Canon ZR500 MiniDV Camcorder with 25x Optical Zoom

True hi-resolution widescreen mode, mic input, built-in lens cover, and surprisingly good low light performance make this an outstanding product among the "base models" of the four camcorder brands. The styling in my opinion is quite elegant, and the joystick operation is pretty easy to understand. The widescreen LCD is beautiful and "future-proof". Unlike Panasonic or Sony, Canon doesn't seem to cripple their base model too much to differentiate the pricing. Omitting the SD card slot and having no "photo" button makes it a pure video camera, while desirable features like the LCD and the video processing circuitry has not been downgraded. Made in Japan, the quality shows in every aspect of product, accessories, and packaging (the adapter is a bit bulky, though. I was hoping for the kind that came with the SD series digital cameras, but no).

According to camcorderinfo.com, low light noise has been greatly improved from ZR100, better than any of last year's models or brands in the price range (which all share the same sensor dimensions 1/6" diagonal). Having used a Panasonic 3CCD camcorder, I'm pretty satisfied with the performance of this tiny sensor. However, the tape mechanism is a bit loud, compared with the Panasonic GS120 or JVC GR250 I used I guess every brand has their unique "whine". Connected directly to TV (via composite, no s-video port available) the picture is a little dull, but on the LCD and on the computer monitor (via IEEE1394) it's great. If you burn it to a DVD on the computer the colors should retain their accuracy.

The battery is tiny, the same type used in the Canon Rebel XT (another clever cost-saving, cost-sharing idea), but I was able to fill up a 60 minute tape including framing/standby amazing.

If this is your first camcorder purchase, I fully recommend it! If not, then it's a good example of how refined the budget camcorder have become, a very capable replacement or backup.

Since the repair shop won't give me back my primary camcorder, I bought a Canon ZR500 to finish a project. After working with the TRX series of Sony Handycams, it took a bit of perspective-adjustment to accurately rate this camcorder. I read all of the reviews I could find on the camcorder before purchasing it, and I can now agree that the ZR500 is a nice place for those serious about getting into video but new to the field to start at. My biggest complaint is the noise that appears in lower light settings, but I find that to be a problem common to entry level camcorders. (So far as I've seen, the cheapest camcorder that really begins to get past that problem is the Canon ZR700.)

This is a great little camera for someone who wants something small and compact to keep on hand for experimentation or as a back-up for amateur video production. It's not much bigger than my still camera--and I love that about it! It fits into a side compartment of my camera case just right. One review I read complained that the size led to fingers getting in front of the lense. Well, I *tried* to get a finger in the picture, and I couldn't even *reach* the lense! I'm not sure how that user could get even a pinky in the picture while holding the camera!

Another complaint I've come across is one concerning settings. I'm not sure where that complaint arose from either, since the ZR500 has the nice little feature of a button battery that provides extra power to the camcorder, ensuring that it saves your settings. I've never lost any settings, including "wind screen off," after powering down. The only way you could lose your settings is if you let the back-up battery die, and one lasts about a year.

However, if you prefer to use the viewfinder, this may not be the camera for you. The viewfinder on the ZR500 does not extend away from the body, so youhave to press your face against the back of the camcorder. If you want to use a larger (longer-lasting battery), then the viewfinder is pretty much unavailable. However, I never use the viewfinder on any of my camcorders, so it's all a moot point to me. The LCD panel works great. It has a back-lit option to help you see it better under a variety of conditions. The menu buttons and "joy stick" are set into the edge of the LCD panel frame. Once you get used to them, they're extremely convenient.

The ZR500 provides a nice introduction to the world of manual controls. It offers a lot of presets for the newbie, but also allows for manual adjustment of focus and exposure, amoungst other things. I was particularly impressed by the high-end exposure, and the background focus options. One problem I've frequently encountered is an inability to move from focus of a foreground object to focus on a background object. (And visa versa.) The ZR500 allows me to do so while recording. Though this results in a clicking sound occuring on the sound track (the actual sound of the button being clicked), I almost never use the original audio from a video, and so haven't found it to be any kind of a problem. As for the exposure, I tried both the presets (including Night Mode) and manually adjusting the exposure. Night Mode creates the delightful blurring of movement that allows you to create wonderful light effects against a dark background. For those of you interested in captureing natural motion in a dark space, I suggest manually changing the exposure. That will give you a brighter image without any blurring.

The plugs are well-placed and the mic input is a welcome addition. I've had no trouble uploading video through a firewire onto my PC. The camera doean't come with software, but that's fine, since I use only Adobe Premeire Pro and Final Cut, anyway.

All in all, the ZR500 is a nice point-and-click camcorder for new videographers, or as a back-up. My only fault is the somewhat grainy quality in low light settings, but as the grain doesn't obscure the image, I can deal with it. The only extra feature I could ask for is a still camera function.

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The look and feel of this camcorder is very good. Unfortunately my camcorder use is limited to low light indoor activities. For example, evening party, indoor school activities, kid drama and orchestra. This camcorder is not at all suitable for these activities. Earlier I had a Sony DCR TRV140, which was way better than this camcorder.

This camcorder has a very small sensor and hence such a low price. One easy guide to evaluate the sensor size is to look at the optical zoom. Most of the camcorders with more than 10x optical zoom has small sensors. These large optical zoom camcorders will perform poorly in low light.

If you are planning to use this camcorder in low indoor light, I do not recommend it.

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This camera was bought to replace a JVC MiniDV that suffered from mysterious condensation errors that would reliably take the camera out of service for key events like my son's birthday and the holidays. The JVC also took a lot of dark or washed out videos unless the setting was in direct sunlight.

That said, I was blown away by how well this camera does in low light. For a low end camera it provides a great picture. From my review searching before I bought the camera, I learned that Canon skimps on extra features, but not quality for their low end cameras. This is nice because sony and JVC seem to skimp on quality but offer more features on their cheaper models. I don't really care about a zillion and one features, I just want to capture good memories on film with a picture that isn't painful to watch.

This is a great point and shoot video camera. Definately not pro-grade, but for home use it's perfect.

If you want a camera that can double as a digital camera, this is not the product you want. This is fine for me because I have a digital camera that I'm quite happy with already. But to some it may matter.

Also, this camera does not offer a USB connection just a ieee1394/Firewire style connection. Again a non-issue for me since I have both USB and firewire, but if your PC only sports USB then you may want to look at newer models.

I've got to hand it to Canon. Their digital photo and video equipment has left me impressed and didn't eat my wallet to badly either.

Pros: Small, Easy to use, great price, nice picture

Cons (to some): Does not capture stills, no USB interface

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I did some research before buying this camera. I think within this price range this camera is among the best. There were some reviews that complained about recording of motor noise and that was the biggest concern for me before making the purchase. In fact, I have been recording for a month now and never experienced any motor noise in the recorded video.

This camera does not have still pictures capturing feature, but anyway that does not matter to me because I have noticed that still pictures taken by video cameras are in no way comparable to those taken by a digital still camera. I would strongly recommend this camera to anyone interested in making home video within this budget amount.