Hmm, long time no fogo. I seem to be having problems making time
to send stuff here lately. I'm just now getting around to sending
some notes on the digital video camera I bought on Feb 1...

I got a Canon Elura 2 [1] digital video camera from a local store
(Future Shop) for $1830 CAD plus 15% tax (~$1400 USD total.)

I didn't do a lot of shopping around beforehand, maybe 6-8 hours
of surfing the web, and a tiny bit of reading in some camcorder
mags. I would have liked to researched it a bit more, but really
wanted to have the camera in time for my trip to Whistler, and of
course I left it until the last minute. Anyway, I'm pretty happy
with my purchase, and I don't think more research would have
resulted in buying a different camera.

I could have bought it online instead for about $1000 USD [2],
but a) I didn't have time before my trip, and b) it's kind of
nice to have bought it locally in case something goes wrong with
it. I might have bought it online if I had more time though.

Why I chose the Elura 2:

 - generally good reviews on epinions.com [3] and amazon.com [4],
   and it sounds like Canon and Sony make the best dv cameras.
   (there aren't many reviews of this specific model on the web
   yet since it's fairly new)

 - uses MiniDV format tapes, which is my top pick after reading
   a bit about each format. (btw, whenever I hear MiniDV I think
   of a tiny version of Daniel Veillard, like Mini-Me [5] from
   Austin Powers.)

 - this camera is *really* small. It's about the same size as my
   regular digital camera (Olympus D-450Z) [6], with slightly
   different dimensions.

   When I was trying it out at Future Shop, the guy that was helping
   me had to bring it out from the back because they just got them
   in, and a bunch of other sales guys saw me using it and came up
   to comment on how small it is. (okay, they probably saw me coming
   and had that whole thing planned in advance.)

   I think this is the only photo I have of the camera so far:
   http://impressive.net/people/gerald/2001/02/03/17-01-37-med.jpg

   The nice thing about this size is that I can always have it
   with me in a coat pocket or whatever, like my digital camera.

Bad things about it:

 - since it's so small and light, it can be hard to keep stable

 - it's slightly awkward to turn it on and get rolling with one hand
   (most of the time that I used it so far, I was on the ski hill
   and would take one glove off, hold my glove and ski poles with
   one hand and work the camera with the other.) I'm fairly used
   to that now though.

 - the widest angle is equivalent to something like a 50mm camera,
   so it's hard to point the camera at yourself without having
   your noggin occupy the entire screen. I think I'll buy a .5x
   adapter lens to make up for that.

 - the optical zoom is only 10x; some of the others (e.g. panasonics)
   had more, like 18x.

 - slightly expensive (near the middle of the current dv crop, I think)

The "Elura2 MC" is the roughly the same camera, but allows you to
take still photos to a removable multimedia card; I decided I didn't
care about that feature since I already have a digital camera and
the photos taken by dv cameras generally have lousy resolution
(~1 megapixel) compared to modern digital cameras (~3 megapixel+)

I paid an extra $300 CAD for an extended warranty (4 years parts,
service, replacements), but I'm not sure that was a good idea so
I might try to return it. (I don't know if they let you "return"
the extended warranty, but if I try and they don't let me, I'll
tell them I'll just return the whole thing including the camera;
I have 30 days to do that.)

The reasons I decided to get the extended warranty are:

 - the standard warranty sounded pretty lame (something like 3 months)

 - the extended one includes 4 cleanings that are supposedly worth
   $150 each (I doubt that, but they're probably worth something)

 - I tend to break things (like my digital camera [7], cell phone [8]),
   and I figured I might be able to use this warranty to weasel out
   of future breakage.

   I could probably just learn to be more careful with my stuff
   (e.g., not skiing double-black diamonds [9] with $3k of equipment
   on me), but I figure the only thing worse than breaking expensive
   electronic equipment would be to own this camera for a decade but
   not have any cool footage to show for it.

What do others think, should I keep the extended warranty? (I need
to decide by this Wed cuz I'll be in Boston after that.)

