Canon Optura 20 MiniDV Camcorder with 3.5-inch LCD and 16x Optical Zoom

The Canon Optura 20 camcorder is equipped with a full range of sophisticated features to capture outstanding video and digital photos. It features high-quality Canon optics with a 16x optical zoom, image stabilization, a 1.33 megapixel CCD, and advanced photo capabilities. The Optura 20 improves on its counterpart, the Optura 20, with Super Night Shooting mode, a larger 3.5-inch LCD, and higher capacity battery.

Lens and Optics
The powerful 16x optical zoom lets you capture your subject with razor-sharp detail even from a distance, while the 320x digital zoom takes you even closer, revealing details too small to see with the naked eye. When capturing digital still images, the lens provides a 15x optical zoom--the equivalent of a 41-620 mm lens on a 35mm photo camera. The Optura 20 also features a 1.33-megapixel CCD and an image stabilization system that compensates for camcorder shake, even while panning and zooming.

Canon's DIGIC DV system 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.

Digital Stills
With its 1.33-megapixel resolution, you can capture digital stills up to 1280 by 960 pixels (for 4 x 6-inch prints). Additionally, the Optura 20's Simultaneous Photo Record featureenables you to record high-quality video to a MiniDV tape and e-mail-ready digital photos (640 x 480 pixels) to a memory card at the same time. You can also capture a rapid succession of photos just like the motor drive on a camera. With a single press of a button, the Opture 20 records 30 VGA (640 x 480) frames at a rate of 3 frames per second or 20 SXGA (1280 x 960) frames at 2 frames per second.

Images are stored on the included 8 MB Secure Digital memory card; the camcorder is also compatible with MultiMedia (MMC) cards.

More Features
The Optura 20 also offers a Super Night mode and Low Light Plus mode, allowing for continued recording even in virtual darkness. An assist lamp in the front of the camera illuminates the subject just enough to allow excellent image quality while retaining the desired mood or effect. The Optura 20 is also bundled with a higher capacity battery, the BP-512, for longer continuous shooting.

Other features include:

The Advanced Accessory Shoe allows you to add optional lights, flashes, and microphones.
Manual controls include focus, AE shift, shutter speeds, and white balance.
Direct print feature with optional Canon Card Photo Printers CP-200 and CP-20 and select Canon Bubble Jet Printers.

Inputs and Outputs
The Optura 20 standard DV IEEE1394 port (also referred to as Firewire), which provides a lossless connection to a PC or other DV machines. It also features USB 1.1 connectivity for transferring still photos

MiniDV Format
MiniDV is the preferred format for personal and broadcast-quality video, highly regarded for its high audio and image quality. With up to 520 lines of horizontal resolution and minimum color noise, MiniDV delivers a 20 percent clearer picture than analog camcorder formats. This is all delivered on a cassette that's 1/12th the size of a standard VHS tape. A MiniDV tape offers digital recording time of 2 full hours--20 times the capacity of a CD.

Size and Contents
The camcorder measures 3 x 7.3 x 3.6 inches and weighs 1.4 pounds (625 grams). This package includes the Optura 20 camcorder, 8 MB Secure Digital memory card, battery (BP-512), power adapter (CA-570), wireless controller, shoulder strap, stereo video cable, USB cable, Digital Video Solution CD-ROM, and DV Messenger software CD-ROM.

1 So far--I love it!
I just bought this camcorder and took it to an MLB game. It was

2 Nothing to dislike
I have owned this camcorder for six months now, and have found no fault with it. Before buying it, I was concerned about negative reviews regarding motor noise, low light, and body size. Fortunately, none of these has caused me a problem. The surroundings have to be completely silent to hear the motor; I have yet to have a problem with low light, and I like the feel of the body. I particularly like the ease with which I can take a still photo with only a minor interruption in video recording. I wanted the 16X zoom for sporting events, but I found it also useful at a recent graduation. While seated, I find I can hold the camcorder adequately still, even at 16X zoom, but a tripod is always useful. In the presence of a live orchestra, the audio quality is outstanding.

