Canon ZR100 MiniDV Camcorder w/20x Optical Zoom (Pearl Silver)

I bought this camera 4 my husband 4 Christmas two years ago (2005). He used it & loved it...however, just after the 1 year warranty ran out, the camera malfunctioned. It will not turn on properly (you hear it, but cannot see anything on the screen) & will not eject the tape that's inside (with our precious memories on it!). We called Canon & apparently this is a COMMON & KNOWN problem with this model camera. They informed us that it would cost a minimum of $150 2 just take a look at the camera & probably more 4 repairs & shipping. For that much money, we're just going 2 invest in a new camera with a company that STANDS BEHIND their products when there is a KNOWN DEFECT. I loved Canon products before, but will not be purchasing them from here on out.

I was given this as a gift. What a disappointment. We have had it in 4 repairs & replacement parts. And still multiple problems. It malfunctions & will not allow tapes in it or worse it just turns off & won't respond.Oh yeah now it has a noise like the motor is reving & it won't playback or tape anything. Canon only fixed it once under warrenty now again I have 2 pay. If you don't mind that you miss all the special moments or that the odds are good it won't work then this camera is 4 you! Also, don't expect the company 2 stand behind their product because they really don't care.

I thought I had only ordered the camcorder, which was a great price since shipping is free & no tax! It was overall cheaper & easier 2 get than going 2 the store. Circuit City had this open-box 4 the same retail price.

Imagine my surprise when my delivery included 3 DV-casettes, a tripod, & a carry bag.

(And it's also the cheapest but also best quality camcorder you can get with AV-input.)

Operative phrase: "for the money." Honestly, I am really surprised at how well this camera has performed over the last 8 months since I bought it. I have had excellent performance in color, the widescreen is SO much cleaner & crisper than the older Sony unit I was using previously. Even when exporting 2 Pinnacle Studio, & rendering 2 DVD - the resolution & saturation were wonderful. Is it HD? no. Will it record in 24 FPS? no. Did it beat the hell out of my expectations 4 a 300 bones camcorder? Absolutely!

I almost forgot 2 mention: the windscreen on the mic works really well; I'm from Oklahoma, & we know wind out here. This last Easter had winds of over 40 MPH, & even though you could tell there was wind noise, you could hear conversations from over 15 feet away.

I paid less than 300 smackers 4 this, & it has performed (in my estimation) at the level of a 600-smackers camera!

There may be "better" camcorders out there. Better in terms of more features. But it is unlikely the video or sound quality is much better than this one (in some cases actually worse). A 720X480 video frame (Mini DV standard resolution) can only accomodate approx 340 K pixels - therefore a mega or multi mega pixel camcorder will not improve your video performance one bit. And they cost least twice as much.

I was looking 4 something really basic. I go 4 features (and use them) in a Camera - not a Camcorder. When was the last time you used the fancy video functions? Do you even know where they reside on the menu? This camcorder has all the functions you will use & some that you probably won't. Its sufficiently loaded in that regard.

Performance - I faced NO noise issues. In a very quiet room, there is faint noise (when the auto gain circuit increases the mic sensitivity). However, under all my shooting conditions (when the auto-gain ramps down the mic sensitivity), this has not been a problem. My unit was "Made in Japan" - I don't know if this has anything 2 do with the "noiselessness" of the unit. The sound clarity is awesome - the mic is quite high quality - much better than my old sony 8mm.

Video - WoW - very impressed. Clear & colorful - very close 2 what my eye sees. Very sharp as well. One can easily read text, see the veins on the leaves, the hair on the eyebrow - on closeups. No problem regarding sharpness & overall color fidelity. Reds tended slightly towards pinkish sometimes (minor). On a dark overcast day - video came out looking just fantastic. It wowed me/wife/dad - everybody.

Low Light performance - On par with other camcorders out there. If you keep the lights in the room on (reasonably well lit), you can capture excellent video (great white balance) with little 2 no noise. None of the blue tinge that I observed with another brand under the same conditions. In a dim room, the video is noisy, but still quite viewable. It is important 2 note - that this camcorder has no worse performance than the others in its price range when it comes 2 low light performance.

