Canon DC210 Camcorder Reviewby Michael PerlmanPublished on Dec 26, 2007 6:15 PM 
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Compression (4.0)
The Canon DC210 (Review, Specs, $0.00), like all standard definition DVD camcorders, uses MPEG-2 compression. MPEG-2 is not the best compression, especially compared to its old competitor, MiniDV. MPEG-2 creates a lot of artifacts – blocky chunks – that mar the image quality. One of the biggest contributing factors to the problem is the slow data speed. MiniDV records at 25Mbps, always. MPEG-2 records at a maximum of around 9Mbps, with options for even slower speeds.
The Canon DC210 records in three qualities. Lower qualities allow for longer recording times, but it greatly affects video quality. The XP setting records at an average 9Mbps. The SP records at 6Mbps. The LP mode records at 3Mbps.
At a 9Mbps bit rate, a single-sided DVD holds about 20 minutes of video. In SP mode, it holds about 30Mbps. In LP mode, it holds about 60 minutes. Double-sided discs holds about twice that.
Media (5.0)
The Canon DC210 records video to 8cm DVDs (sometimes called miniDVDs) in most of the following formats: DVD-R, DVD-RW, and DVD+R DL (dual layer). DVD is a very popular media and available at a variety of stores, including a drug stores and convenience stores.
DVD has its good points and its bad, and the bad points are adding up. On the plus side, the media is cheap, easy to find, and plays in a lot of home DVD players. On the negative side, DVD has very small capacities and is easily damaged. Of course, the accompanying MPEG-2 recording format is nothing to brag about either.
Editing (5.0)
MPEG-2 video from a DVD camcorder is typically frustrating to edit. The Canon DC210 ships with a disc called Digital Video Solutions disc for Windows and Mac. This is a very rudimentary editing program and DVD authoring program. Only the top standard definition model from Canon, the DC50 (Review, Specs, $649.99), ships with a decent editing program, called MyDVD. If you have your heart set on the DC210, but want an editing powerhouse, you can check out Adobe Premiere Elements, Sony Vegas, and a handful of others.