Since DVD movies are usually considered to be better quality than video tapes, it’s easy to assume that DVD camcorders will provide better picture quality than miniDV cassettes. In fact, the video format used by recordable DVD camcorders uses a lot more compression than miniDV tape does, which can make footage more prone to flaws.

The biggest benefit of camcorders such as the DC100 is that you can record straight to DVD and play movies on a standard set-top DVD player without having to convert it to disc on your PC first.

Just as well too, since the DC100 has no Firewire or USB connection. You can, of course, simply insert the 8cm mini-DVD into the disc drive of your PC, but you’ll need some software to convert the DVD video into a PC-friendly format if you want to do any editing.

The DC100 feels a little cheap and boxy, while the controls (a four-way rocker awkwardly placed on the side of the unit) were slightly uncomfortable to use.

Picture quality, meanwhile, was a little better than we would have expected from a DVD camcorder, but it’s still not as good as some of the miniDV models (including Canon’s own MV930).

Filming indoors under artificial light, the camera introduced a lot of grain into the picture and sometimes struggled to focus. Outdoors in even light, things were much better, although colours bled a little and edges looked strangely shimmery.

DVD camcorders are usually a little more expensive than equivalent miniDV models, so at just under £300, the Canon DC100 definitely represents good value for money. It’s a frill-free purchase, but it’s easy to use and should appeal to anyone looking to make DVD home movies without any hassle.

This article is part of a group test of budget digital camcorders. Others are:
Canon MV930
JVC GR-D340
Panasonic NV-GS37
Samsung VP-DC161W
Sony Handycam DCR-HC35
Table of features can be read via our pdf download.