Having owned this camcorder for over two weeks now, I am quite happy with it's functionality although still learning some areas as its packed with a variety of options.
The controls are well laid out and reasonably easy to find, even with my large hands, it did take me a little while to get used to the positioning of the zoom slider but I'm now a dab hand at using this.. The 2.5 inch 211,000 pixel LCD Screen is excellent for playback and definately up to the job of being used for recording purposed although I use the viewfinder still.
Sockets and ports are all clearly spaced out and not obtrusive and all are covered to avoid dust entering their confines. The SD card slot is located neatly behind the LCD and DV tapes are inserted into the bottom of the unit. This can cause a bit of a problem if you need to change tapes whilst usint a tripod!
Video recordings have been very crisp and clear, especially out doors leading to vibrant images being displayed thanks to the 2.2 Megapixel CCD. A reasonable night mode is also provided however the auto mode does slow things down considerably so I would recommend using manual. I found the provided software quite easy to use enabling clips to be downloaded with considerable ease. The sound prduced by this unit is comendable when recording music or capturing louder sounds. I would say that for low volume levels there was some motor noise.
The camera functionality is good however picture quality is not up to the standards of a digital still camera but more than adequate for a camcorder and a great solution for taking on holiday as an all in solution. Images up to a resolution of (1,632 x 1,224) can be stored with printed images the size of 127 x 178
being attainable.
There are manuals for the camera and also the supplied software. They are all well laid out and easy enough to understand although I did notice that when loading the software I needed to improvise to get the correct settings but there was no difficulty.
Using the camcorder with MSN Messenger proved painless enough and with the supplied remote control it was very user friendly.
The supplied diffuser will be a boon as the normal LED is somewhat blinding to those in front of the lens.
The quality of the casing is not too good and mine has a couple of scratches already, it would be wise to buy a case with your purchase.
Another thing that may put off prospective purchasers is the lack of an accessory shoe. It is possible however to purchase an optional attachment from Canon.
I would look around for different prices on this camcorder as I managed to find this camcorder for £399 and through an error made by the retailer commanded a further £100 off the price!
At the price I purcahsed this camcorder for I would suggest it was one of the best bargains I have purchased. However, even nearer its retail price I would recommend this as a camcorder to purchase as it does everything well at the very least but has stunning video picture quality. I would suggest shopping around for a good price.
![Canon MVX35i MiniDV Digital Camcorder [2.2MP, 10x Optical]](http://picnica.ciao.com/uk/78197780.jpg)
by (50%):
by (50%):
12.11.2005 17:08
good straightforward review - nice to get one without too much technical stuff for us challenged readers here. Belinda
12.11.2005 10:45
Really good first review. Nice one.