Canon Canon Optura 60

Canon Optura 60

Canon Optura 60 Review, by Richard Baguley June 23, 2005

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• Reviewed by: irvineharley

  Strengths: Wow

  Weaknesses: Wow

  Overall: Wow, why am I writing this review?I totally agree with other reviews.but I just found out 1 thing today.This digital camera feature of Optura 60 is superb.i just accidently tested this digital camera feature on my skin and totally shocked!!Its minimum close up distance is virtually "0". you can close and still get auto focused to an object. its totally a microscopic image with sharp focusing!if you already have this camcorder, please try close up macro photos to any object close as 1mm , it will still focus and take a good photo.wow... great lens!!! what a discovery.test it for yourself!!iam using myself a Digitar SLR with various expensive lenses but Ive never seen this kind of macro lens ever!

• Reviewed by: philscbx

  Strengths: All around a decent unit - I could almost leave the Canon G5 camera home.In daylight - You will love it. Snap shots on the memory card, or even mini movie clips to memory card.

  Weaknesses: Low light can be an issue with any digital imaging system - so plan ahead and turn some lights on.

  Overall: I stopped at National Camera Mpls the day before my flight took me to Sweden and most of Europe. I made sure to have an extra battery and tapes and a couple 1gb SD cards. Filming in Holland or anywhere in Europe isn't the safest thing in the streets while doing it on a bicycle, but everyone wants a copy. Trains as well. Your clipping along at 95 mph in most trains, and they are very smooth. So capture the moment.I strongly suggest a tripod or a heavy duty window mount, or at least a mono-pod. Try to make Your video as fun as possible using the Zoom as you leave the port on board ship. Because sunsets at sea are beyond words. I mentioned mini film clips to memory card - One minute clips are fine for some things - The smaller format to card - 320 by 240 is great for a quick email of some of the action by simply inserting card into the laptop. Canon's software for editing works great to edit film clips quickly.I've been on tour for 6 months in Europe and it's with me almost every day. Tapes and memory cards are easy to find even in Sweden.I wouldn't chance it on finding a backup battery quickly. The built in mic really is sensitive - I'd like to try a wired mic or maybe they'll come up with a blue tooth unit. Typically the one holding the camera makes the most noise.I have also during this venture have purchased Canon's printers - i990 - the Pixma 5500, and 5200R. Very Nice to work with. Studio Quality Images.Have Fun!

• Reviewed by: Lowest Price Electronics

  Strengths: 2MP Stills on SD, built in flash, otical image stabilization

  Weaknesses: low battery life, Bulky, No DV tape included, No firewire cable included

  Overall: This is an ok camcoder. I would definately prefer Optura 50 over this. The previous model was better, less bulky. It would have been good if they include a DV tape and a firewire cable for the price I paid for this camcode. It has loads of other features that I do not use usually. 14X optical zoom is too much, but I can live with less optical zoom.I would not recommend this. I would prefer Optura 50.

• Reviewed by: ramzing

  Strengths: Tons of features, optical stabilization, true widescreen, decent battery life, 14x zoom, manual focus ring

  Weaknesses: Poor lowlight performance (washed out colors), odd location for function button/scroll wheel, motor noise

  Overall: This is a good camcorder that has a lot going for it. From a decent UI (except for the odd positioning of the function button/scroll wheel) to good daylight performance. Very easy to get started right out of the box. Just set it in auto mode, pop in the battery and the tape and you're ready to go. Custom modes allow a lot of control over settings, including audio levels (this is necessary to cut out some of the motor noise which is very audible in the auto mode). The optical image stabilization and 14x zoom are very good. The zoom is steady and easy to control and the manual focus ring is especially useful in low light focusing situation. Low light performance is dissappointing though. The little video assist light doesn't quite cut it (it's really not meant to). In medium to low light, the colors are really washed out. This is where I think the 3CCD camcorders perform better. See http://www.camcorderinfo.com/content/Canon-Optura-60-Camcorder-Review.htm for more on this. Overall though, this is a good product. I did a fair amount of research before buying this and it was a hard choice between the Optura 60, Panasonic GS150 and the GS250. The GS150 was priced right but lacked image stabilization in widescreen mode (which is what I use 90% of the time). So that was a deal breaker. The GS250 was quite a bit pricier and did not feature a true widescreen mode (wonder why?). So that set that one aside. In the end the Optura won out because it had the best combination of picture quality, features and price (esp with the $100 MIR).

• Reviewed by: wadekwong

  Strengths: Picture Quality, Features, Options.

  Weaknesses: None.

  Overall: This is a great camera, loaded with features and is very easy to use. The picture quality is outstanding and the transfer to a PC is very simple and easy. The controls are right at your fingertips and the camera is very well designed.