Canon DC50 Camcorder Review

As high definition camcorders are churned out with alarming speed, those content with standard definition will be pleased with the market effect:  ever-falling prices for yesterday's state-of-the-art. The Canon DC50 ($799 MSRP) is a hundred dollars less than last year's DC40 (Review, Specs, $539.99). What was once top-notch is now increasingly affordable. But the price gap between the best standard def and AVCHD camcorders is not so large and jumping over to HD is worth consideration. This is the dilemma for many consumers right now. In some ways, the Canon DC50 is stuck between a rock and a hard place. Is the DC50 cheap enough? It’s Canon’s top of the line standard definition DVD camcorder with a massive 1/2.7” imager, rear-mounted joystick, flash, and video light. That’s great, but what about Sony’s HDR-UX1 (Review, Specs, Recent News, $729.95)? It’s got a cam control ring, 3.5” LCD screen, and HD resolution.

Of course, if you don't have the workflow in place for HD, than all this AVCHD business is for the birds. This makes the Canon DC50 all the more compelling. Good video performance, decent handling, and a solid manual control array complete the package. Barring some construction issues, we liked what we saw. Read on for the full scoop.


The Front (7.75)
The front of the DC50 is dominated by its ample lens. The 10x optical zoom lens has a maximum focal distance of 6.1-61mm with the following lengths:
-43.8-438mm (16:9)
-47.8-478mm (4:3)
-39.9-399mm (Stills images)

The lens also has a filter diameter of 37mm and is compatible with add-ons like a fish-eye or telephoto. Directly beneath the lens is the built-in stereo microphone. A panel housing a rectangular flash and round video light spans vertically next to the lens. The only issue with placing the flash next to the lens as opposed to on top or underneath is that you get uneven lighting. The video light is bright, but it emits a distinct, bluish hue and for the most part emulates a high-powered LED light. 

The Right Side (3.5)
90% of the DC50’s right side is comprised of the DVD loading hatch. The hatch is opened via a small switch near the bottom right side of the camcorder’s back, and is supported by a burly, metal hinge. Just be careful not to hyperextend the hatch because the hinge looks like it can only take so much tension before throwing in the towel. The hand strap on the DC50 seems like an afterthought. It’s mounted low on the camcorder’s body, creating extreme “hand flop”. When the DC50 is let go from the fingers, it falls to the side at a 90 degree angle. It almost looks like the bottom of the DC50 was designed to rest on the palm of the hand. A small round DC jack is randomly located on the bottom right side underneath the flash and video light panel. The placement of the DC jack is gawky, and we wish Canon would have implemented a rectangular DC connection, as round terminals have a tendency to pull out easier.

The Back (7.0)
Here’s where Canon shines. Like certain beloved manual control-heavy Panasonics, the DC50 is equipped with a rear-mounted joystick. Why is this so special? For one, this enables the shooter to utilize the viewfinder to its maximum potential, conserving battery life. No fiddling around with Hitachi-style side–mounted menu selectors. No smudging up the LCD screen with Sony’s cramped touchscreen interface. The rear-mounted joystick saves time, and with the ability to change DVDs while the camcorder is on a tripod, the DC50 is convenience in a can. Below the joystick is a vertical mode switch that enables you to shift between record and playback mode. Digital still mode can be selected by flipping a small switch above the joystick. The space is tight here, so try not to inadvertently strike the joystick while toggling between modes.

At the top, the DC50’s electronic viewfinder modestly protrudes along the crest of the back. The viewfinder is not much, but compared to the sorry state of the Canon ZR viewfinders, it does the job. In addition, the DC50’s LCD cavity mounted battery eliminates the extension of the back end, maintaining a comfortable distance for the eye. The viewfinder screen is large and angled up to reduce neck strain. The dioptric adjuster is located on the bottom of the viewfinder’s frame. Pretty well executed for a compact DVD camcorder.

Canon needs to fix this on many of their camcorders: the nondescript, typical start/stop button. Without any red dot indicating the button’s purpose in life, the plain silver button looks like an uncovered part of the frame. Canon provides us with some of the most cutting edge camcorder features on the market, but they are incapable of mastering the concept of a proper record button. We found this doubly confusing due to a bit of text reading "DSC/CHG" (disc change) immediately to the right, as if instructing you to push the button in order to change the disc. This text is, in fact, referring to an LED light that blinks to indicate disc activity. This leads to Confusion City.  Are you reading this, Canon?

The Left Side (4.0)
Before flipping out the 2.7” LCD screen, you’ll notice three buttons set in a diagonal path located directly above: function, display, and Quick Start. The Quick Start feature will save you time and battery life by slipping the DC50 into a state of hibernation between shots. This is useful because the DC50 varies significantly in startup time. With Quick start, the camcorder is jolted out of its trance and ready to roll in roughly one second.

A generous finger slot located at the bottom of the DC50 is used to pop open the LCD. Once open, you’ll wonder where all the LCD cavity controls went. They have been replaced by a thin Lithium Ion battery that encompasses the entirety of the LCD cavity. Larger batteries can be purchased but don’t expect to find one greater than a 2 hour capacity, due to the size constraints of the LCD cavity. The LCD panel contains a row of playback controls on the bottom: rewind, fast forward, start/stop, and stop/playlist. The LCD picture is vibrant and sharp. However, Canon slapped the same LCD hinge on the DC50 that can be found on many entry-level consumer camcorders. Warning: Do not test the limits of the LCD hinge’s extension. We sheared one off of a ZR850 (Review, Specs, Recent News, $265).

To the right of the LCD cavity, there is a panel consisting of a USB terminal, print/share button, and battery release tab. An inconspicuous arced port cover running along the back ridge of the DC50 opens to reveal a Mini SD card slot and AV in/out jack (not a mic jack). This port cover is hard to open unless you access it with the LCD screen open, and the thin plastic strips that secure it to the body are highly susceptible to snapping off. This is a trend amongst consumer Canon camcorders, and it needs to be revamped.

The Top (5.0)
The top of the DC50 is home to the photo button, zoom toggle, and auto/manual mode switch, and all located toward the back of the camcorder. When the switch is set to auto, the camcorder does all the work for you. If you flip it to P, then all of the manual controls that were not available in auto mode are available in the function menu. This must be Canon’s attempt at preventing the average consumer from dabbling with advanced features. For those who like to gain control of their shots, the P setting was created for you. The zoom toggle, like most horizontal zoom controls, is easy and accurate. On top of the viewfinder there are three arcs for audio playback.