Canon Elura90 - Restoring the Joy of Photography

I purchased the Canon Elura90 in early June for just under $500. This is my first non studio/professional camcorder. It has been used under varying conditions for about a month to explore its strengths and limitations. It was purchased with the thought of simple high quality photographing for family, conferences, and lectures, as well as, renewing a hobby I used to be passionate about. I do not consider myself a professional or good amateur photographer. I do have greater than average technical understanding of photography, light, sound, noise and electronics.

Technical
The Canon Elura90 utilizes a single CCD chip (charge-coupled device). The CCDs have a resolution largely based on their size. The 3CCD cameras are using smaller CCDs to hold the cost of manufacturing and size down. Therefore, there is a trade-off between the 3CCD technology (richer color) and the single CCD. The consumer observable technology trade-off is most apparent in low light performance. It is seen as noise (specks in the picture-much like a weak television signal) and color degradation. At present, in the Elura90’s market niche, the Elura90 is the greater camera in the many adverse lighting conditions that camcorders are frequently used in.

Decisions
Buying a camera is strongly biased with personal prejudice. The first prejudice incorporates name identification. Canon has been making solid cameras for a very long time. They have a reputation of building a solid unit with good customer support. The customer support swayed this consumer from another very popular, innovative, well known manufacturer, because of personal experience (in the PDA area), and through reading other’s camera reviews that had a service experience with the same company.

When purchasing a camera, the question always is, what do you plan to do with the camera? Most people will use their video cameras indoors very heavily. Because of indoor shooting, the luminance and low noise rating of the Elura90 became a pivotal issue. In the one month of owning the camera it has been tested under some severe poor lighting conditions, and has responded in a surprisingly (but as anticipated, because of specification research) way. The noise introduction is near unintelligible. What little noise that was introduced was easily corrected with software. (By the way, the noise was from a shooting of a heavily shaded subject surrounded by a strikingly bright light; shot at distance from the bright area into the shaded area.) With normal residential lighting in a room, it is not an issue. Oh yeah, if the light assist/flash is allowed to engage, the noise is a near non consideration. The camera appears to perform above average with, or without, light assist/flash.

The still photograph ability is a desirable attribute. For this photographer, it was a must have. The ability to capture a still photo while simultaneously taping an event is spectacularly easy. Granted, the still can only be captured at 640 x 480 resolution, but for most cases that is sufficient. Still photos may be shot stand alone on the memory card at 1280 x 960 or 640 x 480 resolution! The automatic override shutter speeds are limited to 1/60, 1/125, 1/250. The choice of focal point (left of center, center, or right of center) is an asset. This is limited compared to some other cameras (they are more expensive, and again, the most popular brand is gaining a less than desirable service reputation), however, it sure beats manually focusing and then framing the picture, which is available on this camera also.

The memory card can also record movies. With the 1gb SD cards available, one should be able to get close to five minuets of movie recording on a card. The 8mb SD card that comes with the camera will give a short video clip (20 seconds or less), but will store a high number of stills captured during movie making. This photographer had 87 on one shooting and still had not maxed the card’s capability. That was a pleasant surprise.

Usability
The more options anything has the more complex it is to operate. That is certainly true for the Elura90. If you enjoy flipping through menus, this is the camera for you. However, most things that a photographer will desire to accomplish in a regular shoot are either a one time menu set or readily available with external controls. The zoom control is very convenient. The card/tape switch is also easily accessible. The photo shutter button is not the prominent button on top of the camera. The print/share button is next to it and is in the more intuitive spot. To access the “cardmix” button the LCD must be opened.

The panoramic ability of the Elura90 is accessible through the “cardmix” button. It allows the photographer to easily prepare up to 26 pictures to be combined into one panoramic picture. Canon calls this “stitch.” The Canon software that comes with the camera outperformed an expensive, industry standard, graphic software. Very impressive!

The remote is a surprisingly handy item to have. The camera can be set on a tripod and the LCD display flipped to face the subject. Then the subject (photographer) can see what is being photographed, zoom to the desired frame fill, start and stop the movie recording and take a still photo too! It also comes in handy on playback. The playback can be on the display LCD or a monitor/television with the supplied A/V cables.

The easy access top loading tape carrier allows tape changes while the camera is on a tripod. This is crucial if a shooting extends over multiple tapes.

The mini USB and Firewire (IEEE 1394) connectors are the standard connections to a PC for video editing. The Elura90 does come with a USB cable with the camera’s standard mini connector. Unfortunately, it does not come with a Firewire cable with the mini IEEE 1394 connector.

The wide screen setting is available for video only. If one plans to capture still photos they must set the wide screen option to off.

For those with bifocals, trifocals, or nearsighted eye corrections (farsighted), life gets simpler with the dioptrical viewfinder. Let the camera do its auto focus and adjust the dioptric to where everything through the viewfinder appears to be in focus. This is particularly helpful if the photographer is going to override the auto focus with the manual focus. The subject, through the viewfinder, will appear to be in focus to the vision impaired photographer, and will be in focus for the tape/SD card. While the eye cup is on the small side, the extendable tilt-able viewfinder makes photo shoots more comfortable and allows for steadier handheld camera positions.

The three focal points are easily accessible. However, the instruction manual is not clear on how to accesses them. Once the photographer knows how to find them, their availability enhances the shoot where the subject of focus is off center.

The Negative
Four particular noticeable negatives are 1) a somewhat slow auto focus time (noticeable in greater distance shots), 2) the power switch enabler and the start/stop video record button are side by side, 3) the manual focus activation is a camera menu item and its activation button can only be accessed by opening the LCD viewer, and 4) the print/share button and the camera’s “shutter” button are side by side. The button and switches can either cause missed shots or operation of the camera when it is thought to be off. The slow focus can be overcome with the manual focus, but the opening of the LCD panel activates the LCD which then increases battery drain and increases the likelihood of accidental damage due to the panel being opened.

Another potential negative is Canon’s free downloadable Windows video editing software. It only operates on XP. Those who are in love with Windows 2000 will be forced to upgrade if this is a critical must have.

Battery Life
The stock NB-2LH battery is good for about ninety minuets plus (without engaging the video assist light). Don’t expect to film on battery power much greater than fifteen minuets when the video assist light is on. The optional NB-2L14 battery is good for about double the stock battery’s life.

Conclusion
The Canon Elura90 has enough options to keep a gadget loving person happy for some time. The few awkward settings will be livable and generally acceptable with usage. The features of the camera are astounding and too numerical to cover in a brief review. The photo quality is acceptable in both video and still photo. Canon’s reputation gives the consumer confidence that they have made a sound investment. The minicam aspect of this camera does attract attention from other photographers. The Elura90 is lightweight and comfortable to work with. The digital aspect gives the photographer an opportunity to immediately check to insure the desired shot is as anticipated. The viewfinder’s dioptric adjustment returns the joy of photography to the visually impaired photographers. A purchaser can spend considerably more and not surpass the quality and features of the Elura90.