So now I have an hour and a half of digital video from Whistler,
and need to get it online somehow. I haven't even started trying
to figure that out yet. I was kind of assuming that dv editing on
linux was at least a year or two away from being possible and
that I might have to break down and buy a mac (ugh) or even worse
dual-boot to windoze or rent some time on a windoze box or something,
but the other day I was pleasantly surprised to find what sounds
like excellent digital video editing software for linux:

   Broadcast 2000
   http://heroinewarrior.com/bcast2000.php3

> Movie studio in a WEB SERVER!
>
> Introducing Broadcast 2000, the realtime, non linear audio and
> video editor for Linux. This software is licensed under the GPL.
> You can now integrate audio with video, capture, render, edit,
> and play back your dream movies and mp3s faster, without paying
> for it!
>
> What better way to feed the most demanding application than with
> the most powerful hardware, the internet infrastructure.
>
> Your Linux box is no longer just a web server. It can edit
> 1920x1080 video and 24 bit sound just like the big boys. Watch
> Linux cut and dissolve edits in an instant, perform color
> correction, sharpen, copy without generation loss, play back
> hours of edited movie without destroying a single byte of source
> footage. You can record TV shows and watch them when you want in
> the original broadcast quality. Plus it can do this in realtime,
> all in the digital domain and in one single box.
>
> Broadcast 2000's signal processors and compression codecs are
> designed to fully exploit the high speed processors and SMP
> systems of the most demanding Linux user, because with this kind
> of freedom you need every ounce of efficiency you can get.

(hmm... maybe I should upgrade my home machine from a dual PII-350
to a dual PIII-800, and use my two PII CPUs in a replacement for
un.impressive.net. un has been having bad load trouble lately, but
I think I tracked that down tonight to a bad robot in Portugal.)


More rough notes on dv cameras from IRC: (from #fogo on Feb 1;
I edited the amazon URIs a bit)

