If you had to pick between these two camera's which would you pick Canon Optura 50 or Canon Elura 100?

I can get either one for the exact same price $329, I just wonder which is the better deal? I know all the differences on paper between the two models, and I have read through ten pages of this forum, just looking for practical experience with either of these cameras.

Thank you for your time.




(I posted this in both forums, cause there is not a general Canon thread, and I wanted to have the opportunity to get opinions from both sides)

Hi
I would choose the optura50 because it has OIS.
In the past when both models were in the market(both models already discontinued) the Optura50 was the more expensive model and it was Canon's miniDV top model. If you can get it for the same price than elura100 then the optura50 would be the better choice.

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Sektionschef

Panasonic SDR-S100
Sandisk Ultra II 2GB SD Card
Raynox QC-505 0.5 WA
IBS 5X Tele
Velbon Ultra Maxi F Tripod
Magix Video deluxe 2008plus

I suspect the Optura 60 was the "top model" at the time -- the Opturas tended to be released in pairs: 10/20, 30/40, 50/60; the second of each pair having a few more advanced features. (I'll admit the 600 is an unknown quantity) [30: 12x zoom; 40: 14x zoom, mic attenuation/audio level, low-light assist lamp/additional "night" modes]

You may be right with this but so far I remember optura50 was the top model before it was discontinued which could mean that optura60 was discontinued earlier. However, optura50 should be the better choice over elura100.

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Sektionschef

Panasonic SDR-S100
Sandisk Ultra II 2GB SD Card
Raynox QC-505 0.5 WA
IBS 5X Tele
Velbon Ultra Maxi F Tripod
Magix Video deluxe 2008plus

I would get the Optura 50 over the Elura 100.



Rich

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I ended up getting both. I found good deals so I decided to try both out and make my decision that way.

I got an Optura 50 with extra extended Canon battery and wide angle lens attachment on Ebay for $350, then I got an Elura 100 on Ebay with a External Mic, extra battery, and filters for $420. So I got two camera with accessories for less then I would have paid for the HV20 that I was considering.

I figured this way I could test them both out and use the one that gives me the best quality as the main camera for my projects and use the other as a back-up. Then when I am done I can simply re-ebay which ever one I liked least, and based on prices I have seen I should be able to get most of my money back.

seeker, please let us know which one you like better.

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Sektionschef

Panasonic SDR-S100
Sandisk Ultra II 2GB SD Card
Raynox QC-505 0.5 WA
IBS 5X Tele
Velbon Ultra Maxi F Tripod
Magix Video deluxe 2008plus

The Optura is by far the superior camera. The fact that it has OIS is alone enough reason to choose it over an Elura. But there are other reasons also. The Elura is designed so that it will only accept the stock size battery which means you can't get a bigger battery for it. The physical design of the Elura is inferior to the design of the Optura line for several reasons. The controls are easier to operate on the Optura. Most people don't like the joystick on the Elura. That's some of the physical design advantages for the Optura. Also there is no shoe mount on the Elura so don't expect to be able to mount a mic to the camera or any other accessory.

Also the Elura is known to pick up motor noise with the built in mic which is quite a problem actually. It is worse than most cameras in this regard according to the reports. I believe some cameras are worse but it is common for this to occur.

Plus the Elura has a reputation of being particularly bad in low light. It has to do with the size of the lens and the sensor. This camera was designed to be small instead of being good.

The Optura is an upscale consumer camera while the Elura is basically an mid-level camera. There's no doubt in my mind which one I would choose. Believe me the OIS is a major distinction between the two.

BTW the Optura 60 was the top of the line Optura at the same time the 50 was being sold. It has a few minor advantages over the 50 but most people felt the advantages weren't worth the extra money it costs.

The Optura 50 is one of the most popular consumer cameras that have been sold over the past few years. I'm amazed that you found an one at all. Most of them were bought up when people realized that the camera companies were removing features from their cameras and pushing hard drive and DVD cameras. People wanted to get a good mini-dv camera with all the features that should come with a good camera and the 50 was one of the last cameras that provided those things. And that price makes the Optura a very good deal.

If you want a small camera with a lot of of zoom then maybe the Elura is for you. But if you want quality and features the Optura is much, much better. Remember that with EIS instead of OIS you can basically forget using the Elura as a handheld camera at anywhere near it's zoom capacity. You will probably get so much shake at half zoom that you won't want to zoom any more without a tripod and even then the 20X is pushing it. A slight breeze can make your image bounce considerably on a camera with EIS zoomed out to 20X.

Really beats me why they discontinued a camera that's much more functional and more desirable to customers than most any new thing that they've come up with.

I think it's very likely that the used Optura's are outselling their new stuff. For me, once I read about the features of the Optura 60 and compared it with any new Canon available, the choice was easy, it was the Optura by a far lead!!! I even like the reviews on the Opturas better than the ones on their newer stuff.

If Canon was smart, it would put the Optura back in it's product line, offer some firmware upgrades to bring it up to date and manufacture some more additions to it and make a billion off parts and accessories like millions of other companies do with their hot products. Where is the logic in dropping an extremely hot seller that's still selling massively even after it's so called discontinuence?

Using telephoto lens without a tripod is not a good practice anyway.Will you buy a standard definition camcorder for $1500? For $1000? I don't think so. You'd rather go and buy HV20, would you? There you have it, consider HV20 a replacement for Opturas. It is tape-based, it can record in standard DV, and more.

In May 2006 the Optura 50 was going for $399 at several dealers.

That is a different scenario.



Rich

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I am contemplating buying an Optura 50 as a second cam. I found a deal for $380, I hope it is new in the box.

Seeker, can you verify one thing for me? Does the camcorder display current shutter speed / aperture if you press Photo button halfway? What if you switch to 4:3 mode from 16:9 mode, does it make a difference? If it does, then I would be able to fully control shutter speed / aperture on this cam, like I can do on my Elura 100. The same can be done on HV20, but you don't have to switch between 16:9 and 4:3 modes. I assume that this trick can be done on many Canon camcorders.

If it worked, it would be just great news. Thanks.

Other than Hi-Def and a couple of other things even the HV20 is lacking compared to the Opturas. Such as less zoom, no advanced hot shoe and many of the customer reviews are not that impressive. But that's not saying it not a nice camera, it is.

It is very unlikely that it is a brand new one. It can be refurbished or used. If you switch from 4:3 mode to 16:9, since it has real wide screen, you will have more resolution and see more information. I don't think it shows the aperture level when you use photo button but you can set the shutter speed. If you first set the shutter speed from the menu then using the exposure lock you can change the aperture level.

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I disagree that the chances are that the camera isn't new. I see lots of items that were discontinued several years ago that are sold on eBay as new in the box items. I have looked for Optura 30's and 40's a couple of times recently and was able to find both of those cameras being sold as new in the box items and that was not on eBay. And the prices were in line with what was mentioned here as the price for the Optura 50. There are places that sell old stock for electronics and other items.

I found listings for 2 new Optura 50's on eBay for $439 and $459. These cameras came with kits which are probably the standard kits that are often sold on eBay with cameras. They probably increased the price of the cameras from around the same $399 price mentioned here. I wouldn't neccessarily trust these sellers. I didn't check them out at all but I bought my Panasonic off of eBay and didn't have any trouble at all but other people certainly have had lots of problems buying there from the New York dealers especially. Still the camera is still available new.