Canon ZR85 Mini DV Camcorder

Pros: Very easy to use, buttons clearly marked, small size
Cons: Picture a bit dark in some light settings

I would like to start off by saying I am not so much gifted in the area of complex electronic devices. My husband has a very nice digital camera, yet I still purchase disposable cameras before every vacation because I don't understand its multiple ...

Pros: Small Size, good Canon Lens, Great Zoom!, good outdoor shooting, good manual control
Cons: VERY POOR INDOOR SHOOTING! NO S-VIDEO JACK!!! No mic in jack, menu sometimes confusing

Well, here I am again with another camcorder review. All the reviews I have done so far have been Sony, which was by accident, I don’t want to be labeled “A Sony Guy” So, I wanted to review another good camcorder, the Canon ZR85MC. I got a ...

Pros: Lots of digital effects, comfortable size, dual media for image/video capture.
Cons: Poor placement for dual/access buttons, can mistakenly turn off auto focus easily.

We purchased this from Ritz Camera a few months before our son was born. What appealed to me was the small size of the camera itself, the Mini-DV tapes, and that it can use a Multi Media SD card for digital still images or small video clips. After some ...

Pros: price, ease of use
Cons: some additional equip. required for PC use

We bought this camera primarily to film our four children. I wanted to be able to load pictures quickly to our PC to send to distant friends and family.
I didn't read the box very well. I thought we were going to be able to use our USB port to do this like many other models, but this camera is ONLY firewire ready. If you don't have a port for firewire on your PC, you will have to purchase for around $30-$40. It's relatively easy to install yourself. You will also have to purchase the cable to go from PC to camcorder. This will also run $20-$40, depending on how good of a shopper you are. Finally, if you don't already have it, you will need software for loading and editing photos and/or videos.
Once we got everything together, this camera was perfect for us. Even after all the accessories, we felt like we got a great deal. It's easy to use and hook-up to VCR. The zoom and other special features are excellent for the money.

Pros: Beautiful picture, great features.
Cons: Absolutely pathetic durability

I bought this camcorder brand new just slightly over a year ago. It worked wonderfully. The picture was sharp. Sound was great. You could even use it as a low-res still camera with the optional memory card. Unfortunately, it just decided to not eject the cassette. I get an "MF" in the display (it stands for "MalFunction" but I can think of something else at the moment). It also says "Eject Cassette".

Well - I'd love to - but the camera won't eject the cassette. I'm sure this will cost close to the 300 dollars I paid for it to get fixed. This will be my last Canon camcorder.

**Update* After contacting Canon, they agreed to repair my camcorder! All I had to do was mail it in to them with their supplied service authorization. They repaired it and sent it back. It has worked perfectly since then, though I only rarely remove the tape anymore! Too dangerous.

Pros: Easy to use and the price is good.
Cons: It needs a lot of light to make good movies.

Good camera, small size and good price. Easy to use and to make films with a lot of light. The motor makes a strange noise.