The size advantage of the MiniDV videotape format has more to do with the amazingly small video cameras it makes possible than with the convenience of the tiny cassettes themselves. The Canon Elura 2 is one such camera. A successor to Canon’s previous Elura, the new model is smaller and lighter without compromising its predecessor’s excellent image quality. For documentary filmmakers, people who like to travel light, globe-trotting super-spies, or anyone else who wants a pocket-sized camera, the Elura 2 offers a lot for its $1,599 list price, including a 10x zoom lens.
Design and Control
Measuring 1.9 by 4.1 by 3.4 inches and weighing only 14 ounces, the Elura 2 looks a bit different than its predecessor. Like the Elura, the new model is built around an upright, rectangular body. However, in redesigning the Elura, Canon has opted for a more rectangular look, and removed the curvy top and very rounded edges of the previous model. The result is a camera with a smaller, easier-to-hold shape that’s tiny enough to fit in a pants pocket.
Like its predecessor, the Elura 2 features a 2.5-inch LCD flip-out screen that swivels out from the top left side of the camera’s body. Bright and contrasty, the LCD screen is ideal for indoor shooting, but it tends to wash out in direct sunlight. Fortunately, the camera also provides an optical viewfinder, with an eyepiece that pulls out from the back of the camera.
Both viewfinders display the expected assortment of status displays including tape remaining, battery expectancy, and a record indicator. The camera’s transport controls come in the form of simple plastic membrane buttons located opposite the flip-out screen.
The rest of the camera’s controls are spare but well-designed. Tapes are inserted into a standard MiniDV transport mechanism that opens from the right side of the camera. A single rotating dial lets you select between playback mode, movie mode, and progressive scan movie mode. The camera’s zoom control and record button are well-positioned and comfortable, as are the camera’s menu navigation controls. The zoom control, as one would expect, is very small, so making very subtle changes in zooming speed can be difficult. If you’re really interested in performing complex camera moves, you should go with a larger unit.
The Elura 2 boasts a newly designed 10x zoom lens and features Canon’s excellent optical stabilization feature. Offering a 35mm equivalency of 43.9 to 439mm, the Elura 2’s lens provides excellent sharpness with only minimal distortion at the extremes of its zoom.
In general, we only have two minor complaints about the Elura 2’s design. First, its microphone is located on top of the camera — not the ideal location for picking up high-quality audio. Then again, given the size of this camera, there was probably little place else to put it that would make sense.
Our other complaint. As with the original Elura, the Elura 2 does not include either a headphone jack or an external mic jack on the camera itself. To add these jacks, you must install a docking station that mounts on the bottom of the camera. In one considerable improvement over the Elura, the Elura 2 provides the docking station as standard equipment. Still, not having the jacks on the camera itself is a little frustrating, and it’s hard to believe that the camera’s size prohibits such additions, given that Sony and other vendors include such features on their tiny cameras.
Canon is also shipping the Elura 2mc, which provides all of the features of the Elura 2 but also includes a standard MultiMediaCard slot. This slot accepts MultiMediaCards for storing still images. The Elura 2mc carries a list price of $1,799.
This article was last modified on December 14, 2022
This article was first published on August 7, 2001
Commenting is easier and faster when you're logged in!
