Rating: 
Summary: Amazing camera at a size you'll love ...
Review: After 2 months of researching "small" camcorders I bought the Canon Elura2 MC. I am planning a backpacking trip through Europe for 3 weeks and needed something as small as possible w/o sacrificing quality. I checked the JVC (but quickly removed from my short list due to bad reviews), the Sony DCR-PC5/9 and the Canon. Based on the reviews the Sony and Canon were both on top of my list and I didn't think I could go wrong with either so I went to Good Guys to look at them in person. After handling both the decision was easy. Pros: - The Canon seemed to have a better video quality but what sold me were the ergonomics of the Canon. Sony's was HORRIBLE! I couldn't place my hand anywhere without covering something and risk accidentally pressing buttons. Plus, the Sony was not comfortable to hold because the corners were "sharp" where my fingers were located. Canon did an excellent job with the ergonomics and button placement. - Video quality was excellent. The detail and colors, especially outdoors, exceeded my expectations. Indoor, low light quality was much better than my 8mm and was adequate in my eyes. It did have a bit of graininess to it. It was comparable to the Sony. - Locating a mic jack, s-video connection, and audio/video connection on the docking station was a great idea. I just leave it plugged into my tv and screw in the camcorder whenever I want to view it on the tv ... no more getting everything out and hooking it up. - The view screen is adequate in size. I checked out the new JVC with a 2" screen and it was too small to watch what was taped. - Excellent build quality. Gripes: - can be TOO small for those with big hands - Sound quality is not as good as "traditional" horizontal camcorders. The mic is on top and pics up the noises to the rear and sides better than the front. The voices in front sound subdued. - Battery life is short. 45 minutes with the slim battery using the lcd. Get an aftermarket 2 hour battery because it doesn't stick out as far as Canon's 3 hour battery. I bought 2 and it has met my needs. Great camcorder and I would definitely recommend it to anyone looking for a small camcorder. But ... be sure to check them out yourself at your local store before buying. The size of the camera is smaller than my early 90's 35mm point and shoot and you WILL want to take it everywhere with you.
Rating:
Summary: Best investment...
Review: I just got my camcorder for a thesis project. The digital effects are going to be great for creating an "old fashion film". The fact that it weighs less than a pound is amazing!! I'm in love with it.
Rating:
Summary: Delivers and More
Review: I took a brand new camcorder on an extended international trip shooting in a variety of harsh climates. Image quality - spatial and contrast resolution are superb. The colors are vibrant even in harsh sunlight. Better than average indoors. Editing is a breeze, even for a novice. You can't use this camera without everyone around you marvelling at its small size - even other jaded technofiles. Without reservation, an excellent camera.
Rating: 
Summary: Very compact suprisingly good camera
Review: I was very sceptical about this camera upon purchase. My needs are for a camcorder for family activities. We never used the Hi-8 unit we have had for 5 years, just sits in the closet to bulky to be practical or convenient. The size is perfect for my needs. I was concerned about quality, robustness, and utility (would controls be impossible to reach).
Seems to work well for my needs. The battery winds down pretty quick (about 60 mins on a charge with no LCD usage and only recording usage). However seems to retain charge over a period of time (unlike some other comments read).
Pictures are very clear, and am amazed at the quality. Stability mechanism works well. Do not use the digital zoom, as feel this is only a gimmick and of little real use.
Controls are reasonably intuitive, seems like manual overrides for most anything, but use on automatic mode most of the time. Would like a wide angle lens, as equivalent of a 50mm lens. Quality definitely deteriorates under low lighting.
After 3 weeks of use give a heartly thumbs up, seems like a keeper.
Rating: 
Summary: Tape Eater
Review: Sending mine back-- liked the small profile and features. Shot a few minutes of video on a new tape. Brought it home to watch it and ate the tape up when I tried to rewind it. I'm glad I was only trying it out, I'd hate to have the tape of something important get eaten by the machine.
Rating:
Summary: Good things do come in small packages!