3 Good One
This is my first camcorder. I am satisfied with the quality in comparision with the money that I spent on it.

4 oops, what is that noise???
I had this camera for a week and had to return it to the store. I liked its look, controls, picture quality, colors, menu, battery life, accessory options. But when I played-back my tape on the TV, I was shocked with high-pitched metal noise. I first thought that it's the tape, so I tried another tape - same result.
When you remove tape from the camcorder - there is no noise, there is also no noise when you switch to VCR mode (not playing your recorded tape), but once tape is in and you are ready to shoot, listen: it hums and whistles, quite but steadily. And when you play it back noise becomes NOISE. I have read re-views on cnet.com, but I thought it just some minor motor noise you can here on almost every camcorder - not the case!! I had Sony-hi8 before and I know the difference. I think it has something to do either with flaws in videoheads or tape mechs, or with bad placement of the mic.
Of course I could buy an external mic, but do you want to carry it always with you - at home and on the trips?, and besides it makes the camcorder much bulkier.
(2 stars are for picture, but sound ruins the rest)

5 A decent buy
I was a little uneasy about buying this camera because of some negative reviews (although overall, the reviews seem to be pretty positive). It's the best one I could find with respect to the raw specs and price, though, so I decided to give it a try anyway.

I have to say that the footage comes out just fine. I tried it at dusk outdoors, typical indoor lighting at night, and bright and early in the morning when the contrasts (sun and shadow) are at their sharpest. The color reproduction is okay. I love the LCD because of the size and clarity. Importing the footage into my iMac was a breeze (Apple yeah!), although the picture is a little darker compared to the LCD's. I do agree that the supernight light mode is bad, but is there really a camera that can take a great picture at near total darkness and doesn't cost a fortune?

As for the noise, there is a hum that is discernible when you turn the playback volume way up and the footage is of a fairly silent space. Just to see how prevalent this noise is, I tried a Canon MC ZR50 that I had lying around, and the Optura is as quiet as a mouse compared to that. I should experiment with a Sony when I get a chance just to see how that really stacks up.

I think that for the price, this is a pretty good buy.

6 Great Camcorder in its Price Range
I've owned this camera for almost a year now. I also was looking at the Canon ZR series (the high end of that series) and some Panasonics available at the time. I wanted MiniDV and wasn't happy with what any other manufacturer offered at the time.

My main concern is video quality, and so far I've been very pleased with this camera's performance. I use a firewire cable/card (purchased seperately) to transfer the video to my PC for editing. However, even playing back using the outputs on the camera to plug into a TV revealed excellent quality.

I do notice some camera noise when using the built in microphone, but it is widely known that the microphones they put in these cameras are of a lower quality. I have the ability to clean that up during editing, so it's not a big deal to me. To get even better quality source audio, I would suggest an external microphone.

Finally, if you haven't already, take a look at jemaer_rf's review (September 13, 2003) . I agree with everything in that review except that the size is too big. My preference is to have a "larger" camera so that there's something to hold on to. I played with a few of the tiny cameras at a local electronics store and they were too small for me. If you're happy with the size, then consider buying this camera.

7 Piece of Junk, do not buy!!!!!
This camera is a piece of junk, do not buy it. I had 3, yes, 3 defective ones, or maybe Canon just doesn't care about the loud grinding motor noise when recording and during playback. Yes, some cameras have a little motor noise, but this one was horrible, and picked up on the recording, ruining a few of my projects. I had nothing but problems with this camera, the construction leaves a bit to be desired, not to mention the motor buzz and noise. It is easy to use, and the picture quality is ok, but don't buy it. Spend a bit more, and go with a Sony. I did not want to buy a Sony, but they are better cameras. After much bickering with Best Buy, (that is another bad review altogether), I got them to return the camera so I could buy a different brand. I went with the Sony DCR-TRV38, which is a far better quality camera for a little more. I am so glad to be rid of the Canon, I will never buy anything Canon again, I am surprised they let this model go out the door, especially after all of the hype surrounding it. DON'T BUY IT.

8 Brilliant
Brilliant! I used to have a Conon Ultura. I got the Optura 20 for Christmas and I absolutely love it.

9 Not impressed . . . at all!
I bought a Canon Optura 20 back in September 2003 for two reasons. First, my wife and I were expecting twins in a few weeks and I needed to get a camcorder to record their first few hours and days, weeks, years, etc. (like any obsessive new father). Secondly, I teach online geology courses and I needed a good digital camcorder to record movies of mineral, rock, and fossil specimens for my students.

Why did I buy this camcorder? First, I was impressed by the amazing clarity of the 3.5" LCD. I went to a warehouse electronics store to "test drive" various camcorder models before I ordered anything on Amazon.com. The Optura had the best LCD of all models tested - Sony, Sharp, Canon, JVC, and Panasonic. I assumed this would translate into high quality video (WRONG!). The Optura also had the highest optical zoom when compared to other models and competitors. Note that these "tests" occurred at a store without a tape in the camera. So I went to Amazon.com, I saw that the Optura had good reviews, and I bought it. I also liked how the camera felt in my hand, the buttons, and all the different inputs/outputs.

