| 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:
 a lot of camera in small frame August 22, 2005
14 out of 14 found this review helpful
The GL2 has proved to be a great friend.
Pros:
My documentary work involves a diverse set of environments, from deep caves to back country wilderness to the barrios of seeder stretches in Mexico, and the light weight, compactness and ruggedness of this camera has amazed me. A fine machine in the field, 300 hours later I have had zero malfunctions and continue to be pleased by the diverse range of features. It has weathered tough environments and significant impacts without a hitch.
Excellent fluorite optics. Fine zoom control. Beautiful images. Useful if semi-low rez digital camera mode. Great image stabilization.
Cons: Many of the control features are controlled through a menu access system. This has taken some time to adapt to, but has now become second nature. At this point it no loger bothers.
The low light capability is limited compared to the XL1, which I also use, and must be compensated for by generous lighting and judicious use of low db, low f-stop settings and slower shutter speeds, typically 1/60 or 1/30. The GL2 is rated at .37 lux, but this is at the trippy but relatively useless 1/8 shutter speed. Get some lights if you mean to film in dark environments.
A wide angle lens can be added for approximately 160.00 and significantly improves close up work and fast action shots. A must.
Ironically, one must sometimes weight the camera to improve smooth motion.
UPDATE ON CONS: Ah, the infamous EJECT CASSETTE warning? Yes, Canon has had occasional problems with its Tape Transport Mechanism, and these finally caught up with me about a year after the rest of this review was written (8/2005). Result? New mechanism installed ($400 price) for Free. Total cost for me: A $60.00 submission and cleaning fee. Repair and return time: 7 days. Camera fully cleaned, little things like a missing tiny screw on the mounting socket replaced. Not bad. Canon has admitted there is an occasional problem here, and they are now treating it with honesty and fairness. We are now well over 1000 hours of GL2 use and 400 hours of footage in very challenging environments. Hey, I'm happy.
Upshot: Canon quality isn't cheap, but is well worth it. A fine investment when you want one of the best in its class. HD is coming, but it hasn't arrived in a truly afordable format yet.
 I love my GL2 very powerful camera for the money January 20, 2005
25 out of 32 found this review helpful
What can I say about the GL2 that hasn't already been said. What drew me to this camera was the 20 X. optical and the still picture function. When I was making the choice between this and the XL1S I chose this camera because of the LCD display. This is something the XL1S does not have and I feel is needed so you don't always need to look through the eyepiece to size up a shot.
I think the best feature of this camera is Frame movie mode. where the camera takes 30 still frames a second instead of interlaced video. This keeps action shots from being blurry.
This camera will do what you needed to do takes great pictures. Even in low light. The wide-angle lens adapter, I feel is a must have also. So I recommend this camera!
Check out this web site for updated information on features
http://www.dvinfo.net/canongl2/index.php
Have fun and get it done
 The GL2 is an unreliable camera December 28, 2004
18 out of 22 found this review helpful
After just one and a half years of use representing around 200 hours of filming the manual zoom function acquired a mind of its own. There is no true manual zoom on this cam so if the internal logic that interfaces the zoom buttons both top and side goes whacky you lose control of zoom. This camera also has a real and serious focus lag problem if you do any sports/action shooting.
Optics and image quality are tops in its class but what difference does that make if you can't control the friggin zoom!
 flaws in ths camcorder November 24, 2004
14 out of 35 found this review helpful
There are few flaws with this camcorder. Power save function automatically shuts off the camcorder ever when you are in recording mode. This does not happen always but once in a while you get this. Please read reviews from various sites before buying this expensive one.
Beware of Scam Artists Selling Low on High Ticket Items November 10, 2004
66 out of 75 found this review helpful
Watch out for the lower prices listed for this item. I almost fell for a scam and, in fact, lost $64 to Western Union before I realized that I was being scammed.
DO NOT DO BUSINESS WITH ANYONE WHO INSISTS THAT YOU SHOULD WORK WITH THEM THROUGH AN OUTSIDE ESCROW SERVICE.
http://www.waywired.com/FraudOnLine/EscrowSTD.cfm outlines how the scam works and this guy's experience was exactly the same as mine all the way down to the story about why the guy was selling so cheap. The e-mail was almost verbatim except for the product information.
The tell sign is that an e-mail address is mentioned in the product description. You should not contact the seller directly. The safest method is to use Amazon.com's system to pay.
I have called Amazon.com's customer service regarding the e-mail address of the guy who tried to scam me. If someone tries to scam you, report them to Amazon.com, to their e-mail provider (AOL, Yahoo, etc.) and especially report the incident to http://www.ic3.gov -- which is the FBI's fraud report website.
You should also know that Western Union is not connected to escrow services of any kind and they are particularly vulnerable to these kinds of scams, so DO NOT USE WESTERN UNION's transfer service to pay for any item.
See their website for more information on how to protect yourself: http://www.westernunion.com/info/faqSecurity.asp
I hope passing along this information will help others not be a victim like me.
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