Canon MV800 > Reviews (2)

I chose the Canon MV800 as a trusted brand name and for the proven quality of its predecessors. Filming a series of 'live' concerts proved a doddle with this camcorder.

First things first though, I would recommend purchasing additional battery packs and tapes as the basic boxed version only comes with a small battery and NO standard mini dv tapes. I also purchased a tripod with standard fitting which works fine with this camcorder.

The MV800 has a wealth of features including various lighting settings and manual focus options along with digital effects. The great thing about this camera, however, is the point and shoot auto mode which will cover 99% of a beginner's requirements and really is as simple as turning the camera on and pressing the record button. The impressive zoom function is easy to operate and the small lcd screen shows clearly the amount of tape used, battery power, mode etc.

After shooting your footage, capturing to your PC couldn't be simpler with the 'dv out' port. Again you'll need to buy a compatible firewire or usb cable, but these are fairly cheap and I guess the reason that this high quality camera has been made available at such a competitive price is due to the exclusion of such accessories.

All in all a great little budget camcorder which can be made into a high quality semi-professional one with the purchase of a few accessories.