Canon Ultura

We bought this camera to film a cruise to Alaska. This is the camera that apple sold with its original DV Macs. After shopping for a while, I realized that this camera has the optics of an old Hi8 Canon camera, but the engine of a DV camera. With a 16x zoom, this makes the camera an exceptional value. You see, the optics are optimized for a low-resolution recorder, but this has a 400-line DV recording engine. We bought our camera refurbished because Canon discontinued the camera. Some people say that Canon discontinued it because it was too bulky (like a Hi8 camera), but my theory is that the specs for this camera were just too good for a low-priced DV camera when the market is so new. Canon prefers to use crappy 10:1 zooms with no low-light capability and force people to buy this junk for several years before they will sell another Ultura with a 16:1 zoom and good low-light capability

- outstanding optical stabilization, better than 90% of all cameras sold - 16:1 optical zoom - Good low-light / light-gathering ability - Lots of features, including manual exposure - Focus system does not "hunt" as much as others (Sony) - Time-tested user-interface perfected by many other Canon 8mm and Hi8 Cameras

Crippled by automatic features to prevent it from being used for professional work, e.g. - no ability to disable ALC (automatic level control) on sound - only 1 CCD, limits dynamic light range and color sensitivity, typical on low-cost DV - playback mode is somewhat clumsy to operate - speaker is weak in playback mode

Sony PC100 (stabilization sucks) Sony TR9 3-CCD (stabilization sucks) Canon GL1 3-CCD (almost sprang for it)

We bought our camera in March so we could film our vacation in Las Vegas. It has worked wonderfully. I do wish the still pictures would come out better. I also wish it was easier to put the pictures on the computer. My only problem with the camera is that for some reason it has stopped working. We had left the battery in it and it just doesn't work anymore. Don't leaveyour barttrey in the camera it will completely drain it!

Nice features.

Battery life

None

This is a great camera for home videos. Easy to use and easy to make nice quality videos. However, expert videomakers would want to look elsewhere. Manual overides are a pain to set.

Excellent for the novice videomaker. All settings can be set to automatic. Anyone can make nice videos.

Very tediuos to set manual overide settings. Manual focus is near impossible to use.

This is my first camcorder. It is very easy to use, and most controls are intuitive. Video quality is superb, better than anything I have ever seen in analog. It is lightweight and easily portable. There is a slight delay, of several seconds, from the time you press start until it actually starts, so you have to be really quick to get the scenes you want. Overall, a wonderful shooting experience.

Great video quality, lightweight, and easy to use.

Editing is difficult, and not helped by a poor, albeit extensive, manual.

None

I bought it cheap from an online store. There is no customer service.

Overall, I'm very pleased with the Ultura. I bought it for less than $800 at an online store. It's actually very durable. I've taken it mountain biking and travelling through the Philippines. The resolution is outstanding. Very superior to any VHS camera I've seen in the past. The colors are vivid, and sharp.

It's a very intuitive interface. Not too many buttons for a beginnner like me. The automatic settings are very good as far as exposure. Not very good though with high contrast, backlit situations. The low-light setting is exceptionally cool! I say cool, because it has a really rich, saturated effect on colors. Some may not like it, but I thought it was a pleasant surprise.

I wish all the accessories came with it. Like the night light, and filters. Extra batteries would have been cool too.

other VHS cameras.

I have yet to use them.