Digital 8 Camcorders Digital8Camcorders.com is your one-stop source for information about digital 8 camcorders.

1. 

   Anonymous
   May 25th, 2010 - 05:15

   I recently purchased the Optura 30 at a local retailer after months of research. I must say that I am happy with all of the camera’s features except the night mode, which was suppose to be improved. The Optura 40 has Super Night mode, but I haven’t been able to find the camera in retail stores to test it out.

   Aside from the poor low light feature, the Optura 30 is a great camera. It takes great digital stills (2.0 megapixel) and pretty good Motion JPEGs.

   I recommend this camera!
   Rating: 4 / 5
2. 

   Gaudrey
   May 25th, 2010 - 06:44

   We have owned this camera for over a year and our feelings are mixed:

   For outdoor filming, this camera is outstanding. The color and picture quality are top notch.

   Unfortunately, indoor filming is very poor (even during the daytime with all of our windows open and lights on). We bought the camera to film our young children and find ourselves not turning the camera on as much as we should because there is not enough light (and we have a very bright house).

   The manual settings on the camera are nice (one of the primary reasons we chose the optura30), but the menu is not very intuitive and the manual is not very helpful.

   Field of view is also quite small – recommend using a wide angle lense. We also recommend trying out any camera in person in an average lighted room, not an overlighted show room.
   Rating: 3 / 5
3. 

   F456
   May 25th, 2010 - 08:46

   Does what you ask reasonably well.
   
   I got this product because it met four requirements. Uses same battery as two of my still cameras. Has genuine optical stabilization (I need this for technical reasons), has a reasonably long zoom range with decent optics, and its digital.
   
   Not many complaints yet. Like most of the new gadgets, it takes a while to learn to use all the features. Build quality is good.

   Main complaint is that the batterlife is kinda short with the batteries that I swap out from my still cameras.

   The night function is not so thrilling. If you want excellent low light capabilities, look elsewhere.
   Rating: 4 / 5
4. 

   Daniel Gordon
   May 25th, 2010 - 08:58

   I shot over twenty hours of footage on this camera with brilliant results. The 2.2 megapixel ccd makes for outstanding video quality outdoors. Because my video is shot in widescreen, my friends often tell me my home movies look like independent feature films. When there is enough lighting, you will be impressed with this camera.

   Unfortunately, when the lighting goes down, this camera has pretty poor results. For instance, you will often see ghosting of video because the automatic shutter kicks in to open the aperature more. Don’t bother with the night mode because it has a terrible strobe like effect making video look completely unacceptable.
   Rating: 4 / 5
5. 

   Gretchen Campbell
   May 25th, 2010 - 10:26

   First, about the camera. I’ve only had the Optura for about two weeks. I’ve only used it indoors and the quality is acceptable under moderate indoor lighting. Is it great? No, but it’s also not a pro camera. The quality seems to be a little better than the Sony it replaced, as far as I can tell. That’s about all I can say at this point. I did notice the battery going down pretty quickly, but at this point for my family, a battery that needs to be charged often isn’t a big deal. If and when it is, I suppose we will purchase another battery. Considering we paid $425 including s/h and after the rebate (from MPSuperstore) I can’t complain too much.

   Normally I wouldn’t post a review without using the camera more, but I just have to respond to the guy who posted about his ZR10. First, buddy, if you aren’t reviewing the Optura 30, why are you here? Second, after my experience with a Sony MiniDV — with less than 10 hours of record time I’ve got a malfunction that could cost more to fix than to replace it — I could say the same thing about Sony. Yeah, I’m pissed as hell. And I surely won’t be buying another Sony camcorder. But I’m not about to make a blanket statement that all Sony camcorders suck b/c I’m not exactly qualified to say that. And to say that all Sony products stink just b/c my $500 camcorder prematurely kicked the bucket, well, that’s just foolery.
   Rating: 4 / 5

Leave a comment