Despite being a step up from the DC210, Canon's introductory DVD camcorder, the DC220 still feels and performs very much like a low end, entry-level unit. The DC220 is an updated version of last year's Canon DC100 and while it may have improved in terms of handling and ease of use, we feel that the overall video performance represents a backwards step.

The DC220 records video directly to three-inch discs, either write-once DVD-R format or rewriteable DVD-RW format discs. It is also compatible with Dual Layer DVD-R discs, which offer about twice the recording time as standard discs. Select a format that is compatible with your home DVD player, recorder or PC and you'll be able to play finalized discs directly out of the camcorder.

The optical setup is standard for a low end DV camcorder. The 1/6-inch CCD delivers 340K effective pixels for video in 4:3 mode and up to 450K effective pixels in 16:9 aspect ratio, depending on whether the electronic image stabilization system is turned on or off. The DC220 produces video images with well-saturated and accurate colors but also tends to exhibit plenty of video noise. In low light, the camcorder enables you to slow the shutter speed to boost exposure and while that helps maintain color strength it also increases video noise still further. If you know you intend to be recording a lot of video in poor lighting conditions, we wouldn't recommend the Canon DC220.

We appreciated the inclusion of a rear joystick control on the DC220. It provides a simple means to access the menu system, which itself is extremely easy to navigate. Overall, the DC220 offers excellent handling, making it ideal for the novice DV camcorder user or the casual user who wants a hassle free way to record basic video.

Another area where Canon has improved upon the DC100 lies in the DC220's zoom lens. The Canon optical lens boasts a larger, 35x optical zoom capability coupled with a 1000x digital zoom. This DVD camcorder also offers a USB 2.0 high speed connection for rapid video transfer as well as DV streaming. The DC220 can effectively double as a webcam or video conferencing tool. The built-in lens cover is also a nice touch, negating the need for an external lens cap that can easily be lost.

Compared to the introductory Sony DVD camcorders, we feel the DC220 fails to impress. If you're hooked on Canon, though, we recommend taking a look at the next model up in the range, the DC230. While the Canon DC220 handles well as a point and shoot DVD camcorder, there are other similarly priced units that offer superior video performance.

Pros: Simple to use, great handling, includes 16:9 widescreen mode, powerful zoom
Cons: Disappointing image quality, poor low light performance

Warranty
1 year, parts and labor