Canon DC420 DVD Camcorder with 37x Optical Zoom

Makes great videos but user manual misinforms
Rating:5 out of 5 stars
What I like about the Canon DC420: fits in a coat pocket; makes DVDs (3 inch); has a built-in lens cap; has a color viewfinder (handy in the sun when LCD screens are useless); produces excellent video image quality, even at full zoom; has a sensitive microphone that clearly picks up quiet things like a rabbit clucking and things behind the lens like the filmer’s voice; handles loud noise and wind well.

What I don’t like about the Canon DC420: the user manual.

User manual says: remove the DVD from the camcorder each time you are done shooting.

Canon rep says (I called): ignore the warning; the machine will be fine if the DVD is left in, and the DVD will be too.

My experience: I never take the DVD out, and I’ve had no problems.

User manual says: only a few DVD brands will work in this camcorder. (If you don’t use one of those brands, the camcorder itself flashes a time-wasting message each time you turn it on: “Use of a recommended disc is advised.”)

Canon rep says: ignore the warning.

My experience: I’ve been using TDK–not recommended–and they work great.

The manual also doesn’t mention that you must have the camera sitting on a stable, flat surface BEFORE you start the finalization process. Well, it does mention it, but at the very end of the instructions–too late for me. (Finalization is a mandatory, sensitive process that gets the disc ready for viewing once you’ve filled it.)

The still camera is comparable in quality to a cell phone camera. Photos are stored on an SD memory card, sold separately. Only 3-inch (8 cm) DVD/-R or DVD/-RW mini DVDs work in this machine.