Canon Elura 90 First Impressions Camcorder Review

by Erika Clapp
Published on Mar 18, 2005 12:00 PM



Canon's Elura 90 is the replacement model for last year’s Canon Elura 70. Some important subtle changes in this model will be discussed in this first impression review, namely, the addition of an improved 16:9 mode, an increase of 2x in the optical zoom, which brings the total to 20x, and increased minimum and maximum focal distance. Some important removals are the S-Video terminal, the hot accessory shoe (replaced by a cold one), and the body size and weight, both slightly reduced.

Video Performance
The Canon Elura 90 has an identical Digic DV processor to that of last year’s models, and the other models in this year’s line up, as well as an identical CCD imager. The Canon Elura 90 includes a 1/4.5 inch CCD with 690K effective pixels in 4:3 Mode and 920K effective pixels in 16:9 mode, provided the Image Stabilizer is turned off.

Canon includes a 20x optical zoom on the one chip Elura 90, upping the optical zoom from 18x on last year’s model, the Elura 70. The lens has a filter diameter of 34mm, with a minimum focal distance of 3.5mm and a maximum focal distance of 70mm, slightly higher than the Elura 85, and last year’s Elura 70.

Canons historically do very well under optimal light, but no conclusive results were measured, nor will any conclusion as to the video performance be elaborated upon here. Users can look for the full review of the Canon Elura 90 later in the year.

The Front
The front of the Elura 90 can be divided in halves, left and right. The right half of the front is home to the automatic flash, the LED video light, and infrared remote sensor. The left side is topped with the lens and, directly below it, the stereo microphone.

The Right
The right side of the Canon Elura 90 is home to the top loading tape mechanism, as well as several ports, and the main mode dial.

The Back
The back of the Elura 90 is home to the battery port, a strap lock, and the mode dial button. On top of the back is the extendable and rotatable viewfinder.

The Left
As with most consumer camcorders, the left side is home to the LCD and main navigation functions. The LCD flips out from the left side to reveal the playback/digital effect controls. Additionally, users can utilize the SD card terminal towards the back of the left side. At the front of the left side, users will find the menu button and jog dial. Although these are not intelligently placed, they are important for accessing the camera’s functions. The ZR model line moves this button/jog dial combo to the rear of the camera’s left side so as not to be in the way when the LCD screen is open. Perhaps next year Canon will move the feature.

The Top
The right side of the top is home to the tape eject slider at its front, the zoom toggle and photo button at its rear, and the card/tape slider. The left side of the top is streamlined with the Cold accessory shoe at the very front, and the extendable and rotatable viewfinder at the back.

Picture and Manual Control

Automatic Control
The Digic DV processor on board the Canon Elura 90 makes relatively quick work of automatic functions such as focus, exposure, white balance, and shutter speed, provided there is plenty of light. AE modes of auto, sports, portrait, low light, spotlight, and sand and snow are also available in automatic mode. New to all of the consumer Canon models this year, is the name of the automatic mode, now, ‘easy mode.’ This gets rid of that ridiculous square that signified automatic mode on models past. Nice move, Canon, even if it’s identical to Sony.

Overall Manual Control
Users can simply slide the program selector switch to the ‘P,’ for program, and by so doing, unlock manual control options within the menu. Focus, exposure, white balance, shutter speed and zoom can be controlled and manipulated manually when in P mode. These features make use of the jog dial as a primary “adjuster” and users should take note that this method can be a little tricky.

Zoom
Canon adds an extra 2x of optical zoom on the Canon Elura 90 bring the total to 20x. Zoom is controlled via the zoom toggle on the top right side of the Elura 90 body.

Focus
Manual focus is always a little complicated on consumer camcorders, and in an effort to dispel this confusion, Canon has added a three-point focal select option to the Elura camcorders. Users can select from three different points within the frame and put their area of choice in the clearest focus. Many manufacturers are adopting these types of functions in light of the success of Sony’s spot focus feature, introduced a couple of years ago.

Exposure
The Canon Elura 90 includes Canon’s standard manual exposure set up, with exposure steps ranging from -2 to +2 in.25 increments. Accessing the menu, and stepping to camera setup with the jog dial, users can change the exposure. The LCD displays a bar, indicating the numerical exposure setting.

