| Canon GL2 MiniDV Digital Camcorder w/20x Optical Zoom | 
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| Brand: Canon
Category: Photography
List Price: $2,999.99
Buy New: $1,910.00
You Save: $1089.99 (36%)
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Avg. Customer Rating:   (54 reviews)
Sales Rank: 1891
Media: Electronics
Autographed: No
Memorabilia: No
Floppy Disk Drive: None
Special Features: nv:Sensor^410,000 Pixels|Memory Included^8MB Secure Digital Card|Storage Media^Secure Digital|Storage Media^Multimedia Card|Storage Media^Mini DV Video Tape|Optical Zoom^20x|Digital Zoom^100x|Focus Mode^TTL system|LCD Monitor^2.5-inch|LCD Pixels^200,000 pixels|Height^5.3 inches|Width^4.6 inches|Depth^12.0 inches
Optical Zoom: 20
Display Size: 2.5
Compatibility: PC USB
Maximum Focal Length: 84
Minimum Focal Length: 4.2
Warranty: 1 year warranty
Shipping Weight (lbs): 2.8
Dimensions (in): 12 x 5.5 x 5
MPN: 7920A001
Model: 7920A001
UPC: 013803014884
EAN: 0013803014884
ASIN: B00006FXHQ
Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days
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| Customer Reviews:
 Fantastic quality and value November 11, 2007
3 out of 3 found this review helpful
Bottom line, the Canon GL2 is a great mid-range pro-sumer camcorder for everyday use and learning. We bought one for a high school broadcast journalism curriculum, and so far it's been great. We considered several other camcorders within the same price range, but we decided on the GL2 because of recommendations, features, and Canon's reputation.
Some thoughts on the GL2:
Pro:
-Great bang for the buck.
-*Extraordinary* image quality and focusing (3CCD instead of normal consumer of 1 CCD). We've shot a soccer game from about 150 feet away in the stands, and the zooming and focusing combines into outstanding quality. I've heard the GL2 has much better image than some other more-expensive pro-sumer cams, and the GL2 certainly gets the job done.
-So-so internal mic. (But you should buy an external shotgun mic to use anyway so you don't pickup audio of camera adjustments.)
-A fair variety of manual controls to learn and gain experience from.
-Capable of shooting 9:16 wide screen shots, but it's not actually HD. A separate feature puts bounding boxes indicating 9:16 boundaries on the viewfinder for 4:3 shooting mode.
-Secondary record/start-stop button and zoom dial on internal microphone area above cam body useful when shooting with camera near ground.
-Steady-cam feature works fairly well.
-Variety of preset effects/transitions.
-White balance automatic/manual options easy to use. Feature's buttons near LCD panel.
-Feature to reduce flicker shot of CRT monitors. Feature's button to left of LCD panel.
-"Frame mode" - nice for documentaries, "unique" clips
-"Advanced accessory shoe" behind internal mic for accessories such as internally powered lamps. Also can hold external shotgun mic shock mounts.
-MiniDV tapes load in top side of GL2 opposite LCD unlike most consumer camcorders - can easily & quickly change tapes when using on tripod.
Con:
-Learning to operate some manual controls can be a little confusing and complicated.
-The manual takes a bit getting used to terminology and language. A *couple* terms specific to this camera's operation refered to in feature explanations are not explained.
-Included battery pack BP-915 only lasts about an hour. You'd probably want to also want to buy a secondary battery (that can hold more power), especially if you shoot sports games, meetings, etc.
-As some reviews mention, some manual controls are operated within the same menus, and a couple common features users may frequently used are in the main menu. Check the manual for more info.
Tips:
-Make sure to white balance each shot, it's definitely worth it and makes video look that much better.
-If you shoot outside footage in any precipitation, it's a good idea to get a rain slicker such as the Porta-Brace RS-GL2, and perhaps the Porta-Brace Polar Mitten Heated Case for temperatures below the low operating temperature of 32 deg Fahrenheit.
Overall an outstanding piece of equipment I would certainly recommend for anyone looking for a camcorder with these types of moderately easy-to-learn features in this price range. Fun to learn from as well.
Great Camera October 26, 2007
1 out of 1 found this review helpful
I purchased this camera looking to take more manual control over my video projects. And that is exactly what it has allowed me to do. It has the right balance of manual controls (as well as automatic modes) and price. It has given me the flexibility I was looking for. The weight balance is good, the controls are easily accessible and battery life is very good.
Great Camera September 29, 2007
2 out of 2 found this review helpful
This camera is Great! I use it to film events for a broadcasting class at school and its wonderful. The only problem is the microphone picks up noises behind the camera, as well as infront, usually you only want sound from the front, but thats just a minor problem. The image quality is superb! Just be sure that you buy a better battery, because the one that comes with doesn't last too long. Other then those two small problems this camera is great. However if you just want to film small events, birthday parties etc don't get this, this is a semi-proffesional camera.
 GL2 a good camera with problems September 12, 2007
3 out of 3 found this review helpful
The GL2 certainly is compact which is great for handling but means that all the inputs and outputs are squashe together and you need small nimble fingers. I specifically bought this camera to use with tapeless capture (Firestore FSD) and that has proved problematic as it records all on the screen. But it was not an unsurmountable problem, just not user friendly. The menus are clunky to use and I would like better audio inputs as standard.
 Canon GL2 September 4, 2007
0 out of 2 found this review helpful
Great PRO 3CCD camera. We bought this camera because of it's lens quality and zoom capabilities.
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