Canon Elura 100 First Impressions Camcorder Review

The Back
A small and immobile viewfinder rests at the back of the Elura 100. Canon has removed the battery from the back in order to cram as many features and buttons as possible here. The most significant feature is a small, gray joystick that protrudes from out of the back of the camcorder. Below the joystick is a tiny function menu button. A light gray switch, that transitions the camcorder from Easy mode to P mode (The Manual option for Canon Camcorders), rests at the very bottom of this model’s rear. The camcorder’s mode dial is stationed on the right of the rear, with a metallic silver button protruding from its center. Another switch (this one for video/card), Widescreen and LCD Backlight buttons rest underneath the mode dial. It looks as crowded as it sounds.

The Right
With the exception of an SD card slot that is clinging to the edge near the front, the MiniDV mechanism occupies most of the available real estate on the right side of this model’s shrunken body. A small gray hand strap envelopes the entire right side.

The Left
The 2.7” widescreen LCD provides shelter to most of the functions on the left side of the Elura 100. This year, the camcorder’s battery has been thinned and flattened to fit into the LCD cavity. While this battery occupies less space, its location heats up the camcorder and causes slight discomfort. The FireWire and USB ports are housed to the right of the battery. Near the left side of the lens barrel sits the built-in lens cover switch.

The Top
The top of the camcorder consists of the lens barrel and the DVD mechanisms to its right with a small cluster of features resting on its surface. The eject button is embedded on the top of the DVD mechanism towards the front, and group of features, decorated in metallic silver, assemble towards the back Elura’s top: the Pict Bridge button, Zoom Toggle, Light button, and Photo button.