The Canon MV900 series camcorder

A new range of fully feature entry-level miniDV Canon camcorders are now available through Pinnacle Micro.

Optimised for high-resolution 16:9 video recording, all four compact MV900 series camcorders - the MV960, MV950, MV930 and MV900 - can take full advantage of playback on wide-screen television sets. All of the camcorders also boast a 25x optical zoom, with variable zoom speeds for increased control, and DIGIC DV processing.

Combining true wide-screen 16:9 shooting with a standard 4:3 mode, the new models have a wide 2.7" colour LCD screen with Level Marker, ensuring that the shooting subject is perfectly positioned in the centre of the frame.

With a 0.3" colour Electronic View Finder (EVF) with letterbox display also featured, however users choose to shoot the resulting wide-screen images can be monitored exactly as they will appear on the TV screen.

All four MV900 series camcorders are equipped with a powerful 25x optical zoom with Electronic Image Stabilization (EIS). The MV960 and MV950 also feature an enhanced 1000x digital zoom, while an 800x digital zoom is available on MV930 and MV900 models. For even greater control, all camcorders offer variable zoom speeds.

For the first time, all of Canon's entry-level miniDV camcorders employ the DIGIC DV image processor. DIGIC DV provides MV960, MV950 and MV930 models with separate processing paths for video and still images (saved to a memory card), and all four models benefit from optimised colour reproduction, ensuring that both video footage and still photographs remain faithful to the shooting subject.

"The entire MV900 series has been substantially re-designed, improving on both the balance and the handling of the predecessor MV800 series," says El-Marie Kruger, Canon brand manager at Pinnacle Micro.

"Naturally, all MV900 series camcorders look smart. The models have distinctive, eye-catching colour schemes: silver metallic (MV960 and MV950), snow silver (MV930) or blue metallic (MV900)."

Further, at just 115 x 92 x 49mm, and weighing just 380g, the MV900 series combine frorm and function. Key camcorder functions are controlled via just six convenient buttons and a joystick controller. An easy shooting mode is available, which switches all the important settings to automatic at the touch of a single button.