Canon Elura 100 Camcorder Review

Widescreen/16:9 Mode (8.0)
The Canon Elura 100 (Specs, $379.19) uses its 1/5-inch CCD and 2.7-inch LCD to provide users with a true widescreen mode, easily accessed through the wide scr. button on the back of the camcorder. The camcorder produced a horizontal width of 52 degrees when shooting in 16:9 format, a 10 degree jump from the 4:3 setting. This mode does crop the vertical axis slightly, although the shift wasn’t the dramatic cut found with many lower-end consumer camcorders with a widescreen option. If widescreen is important on your camcorder, this Elura will definitely provide options, unlike Panasonic who still engages in a heavy-handed crop-and-zoom 16:9 format technique. Switching between 4:3 and 16:9 is conveniently and simple, with a button for just that purpose placed below the record button on the rear.

Scan Rates/24P (0.0)
The scan rate for a camcorder is also called frame rate, and in the case of higher-end pro-sumer and professional models, variable scan rates of 24, 30 and 29.97 are commonly found. For camcorders located within the consumer market range of the Canon Elura 100, the standard fixed scan rate is the 29.97 frames per second. The Elura 100 is no exception.

Other Features (5.5)
Digital Effects - The Canon Elura 100 comes with numerous digital effects that allow users to alter images in both record mode and during playback. The effects options for the Elura 100 are black and white, sepia, art, mosaic, ball, cube, wave, color mask and mirror settings. The Elura 100 also offers a wide variety of digital fades for the beginnings and ends of video clips. The fade settings for the Elura 100 include fade trigger, wipe, corner wipe, jump, flip, puzzle, zigzag, beam and tide settings.

Electronic Image Stabilization - With an optical zoom of 20x, the Canon Elura 100 certainly benefits from the inclusion of an image stabilization system. Unfortunately, Canon equipped this camcorder with an electronic image stabilizer that produces slightly compromised image resolution compared to what an optical stabilization system could provide.

Video Light - The Canon Elura 100 comes with a frontally positioned video light that can be turned on by pressing the dedicated light button on the top of the camcorder. While it’s a great idea to use two LEDs to increase legibility in low light situations, the video light on the Elura 100 isn’t all that illuminating and its coverage range hardly extends beyond two or three feet. Do yourself a favor: if you can, move into an area with better light or engage a slower shutter speed.

Fixed Zoom Rate - For users who can’t get the appropriate zoom speed with Canon’s less than spectacular zoom lever, there is a zoom rate submenu within the administrative menu. Personally, I could do without this feature. The scenarios in which users will want to shoot with a fixed zoom rate seems limited. Instead, Canon should have improved the physical interface of the zoom toggle so that it reacts cleanly to deliver zoom rates both consistent and smooth. As it stands, users can only circumvent the poor zoom lever design through this fixed zoom rate feature. The zoom rates for the Canon Elura 100 allow for settings of fast speed, medium speed and slow, or in Canon terms, speed 3, speed 2 and speed 1.