Shutter Speed
The Canon Elura 90 includes six shutter speed options: 1/60, 1/100, 1/250, 1/500, 1/1000, 1/2000. These can be accessed through the menu and jog dial. The shutter setting will be displayed when in manual mode, or P.

White Balance
White balance options of indoor/outdoor, auto, and set are available on the Canon Elura 90. Users should select a white area that fills the screen and best represents true white for the scene. Next, select the “set” option. Once selected, it will flash, indicating that the white balance is being calibrated.

Gain
There are no manual gain options on the Elura 90.

Still Performance
The same DV Photo Plus still photo mode found on last year's models, and on the other Elura models from this year, is available on the Canon Elura 90. The Canon Elura 90 has the same Imaging hardware (CCD) as the other Elura’s past and present, and still makes use of print-and-share interactivity. The Elura 90 can capture stills at 1.23 Megapixels at a maximum resolution of 1,280 x 960 pixels. The Elura 90 can record MPEG video to SD/MM cards at 15fps with resolution options of 320 x 240 and 160 x 240. An automatic flash and video LED are included on the Canon Elura 90, an upgrade over the Elura 80 (Specs, $299.95), which has no flash or LED, and over the Elura 85 which has a flash, but no video LED.

VCR Mode
By flipping out the LCD, users can access the playback buttons. When the camera is set to play/vcr mode, users can navigate the tape via these controls. The mode is standard and easy to use.

Low Light Performance
No conclusions in low light performance are being offered at this time, as this is a first impression review. Check out our full review of the Canon Elura 90 later in the year.

LCD/View Finder
At 2.5 inches with 123K pixels, the LCD on the Canon Elura 90 is standard. Folding out from the left, the LCD covers the important digital effect and playback controls as well as the SD/MM ports. The electronic color viewfinder measures .33-inch with 113K pixels and sits on the top rear of the Elura 90. The viewfinder can be pulled out/extended and rotated for easy access.

Audio
The Canon Elura 90 can record both 16 bit and 12 bit PCM Digital audio to Mini DV tape. The stereo microphone can be found directly under the lens and appears to be enough out of the way to avoid handling noise. The AV terminal can double as a headphones jack allowing users to monitor levels while recording.

Handling
The Elura models handle pretty well, with one exception: the jog dial/menu. Handling the Elura 90, with the LCD open requires occasional use of the jog dial and menu button which is blocked by the LCD when it’s open. This can be a bit of a pain, but can be worked around. It will be a bigger pain for manual control users, of which, I assume, Canon believes there are few for this price range. The other buttons on the camcorder body are easily accessible. The buttons under the LCD (playback and digital effects) require looking before touching, as they are flat panel buttons.

The Viewfinder can be rotated and extended for improved viewing, which is a big help in the handling department. The new backlight feature is an improvement over last year’s LCD, allowing for increased brightness during bright or low lit situations.

Ports
The Canon Elura 90 has DV, USB, AV composite in/out, and DC ports in respective location on the camera body. Each is hidden by a hard plastic or rubber port cover. The USB, AV/Headphone, and DV terminal are on the front right side, and the DC in at the back right side. The S-Video port has been removed from the Elura models this year, as has the hot accessory shoe, being replaced instead by a cold accessory shoe.

Other Features
The Canon Elura 90 has the new 16:9 mode offered on last years Elura 400 and 500. Two Night modes are available on the Canon Elura 90, as well as a flash, and a Video LED for use during still mode and video mode respectively. The print/share button allows easy access for emailing and printing of pictures captured to the Elura 90.

Conclusion
The Canon Elura 90 has the makings of a solid camcorder, with just a few design flaws, and features both upgrades and downgrades in hardware and software compared to last year’s model. The 16:9 mode, the multi focus feature and the increased optical zoom are all excellent upgrades. The removal of the hot accessory shoe and the placement of the menu button and jog dial are both features that may matter to some consumers. As for performance, no conclusions are being drawn for the Elura 90, but users can assume that it will perform identically to last year’s Elura 70, excellent in optimal lighting-take as it is.