Submitted 6 years ago

By Norbi

From New jersey

Verified Buyer

Reviewed at

I bought this in 2018 for dirt cheap because seller thought itnwas broken. I have 2 HDV cameras from Canon i knew that even though this is SD camera it will give a nice picture and wasnt dissapointed. Simce them my other HDV cameras broke down and this old Gl2 became my primary home video camera. Picture quality if upconverted is nice clear and colors are very accurate. Highly recommend it to beginners.

Submitted 11 years ago

By CamBug

From US

Reviewed at

I have been using this camera for about 7 years and it still keeps giving the needed quality for my articles on the internet for some of the top major magazines. It's light and compact and with the remote, I can do everything I need to get excellent video. I added a remote servo and have a remote turning range of about 270 degrees.

Submitted 12 years ago

By anonymous

From West New York, New Jersey

Reviewed at

I've used the XL-2 to record 3 New York 9/11 Truth meetings and a number of other similar functions; the GL-2 is also very good.

Submitted 12 years ago

By Bob

From West New York, New Jersey

Reviewed at

I've used the XL-2 to record 3 New York 9/11 Truth meetings and a number of other similar functions; the GL-2 is also very good.

Submitted 14 years ago

By Horst

From Carmichael

Reviewed at

I don't know what is wrong with the people who write a negative report. I have the GL 2 for 5 years now. During that time I dropped it several times on concrete decks and floors. One time, I fell off a cliff on the coast. The GL 2 landed on some boulders 100 feed away; I had to be taken to the hospital ! Another time, I taped an event and then forgot to turn the thing off and put it in the bag. Days later, I wanted to check my work. when I opened the bag, the camcorder was boiling hot; it had recorded the rest of 45 minutes,stoped running but was still on. I figured the thing and the tape was shut. I was besides myself since the recording was part of a 90. birthday party and could not be duplicated. But to my surprize, every thing was fine. the tape was ok and so was the corder. By the way, that was several month ago and I used it since. So... what I want to say is: even if the GL 2 breaks down now, I would only buy another Canon

Submitted 14 years ago

By Herbmia

From Miami, Florida

Reviewed at

I have had my GL-2 for over 3 years. I have mostly used it for weddings and travel videos. I have taught prior to retiring, "TV Production classes" in High school. We had 8 GL-2s in the class which we used almost daily. Each school year there was a 30 to 40 percent failure and need to repair. My personal GL-2 was handled with care and not abused. Most failures in the school were probably due to mishandling by the students. I have only had the best quality SD videos. I have 2 BP945 batteries and each last me well over 90 minutes. I found easy setup to computer (using firewire) or television. Capture and editing worked easily with Adobe Premier Pro.

Submitted 14 years ago

By Ed-Mo

From Home. California

Reviewed at

May be is a little bit big but where ever I take my GL2, everybody thinks that I am a pro. Pristine pictures and video.

Submitted 15 years ago

By pink_flea

From Undisclosed

Reviewed at

I have owned this camera for 8 years. At first this camera was the best thing I had ever purchased. I took great care with this camera and only used a single brand of tape in it from day 1. The recording quality and features are great for the price. The main problem I have with this camera is the tape deck and playback. I would say about 3 years into ownership I started getting the "Remove the Cassette" error when rewinding the tape. I had the camera serviced and cleaned recently, but the problem still persists. After much research it appears that this is not an uncommon problem with this camcorder. Much to my dismay they no longer make the replacement part for a new tape mechanism. I feel that this camera is worth repairing, but the option is no longer available. Before making a final decision to purchase a GL2 be aware of the "Remove the Cassette" issue with the camcorder and be sure that replacement parts are still made available through Canon. Otherwise you are spending a lot of money for an item that may not perform in the long term.

Pros: Zoom range/performance, Great Sound, Great Zoom, Good price value, Good Image Stabilization, Looks professional, Easy to Use, Great Picture Quality, Large Clear LCD, Good in Low Light, Heavy Duty Cons: Maybe the size Other thoughts: No matter if you have the far away seat at the concert o graduation kids, with the zoom you always will be close.

Submitted 15 years ago

By Educate

From Guntersville, AL

Reviewed at

I have 2 GL2s. One unit has lead a hard life in the High School production Department. It gets used everyday for about 3 hours per day directly connected to a recording computer. This unit has been repaired 3 times in a year and a half. All internal issues. It needs repair now due to a CCD issue I believe. The second unit lives at the elementary school and is babied by it's user. Again, hooked directly to a computer using firewire, about the same usage as the first unit. The firewire is strapped to the tripod to help with cable and firewire port stress relief. However, it too now needs repairs for the second time due to firewire port failure. Outside of the build quaility issues they have been good camera's from a picture quality and feature set stand point. We had been using another brand for several years in the same settings. This brand, while not as feature rich were significatly more durable. This is why I believe it is a build quality issue not so much an abuse issue. Would I spend my money on one of these cameras? Yes, because of the features but with the knowledge that I would need to treat it very gently.