Canon MV920 Digital Video Camera – A Good Starter Camera

Category: Review on Canon MV920 MiniDV Camcorder

Posted by: 24-Oct-2006

Strengths: high resolution, 25x zoom, shallow learning curve and quality viewfinder

Weaknesses: mediocre battery life, cables for computer hook up not included and lacking intermediate and advanced features

The Canon MV920 offers a powerful 25x zoom lens and 800,000 pixel resolution. It’s designed for simple operation by novices while still offering a bit of creative flexibility.

The viewfinder is a 2.7” widescreen LCD so you can see everything you’re recording without squinting. Canon added a built in sliding lens cover to protect the lens effortlessly. An image stabilizer reduces the shaking and jolting common when using a hand held video camera. Navigation is much easier than previous models thanks to Canon’s redesign including a joystick instead of awkward menus.

Canon added a horizontal marker and center indicator to the MV920 to avoid shooting lopsided video, great for the beginners this camera was designed for. Nearly 20 creative digital effects allows for the novice to experiment with a few of the hundreds of effects available on video cameras today.

Sound quality is average on this camera. There is a microphone input connection (you’ll have to purchase a microphone separately) that will help but you still won’t obtain the quality of higher-end devices.

Battery life is better than previous Canon models but not as good as others. You’ll get about an hour of recording time from a full charge. Additional batteries will cost about $40.

Finally, the camera does not come with the cables for connecting to a computer’s USB port, something that many other models do include in their standard package. Not a show stopper, by any means, but a big annoyance.

All in all, the Canon MV920 digital video camera is a good camera for beginners who won’t need to upgrade anytime soon. Intermediate and experts should spend their money elsewhere, however.