As soon as I got it, I made some initial test videos in preparation for the twins and I made a bunch of mineral videos for my online geology class. I was really, really UNIMPRESSED. Why?
1. The video quality was abyssal. While the LCD was super-sharp and crystal clear, actual recorded video was grainy and fuzzy under a variety of lighting conditions.
2. The camcorder had horrible motor noise. I assume it was the miniDV tape motor that made the awful shrill squeaks and screeching noises. These terrible noises were easily picked up when recording. It was totally unacceptable.

To recap:
- disappointing video quality
- terrible motor noise / audio quality

It was not worth the ~$670 I paid for it. In fact, I wouldn't have paid $50 for it. So I returned the Canon Optura to Amazon.com and I bought a Sony DCR-TRV80 from an Amazon.com 3rd party merchant. The Sony was more expensive but the video and audio quality are excellent. The Sony's touchscreen functions take some getting used to but the Canon Optura 20 is nowhere near the league of my new Sony DCR-TRV80.

10 nice value mid-level camcorder
canon has a very nice camocorder in the optura 20. it's a very nice value and at a street price of less than six hundred bucks, you get a lot:

pros:
- very good video quality.
- 1.3 megapixel still capability.
- miniDV media is widely supported.
- great connectivity options: firewire, USB, S-video, headphone, mic input, etc.
- allows some degree of manual control.
- ability to record mpeg videos directly to SD card.
- the 3.5" LCD screen is great.
- as with most canon products, the printed manual is very good.
- optical zoom: 16x!
- autolight for supernight shooting mode (although the video is still choppy).
- hot accessory shoe with a boatload of accessories available from canon.
- digital image stabilization works well.

cons:
- no pop-up flash for taking stills and no built in video light but you can get a flash/video combo light for less than a hundred bucks.
- you could do better on the still photo department. for example, sony's trv80 and trv70 and panasonic's PVDV953 have 2-3 megapixel capability but those camcorders are much more expensive.
- don't expect miracles from 1.3 megapixel stills.
- video too choppy with low light modes, even with built-in LED lamp.
- viewfinder tilts but does not extend.
- motor noise can be heard when recording a very quiet room.
- bottom loading cassette - can't remove tape while camcorder is on a tripod
- not as compact as i would like. dimensions are 3.0"W x 3.6"H x 7.3"D and it weighs 1 lb 7 oz without tape and battery.
- the included 8MB SD card is unacceptable. be prepared to shell out more money for for more memory (at least 32MB).

why only four stars? the two most important things for me in a camcorder are video quality and size. the optura is bigger than i would like and in my opinion, there are several camcorders out with better video quality at roughly the same price point (panasonic gs70 which has 3CCDs, and to a lesser extent, sony's trv33 and pc-105). don't get me wrong; this is a very nice camcorder - i just have a few other models higher on my "best camcorder list." i hope this helps your buying decision. peace.

11 Don't expect any help from Canon if you have a problem
Oh, the Optura 20 -- I love what it does!! I'm very impressed with all of the features, when I can find my way thru the beforementioned confusing menus and incomplete manual. However, Canon provided me with a very negative experience that I mentally relive every time I pick up my camera to use it.

I bought this camcorder because I wanted to digitally edit on a computer... I have to say, it works fine on iMacs, which I have access to at work, but let's face it - iMovie isn't the be-all and end-all of editing programs, and I hate spending late nights alone at work just editing my stuff.

On my home PC... well, I've yet to get it to work thru the 1394 (firewire) card that DID work excellently with a grumpy JVC minidv cam. I plug it in, and it crashes my PC immediately.

I called Canon to ask for help with the firewire connection setup nd the person I spoke with gleefully walked me thru the USB setup, which I'd already done.

Then he became abusive and demeaning and said the problem is all my computer's fault, and that I should upgrade it to Windows XP because it's a miracle operating system. He treated me as if I'm an idiot who can't even run a PC, and not the decently-intelligent person who had a big part in personally BUILDING this PC. Oh, and he took issue with my calling it a firewire card because this is a PC and not an iMac. (Is that REALLY important to point out to me?)

Who knows if he was right or not? He didn't really listen to me, and seemed bent on putting me down over the phone, instead of trying to help me make it connect. I wound up reporting him to Canon when they emailed back days later asking how much I liked my call to technical support. I was honest - I'll probably never buy another Canon product because of their customer abuse - I mean support - staff. It doesn't really matter so much about the camcorder, because I remember how bad he made me feel every time I pick up my Optura 20.

