Rating: 
Summary: Canon is the best for the cost
Review: If you looking for a high quality Mini DV camcorder at a reasonable price then look no further. Cannon is for you. I am not a person who can be easily impressed but ZR70 has got everything which you expect from your camcorder. Here are few things I would like to share:1. The picture quality is excellent. On a sunny day you can expect broadcast level picture quality. Even if it is cloudy the picture quality is impressive. (That is what I care about most) 2. The nightmode as well as low light mode litrally brightens the picture on the camcorder screen but you loose the picture quality but it is still better then many other top camcorders. (I tried Sony for the same conditions) 3. The voice quality is superb. The microphone is very sensitive and picks sounds cleary but at the same time picks wind noise. 4. Its small, very handy and easy to carry around. Things which I dont like:
1. Some button are hard to reach.
2. When using digital zoom, the image stabilization is not good. Verdict:
Good value for money. You will never regret it.
Rating: 
Summary: A great bargain with a few shortcomings
Review: If you're searching these pages for camcorder reviews you're probably bug eyed and worn out but information overload. So I'll get to the point. I bought this camera because I'm dork who wanted a camera with a lot of features but not enough of a geek to need the latest and greatest thing out there. Didn't want to spend a fortune (I gladly paid $600) Several factors led me to choose this model over some others I was considering (especially midrange sonys.)
1. zzzooooooooooom 20x specifically. It really works. You can really get in there and have clear details even from farrrr away. 2. connections: it comes with every possible connector built in, so you can dub to/from VCR, use USB, firewire etc. Not many cameras in this range had this many connectors (I write in Dec 03) 3. Hot shoe -- easy to hook up boom mike or spotlight. Few cameras have this feature. 4. built in light - small light in front comes in handy on camping trips etc. 5. compatibility -- for mac/imovie users, this camera is 100% compatible.@You can fast forward, freeze etc direct from your camera. Not a huge bonus but a nice touch nonetheless. *faults*
1. LOWLIGHT -- the camera is very grainy in low light. It CAN do special lowlight shooting. but these are different. What I mean is just in standard mode, you're shooting a birthday party or a barbecue it comes out really grainy. I filmed my friends garage band concert the other day using this and an old JVC dv cam (which admittedly cost a fortune when new) and the old camera had better quality! 2. start-up time: niggling detail but it does take a while betwen turning it on and actually being able to shoot. Usually it's no problem, but there have been times when I missed a good shot because I was waiting for the camera to get in gear. Again that old JVC beat my new canon. by the way, some people complained about motor noise but I have no idea why they say that. SUMMARY: great feature packed camera for the price, great in good light, long battery, falls short in low light.
Rating:
Summary: Good video, not so good stills
Review: My wife and I recently bought this camera. We're expecting a baby in a few months so we wanted to get a high quality camera for capturing those precious moments of the baby's life. We shopped around a bit and considered all the major brands and decided on the Canon. Overall, I'm pretty impressed with this camera. It has many nice features and it is fairly easy to use. It records very good video, but the still pictures aren't photo quality. Even at the highest resolution the still pictures were a little grainy. But good enough to email or post on a website. If you're in the market for a camcorder, consider this one.
Rating:
Summary: My first camcorder - I am very happy (4 1/2 stars)
Review: My wife and I recently purchased this camcorder because we recently had a baby. I am impressed with the video and audio quality of the this camera. It has plenty of options and if you are not afraid to read the owner's manual these options are easy to use. I have sent several pictures/small movies over the internet using the digital camera option and the quality is fine for the internet/email. If you want better quality for printing, it is my opinion that you should purchase a good 35 mm SLR or a good digital camera/printer combo. As for those who complain about the motor noise, I don't hear it as much as others on these reports. Is there some motor noise - yes. Understandably, this is such a small camera that it would make sense. Is it loud enough to bother me - No. You have to turn the TV up unbelievably loud to hear it.