01:27   gerald   wow, this digital video editing hardware/software sounds
                excellent, and is really cheap ($89 USD): Pinnacle Systems
                Studio DV (Windoze only)
              http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/B00001OPIZ/geraldoskoboiny
01:28   gerald   shopping for dv cameras...
01:29   gerald   Sony DCR-TRC120 ($800 USD, $1k CAD at future shop) sounds
                quite good:
              http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/B00004WZPY/geraldoskoboiny
01:29   gerald   Canon Elura 2MC Digital Camcorder also sounds good ($1400
                USD):
              http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/B0000507JH/geraldoskoboiny
01:40   gerald   Panasonic PV-DV400 Digital Camcorder also sounds good,
                $900 USD, other similar ones available (DV100 to DV800);
                MiniDV format ("the most popular"), sounds quite small
              http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/B00004T1M3/geraldoskoboiny
01:41   gerald   (one reviewer reported problems with it)
01:48   gerald   Panasonic PV-DV200 also sounds okay, $800 USD, lacks night
                vision, slightly smaller than DV400?
              http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/B00004T12N/geraldoskoboiny
01:48   gerald   sounds like MiniDV is the format to choose unless you need
                compatibility with older analog equipment
01:50   gerald   Panasonic PV-DV100 is $750 USD, slightly more basic still.
              http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/B00004T12M/geraldoskoboiny
01:53   gerald   Panasonic PV-DV800 is $1000 USD, includes a light,
                nighttime IR filter, adobe photo deluxe software:
              http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/B00004WEU0/geraldoskoboiny
01:53   gerald   (not reviewed yet on amazon.com)
01:53   gerald   oh... has a 3.5" LCD, too
01:55   gerald   Panasonic PV-DV600 is $1000 USD (out of stock), includes
                light and software, analog in, IR, 3" LCD:
              http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/B00004WETZ/geraldoskoboiny
01:56   gerald   DV400 or DV200 sound like the best bet from panasonic's
                PV-DVx00 range
01:58   gerald   oh... PV- line includes 18x optical zoom, seems fairly
                good for this price range
01:58   gerald   all above cameras so far seem to include firewire (IEEE 1394)
01:58   gerald   ... though some (most?) don't come with firewire cables
02:03   gerald   Canon ZR-10 Digital Camcorder sounds good, 10x optical,
                460k ccd, 2.5" LCD, $800 USD, generally positively
                reviewed.
              http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/B00005045X/geraldoskoboiny
02:04   gerald   ... smaller than the panasonic PV-DV200 (2.25x4x5.125"
                compared to 4.25x3.37x7.5")
02:07   gerald   Sony DCR-TRV6 Digital Camcorder has good specs, but lacks
                info on amazon.com (no reviews), $1100 USD, 10x optical,
                680x ccd, 2.5" LCD, 2.8x3.75x6.4"
              http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/B00004YAHH/geraldoskoboiny
02:09   gerald   amazon bestselling digital camcorders:
              http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg/browse/-/172431/107-6436312-9848520
02:09   gerald   1. panasonic PV-DV400
02:10   gerald   2. panasonic PV-DV200
02:10   gerald   3. sony dcr-trv6
02:10   gerald   4. sony dcr-rtv900 ($2200 usd)
02:11   gerald   5. sony dcr-trv120 ($800 usd)
02:11   gerald   6. jvc grdvm70u ($1100 usd)
02:11   gerald   7. jvc grdvl9800u ($1800 usd)
02:11   gerald   8. sony dcr-trv525 ($1000 usd)
02:12   gerald   9. sony dcr-trv820 ($1400 usd)
02:12   gerald   10. panasonic pv-dv100 ($750)
02:14   gerald   ...
02:15   gerald   jvc grdvl805u ($900 usd) sucks according to reviews:
              http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/B00004TG58/geraldoskoboiny
02:31   gerald   Sony DCR-PC100 sounds excellent, but pricey ($1700 USD):
                "fits in jacket pocket", good battery life, controls are
                sometimes hard to use (esp zoom), *very* positively
                reviewed (17 reviews, one fairly negative but most very
                positive)
              http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/B00004U12J/geraldoskoboiny
02:43   gerald   ... #18 on amazon digicam bestsellers, 1,070,000 ccd
                resolution, 2.5" LCD, Carl Zeiss lens, 10x optical zoom
                (120x digital), megapixel still shots to memory stick,
                2.5x5x4.6"
02:51   gerald   Sony DCR-TRV11 Camcorder is $1229 USD ($2k CAD at future
                shop), 680k ccd, 3.5" LCD, 10x optical zoom, carl zeiss
                lens, a couple positive reviews, includes software (might
                be paying for it?):
              http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/B00004WZOG/geraldoskoboiny
03:15   gerald   Panasonic PV-L650 is $450, uses vhs-c tape, 18x optical
                zoom, 4" lcd screen, sounds very basic, has positive
                reviews:
              http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/B00004T12L/geraldoskoboiny
03:24   gerald   er... no, that's not digital
03:40   gerald   more on Sony DCR-TRV120... Digital 8 format, sounds
                slightly inferior to MiniDV, but has big optical zoom
                (25x), 450x digital zoom, and is only $1k CAD at future
                shop;
              http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/B00004WZPY/geraldoskoboiny
03:56   gerald   todo: check epinions for TRV6 reviews
04:04   gerald   top 10 digital camcorders on NBCi:
                http://shopping.nbci.com/shopping/navigation?cat_id=2895
04:05   gerald   1. jvc gr-dvf31 ("lowest price": $534)
04:05   gerald   2. jvc gr-dvl300u ($508)
04:06   gerald   3. sony dcr-trv520 ($649)
04:06   gerald   4. canon zr-10 ($670)
04:06   gerald   5. panasonic pv-dv400 ($638)
04:06   gerald   6. sony dcrpc3 ($1320)
04:06   gerald   7. jvc gr-dvl505u ($568)
04:07   gerald   8. jvc gr-dvl500u ($180 ??)
04:07   gerald   9. canon XL1 ($3337)
04:07   gerald   10. sony dcr-pc100 ($1290)
04:18   gerald   epinions digital camcorders sorted by rating:
                http://www.epinions.com/elec-Video-Camcorders-All?submitted_form=finder_form&quant_127197=-1&quant_127379=-1&quant_127375=127378&finder_form_submitted=++Find++
04:23   gerald   near the top: sony dcr-trv11, trv310 (digital 8), ...
04:24   gerald   a positive trv310 review, provides some good(?) arguments
                for Digital 8 over MiniDV:
                http://www.epinions.com/elec-review-7E33-20E99D4E-3A2D6B07-prod2
04:46   gerald   trv11 is reviewed well; cons: 10x zoom, 640x480 digital
                stills, no light, somewhat expensive (~$1100 usd?):
                http://www.epinions.com/elec-review-4D47-B3DECA8-39C277CF-prod1
                http://www.epinions.com/elec-review-5A4A-455B9E1F-3A4B9BF2-prod3
04:47   gerald   continuing the list of top-reviewed models is the TRV8 (#4)
04:53   gerald   ... trv315, trv320, jvc gr-dvl300u, trv520, ...
05:02   gerald   sony pc100 has a few negative reviews, saying it's
                overpriced, still image feature is lame, bad in low light,
                recommend the canon elura instead
05:02   gerald   http://www.epinions.com/elec-Video-Camcorders-All-Canon_Elura_2
05:16   gerald   overall, panasonics seem okay, but not great according to
                epinions reviews
 :
13:45  ger-chptr wasabi
13:46  ger-chptr hi
13:46  ger-chptr infobot, hi
 [just checking if I was really connected, since cgi client can be goofy]
13:46   infobot  salut, ger-chptr
13:47  ger-chptr hey... just stopped into a net cafe in chapters, reading
                about dv cameras online
13:47  ger-chptr I think I might buy the Canon Elura2 from future shop,
                $1830 CAD plus tax
13:47  ger-chptr but I just found it online for $1000 USD :(
13:47  ger-chptr but I wouldn't be able to get it shipped here in time for
                the ski trip
13:48  ger-chptr so I might end up paying $300 CAD more (plus tax) for it
13:48    Yapper  You should get it locally, just in case it breaks down
                etc...
13:49  ger-chptr maybe I can return it to future shop after the ski trip or
                something (kind of cheesy)
13:49    Yapper  hehe, you only have 14 days I think
13:49  ger-chptr The place I bought my digital camera (Beach Camera) has it
                for ~$1000 usd
13:49  ger-chptr the guy said I have 30 days, but kind of hinted that I
                shouldn't really return it after taking it on a trip or
                whatever
13:49    Yapper  You could probably find cheaper from Montreal or Toronto,
                maybe in Vancouver
13:50    Yapper  He hinted, but didn't say no. Make sure nothing happens
                to it
13:50  ger-chptr I doubt they will match the price of an online retailer,
                especially since it's already on sale from $2000 cad
13:50    Yapper  You do have to try it out
13:50  ger-chptr yeah

