June 16 - June 23

Canon Elura by Alessandro Cancian I can still remember the first time I used a video camcorder. My frozen fingers at the time help me remember: I was skiing on the Dolomites, a fabulous landscape, and I had brought with me a then-new model of a camcorder. That was the first time I shot anything, and I must confess it wasnt too easy. Between the cold and the weight of the device (neither excessive nor indifferent), my career as a moviemaker did not start with a cakewalk. Technology has taken many steps forward since then. Some weeks ago a new Canon digital video camcorder found its way into my hands: Elura. My impression? Very good. Compact and very lightweight, Elura is surely ideally suited for amateurish shots. With this model, Canon is offering incredible portability, due to its extremely small size. Elura is slightly bigger than the palm of a hand (well, my hand, at least), and its curvilinear shape fits well and allows a sure grip. In comparison with that first camcorder of mine, Elura is as light as a feather, which also helps shooting, especially if protracted. The camcorder comes with a 2.5" LCD monitor, perfect for shooting without necessarily concentrating on the subject. In bright light there could be some problems, since reflections tend to diminish visibility sharply. At the same time, using the LCD burns up batteries somewhat quickly, so my suggestion is to keep some always ready. The Elura has video-out ports, both S-video and composite, so that you can view your videoclips on your television. It also has a video-in port for converting old VCR footage to digital. The most interesting feature, however, is its FireWire port (IEEE 1394). Thanks to this interface, in fact, you can connect the Elura to any computer similarly equipped, such as all the latest Apple products (iMac, G3, G4) or the Sony Vaio. Many other manufacturers offer the option to have a FireWire port preinstalled, but in order to learn more I suggest you have a look at their Internet sites. After transferring your clips, processing them is really simple, with a software package like iMovie. If you want something more, I can advise you to use Adobe Premiere or Apple Final Cut. Going back to the Canon jewel, the Elura is equipped with a very good optical image stabilizer, able to keep a subject in focus even if your hand is shaking a cocktail. Image quality is good, especially due to the progressive-scan CCD system adopted. In open spaces with abundant lighting the quality of details is definitely superior; in closed rooms an alternative light source would be useful, particularly when using the optical zoom (12x maximum). A negative touch comes from the absence of jack sockets for external mikes or headphones: a pity. In summary, the Elura would be a good purchase; its price ($1,999 CDN) is maybe a bit too high for some, but the device surely deserves it. For further information visit www.canon.ca.

 

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