Ergonomics - easily fits in your jacket/pant pocket & the controls are well placed. I have no problem with the location of the menu button - as a matter of fact - that is where I think it needs 2 be! Very easy 2 manual focus but haven't done so - yet. Autofocus is snappy - no hunting. I don't care how tapes are loaded - from the top or bottom. How many of you shoot using a Tripod & need 2 change tapes halfway?

The zoom speed depends on how far you press the zoom button - simply great feature. Not just one or two steps. You can go from very slow 2 very fast zooms.

The unit can work as an analog 2 digital converter - something I plan 2 use - 2 convert my 8mm tapes 2 digital.

The eyepiece viewfinder is color, does not flip, but very good otherwise. I use it a lot. The flip out display is apparently not the best out there, but I find it 2 be adequate - if not downright good.

Batteries are charged "in camera". You don't have 2 take the battery in & out 4 charging purposes. On the other hand, charging a spare battery ties up the camera (unless you purchase an external charger). The supplied battery seems 2 last 4 an hours worth of shooting - works 4 me.

One last thing - I have not seen mentioned in other reviews & I don't know how other brands perform in this regard. The image stabilization was just too good. While shooting video going through Golden Gate Bridge in a car(no zoom), the shots were almost professional in their stability. The exact same shots taken with an earlier camcorder without image stabilization are unwatchable. Note added later - Compared 2 a PV-GS150, the image stabilization on the Canon was definitely better. I'll cross compare other aspects with my friends PV-GS150 & report back!

BTW - I don't miss it not having photo taking abilities. All camcorder still pics are horrible when compared 2 my digicam. Why bother?

It does record hi-res 16:9 images (instead of the cropped ones). Maybe that'll be good 4 the future.

One purchase that exceeded my expectations.

Capturing - Using a cheap firewire card & included cable (together less than ten dollars), video capture using Ulead software & Win Xp was a breeze. Other software (Pinnacle 9) worked equally well at capturing. Camera could be controlled from the software interface. The file size was approx 12 Gig (DV compression) 4 45 min worth of shooting. Video looks very good on computer monitor & on TV. Now 2 MPEG 2 compress & author a DVD..

It's about preserving life's special times. When you do, you can only trust a Canon digital-camcorder. The vibrant color of a summer sunset, the exhilarating action of a championship goal, & the tender moment of a newlywed kiss are all preserved in spectacular color, clarity & detail by the ZR100. Canon's most affordable, yet exceptionally powerful, digital camcorder brings together a variety of advanced features in one stylish package. Inside the streamlined body of the ZR100 is Canon's DIGIC DV system, which delivers outstanding image quality 4 both videos & photos. With the 20x Optical Zoom/360x Digital Zoom lens, you'll also quickly appreciate why the name Canon is synonymous with professional image quality in photography & broadcast television. Another highlight of the ZR100 is its high-resolution 16:9 widescreen recording mode, which lets you capture true widescreen photos & videos. With the ZR100 in hand, all of life's most precious moments are yours 4 the taking. Audio Recording system - PCM digital sound - 16 bit (48 kHz/2 ch); 12 bit (32 Image Sensor - 1/6-inch CCD, approx. 680,000 pixels / Effective pixels - approx. 340,000 pixels Tape Format - Videocassettes bearing the MiniDV mark. Tape Speed - SP - 18.81 mm/s (0.74 ips), LP - 12.56 mm/s (0.49 ips); Maximum Recording Time (with an 80-min. cassette) SP - 80 minutes / LP - 120 minutes. Fast Forward/Rewind Time - Approximate 2 min. 20 sec. (with a 60 min. cassette) Lens - f=2.8-56 mm, f/1.6-3.2, 20x power zoom Viewfinder - 0.33-inch. TFT color, approx. 113,000 pixels / LCD Screen - 2.4-inch. TFT color, approx. 112,000 pixels Microphone - Stereo electret condenser microphone DV Terminal - Special 4-pin connector (IEEE 1394 compliant) Unit Dimensions - 2.0 x 3.7 x 5.1 inch / Weighs 15.2 ounces without battery pack