| Canon Optura 20 MiniDV Camcorder with 3.5-inch LCD and 16x Optical Zoom |  | Brand: Canon
Category: Photography
List Price: $999.99
Buy New: $399.99
You Save: $600.00 (60%)
Avg. Customer Rating:   (27 reviews)
Sales Rank: 38923
Media: Electronics
Autographed: No
Memorabilia: No
Floppy Disk Drive: None
Optical Zoom: 16
Display Size: 3.5
Maximum Focal Length: 64
Minimum Focal Length: 4
Shipping Weight (lbs): 6.5
Dimensions (in): 10.4 x 9 x 8.4
MPN: 8528a001aa
Model: 20
UPC: 013803027181
EAN: 0013803027181
ASIN: B00008RHA3
Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days
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| Features:
| • | MiniDV camcorder and still camera with 1.33-megapixel CCD | | • | 16x optical zoom lens (digital zoom to 320x) and image stabilizer | | • | 3.5-inch LCD with 180-degree rotation | | • | Capture low-light recordings with Super Night Mode | | • | Record for up to 1 hour and 50 minutes on one battery charge |
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| Editorial Reviews:
Product Description
The Optura 20 has a personality all its own. It is highly intelligent, yet it's remarkably easy to use. Its sleek, cutting edge design totally meshes with you and your lifestyle. Versatility is at its core. It produces video which blurs the line between reality and your TV screen. Camera-inspired features open the door to a photographic world filled with flexibility, control, and excitement. Connectivity is as simple as it is extensive. New imaging opportunities are not only possible, they are yours for the taking.The Optura 20 camcorders are equipped with a full range of sophisticated features to capture outstanding video and digital photos. Genuine Canon Optics, Image Stabilization, a high-quality 1.33 Megapixel CCD and Advanced Photo Features guarantee a success every time. Superior connectivity means you can share your memories quickly and easily - without jumping through hoops.
Amazon.com Product Description
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.
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| Customer Reviews: Read 22 more reviews...
 All that & more April 29, 2008
This camera is perfect for my 18-year old. Perfect condition & works great. He can't thank me enough! I can't thank the seller enough. (Thanks again, by the way)! The advice he gave was extremely helpful as well.
 Junkpile is the next Stop for this Baby April 19, 2008
Over the last two years, the camera has gotten progressively worse. It is out of warranty and the Stuck in low light mode problem has gone from once in every five startups to about 9 out of ten. The only thing that keeps me from giving it a one star rating is the large screen and general ease of use. When it is working , it is the best small camcorder I have used. (not that I have used very many) I have been looking for a solution to this problem, but when my daughter takes the Optura 20 to school and calls me in the middle of the day to ask how to fix this, it is time to give it the old heave-ho.
I have tried a new CR-2025 battery, but that didn't work. I have tried jiggling things after starting, and before starting. Nothing seems to work every time. Since it has progressed over time, it seems to be connected to a sensor cleanliness and firmware combined problem. But I wish that I knew more.
Great for sports analysis April 17, 2008
0 out of 1 found this review helpful
I bought this camera in early 2004 and have had no problems that other users have experienced. Maybe I just got lucky. My main use for this camera was golf swing analysis. I looked for 3 main features: Manual shutter speed of at least 1/2000, manual focus, and a larger LCD screen, because at that time I didn't have a laptop and planned on doing analysis at the driving range through the screen.
The Optura fills all of those criteria perfectly. Since I bought this camera, I've also added a laptop to the mix and the firewire port works great.
One other interesting feature with this camera that I didn't know when I purchased it is the analog to digital converter. You can hook up analog A/V, change a setting in the menu, and the camera will convert it to digital and output the a/v through the firewire. So I can record TV shows (yes, golf swings.. such as the CBS SwingVision), in real time. Pretty cool.
The ONLY con I have experienced is that it's not a very good low light camera. I do have to crank the shutter down to about 1/250 when I'm inside in a dome. But outside during the day whether overcast or sunny it works great.
 Low light problem WARNING!!! January 21, 2008
A huge warning for anyone out there looking at this camera!! We dont use ours often and one day it started loading up and being stuck in its low light mode. this means any amount of light in the room causes it to wash out and record as blur. When I looked into this issue, it turned out that there were plenty of others out there that had the same problem with the Optura 20. It will cost you $150-300 to fix. its sad, becuse in so many other ways it was a great camcorder- but a flaw like this can ruin it all.
Bad Iris:Stuck in Low Light Setting October 17, 2007
Avoid this product and perhaps all Canon Camcorders at any cost!
The IRIS is stuck in the low light setting like many others have posted.
Search CNET and other forums as well for many other reports of this problem.
Canon Customer Service has been very poor in responding to this
and say that this is an unknown problem! You will have to shell out
almost the cost of the camcorder to get this repaired or otherwise
live with a bad paper-weight.
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