Rating:
Summary: Very happy
Review: OK, its not a $1000 camera, but for the money I paid I am quite happy. I love the size, features and well built quality of this camera. I know others have issues with noise and low light quality but not a big problem with me. This unit comes with all the cables you need, wide angle attachment, PC software, etc.
The buttons are well laid out and it is very comfortable in your hand. Picutre quality is quite good, except for stills (but don't expect good still quality on any camcorder).
Brand new, I only paid $400 online from 6th Avenue Electronics and I think for the money it's hard to beat.
Rating:
Summary: Comments on noise reduction
Review: Prior to buying the Canon ZR70MC, I read the reviews with great interest. After buying it, as a second choice due to limited time and unavailability of our first choice at the store, I would like to share some notes with prospective buyers. First, I noted that some owners complained about "motor noise" playing back after recording. I found that if you hold your finger in the bottom front of the camera, where the microphone input is located, you will indeed get motor noise during your recording. The simple fix is to not hold your finger near the microphone input area while recording. The motor noise is then negligible. Second, I noted some people complained about the image stabilization being poor. I would not class it as being poor, but I have seen better in cameras in the $1500 and up range. A tripod is definitely recommended for lengthy or telephoto recording. Image quality is first rate, although the image will "pixelate" if you get overzealous with the telephoto feature. The 22X optical zoom is excellent, and the careful and judicious use of the digital zoom feature can lend real "close-ups" with good resolution to your recordings. Finally, the transfer of the taped images is to VHS, CD or DVD is very simple and straightforward. In particular, for those of us that still use them, VHS tapes come out with excellent resolution! The owner's manual makes easy work out of digital effects and editing, including connections and methods. The on-screen menu is not touch screen, but it is almost as easily accessed through the simple selector located on the rear side of the camera. The screen and viewfinder are both clear and sharp. All in all, I rate this camera 41/2 /5 possible with no reservations. Quite simply, I like it a lot, and I am very happy that my wife and I decided to purchase it. I recommend it.
Rating: 
Summary: three star
Review: Pros: Handy in size, easy to use, good lenses
Cons: Records its motor noise, not realy good at for night shooting, or in really dark environments. Don't expect much about supernight mode.
Rating:
Summary: solid video in well lit situations, 1MP stills, hot shoe
Review: the zr70 sits on top of canon's zr series. upgrades over the zr65 include a more powerful optical zoom (22x vs 20x), an advanced accessory shoe, super night mode, an included wide-angle conversion lens, and a higher capacity battery.
pros:
- powerful 22x zoom. this is better than most camcorders out there (sonys typically have 10x zoom).
- miniDV media is widely supported.
- generally good video quality in well lit situations.
- pass-through analog-digital conversion.
- many optional accessories using the intelligent accessory shoe.
- great connectivity options: firewire, USB, S-video, headphone, mic input, etc.
- 1 megapixel still photo capability.
- super night mode.
- decent battery life.
- direct printing capability.
- low price, okay value. cons:
- the deal breaker for me is poor low light performance - expect very grainy video unless the room is well lit.
- colors a bit washed out in videos.
- bottom loading cassette - can't remove tape while camcorder is on a tripod.
- motor noise can be heard when recording a quiet room.
- the supplied 8MB SD card is inadequate - be prepared to shell out a few more bucks for more memory.
- while easy to hold, this camcorder is a little bigger than its competition: 2.3"W x 5.8"D x 4.1"H, weighing 18.5 oz. for its feature set, it is hard to beat the price of the zr70, but you get what you pay for. i'm just not very impressed with the whole canon zr line of camcorders. if you shoot mainly in well lit situations, this may work for you. for low light situations, you can also use a video light. but for outdoor shoots with low light, video lights won't help much either. check out the panasonic gs70 and sony trv33 as alternatives (more expensive though). i hope this helps your buying decision. peace.
