Canon ES50 Camcorder Review

by Terry Williams
Published on May 17, 2004 12:00 AM



The Canon ES50 is the lowest priced Canon model, and one of the least expensive camcorders available from any manufacturer. I am generally a fan of Canon products, and for the price this unit is loaded with features, but overall I’d have to say that this particular model is not very high on my list.

The ES50 has a 22X optical zoom and a 500X digital zoom. It uses standard 8mm tapes, features the Canon FlexiZone system, and sports a color viewfinder. As is generally the case with the lower price camcorders, this model does not come with an LCD screen, and I did not find the color viewfinder to be of great quality.

First, the drawbacks. I don’t really like the layout of this particular model, and it has one of the worst zoom controls of any similarly priced unit. It also records on 8mm tape. While this may be better than VHS-C in terms of basic quality and recording time, it still leaves a lot to be desired when compared to Hi8 and Digital 8. Having said all of this, the ES50 is a bargain with a MSRP of $349.00, and a street price of around $100 less. And, furthermore, this camera may well have the best features for the money of any of the lower priced models.

Despite my reservations about the design of this unit, I think I can overlook that in light of the great features Canon has loaded in to it. The first time I saw the Canon FlexiZone system I was skeptical, but time and experience made a believer out of me. The FlexiZone system allows you to select the area used by the camera’s sensors to automatically set exposure and focus. This, coupled with Canon’s extremely well designed 4-mode auto exposure control, puts this camera head and shoulders above any of the other budget models in terms of handling difficult shooting conditions. In fact, in many ways, this ability to tailor the auto functions may produce better results than shooting in full manual, especially for less experienced operators.

Canon has always had some of the most powerful optical zooms available, and this unit is no exception. But, to offer a 500X digital zoom is absolutely ludicrous. On the other hand, there are other features on this unit that can be used very effectively. There are some nice special effects available, in addition to a digital fader and titler. This model is also equipped with a time base corrector, which will help make up for the shortcomings of the 8mm format. A time base corrector digitally processes the video signal resulting in a more stable, better quality image. Canon has made it easier for you to take advantage of all of these features by including “custom keys” so you can preset the camera to use different configurations and then access the setting with the touch of a button.

In short, this is a camera that has some definite faults, but for the money it’s quite a bargain.