Great outdoors, poor indoors-otherwise a solid camcorder
Written: Jun 23 '03 (Updated Jun 30 '03)
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Pros: Excellent zoom, outdoor picture quality, many features
Cons: POOR indoor picture quality
The Bottom Line: Outdoors, its great, but indoors, the quality leaves much to be desired. Don't buy it if you plan on shooting indoor footage.
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| tabeyler's Full Review: Canon ZR70MC Mini DV Camcorder |
Pros:
Excellent 22x Optical Zoom, 440x Digital Zoom
Great Outdoor Picture Quality
Easy to Use Menus
Great Software
Can be used as Webcam
Good Sound Quality
Sturdy Construction
SD/MMC Card for stills (1024x768 resolution)
Longer battery life than others in its class
Free Pinnacle Software Rebate (exp. 6-30-03)
Cons:
Poor indoor shooting (grainy, washed out)
Low resolution still pictures
Bottom loading of tape difficult if using tripod
My Selection Process
I begin looking for a good, basic, entry level camcorder to record life's great moments several weeks ago. The key feature for me was picture quality-indoors and out. I have a digital still camera, so the ability to take still pictures had minimal weight on my selection process. The other factor in my selection was, of course, cost. I visited several stores and tried their display models and also read reviews online. The main brands I looked at were Canon, Sony, Panasonic, and JVC.
In my researach, I kept coming back to the Canon ZR70MC-it was full of features. It had a great optical zoom (22x) and a 440 digital zoom (which I didn't plan on using) and included a free wide angle lense and rebate for Pinnacle video editing software. It also has the ability to take digital still pictures (1024x768 resolution) and save them to a SD memory card. it can also take JPEG video on the memory card. It features several different modes, including a low light and night mode. There is even an option to change the color of the buttons on the side of the camcorder. The camcorder can be used as a web cam for video messaging with the included software. As with most camcorders that I looked at, it featured a 2.5" LCD pop-out screen. The camcorder has a 1/6" 680,000 CCD, comperable to the other models I looked at. It also came with a wireless remote. The microphone is located on the front to capture sound better, and the camcorder has a shoe for adding accessories such as additional lights or microphones.
I read many good reviews on the camcorder and most were positive. The one negative theme I came across was poor indoor picture quality. However, one reviewer commented that this was due mainly to operator error, i.e. the proper setting wasn't being used indoors. The camera's other features, such as a 22x optical zoom, free wide angle lense, and Pinnacle video editing software rebate (expires June 30, 2003) led me to settle on the Canon ZR70MC.
Testing the Canon ZR70MC
When I received the camcorder I immediately begin filming (as soon as the battery charged-about 1 hour). It had a good, solid feel to it, and the buttons were easy to reach. The zoom was responsive and the menus easy to navigate.
In sunlight, the picture quality was excellent, clear and colorful. However, I was very disappointed with the picture quality indoors; inside the picture became grainy and washed out. After consulting the manual, I tested several different modes and even made manual adjustments, however I could not get the picture quality to a satisfactory level. I then purchased a Sony TRV-19 and compared them side by side, indoors and outdoors; the Sony was much clearer, had a better image stabilizer, and focused much more accurately. I sent the Canon back and kept the Sony; I strongly recommend the Sony TRV-19 over the Canon ZR70MC.
In the Box
Camcorder
Shoulder Strap
Software
Battery
AC Power/Charger Cord
Remote w/AA Batteries
Backup Battery
USB Cord
Video-out (to TV/VCR) cord
**Does not include a Firewire cord for transferring video to PC or a MiniDV tape.
Recommended:
No
Amount Paid (US$): 534
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Epinions.com ID:
tabeyler
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Location: Pittsburg, KS USA
Reviews written: 10
Trusted by: 0 members
About Me:
Avid fan of computers, audio equipment, and electronics, with a taste for power tools.
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