Canon ES280 Camcorder Review

by Robin Liss
Published on Jun 22, 2004 12:00 AM



The ES280 has a MSRP of $599 and is a very good inexpensive 8mm camcorder. An optical zoom of 32x and a digital zoom of 32x allows for a great zoom combination and though I don't feel that a large digital zoom is important, a medium size one is good. The lower digital zoom helps contribute to the camcorder's low price. The ES280 has a 1/4-inch CCD with 270,000 pixels, which is pretty standard for 8mm camcorders. It has a color viewfinder, but not an LCD display.

The ES280 is my favorite Canon 8mm camcorder; I always feel that 8mm camcorders are for the beginner or light user and therefore eliminates the need for many features while simultaneously requiring a low price. The ES280 is, however, an exception. Not only is it cheap, but it also packs in many good qualities. It's a great camcorder to start out with and a great camcorder for someone who does not use it too frequently. You can get many good features and a high quaility camcorder for a low price with the ES280.