The Elura 80 is an updated version of Canon's Elura 60. This midrange MiniDV camcorder is slightly more compact in its design, offers an improved optical zoom capability, and includes a 16:9 widescreen recording mode. The budget conscious will also be pleased that Canon has reduced the MSRP by $50.

The Elura 80 is a sturdy camcorder that is rugged enough to withstand the rigors of frequent travel. The unit's CCD delivers 690,000 effective pixels in 4:3 mode and 920,000 effective pixels in 16:9 widescreen mode. The new optical zoom lens offers 18X magnification, along with a 360X digital zoom capability. Overall, the video picture quality is very impressive under optimal lighting conditions. In automatic mode, the DigicDV processor controls focus, exposure, shutter speed, and white balance to deliver excellent clarity and bright, vibrant colors. Of course, image quality suffers in poorer light situations, but the Elura 80's Night Mode does a solid job at boosting exposure by slowing down the shutter speed. In very low-light conditions, however, the video images tend to become choppy with washed-out colors.

While the features are weighted toward point-and-shoot enthusiasts, the Elura 80 also has some decent manual controls for a midrange camcorder. The manual focus function can be somewhat awkward to operate, so the unit provides different exposure steps and six user-selectable shutter speeds, as well as a manual adjustment for white balance. Additional recording features add some extra creativity. Canon's Skin Detail function, for example, automatically softens details on skin tones to render more complimentary portraits.

The Elura 80 also performs solidly as a stills camera. It can capture 1.2-megapixel images to SD/MMC memory card at a maximum resolution of 1,280X960. Users can also record motion JPEG mini-movies to the card. Rather than the usual 8MB card, Canon includes a 16MB card with the Elura 80. For anyone without a dedicated digital stills camera, the Elura 80 makes a solid choice as a hybrid camcorder and stills camera.