Zooming In
As with most camcorders, you use a mode selection switch to choose between shooting and playback. When in shooting mode, you can use the camera’s record button to start and stop video recording, or the photo button to shoot a still image. A switch located just below the mode dial lets you choose whether you want to record to tape or memory card.
As with most cameras in this category, the Optura includes a 10x optical zoom lens that delivers roughly a 40-400mm zoom range (in 35mm equivalencies). Though the Optura is a little weak at the wide-angle end, it makes up for it with a lens that has a stronger telephoto range than its competition.
Most digital cameras have digital-zoom features, and Canon has packed a whopping 200x zoom into the Optura. Digital zooms work by digitally enlarging and cropping your image to simulate a zoom effect. This technology has improved a lot in recent years. Nevertheless, using the digital zoom will degrade your image — it’s still best to simply turn it off and make do with the camera’s excellent optical lens.
If you absolutely need the extra magnification, then you might be well served by the Optura’s extreme digital zoom range. However, you’ll probably fare better by simply shooting optically and then performing your own zoom and crop using your favorite editing program. That way, you’ll have good-quality source footage, and the option to digitally zoom it later (assuming your editor provides such capabilities).
When digital zoom is turned on, the zoom indicator in Canon’s viewfinder changes color when you pass from the optical part of the zoom range and into the digital. This ensures that you don’t accidentally tread into digital zoom territory when the feature is activated.
Shooting Star
Optical Image Stabilization is a technology that attempts to remove slight shake and jitter from an image by making adjustments to the camera’s optics as you shoot. Canon has long led the pack in optical image stabilization and the Optura continues this lead. Though competing technologies are good, Canon’s stabilization is just a bit more solid and a little smoother when zooming and panning.
The Optura’s automatic metering does a very good job in most instances, but there will always be times when you have to shoot into harsh lighting, or perform some other type of exposure adjustment. The Optura provides a simple dial for making iris adjustments, and these will probably be all of the exposure adjustments you’ll ever need. For extra control, though, the Optura also provides manual shutter and focus control, as well as a fully manual white balance that offers white balance presets as well as a white balance set mode.
For simpler exposure control, the Optura also includes a number of preset modes that are tailored to particular shooting situations such as backlight and sand or surf. If you don’t know your aperture from a hole in the ground, then these features will automatically make the requisite adjustments for you, provided you choose the appropriate setting.
The Optura also includes a huge assortment of special effects and transitions that let you create more stylized videos. Though these features work as advertised, you’ll be much better served by shooting clean video and performing any desired effects or edits in your favorite editing program.
Finally, the Optura offers excellent night-shooting modes similar to the NightShot features popularized by Sony. These features use the same technology as night vision goggles, and result in a somewhat stylized image with a strong colorcast. Canon has one-upped the competition with its color night mode, which does a good job of reproducing a color image in extremely low light. These features are no substitute for good lighting, but if you find yourself stuck needing to shoot some footage in very low light, you’ll be well-served by the Optura’s low-light features.
Overall, for the type of shooting that you’ll most likely do with this type of camera, the Optura provides far more features, effects, and controls than you’ll ever need. Fortunately, Canon’s excellent ergonomics and interface design mean that this feature bloat doesn’t get in the way of your day-to-day shooting tasks.
This article was last modified on January 6, 2023
This article was first published on September 24, 2002
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