Review: The Canon Elura 2MC MiniDV camcorder is a marvel of technology. It packs several great features (progressive CCD for great image quality, firewire output, up to 40X zoom, digital effects, etc.) into the smallest camcorder commonly available. Rather than repeating several of the great points mentioned by other reviewers, I'd like to elaborate on two specific details: 1) Size: The incredibly small size of this camcorder will absolutely change the way you film events - rather than spending a majority of your attention on the camcorder when filming a scene, the camcorder almost disappears in your palm and allows you to concentrate on your subject - and not on the act of capturing the moment. 2) Progressive scan CCD: The design of the image capture system means that every frame is captured completely. This differs from other CCD designs that captures half of the pixels each frame and combines two sets to create a still image. The Progressive scan system makes for crisp video images and clearer stills. A couple of Pro's: - The manual is clear, detailed and well laid-out. - The camcorder comes with a battery charger than can hold multiple batteries (although it only charges one at a time). A couple of con's which should provide only minor annoyance: - The camcorder does not dome with the 4-pin to 6-pin firewire cable that is required for computer connectivity. While I was able to purchased one for only $15.99, why isn't one included? - The memory that holds still images (Canon's own MultiMediaCard) is proprietary, and replacement/expansions for this memory is difficult to find (and can't be ordered from Canon's website). I would have preferred either of two popular formats: SmartMedia or CompactFlash. - Battery life is quite short (using the 2.5" display, the battery is done after only 40 mins). While this is required to reduce size, any sort of extended use will require several batteries. ------------ Overall, this camcorder sets the standard for all of Canon's competitors to meet. It's size advantage is even more impressive because this camcorder has all of the functionality of it's larger competition and more. This is a great camcorder for family/personal use - only those individuals whom need very high-end functionality (triple CCD or advanced white balancing) will need to look elsewhere.
Rating:
Summary: Great pocket size camcorder
Review: The size and shape of this camcorder is amazing! The finish is beautiful and elegant. This pocket size camcorder takes great video and the color is excellent. There are a few things it can do better: 1. Low light situations looks good but can do better. 2. Still pics are good for email or web but resolution is still low comparing to megapixel camera. 3. Battery last about 40-55 minutes (using lcd and viewfinder), but this is expected from such a tiny and thin battery. Despite few negatives, this is still a great camcorder to have and it is so tiny that will amazes you everytime you see it. Beautiful and awesome camcorder to travel around with. If you do decide, be sure to buy at least 2 extra batteries and get a MMC reader using usb.
Rating:
Summary: Great Mini DV & Digital Still Camera Combo
Review: The ultimate consumer grade digital camcorder currently available. The Elura 2 MC offers both superb camcorder features and the ability to record photos on either tape or multimedia cards. You can even transfer photos from tape to multimedia card. It has every bell and whistle for editing and dubbing video and audio. Progressive scan allows for great rapid action pictures. One of its best features is its size. It is amazingly compact but all controls are easily usable and accessible. Menus are clear and easy to operate. Its small size ensures that it will find a home in any jacket pocket, purse, briefcase or tote. Unlike the Sony products, it does not use proprietary accessories so that you aren't locked into a single provider and don't need to be concerned about being to move to a different product in the future. (Sony should have learned its lesson from Betamax). The Elura 2 MC is the digital camcorder equivalent of the digital Powershot S-100 Elph camera. Way cool and totally functional covering all bases.
Rating:
Summary: Good things come in small packages
Review: This camcorder combines ease of use, picture quality and convenience in a very small package. It has a wide variety of features, most of which I have not even begun to play around with. For travel purposes, I can't imagine going anywhere without this compact yet powerful camcorder -- you can throw it in a fanny pack and hardly even notice it's there (but be sure to buy the 2 hr extended battery if you plan on shooting footage for more than 1/2 an hour). It also doubles as a digital camera, but take note that the digital photos it takes on the multi-media card are not suitable for print-quality photos; rather, it's a handy way to take pics and send them over email or post them to a website with decent picture quality without having to go and buy a digital camera (or travel with both). It's also great for capturing high-speed action with the digital scan mode. Tape a golf swing, hockey game or skiing action and replay it in slow-motion. I have no complaints to level against this product, and I have no reservations recommending this if you're looking for a high-quality camcorder that you can take just about anywhere and not have to worry about weight and bulk.
Rating:
Summary: WOW!
Review: This has got to be the coolest thing on the planet. It's small enough to fit in your pocket, yet loaded with features. I bought this camera to tape my 4th grade daughter's basketball games, first time out video was perfect. Well worth the money. Memories are priceless! Size is barely noticable,and besides FULL AUTO mode, there seems to be options for everything.
| 
