Canon GL2 MiniDV Digital Camcorder w/20x Optical Zoom

If you are looking into buy this camera....DON'T. get the Sony HDR-A1U High-Def camera it's 20x times better,newer,same price and High-Def.if you buy the GL2 you will get the "remove the cassette" warning after about a year of use!!!!!

Great camera , Great price. Bought this camera for my 16 year old son. He makes skateboard videos also tapes games for High School sporting events.
After editing on his computer the finished product looks very professional!
The camera is used daily and is very durable.No Complaints from him at all! Canon GL2 Mini DV 3 CCD Camcorder & 1GB Pro Opteka Accessory Kit

I've used this camera for 6 years. Last year I started getting intermittant "Remove the Cassette" messages. I wish I had captured the outstanding three recorded tapes onto my PC then. Instead I recorded another 45 minutes. Now, the error message is solid, no matter which tape I use.

My experience with Canon in the past has taught me not to waste the time or the money to bother having this repaired. (I spent about $700 having my previous Canon Camcorder repaired. It worked a few weeks and died again each time.)

Having gone to the web to research this bug, I'm convinced fixing this one will be an expensive and time consuming exercise in futility. (6 weeks plus turn around! and Canon won't tell how much the average repair cost is. Check the web .. $500+ )

Lesson learned. I'll be shopping a different manufacturer. Sony? JVC? Never again Canon.

This camera is SPECTACULAR!!!! For about a year or two.

Then the system tape rejection errors start (do your research). Once this happens it's to the canon repair shop you must go where they are currently charging $516 for the parts plus $400 for the labor plus taxes and shipping etc. I am now throwing my GL2 in the trash and saving up to buy a new one. Canon's repair costs are outrageous - especially when this problem has been complained about for YEARS. A Canon rep even told me to never use the camera to play or offload videos (why advertise it as a feature if its such a bad idea?). He advised that you should buy a cheaper video camera to do those types of tasks. Good advise.... but even if you do... remember to add that cost to the purchase price of the GL2

- Disgruntled.

Bottom line, the Canon GL2 is a great mid-range pro-sumer camcorder for everyday use and learning. We bought one for a high school broadcast journalism curriculum, and so far it's been great. We considered several other camcorders within the same price range, but we decided on the GL2 because of recommendations, features, and Canon's reputation.

Some thoughts on the GL2:
Pro:
-Great bang for the buck.
-*Extraordinary* image quality and focusing (3CCD instead of normal consumer of 1 CCD). We've shot a soccer game from about 150 feet away in the stands, and the zooming and focusing combines into outstanding quality. I've heard the GL2 has much better image than some other more-expensive pro-sumer cams, and the GL2 certainly gets the job done.
-So-so internal mic. (But you should buy an external shotgun mic to use anyway so you don't pickup audio of camera adjustments.)
-A fair variety of manual controls to learn and gain experience from.
-Capable of shooting 9:16 wide screen shots, but it's not actually HD. A separate feature puts bounding boxes indicating 9:16 boundaries on the viewfinder for 4:3 shooting mode.
-Secondary record/start-stop button and zoom dial on internal microphone area above cam body useful when shooting with camera near ground.
-Steady-cam feature works fairly well.
-Variety of preset effects/transitions.
-White balance automatic/manual options easy to use. Feature's buttons near LCD panel.
-Feature to reduce flicker shot of CRT monitors. Feature's button to left of LCD panel.
-"Frame mode" - nice for documentaries, "unique" clips
-"Advanced accessory shoe" behind internal mic for accessories such as internally powered lamps. Also can hold external shotgun mic shock mounts.
-MiniDV tapes load in top side of GL2 opposite LCD unlike most consumer camcorders - can easily & quickly change tapes when using on tripod.

Con:
-Learning to operate some manual controls can be a little confusing and complicated.
-The manual takes a bit getting used to terminology and language. A *couple* terms specific to this camera's operation refered to in feature explanations are not explained.
-Included battery pack BP-915 only lasts about an hour. You'd probably want to also want to buy a secondary battery (that can hold more power), especially if you shoot sports games, meetings, etc.
-As some reviews mention, some manual controls are operated within the same menus, and a couple common features users may frequently used are in the main menu. Check the manual for more info.

Tips:
-Make sure to white balance each shot, it's definitely worth it and makes video look that much better.
-If you shoot outside footage in any precipitation, it's a good idea to get a rain slicker such as the Porta-Brace RS-GL2, and perhaps the Porta-Brace Polar Mitten Heated Case for temperatures below the low operating temperature of 32 deg Fahrenheit.

Overall an outstanding piece of equipment I would certainly recommend for anyone looking for a camcorder with these types of moderately easy-to-learn features in this price range. Fun to learn from as well.