Rating:
Summary: Once Again
Review: Things sometimes get better - Canon improved this camcorder-series, and we should be happy about it! This is what I can say about a close model to this one (the ZR50MZ), the earlier top-model: I work with camcorders since 1988 - S-VHSC, Hi8, etc. No question, no matter what kind of digital camcorder you compare with an analog one, it is superior. However, I found this camcorder particularly interesting and bought it since I left the 'semi-professional' field (and being now an electrical engineer in software development). Here are my findings:
Pro: 1) Awesome workmanship: The high-grade plastic case pieces precisely fit and give the camcorder a valuable finish, the buttons have a well defined 'ignition' point and the connectors for FireWire, USB, Analog Video etc. are 'cemented' into the case.
2) Excellent cost / feature ratio: Although following the hype of marrying video with stills, this camcorder emphasizes on video (please, do buy a digital camera if you need digital stills). The outstanding optical unit with a real 22x zoom and one of the most effective image stabilizer in the market, combined with a friendly user-interface including illuminated buttons and a clean menu, this camcorder is a bargain.
The picture quality is excellent. One note here: please remember that the miniDV standard builds on 5.7 Mhz video bandwidth. In other words, no matter what the (multi) colored CCD ship is capable of a resolution, it comes down to a maximum of 370,000 effective pixels needed for NTSC video. The 460,000 pixels of this camcorder seem more than enough.
3) Accessories: Just in case you really care about the somewhat whining recorder server motors, please do buy the optional microphone - it's an awesome addition if you do semi-professional sound-recordings. Also, Canon offers wide and tele-converters specialized for the ZR series. Not a novelty in camcording in general, but a serious affordable consumer expansion if needed.
4) Internationality: Yes, there are other electrical power systems out there: the Canon switching power supply is not only very light, it also connects to almost every wall-outlet in the world with the right (optional) plug-adapter.
5) Ergonomics: Oh yes, I thought about a palm-ready camcorder, too. But think about it: the optical unit including the lenses and the CCD has to fit into half the length of a regular camcorder like the ZR 50 (Palm recorders do not have more than 10x zoom, the ZR 50 has 22x). The camcorder fits right into my hand, the zoom button can be accessed naturally without shifting the camcorder in your hand (try Sony!) and the zoom button is depth sensitive - the deeper you zoom, the less sensitive is the camcorder zoom-button. Additionally, beside so many other brands out there, the digital zoom is even useable to a certain degree. It becomes affective once the optical zoom is exhausted to a 22x. However, if you want quality video, turn it off.
6) Video Modes: Select one of the predefined video modes. One of the most impressive mode is the night-mode - if the moon strikes you, your ZR 50 will catch it. However, don't expect wonders, every serious video-grapher recommends at least 100 lux (a unit of measuring light-intensity). Con:
I couldn't find a con so far - maybe the sound-quality the integrated microphone produces? Hm, given the size of the case, it seems reasonable... Yeah, I am enjoying this camcorder. Canon showed once again that a camcorder design can meet almost all of a consumer-customer's needs:
Rich functionality, lightweight design, extensible through optional accessories including lenses, robust workmanship. Recommended!
Rating: 
Summary: Terrible image
Review: This camera is loaded with features and is cheap. Those are the only good things. The indoor quality is awful. I would shoot at 10AM in a well lit room and it was terribly grainy on a 32" TV. Our old Hi8 Sony and our digital camera shoot better video than this. You choose which one insults it more. AVOID THIS CAMERA. I have two exellent still cameras made by Canon, so I am not telling you to avoid Canon, I am telling you to avoid this camera. It is terrible. Do not even consider this camera. When the reviews say "low light", that refers to ANYTHING indoors. The room I shot about as bright as it can get, and the lights were on. TERRIBLE CAMERA AVOID THIS CAMERA AT ALL COSTS. Ignore the positive reviews, they either never shot indors or have never seen the picture quality yet. If they did they too would be with me giving it one star. I'd have given 5 stars but the picture quality is 9999999999999999% NOT ACCEPTIBLE. Avoid this camcorder like the plague.
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