Home > Consumer Reviews > Canon Optura 20 MiniDV Camcorder with 3.5-inch LCD and 16x Optical Zoom

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.