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Circa · Mar 17, 2001, 01:26 PM

I am interested in this camera and there has to be someone out there that has this cool piece of hardware. I am mostly interested in doing some digital video work on my powerbook. I am going on a vacation soon and I want something that is very small and lightweight. I have talked to some people about this camera and it is supposed to be the smallest mini dv that you can get? The other thing that I am looking into is a new computer I won't talk about that but if I don't get a new one I will look into a firewire pc card for my powerbook. Can anyone recommend some??

Thanks everyone!!

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-Circa just posted here but now he is gone.

Cake · Mar 17, 2001, 03:16 PM

Yeah, I'm looking at this camera too. I just need a DV camera to get some footage in my computer so that I can play around with After Effects,Final Cut, Animation:Master, Compustion, etc - I just want to play, but I've got no footage!!

I was looking at the Canon ZR-10, but the Elura2 looks like a lot more bang for the buck. There are a lot of good Sony's too, but I'd like to stick around $1000 for now. I haven't heard anything bad about the Elura, just that there are other choices that are comparable - usually for more than I want to spend though.

I have a friend that just picked up a Newer Technology FireWire 2 Go PC card for $50 that works great, although that company is now out of business.

Circa · Mar 17, 2001, 11:02 PM

Thanks for your info, ya hopefully someone here will respond to this thread. This camera sounds awesome.

Glenstorm · Mar 18, 2001, 12:18 AM

I just purchased one of these but have yet to recieve it... I got the 2MC model. It should be here in the middle of this week. When it gets here I'll report in...

Bill Clarke · Mar 18, 2001, 01:31 AM

I just got an Elura2MC and it's absolutely fabulous! I wanted a small camera to take with me on vacation and to use with my Powerbook G3. The camera is great, fits in my pant's pocket (tightly, but OK) and the quality is outstanding. It works perfectly with iMovie.
I'd also like to put in a good word for Vanns (www.Vanns.com) an electronic retailer in Minnesota from where I purchased the camera online. I got it for $300 less than elsewhere I could find online. Also, I ordered a special Sony tape by mistake and I got a phone call from their shipping Dept, as they were packing the camera and tape, asking me if I really wanted this $29.00 tape. They said it would work with the camera but I wouldn't get any of the benefit of the expensive tape. They said I'd be better off with the $6.00 tape. I was amazed - great customer service.

Bill

Circa · Mar 18, 2001, 03:20 AM

Wow sounds great! I am impressed, hopefully I will be able to take a closer look at it in the next few days. I have seen it before but not up close really.. Can anyone comment on the quality compared to a conventional Digital 8 camera. Or regular dv format. Also is there much to operating it, is it pretty simple to use. As well with a camera and its small size you would think you would have a hard time holding it without shaking. Is steady shot good?

infowarrior · Mar 18, 2001, 07:45 PM

I bought one in January to import VHS into iMovie2....it's an idiot-proof setup and configuration experience....for me video editing is a new thing.....was a snap to import/export with the Mac. It's better than trying to mess with Dazzle-DV stuff that imported stuff ok but couldn';t export for some reason.

Mar 19, 2001, 01:08 AM

I have the elura 2 (original model) and have used it for about a year now. Fantastic is all I can say. It works great with iMovie, and easily translates all my 8mm tapes to digital format from our old Sony analog camcorder. We have made iMovies of 4 year old movies that are now fun for everyone to watch doing this transfer method. Of course, the quality is even better on the footage shot directly from our elura.
Don't know much about the newer model but I would guess it must be even better.
Enjoy!

zigzag · Mar 19, 2001, 01:46 PM

I've had an Elura2 MC since November and couldn't be happier. Great ergonomics, works perfectly with iMovie2. Image stabilization works well.

The Sonys have one notable advantage - they have pass-through analog-to-digital conversion, while the Elura requires you to record onto DV tape first - but this wasn't a big concern for me. In all other respects I prefer the Canon.

Watch out for some of the lowest-price dealers on the web - one of them told me they had the camera in stock, then after I had given them my credit card number, etc., they told me it wouldn't ship for 6 weeks. Some of them will lie in order to get your order. Ask up front when it will ship, not whether they have it in stock.

If you go through ebates.com, you can save 2-3% at outpost, pcmall, macmall, buy.com, etc. I think they might feature photoalley as well.

I definitely recommend getting at least one extra battery, because the standard battery only lasts about 40-60 minutes, and takes a while to recharge. I got the high-capacity one (2.5-3 hours). It protrudes a bit, which takes away somewhat from the compactness of the camera, but the extra capacity can be a god-send, and I don't always need to be ultra-compact.

The camera comes with an external charger which, unfortunately, you'll probably have to take on the road with you. It holds two batteries at a time. The Sonys may have on-camera charging - I'm not sure. Each has its advantages - with on-camera charging, you don't have to carry a separate charger, but you can't use the camera and charge at the same time like you can with the Canon. I find myself doing this a lot.

Costco sells packs of 4 DV tapes (TDK) for $24, the best price I've seen.

Get a copy of iMovie2: The Missing Manual. Great guide to amateur video and DV editing.

Have fun - I think you'll love the Elura2. I do.

antonio · Mar 19, 2001, 05:29 PM

i'm stuck. can't decide if i should get the sony pc5 or the elura 2. does anyone have experience with both of them? i'll be using it for family videos - i've read that the elura 2 has low light issues, can anyone confirm this? compactness is everything though, i had a sony trv11 that took great video, but was cumbersome to carry and i just missed too many moments. does anyone have a link to a site that has serious reviews of either models?

thanks

ussfolsom · Mar 19, 2001, 10:32 PM

I agree with the caution about low priced dealers, but ironically enough I too purchased my Canon Mini-DV camera (ZR-10) from Vanns.com back in August. They had the lowest price I could find anywhere and I was very pleased with the service. The rep was nice and when I told him I needed it to be shipped by the weekend (I was going on vacation) he found out only Fed-Ex would deliver, but gave me the better UPS rate anyway! I'm very happy with my camera and Vanns.com!

Glenstorm · Mar 20, 2001, 11:47 PM

I still haven't received my Elura 2MC, but I found a review of it that you may be interested in...

http://www.bealecorner.com/trv900/Elura2/

This guy seems to be pretty hard core about image quality and such... I don't know how to weigh his feedback against all the good things I've heard about this camera. One thing I was bummed to find out was that the 2MC doesn't have the optical stabilization, they switched to a digital method. Oh well I'll find out when the camera get here.

Also, anyone have any suggestions for a FireWire PCI card? I found the Evergreen card to be the cheapest from Apple's suggestions. Any experience with this card? Evergreen

thanks

zigzag · Mar 21, 2001, 03:48 AM

In reading the reviews, you have to be mindful of the fact that this is the smallest DV camcorder in the world. There are inevitable trade-offs to be made, one of which is low-light performance (smaller lens = less light). For its size, it's a remarkable camera.

Everything I've read suggests that the Sony PC-5 performs similarly. I would get the one that feels best in your hand and has the particular features that are most important to you.

Archangel · Mar 24, 2001, 11:18 PM

This is strange: I bought my Elura2 MC from vanns.com (recommend them!) in October. Seems a lot of us Elura owners think alike. Anyway, I love my E2. Yes, it's low light quality is a little low, but I think it's a good sacrifice when you consider how small the thing is! It fits in my jean pocket! That's small people. Yet, it I can still easily and comfortably use it even though I have larger hands than most people. If you have the money I would highly recommend buying this camera. You have to get a cardreader to get images off of the MC though, but that's no big deal.

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