Canon Optura 200MC MiniDV 1.3 Megapixel Camcorder
by Canon

List Price: $1,699.99
Our Price: $125.00
You Save: $1574.99 (93%)
Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days
Category: Digital Camera
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Digital Photo Product Details

• Part camera, part camcorder--MiniDV camcorder with digital still photo capability
• 10x optical, 200x digital, zoom with Canon's optical image stabilization
• 2.5 inch color flip-out LCD and tilting viewfinder
• 1.3 megapixel CCD captures 1280 x 960 digital stills--records onto both tape or MMC/SD card
• Includes 8 MB MMC card and wireless remote control

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Digital Cameras Photo Reviews of Canon Optura 200MC MiniDV 1.3 Megapixel Camcorder

Customer Review: Good small, inexpensive camcorder
Summary: 4 Stars

Second, my acting classmates borrow the camcorder to review rehearsals. It's easy for a student to "point and shoot" without training. The viewscreen is big enough, and the built-in speaker loud enough, for two or three students to gather around and watch.

Third, I advise spending half (or less) of your video equipment budget on a camcorder. Budget plenty of money for audio gear, tripod, lights, computer and software for editing, etc. If this leaves only enough money for an Optura 200MC, buy it. You'll make better videos with an Optura 200MC and good accessories than with a GL2 or XL1S and no accessories.

The Optura 200MC has three shortcomings. First, the built-in microphones are awful. You hear mostly motor noise. The Optura 200MC lacks a microphone hotshoe for adding an external mike. I bought Canon's microphone mounting bracket, a Sony directional mike, an extension cable to use the mike for interviews, and two Sony wireless mikes. This totalled $400. I now get great audio, although the external mike and mounting bracket double the size of the camcorder.

Second, the FireWire chip has failed twice, and the exposure manual control has failed once. Each repair takes a month. If you need a dependable camcorder, consider buying a more expensive camcorder.

Third, the video quality is pretty good for a 1-chip camcorder. It has only two preset color balances, sunlight or incandescent light. On cloudy days, or with florescent lights, etc. the color balance is off unless you do a manual white balance. The color saturation is OK, not great. The lens sharpness is pretty good, and it handles low light better than you'd expect. The automatic exposure uses a spot meter in the center of the frame. If you have a bright patch of snow or clouds in the center, everything else is too dark. Like the color balance, you'll sometimes have to manually adjust the exposure.
--
Thomas David Kehoe, author of "Hearts and Minds: How Our Brains Are Hardwired for Relationships"

Description of Canon Optura 200MC MiniDV 1.3 Megapixel Camcorder

Lens
At the heart of the Optura 200MC is a CCD image sensor containing 1.33 million pixels. The Optura 200MC incorporates a bright zoom lens that uses a special glass originally used in Canon digital still cameras. The 10x optical zoom lens (4.2-42mm) is the 35mm focal length equivalent of 48-480mm. The digital zoom, which works by electronically enhancing the optical image, has 200x capability.

More Features
For storage of digital still images, you can use either MultiMediaCard (MMC) or Secure Digital (SD) memory cards in the Optura 200MC. An 8 MB MMC comes with the Optura 200MC, which stores up to 17 fine-quality still pictures or 32 standard-quality images. You can save both video and digital still images to the Optura 200MC's tape cassette, and high-resolution still images as well as motion JPEG to the memory card.

The Optura 200MC has a built-in, pop-up flash for taking digital stills. The Optura 200MC will fire one flash (a preflash) to check the exposure, then fire a second time to make the correct exposure. The flash has four modes: auto, on, off, and red-eye reduction.

For greater imaging variety, you can switch on one of several digital effects: negative picture, art, black and white, sepia, mosaic.

Inputs and Outputs
The standard DV IEEE 1394 port (also called FireWire) is present for a lossless connection to a PC or other DV machines. The common RCA AV connections are used for direct viewing on a television or VHS dubbing. You can also plug in an external microphone via the mic jack for better quality sound.

MiniDV Format
MiniDV digital technology delivers clear, sharp video with up to 500 lines of horizontal resolution--far superior to the 240 lines of resolution offered by 8mm camcorders. You'll get minimal color noise interference for a more stable picture. You'll also get excellent sound quality, recorded in either 12-bit or 16-bit audio recording modes.

Specifications and Contents
The Optura 200MC measures 2.4 by 4.63 by 4.6 inches and weighs just under 19 ounces. This package contains the Optura 200MC camcorder, power adapter (model CA-560), battery pack (model BP-512), wireless controller, S-video cable, stereo video cable, 8 MB MMC memory card, and USB cable.

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