I wanted to switch from my very old analog JVC Video Camcorder to a DVD Camcorder and finally did it! Thanks to my Father-in-Law who picked it up for me on his visit to USA. I have wanted to buy something that shoots straight to a DVD and my research said that the Canon DC40 was the one to go for. Somehow most of the big Camcorder websites did not give a clear verdict on the superiority of a DVD medium against a Mini DV tape or Digital8 medium camcorder. Their criticism was mainly about the sluggish quality, slowness, high cost and not-so-great picture of DVD camcorders. They all seemed to still favor the cheaper and older technology of the Mini digital tape and not the DVD. Luckily cnet and a couple of others gave a positive review and high rank for the DC40. I am pleased with its performance. It is far superior to my old and outdated JVC tape camcorder. The movie recording quality is crisp and clear – DVD quality. The DC40 performs excellently on most counts. I have the advantage of playing it directly onto my DVD player. It resumes shooting exactly where it was stopped last after playing unlike my old camcorder where there would be a gap and had to be manually adjusted. The Camcorder comes with several features and there are quite a few manual controls as well. It does a good job shooting in low light conditions. And unlike Sony DVD camcorders you can use any brand DVD’s (even pirated ones). The mini video light is very bright to the point of blinding you for a few seconds.

The one thing that could be better is the battery capacity and secondly the battery position. It accommodates the battery behind the LCD because of which you can’t go for a higher capacity spare battery. Sony for example accommodates the battery on the rear thereby overcoming this shortcoming. At its 480g weight it is quite light, but I wish it was lighter! All in all I am happy. And how much did I pay for it? I got it for $420 online which is half the rate of a new one; being a factory refurbished piece.

Do you use a camcorder and if so which one? And if you are planning to buy which one do you intend to pick up?

Here are the specs of the Canon DC40 DVD Camcorder:

General
Product Type: Camcorder
Width: 6 cm
Depth: 12.6 cm
Height: 8.7 cm
Weight: 480 g

Main features
Camcorder Sensor Resolution: 4.29 Mpix
Camcorder Effective Video Resolution: 2.99 Mpix
Camcorder Effective Still Resolution: 4.0 Mpix
Widescreen Video Capture: Widescreen Video Capture
Media Type: 3″ DVD-R, 3″ DVD-RW
Colour Support: Colour
Optical Sensor Type: CCD
Optical Sensor Size: 1/2.8″
Min Illumination: 0.6 lux
Digital Zoom: 200 x
Recording Speed: SP, LP
Shooting Modes: Digital photo mode
Shooting Modes: Spotlight, portrait mode, slow shutter, night mode, stitch assist, fireworks, super night mode, sports mode, sunset, foliage, beach, snow
Special Effects: Art, Black & White, Sepia, Mosaic, Mirror, wave, Cube, Colour Mask, ball
Faders: Wipe fader, corner wipe, Puzzle, tide, flip, jump, zigzag, beam, black fader
Image Stabiliser: Electronic
Max Shutter Speed: 1/2000 sec
Min Shutter Speed: 1/6 sec
Exposure Modes: Programme, automatic, aperture-priority, shutter-priority
White Balance: Automatic, presets
White Balance Presets: Tungsten light, daylight, shade, fluorescent light (cool white), fluorescent light (warm white)
Digital Video Format: MPEG-2
Still Image Format: JPEG
Remote Control: Remote control – infrared
Media Included Qty: 1

Memory / storage
Image Storage:
* JPEG 2304 x 1736
* JPEG 1632 x 1224
* JPEG 1280 x 960
* JPEG 640 x 480

Camera flash
Camera Flash: Built-in flash
Flash Modes: Auto mode, flash OFF mode, red-eye reduction
Red Eye Reduction: Built-in

Lens system
Type: Zoom lens – 6.1 mm – 61 mm – f/1.8-3.0
Focal Length: 6.1 mm – 61 mm
Focal Length Equivalent to 35mm Camera: 44.5 – 445mm
Focus Adjustment: Automatic, manual
Auto Focus: TTL contrast detection
Auto Focus Points (Zones): 9
Min Focus Range: 1 cm
Lens Aperture: F/1.8-3.0
Optical Zoom: 10 x
Zoom Adjustment: Motorised drive
Filter Size: 37 mm
Features: Built-in lens shield, aspherical lens

Additional features
Self Timer: Yes
Low Lux / Night Mode: Yes
Digital Still Camera Function: Yes
Built-in Light: Yes
Additional Features: Direct print, USB 2.0 compatibility, RGB primary colour filter, auto power save, date/time stamp, DPOF support, display brightness control, PictBridge support

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