I regret purchasing the camcorder, but only because of how Canon treated me when I needed assistance. The camera's good, and if you figure it out but never need help, you'll love it. Just pray you don't ever have a question that's not answered thru the manual. You won't get the answer.

12 Canon Confusion
Have done lots of shoots with a digital still camera, so ventured into the digicam world 3 weeks ago. Seems like Optura 20 has some potential, but the menus are cryptic and the manual is terrible- constantly refers to terms that aren't explained, diagrammed, or indexed. I know what I want to accomplish, but Canon routinely frustates my ability to do it. After 3 weeks, cannot view a still picture recorded onto the card, but not positive I've even taken one.

Microphone is sensitive to low noise (good thing), but on playback the sound is overpowered by motor noise unless you're recording a rock concert. Very distracting, so add $180 for their accessory mike.

Wide angle close-ups are amazingly detailed, but images quickly lose their fidelity as you shoot more distant objects (like a house from across the street). Wide angle is a very relative adjective here; it's still a narrow field of vision, and Canon's wide adaptor is only a .7x (for $160!). I bought a Sony .6x for $39 that did well, and a fisheye that took in about the same breadth as our field of view.

Button for shooting stills is directly under where your thumb fits, so my first attempts at video recorded only stills (I think... see above).

Jury's still out on a looong recess with Canon's Optura 20, just glad I didn't pay more than $719 for it.

13 Very good
I have recorded about 2.5 Hrs and feel it is very good. I played the recordings on TV and I am amzed at the clarity of the picture. It is the best picture quality I have seen (seen 1Mega Pixel and 340 Kilo Pixel Recordings on Canon and Sony Mini DV recorders, they stand no where near this). Have not tried different modes yet, but the picture quality I got is close to the real, perfect reproduction. This is my first camcorder and I am a novice.

I was initally sceptical about my buy (based on editorial review and one or two user reviews), but realized it is definitely a good buy.

I'd suggest buying an additional battery, May be BP-522 with a charger. The battery supplied with the product seems to be good only for an hour of recording without recharging.

14 Tested many, but the Canon Optura 20 was best
I reserched Sony, JVC, and Canon. I previously owned a JVC DVL-300, and had good experience with that camera, but wanted to move up to the Canon for its superior features and image quality. My decision came down between the Canon ZR70 and the Optura 20. For the extra ... in price between these two, the Optura is definatly worth the extra money. The image stabilization was excellent on the Optura, even when zoomed in. The ZR70 was still shaky and was not that stable, especially on zoom. I've read other reviews complaining about poor low light recording and motor noise (mostly with the ZR series). I have not experienced either of these problems with the Optura. Image quality for video indoors, even with low light, was great. The super night mode does look like a choppy web cam movie, BUT, even though the video is slow in Super Night mode, the COLOR quality was good... even with NO light. I prefer the color night video rather than the green Sony night video. It makes your video look more like home video instead of making your family look like an amateur military unit. I also like the 16x optical zoom (Sony only goes up to 10x optical, even on their best camcorder). Digital photos with the Optura are excellent (for 4x6 prints). But I never expext my camcorder to replace my digital camera (a Canon S330 - which is fantastic). But with the Optura, those few still photos I decide to snap with the camcorder are great (The ZR70 is not as good... another reason the Optura is worth the extra money). Battery life is excellent with the standard battery. My only complaint would be that the batter must be attached to the camera and plugged in to be charged. I wish they had a seperate charger for the battery, so as not to pull out the whole camera when it needs to be charged.

I've owned various Canon products and have always been impressed with their quality. The Optura is no exception. I would definatly recommend this camera to anyone who is concerned with capturing quality video for everyday indoor/outdoor recording. For those concerned with night or VERY low light recording, I would suggest investing in one of the optional light accessories.

15 Canon Optura 20 or Sony TRV 38?
This is my first camcorder and although I am by no means a dummy, this is making me feel a little bit like one. I immediately took it from the box and started using it. Most products I can pick up on like that, not this one. I have been looking over the owners manual and am now finding it pretty easy to operate. I purchased this to film my son and family outings. It has alot of features for video editing etc.. I will probably never use but they are there. Overall I would say it was a good purchase. The image quality is great and if you want a 4x6 still it is great for that too. The night shot is unlike Sony which is what I am used to. There is some sort of delay so when you move the camera it takes a second for the image on the screen to catch up. I don't know if that is from me not using it correctly or what. There is a built in light so you can't be sneaky with it in low light conditions. I would spend the extra money for the 20 over the 10 for the color view finder and other options. I ultimately didn't go with the Sony TRV 38 because of canon quality and recent things I have heard regarding Sony service and the lack of aftermarket support products. All in all a good camera.