Digital Video Camera & Camcorder Review

For budget-conscious consumers, the ZR family of cameras is a perfect balance between style, performance and affordability. ZR digital camcorders give you a variety of features, including Widescreen HR recording, a Firewire/DV Terminal and Canon’s advanced image stabilization system. The results are brilliant video and digital photos that you can easily share with family and friends.

CNET has an editor review on the Canon ZR700 Camcorder and has a rating of 6.6 out of 10. and writes: “The Canon ZR500’s $299 list price suggests a bare-bones MiniDV camcorder, but the opposite is true: It’s a surprisingly well-appointed model, one that shares impressive core specs–including a wide-screen LCD, plenty of manual controls, and a 25X optical zoom–with Canon’s ZR600 ($349) and its pricier ZR700 ($399). What’s the catch? The ZR500 doesn’t capture still photos, though we’d hardly call that a catch, unless you’re dying for grainy, 0.7-megapixel snapshots. In fact, the ZR500 has one desirable feature its costlier siblings lack: a microphone jack. Unfortunately, there’s no accessory shoe on which to mount an external mic, so you’ll either have to hold it or get fancy with rubber bands.

In exchange for the microphone jack, you have to give up the wireless remote that comes with the ZR600 and the ZR700. Other than that, the ZR500 is virtually identical to those two models, right down to the 1/6-inch CCD, the simplistic joystick-driven menus, and the palm-friendly design. You can find out more about the camcorder’s capabilities, performance, and image quality by reading our review of the ZR700.”

CamcorderInfo has a review on the Canon ZR700 Camcorder and writes - “The evolution of the ZR700 goes beyond the new Gray Smoke paint job and a thinner frame. This model has a 2.7â€Â? widescreen LCD, and a bigger, longer lasting battery. The camcorder has a 25x optical zoom capacity, which is larger than the 14x optical zoom from its parent model, the ZR400. The camcorder has also revamped its navigation system, which is an improvement from previous models.

Even though the new navigation system makes it more convenient to access and implement these quality control features; the location of the joystick leaves something to be desired. Placing the joystick and other features on the LCD will sometimes cause the camcorder to shake slightly as these features are being utilized.

In addition to size, Canon has also trimmed some much needed specs from the ZR700. This model’s ancestor, the ZR400, had a bigger imager and was able to capture stills at a higher resolution. Sadly, Canon is not alone in this trend of making camcorders more chic and convenient while regressing image quality. We merely anticipate, mind you, this loss of image quality. Our full review will tell the tale.”

LetsGoDigital has a review on the Canon ZR700 Camcorder and writes - “Canon ZR700 - LCD display - Canon’s Widescreen HR feature not only delivers a wider picture, but in contrast to other systems, uses a wider area of the CCD image sensor to strike more pixels and deliver higher resolution for superior widescreen image quality. Each Widescreen HR model uses a 2.7-inch Widescreen display panel making it easy to compose shots in cinema style. The Canon ZR700 camcorder is both Windows Certified and Mac compatible and will be available at the end of January 2006 for an estimated selling price of US$399″

Further Canon specs here

Canon, ZR700, ZR, 700, camcorders, camcorder, review, reviews