Home > Consumer Reviews > Canon MD205 Digital MiniDV Camcorder (36 x Optical Zoom With 2.7" Widescreen Colour LCD)

I bought this camcorder last week and have just used it to record a friend's wedding. It is my first camcorder so bear that in mind!

Hardware:
The camcorder fits my hand nicely after adjusting the strap, with the small number of controls in easy reach. Both the screen and viewfinder are bright and easy to use, my only gripe is that several of the controls are on the LCD screen surround, so you can't change them if you are using the viewfinder.
The zoom is very good and can be controlled smoothly while recording, personally I wouldn't recommend you zoom in too far without a tripod, the image stabilisation only compensates for a small amount of movement.

Image and Sound:
The sound quality is excellent with the built in stereo mic, it recorded both load string music and the ambient sounds at the reception with no distortion. It easily matches any recordings I have heard before with no hissing etc.
The image is good, but not excellent, when played back on a TV via the supplied AV lead the quality is maybe half way between VHS and DVD, fine for home use, but if you want broadcast quality I would look elsewhere.

Video Editing:
After buying a firewire card and cable (none supplied with camcorder) it was very easy to download the footage to Windows Movie Maker, just plugged the camcorder in and Windows XP recognised it. It downloads in real time, so approx 1 hour per tape, but that is due to the tape storage medium I guess.

Pros:
Excellent value
Excellent sound and good picture
Records in widescreen
Easy to use
External mic socket for recording interviews etc

Cons:
Supplied battery only lasted for 45 mins of footage (larger ones are available from canon or well known auction sites)
Some controls not available if using the viewfinder
No DV-in (can't send edited video from computer back to tape)

Summary:
A nicely built basic camcorder with excellent sound and good video. I would recommend this to somebody who is buying their first camcorder, and who wants it for home use. It is easy to use and has some more advanced features if you want to experiment. If you plan on doing a lot of recording you will want to buy a spare battery.
Excellent value for money in my opinion!

As my previous camcorder had packed up, I was looking for a replacement. I was wary of DVD or Hard Disk-based camcorders as I do a lot of computer-based video editing and from my research it seemed Mini DV still had a lot to offer on that front. And I was looking to save as much money as I could.

The Canon MD205 isn't the most complicated or highly specified video camera available - far from it. But then this also makes it very easy to use and perfectly capable of shooting video, which of course is its main purpose.

It has 16:9 widescreen, a good flip out LCD screen (which also doubles as a video light when turned around) and the image stabilises well. The controls are simple to use and the joystick is responsive. Image quality is nowhere near as good as more expensive models, but at this price point it is good for its type. It's a bit grainy when used indoors, although you can adjust the AE mode to compensate. There is IEEE1394 (Firewire) output to connect the camera to your PC.

The quick start feature is really useful if you are out and about as the camera goes from standby to ready to record in around a second at the press of a button. This still uses some power, but nowhere near as much as having the camera permanently on. Overall battery performance is pretty good with the included unit, I have managed just over an hour with the screen in use.

The zoom is generous, if a little quick for my liking, which can make the autofocus really grown under the strain. There is no still picture capture, but then this feature is hopeless on cheaper camcorders when it is included - compared to a proper stills camera - so I'm happy to be without it.

The build quality is good, and the styling is pretty standard. There is a side-mounted tape drive and the lense cover is built-in, you just flick a switch to slide it over the lense. Much better than having a lense cap dangling from the camera. It's not particularly heavy but has enough bulk that it's not particularly pocket-friendly.

If you are looking for a cheap, good quality camcorder with no frills but good video, the MD205 is perfect. It ticks all the basic boxes and is a pleasure to use.

This is a great camcorder for the price. The 36x zoom is superb, and the image stabilisation works very well. It's pretty lightweight and will fit neatly into a coat pocket.
Image quality is not as good as more expensive models, but for filming family holidays etc it's perfectly adequate. My only slight gripe is I can't easily turn the date on for a few seconds at the beginning of filming like I used to be able to with my old 8mm Canon camcorder.
Quick start function is handy when you don't want to leave it running, but don't want to miss the action either.
Overall great value for money.

This is an excellent Digital Camcorder for the money. My daughter needed on to link to her Apple Mac and this does it with no problems at all.

Before buying any Canon miniDV camcorder check the internet for Canon rewind problems.

I've just started to suffer this on my MV530i and have discovered that the same problem occurs on other Canon camcorders including the GL2.

After recording a tape the rewind works fine until it's about two thirds back and then gives a remove tape message. To comple the the rewind I have to do it by hand.

In common with many of those complaining my camera has had minimal use but of course is out of warranty.

I'll never buy a Canon again.