Redesign the shape of camcorders
 

I find the shape and design of DSLR's much easier to hold and use. Since Canon makes still cameras, why can't they design a camcorder that is the same shape as a 35mm camera?

There is no reason why the cassette holder can't be at 90 degrees to the lens, instead of parallel with it.

By the way, does Canon have a Suggestion Box?

I think JVC had a camcorder with a rotatable tape deck. Sounded like a good idea, but I never used one. I agree, for handheld cameras the grips could be better designed.

Ahh the good old days of ergonomic design. If you look back at Canon's history documenting what they went through to design the T90 SLR, you'd understand why all proceeding SLR designs were modeled after it and was hailed as one of the best camera designs ever. Too bad they don't concentrate that much on camcorder designs, I suppose because they aren't looking to use consumer camcorders as a foothold in the professional market. But seeing as how I use my camcorder on a tripod mostly, I don't mind more boxy ergonomics.

Canon's original ZR consumer DV camcorder was designed to look like a digital still camera. I owned one and really liked the design. It was great for "stealth" videography and had some slick features, like a detachable magnifying viewfinder that slipped over the LCD screen. Extremely compact form factor, and surprisingly decent image quality.

Unfortunately, the engineering on that particular camera was atrocious. The firewire port quit on me after a few months, and even after being repaired under warranty, continued to be extremely wonky. Then (immediately after the warranty ran out) the imager started producing weird pixellated outlines around every subject. Finally, the CCD failed almost completely, showing an image only under the brightest possible light. It was bad enough to make me swear off Canon products for several years.

Still, an interesting concept, and one I'm surprised more manufacturers haven't pursued.