Canon Elura 100 First Impressions Camcorder Review

by Nick Hyacinthe
Published on Jan 7, 2006 6:00 PM

Intro
Performance
Format Tour
Auto / Manual Controls Still Features
Handling and Use Audio / Playback / Connectivity
Other Features Comparisons / Conclusion


Video Performance
The conditions at CES do not allow for a thorough examination of camcorder performance, but we can deduce potential performance results from the camcorder’s specs and the history of the series itself. The Elura 100 has a 1/5” CCD with 1.3 MP gross and a 690K effective pixel count. This model sports an even smaller imager than last year’s lowest-end Elura 80, which had a 1.4/5” CCD. The pixel count is the same, at 1.3 MP gross pixels, but the physical chip size will certainly have to affect the performance, particularly in low light. The parent models performed relatively well in bright light settings. On the CES floor this camcorder displayed bright, and sharp images. It seemed to present fairly accurate and potent colors.

This model’s imager is superior to the imagers on its entry level competitors, the Sony DCR-HC36 and the Panasonic PV-GS59. These two only offer a 1/6” CCD with 680K gross pixels. It will be interesting to see how they perform under more rigorous tests.

Low Light Performance
The show floors at CES limit one’s ability to truly test a camcorder in varying lighting conditions. Based on the camcorder’s imaging arsenal, one can at least speculate to its possibilities.

One of the frustrations with the low-end Eluras has been that their low light performance leaves something to be desired. In dim lighting conditions the Elura 80 produced fairly bright images with good color representation. Unfortunately, the image was plagued by a significant amount of noise. The new Elura 100, which has an inferior imager to its predecessors, will most likely share the similar problems in low light. The camcorder’s Mega Video Light (2 LED lights on the front of the camcorder) will offer some help in undesirable lighting conditions, but how much remains yet to be seen.








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