13:50  ger-chptr I should've told tristen to buy one for me yesterday in
                Edm, avoid the PST
13:51  ger-chptr oops... 15 seconds left
13:51    Yapper  THat would've been a good idea
13:51  ger-chptr ttyl
13:51    Yapper  bye!
14:41  ger-chptr :EOF From client

refs:

[1] http://canondv.com/elura2/
   http://www.google.com/search?q=canon+elura+2

[2] http://queen.pricewatch.com/search/search.idq?ne=27505&l=27459&qc=%22ELURA%22*&CiCodePage=Windows-1252&cr=elura

[3] http://www.epinions.com/elec-Video-Camcorders-All-Digital
   http://www.epinions.com/elec-Video-Camcorders-All-Canon_Elura_2

[4] http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/B0000507JH/geraldoskoboiny
   (that's actually the Elura2 MC; they don't have a page on the Elura2 yet)

[5] http://us.imdb.com/Name?Troyer,+Verne
[6] http://impressive.net/people/gerald/1999/11/d450/
[7] http://impressive.net/people/gerald/2000/01/11/17-10-09.jpg
[8] http://impressive.net/people/gerald/2001/02/08/16-23-28-med.jpg
[9] http://impressive.net/people/gerald/2001/02/06/11-20-38-med.jpg

--
Gerald Oskoboiny <gerald@impressive.net>
http://impressive.net/people/gerald/