Canon Elura 80 First Impressions Camcorder Review

by Nathaniel Hansen
Published on Feb 14, 2005 12:00 PM



Canon announced their new Elura line of camcorders at the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas this January. Canon's Elura 80 (Specs, $299.95) replaces last year's Elura 60 (Specs, $429.99), and the changes are few, so don’t blink or you’ll miss them. Canonphiles with keen eyes will notice subtle changes, namely a slight reduction in size, the inclusion of 16:9, and a jump from 14x optical zoom to18x. Additionally, Canon has dropped the price about $50.

Video Performance
The Canon Elura 80 has the same Digic DV processor as the Elura 60, its replacement model, as well as the same CCD imager. The Canon Elura is fitted with a 1/4.5 inch CCD that has 690K effective pixels in 4:3 Mode and 920K effective pixels in 16:9, with the Image Stabilizer turned off. The Canon Elura 60 performed well under optimal lighting, and users can expect the Canon Elura 80 to follow suit. Canon’s Elura camcorders have historically performed very well under optimal light conditions. Keep checking in for the full review of the Canon Elura 80 which will explore the video performance capacity under several settings.

The Front
The front of the Elura 80 is topped with the 18x optical zoom Canon lens. Beneath are the left and right channel mic covers, and beneath is the Canon logo. On the right side of the front is the infrared remote sensor.

The Right
The right side of the Elura 80 features USB and Firewire port covers at the front, the camera’s strap, running horizontally, and the mode dial at the back. Above the mode dial is the program mode selector switch, allowing users to switch between automatic (easy) mode and manual mode.

The Back
The back of the Elura 80 is streamlined with the battery port down the center. Off to the right are the mode dial and mode lock button.

The Left
The left side of the Elura 80 is the brain, with the LCD and hidden menu buttons hidden underneath. VCR playback and visual effect buttons are hidden under the LCD menu. At the bottom of the left side, under the menu buttons, is the SD card slot. At the front of the left side, users can access the main menu button located at the bottom, as well as the jog dial which is positioned just above. This is a rather silly location for menu and jog dial buttons, as when the LCD is open they become difficult to access.

The Top
The top can be split into halves. At the front of the left half is the cold accessory shoe, and at the rear is the extendable and rotatable viewfinder. At the front of the right side is the tape eject switch. Next to this is a hard plastic/rubber grip. Behind the grip is the flat zoom toggle with the photo button and pict-bridge/print share button just behind. The photo button sits atop the tape/card selector.

Picture and Manual Control
Automatic Control
The Canon Elura 80 has standard automatic control options, and is equipped to perform well in optimally lit conditions. When users switch the program selector to easy, the Digic DV processor controls focus, exposure, white balance, and shutter speed.

Users will notice the new name for Canon’s automatic mode, ‘easy,’ which is similar to (ok, exactly like) Sony’s ‘easy mode.’ I was refreshed to see that automatic is no longer symbolized by a small somewhat cryptic square icon. A bold and smart move for Canon, even if they couldn’t find a synonym for easy mode like: simple mode, effortless mode, trouble-free mode, uncomplicated mode, undemanding mode, unproblematic mode, painless mode…you get the point.

Overall Manual Control
As with other mid-range camcorders, manual control on the Canon Elura 80 is limited, but available. For access to the manual control features, users must move the program selector switch to the P icon. This unlocks the menu allowing immediate access to manual features. As entry level camcorders are not designed with manual functionality in mind, users shouldn’t expect to have effortless control over manual elements.

Zoom
Canon did manage to squeak out and extra 4x in optical zoom capacity on the Elura 80, bringing the optical zoom total to 18x. Zoom is controlled via the zoom toggle on the top right side of the camcorder body. The zoom felt smooth, and is no different from last year’s Elura 65 (Specs, $497.7).

Focus
Manual focus is possible, although not that practical. Users can access manual focus by selecting focus on the LCD panel. Once selected, users can then control the focus via the jog dial.

Exposure
There are manual exposure options on the Canon Elura 80. The manual exposure adjustment button is located under the LCD. When the camcorder is in manual mode adjustments are made using the menu jog dial. The Elura 80, like the Elura 60, has 24 exposure steps, ranging from -11 to +11.

Shutter Speed
Canon included six shutter speed options, 1/60, 1/100, 1/250, 1/500, 1/1000, 1/2000. They can be selected by accessing the shutter speed option within the menu.

White Balance
White balance can be manually adjusted on the Elura 80. Users can access the white balance function by pressing the menu button and scrolling to the white balance feature. Standard options are available including indoor, outdoor, manual, and auto.

Gain
There are no gain controls on the Elura 80.

Still Performance
The Canon Elura 80 has a still photo mode with an SD card slot, and Canon throws in a 16 MB SD card. The Elura 80 also features the same DV Photo Plus still photo mode found on last year's models. The Elura 80’s imaging hardware is fixed with Canon's DiGiC DV processor in addition to Canon's print-and-share technology. The Elura 80 can capture 1.23 Megapixel stills at a maximum resolution of 1,280 x 960 pixels. MPEG video can also be captured to SD media at 15ps with resolution options of 320 x 240 and 160 x 240.

VCR Mode
The Elura 80 has a standard VCR mode accessible underneath the LCD. Unlike the cheaper ZR models, which have playback controls on the camcorder body, users of the Elura 80 will have to reach under the LCD to replay their digital memories.

Low Light Performance
No conclusions or comments are being offered in relation to Low Light Performance, as this is a First Impressions Review. Look for our full review of the Canon Elura 80 later in the year.

LCD/View Finder
The Elura 80’s LCD measures 2.5 inches with 123K pixels and flips out from the left side of the camera body. The viewfinder can extend up and pull out for ease of use. The Elura 80 has a .33-inch 113K color viewfinder.

Audio
The Canon Elura 80 can record in both 16-bit and 12-bit PCM Digital Sound. The stereo microphone is positioned just under the lens, and is far enough removed from the base of the camcorder so as to avoid too much noise. The AV port can double as a headphones jack so users can monitor their audio levels.

Handling
The new Elura camcorders are a little smaller than the previous year’s, so handling might be a little snugger. The Elura 80 fits snugly into the hand with the strap for point-and-shoot recording. The buttons and toggles are well placed if you can get over the fact that the playback and special effect/menu buttons are behind the LCD. Additionally annoying are the main menu button and the jog dial, which is in front of an LCD that is slightly obscured when the LCD is open.

Ports
Canon hides DV, USB, and AV composite, and DC ports in various locations. The DC and battery ports are on the back right and back side of the Elura 80. The AV, USB and DV in terminals are at the front right side of the Elura 80. Canon scrapped the S-Video terminal on all the Elura camcorders this year, and the cold accessory shoe remains just that…cold.

Other Features
On this year’s model, Canon includes a 16:9 mode, the same as included on last year’s Optura 400 (Specs, $999) and 500. The Elura 80 also has Canon’s print/share picture bridge connectivity, making sharing and printing of digital still pictures even easier.

Conclusion
The Elura 80 is a great entry level camcorder for the point-and-shoot consumer on a budget. Additionally, there are enough still features to entice the hybrid enthusiast, although still more features are available on the Elura models up the line. The inclusion of the 16:9 mode, as well as the increased optical zoom are great. Users hoping to hook up digitally to their TV are out of luck, though, as the S-Video port has been removed. Users can anticipate similar performance out of the Elura 80 as they did out of the Elura 60; the hardware and software setup is identical.