Canon GL2 Mini DV Camcorder

Pros: Full manual spec. Well laid out. That lens!.
Cons: Bulk. Plastic bodied. No stop frame function. AF switch resets.

The successor to the outgoing XM1/GL1 adds manual audio record levels to the spec sheet and a beefed up still camera.
Canon pretty much got it right with the XM1/GL1 so there is little to fault on this machine.
The optics are the best in it's...

Pros: Awesome image quality 2.5 inch color LCD great audio controls
Cons: 8mb memory card a little too small Not for the average user

I got this camera as a gift, and I love it to death. I can honestly say it's the most amazing camera I've ever had. You get what you pay for, and you get a lot from this camera. I cannot however say that this is a camera that the general public should ...

Pros: Lens 20x zoom. Video/sound quality. Features.
Cons: Harder to balance than older full size shoulder cams. Need Glidecam.

I was looking for a new miniDV cam for a long time. I had to make sure that the choice was researched and researched so I didn't go wrong. I knew I wanted a 3CCD camera. That seperates colors and luminance and contrast I think. Something like that. You ...

Pros: 3 CCD chip camera gives awesome picture quality, nice camera.
Cons: WARNING - problem with the EJECT TAPE malfunction, costs hundreds to fix.

Great video camera ...until the tape system craps out ...only after use for a while you find out common problems with Canon's range of camcorders. At the end of 2002 I had been looking to upgrade from my old Sony Hi 8 camcorder to one of ...

Pros: Wonderful video camera
Cons: Faulty substandard tape handling probably designed for planned obsolescence not up to presented performance

My GL2 was eagerly awaited and received. I have been using a XL1 since April 2000 which has well over 350 hours of shooting time, not counting tape packing, playback and dubbing. It has survived harsh environments and handling and is still running ...

Pros: Incredible Lens, Frame Mode (30fps), Image Quality, Incredible Microphone, Level Meters
Cons: No Focus Stops,

The Canon GL-2 sets the standard for pro-sumer level digital video equipment. With the introduction of level meters, more pixels per CCD, and many more innovations, Canon improved on the already impressive GL-1. Canon's pixel shift technology combined...

Pros: Excellent quality 3 CCD images. 20X optical zoom is better than many other brands offer.
Cons: "Bad Pixel", and Faulty tape mechanism experienced by some reviewers as indicated below.

Update 03/12/07. Problem encountered. After 26 months of intermittently heavy use, my GL-2 has developed a "bad pixel" problem. In the lower right quadrant of any attached display, a white single lixel appears (even with the lens cap on). This ...

Pros: Easy to use, wonderful picture, light, reliable, fun.
Cons: Microphone is omni-directional and picks up a lot of sound from the rear.

I purchased this camera to provide DV for a documentary. It is working great. I love the quality of ...

Pros: White balance, stereo mic settings, price
Cons: Can't shoot blacklight pictures

This is a great camera with a lot of good settings available to you. I have owned a GL2 for about 6 months and just bought by second one. I have had no mechanical problems with it at all. The features that I especially like on it are: three settings of ...

Pros: Good video, easy to use
Cons: Not reliable.

I can see by other reviews that I am not the only one experiencing this problem. What's bad for me is the fact that I shoot depositions and of the several cameras I have I like the GL2 most...for ease of use and handling....I record a back up version on ...

Pros: Price is coming down, Canon quality
Cons: Price is still expensive for most home users!

I first started using a first year model of the Canon GL-1 and fell in love with it. I used it for almost two years before I actually broke it. That camera went with me through some of the most bizarre and dangerous shoots of my life. The next...

Pros: Excellent features. Everything you can want in a camera
Cons: So many features it is difficult to use all. Expensive

This Camcorder is possibly the best Canon has made. However, it's cost proves prohibitive for many. ...

Pros: Beautiful Picture, and Easy To Use
Cons: Rebate Situation, White Balance

I love this camera. I bought it to shoot a documentary. It's easy to use, small and lightweight, with audio inputs for professional sound. It delivers a beautiful picture. Unfortunately you have to white balance every time you turn on the camera. ...

Pros: Excellent picture quality, ease of use, lightweight.
Cons: Manual iris control changes exposure in detents. Poor durability.

I've been an owner of Canon digital camcorder equipment since 1998, starting with the early release of the XL-1. In February of 2002, I had to submit to hernia surgery, and felt that any reduction in the weight of equipment that I would need to carry ...

Pros: Numerous manual adjusts, upgraded 3-CCD technology, custom presets, Viewfinder volume meters, top ejject
Cons: (wish list) direct XLR inputs, gamma adjust, stock zoom speed LANC control.

No doubt about it, the consensus in the film community is clear: the CANON GL2 (in the UK called "XL2") is the best bang for the buck in the semi-pro miniDV format (remarkably, this includes Canon's own XL1s!). What's more, the next best camcorder in this class is the Panasonic AG-DVX100, which sells - at a street price of around $3500US - for about $1500 more!

While the GL2 sports many general upgrades over the earlier GL1 (such as the "pixel-shift technology" of it's capture hardware), it is chiefly the "frame' (or "movie") mode (which somewhat emulates a "cinema-like" look to screened footage) and the various (and genuinely 'manual') override functions that push this petite workhorse in front of the pack of other "pro-sumer" camcorders, so much so that it has become, almost by default, THE ubiquitous camera in the mini-budget indie film movement.

Read around EVERYWHERE (as I did before forking out my $$) and you will come to the same conclusion, for lens quality, shooting in low-light, optional "frame" mode - and countless other features - for it's price the GL2 is in a class of it's own.