Canon DC330 Camcorder Review

With memory card and internal hard drive camcorders making a push to the front of the line, DVD-based models will soon find themselves occupying the clearance shelves. In fact, there are only a handful of camcorders left that record solely to DVD, and Canon's DC330 ($379 MSRP) is one of them. There's nothing antiquated about the DC330's video performance—it has a better than average quality for a standard definition camcorder in its price range. However, the shape and size of its DVD drive makes the DC330 an uncomfortable device to hold and its menu navigation system is nothing to envy. The camcorder is a good choice for people who must record to DVD and who prioritize strong video quality, but there are too many faults and problems to recommend it for anyone else.



The Canon DC320, which costs $10 less, is essentially the DC330's fraternal twin—both are identical except the DC320 lacks a USB port and doesn't come with a remote control. If you're looking to save more money, Canon offers the lower-end DC310, which has a lower pixel count and a few less features.

The Front (5.50)

The Canon DC330 has a similar design to last year's DC220 and DC330, but there are a fewer buttons on the back and an entirely different battery compartment design. The front, however, is mostly unchanged. The DC330 doesn't have a flash or video light and it's still a tall, slim camcorder with a DVD hatch taking up the entirety of its right side. The lens on the DC330 has no filter thread, a maximum aperture range of f/2.0 - f/5.2, and has the following focal length specs:

Focal length:

2.6 - 96.2mm

35mm equivalent:

41.7 - 2,002mm (16:9 advanced zoom)

47.1 - 1,743mm (16:9 other zoom types)

44.6 - 2453mm (4:3 advanced zoom)

44.6 - 1650mm (4:3 other zoom types)

Still images:

45.2 - 1672mm (16:9)


41.5 - 1536mm (4:3)

The lens also has a built-in, manual lens cover, with the switch being located on the left side. Underneath the lens are two circular sets of holes that look like small snowflakes. This is the camcorder's internal microphone. The front placement of the built-in mic is a good idea, as it is out of reach from wandering fingers (a problem we saw with the Sony DCR-DVD810).

The Front of the Canon DC330

The Right Side (4.50)

The DVD hatch takes up most of the space on the right side of the DC330. Unlike last year's models, the DVD door opens vertically instead of horizontally, which slightly alters the overall shape of the camcorder. A few buttons are located towards the left of the DVD hatch. A switch for putting the camcorder into Easy mode is at the top, just underneath a disc/charge access light. Further down is the on/off switch that also acts as a mode toggle (when powered on, flicking the switch up puts the camcorder into playback mode)

The hand strap is a little different on the DC330. While most Canon camcorders have a black, leather strap, the DC330 offers a soft, thin, gray strap that has a suede-like feel to it. It doesn't have the padding of a normal hand strap, but it's still relatively comfortable.

The Canon DC330 has a soft, thin hand strap.

The Back (6.00)

On the back are numerous features that are important to the workings of the Canon DC330. First, we have a small, 0.35-inch, color viewfinder. While the viewfinder is an excellent commodity on a bright day, the one featured on the DC330 doesn't pivot, extend, or feature a rubber eyepiece. There is a sliding diopter adjustment on the underside of the viewfinder.

Underneath the viewfinder is the battery compartment, which can easily fit larger battery packs for longer-lasting performance. This is a big improvement over the DC220 and DC230, both of which had enclosed battery compartments inside the LCD cavity.



The rest of the back side is populated with a variety of buttons. Near the top is a quick start button and directly below this is the disc cover switch for opening the DVD hatch. The DVD door opens automatically, but it takes time—usually between five and ten seconds after flipping the switch. To the right of the battery compartment is the white start/stop record button, which also acts as the shutter button in still mode. Just to the right of this is the back end of the mode dial and on/off switch. Below these buttons is a DC-input port. The port is well placed, but it has no cover or door—making it entirely exposed. This isn't a smart move by Sony, as the DC-input is arguably the most important port on the entire camcorder and leaving it entirely exposed is foolish.

The option for a larger battery is the biggest improvement over last year's DC230.

The Left Side (4.25)

With the LCD closed there isn't much to see on the left side of the DC330. The lens cover switch is towards the front of the camcorder and a small access light (labeled with "card") is near the back. Opening the LCD panel reveals a fairly sparse LCD cavity. An A/V-out and USB port occupy the right side of the cavity and a small speaker carves out a home on the left.

The LCD panel has important buttons...

... but the LCD cavity is rather sparse

 

On the LCD itself, there's a navigation joystick along with a function and display button. The joystick feels cheap and unsound, and it's not the quality we're accustomed to seeing from Canon (the FS100, another standard definition camcorder from Canon in a similar price range, implements a far better joystick).

The tall, thin design of the DC330 gives it a strange look.

The Top (4.00)

Besides the reflective, chrome finish around much of the lens barrel, there isn't too much happening on the top of the DC330. A standard zoom toggle is located towards the back—in decent location for your index finger to make adjustments. Behind this is a mode switch for toggling the camcorder between still image and video modes. The DVD hatch also opens at the top, but the switch to make this happen is located on the back.

The top of the DC330

The Bottom

Canon hides an SD/SDHC card slot on the bottom, and it lives under the only port cover found on the entire camcorder. The DC330 records video exclusively to DVD, which makes the SD/SDHC cards only good for storing still images. Also located on the bottom are the battery release switch and tripod mount.

The SD/SDHC card slot hides on the bottom.