Canon follows up its UFO-like DC40 camcorder with the DC51, also a DVD media-based camcorder (DVD-R/RW).
What has changed is the upgrading of the CCD to 5.0 megapixels (5.39, to be more precise), a Quick Start mode, dual-layer (DL) support for DVD-R discs and better optical image stabilisation.
By virtue of the myriad curves, the DC51 not only looks great (and less boring than other camcorders) and fits better in the hand, its lightweight plastic body (at 480g) is also not likely to tire users easily. For compactness, the DC51, like its predecessor, features a battery slot within its enclosure, just behind the LCD monitor.
Canon has not provided an external charger, so the camcorder has to be plugged in. If you plan on buying extra batteries, prepare to pay for an external charger.
Before I move on to the DC51's performance, here's a quick comment on the user interface (UI): while the button layout is fairly standard, I found the onscreen icons slightly fuzzy for my liking. Worst of all, the menu is hidden inside the Func button. I wish the UI were more streamlined and better designed.
Once I got used to the UI and control layout, though, everything worked well.
Quick Start allows users to start shooting in a second as the camcorder lies dormant in power saving mode.
This is done at the expense of power. Unlike most DVD camcorders, which take a long time to start up, the DC51 was ready to shoot in about three seconds - not too shabby.
Performance-wise, movies are captured in true 16.9 widescreen, and on disc footage exhibited largely sharp and excellent clarity, faltering only in dimly lit rooms.
No surprises there, as many camcorders share this weakness.
Somewhat disappointing to me was the slightly washed out look of movies shot in these environments.
Daylight shots, naturally, vary from very good to excellent, with auto-focusing responding effectively.
Although the Auto mode does a great job, users have a variety of manual modes available - program AE, shutter priority, aperture priority and portrait.
All of which are fairly easy to use.
Also on board is the DC51's simultaneous photo recording ability - it shoots photos to miniSD card while capturing videos on disc.
The camera's built-in video light is helpful only at close range. And because there is no way to alter the intensity of the light, shooting faces at close range might result in, er, creepy imagery.
FINAL SAY
A feature-rich video camera, the DC51 is a good investment if you do not need high definition video today and want an easy way to shoot movies directly to DVD.
