature does not work at all to reduce red eye.

    Please do not let these negatives taint my review. I love this camera but I wanted to put all the issues that I have found with it out there.

    Price:
    Related Links : Product by Amazon or shopping-lifestyle-20 Store

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