Canon DC40 Camcorder Review

Ease of Use (6.0)
Canon DC40 users will experience a small learning curve as they familiarize themselves with the camcorder. To make things easy out of the box, there is a clearly marked Auto mode on the mode dial. This should be simple enough to let users point and shoot their way through an entire barbeque or baseball game. Those looking for a little more image quality control will need to shift the mode dial out of Auto. The Aperture and Shutter Priority modes (explained in the Manual Control section above) are great ways to dip a toe into manual control, like controls with training wheels. Program AE modes (explained in the Automatic control section) are also useful for beginners unsure of how to adjust exposure for tricky lighting situations. Learning to navigate the menus, however, may take a few tries. Patience will be rewarded.

The body layout is simple enough to invite exploration. Though the cluster of buttons on the back may look confusing at first glance, it's actually simple. One button starts and stops recording. One button goes to the main menu. One button goes to the manual control menu. One button is for direct printing of stills to a printer. And almost nothing on a camcorder is irreversible (except deleting your footage, of course) so don't be afraid to poke around.

Handling (7.0)
Handling on the DC40 is not its strongest point. Last year’s DC10 and DC20 were definitely smaller and lighter. The body feels solid, which is more than can be said for many camcorders, and I would trust this to remain undamaged in small falls.

One of the DC40’s problems is not uncommon in camcorder design – the hand strap is too low and causes the body to tip to the left. The second, more serious problem is the crowded real estate along the back of the body. With so many buttons, it’s hard to reach all of them. Also, the ports that run along the back of the body – USB and AV-out – will get in the way of effective handling.

We do like the menu layout and, for the most part, the joystick control. The menu is clearly broken up between the controls you need right away (Function menu) and the ones you don’t (the main, or administrative, menu). Maneuvering through the menus is done with the joystick control, located on the lower left side. We believe the joystick to be the best possible control among consumer camcorders. A rear-mounted joystick would have made one-handed operation possible. This placement negates that option, but it still handles pretty well. The only confusion occurs when you get the joystick’s directions mixed up with your orientation to the control (i.e., the joystick’s right feels like “back” to the user, and left feels like “forward”). This disappears with time.

A final note on handling. This camcorder has serious problems remaining steady on a tripod. The problem seems to be that the screw hole is too shallow. When the mounting plate is screwed in, there is still enough space between the camcorder and the plate that the camcorder can actually spin around unencumbered. None of the other Canon DC series models had this problem. This is a serious detriment for any owners likely to use a tripod.

Portability (6.0)
The Canon DC40 is larger and heavier than 2005’s DC20, and users will probably find this 1.1 pound camcorder to be a bit hefty when compared to others on the market. This camcorder measures 2.4 x 3.4 x 5.0 inches, excluding protrusions. While comfortable to carry in one hand for short periods, it will eventually become burdensome. The DC40 is no Sanyo Xacti VPC-HD1 and users will definitely find it worthwhile to purchase a carrying case for this $899 DVD camcorder when traveling. A second strike against the DC40's portability is the non-expandable battery. Tucked away in the LCD cavity, there is no way to accomodate a battery other than the one it ships with. This means you'll either have to carry the power supply around or purchase another 76 minute battery.

LCD/Viewfinder (6.5)
The LCD for the Canon DC40 is located on the left side of the camcorder body and is connected to the camcorder body via a pivoting and swiveling hinge located along its front edge. It can be opened by pulling on either the back or bottom edge of the frame and, once open, the screen can be rotated 270 degrees. The LCD screen is a 2.7 inch widescreen display with 123,000 pixels, which tended to solarize quickly when rotated, a problem which will compromise the ability to monitor images competently. A backlight button on the bottom edge of the LCD frame will increase the brightness of the LCD. Toggling between 16:9 and 4:3 formats is accomplished by pressing the Wide Screen button, located to the right of the backlight button. When our DC40 model arrived by mail, we were quick to notice that one of the pixels on the LCD had already failed: although this is something that will vary from camcorder to camcorder, it doesn’t bode well in terms of manufacturing quality.

In addition to the LCD screen, there is an electronic color viewfinder located on the back of the DC40 in the upper left corner. This viewfinder is set into the camcorder body and angled slightly upwards. The small 0.3 inch viewfinder with 123K resolution has a clear crisp image that could be great if it was actually usable, but the unfortunate design and small size negates any positive attributes. Its position and inability to extend or shift away from the camcorder will result in the user struggling to make this secondary viewing device functional. One of the major benefits of having external controls on a camcorder is that alterations to manual controls, camera setup, and menu navigation can occur without the user opening the LCD screen. This is a distinct advantage over manufacturers like Sony, who use a touch-screen LCD interface for all controls, and will save on battery life and enhance functionality.

If the hard plastic eyepiece and terrible design can be overlooked, this viewfinder and its accompanying control benefits may be alluring to some users. Directly beneath the viewfinder is a small dioptric adjustment lever that is simple to engage and alter.

Battery Life (7.6)
The DC40 ships with the BP-208 battery pack, a slim battery that slips into the LCD cavity. This is a severely limiting portability issue, as the camcorder can take an expanded battery pack. You're stuck with the life capacity of this battery, or a second one, if you choose to purchase it. We tested the BP-208 for its life during continuous recording. The LCD was open, and the backlight on. No manual control or zoom was engaged. When the disc needed to be changed, the DC power was plugged in. In total, the battery lasted a total of 76 minutes and 53 seconds (1 hour, 6 minutes, and 53 seconds) - a truly sorry performance.