Rating: 
Summary: Wonderful Tool for Normal People
Review: I bought this camera a few months ago and can only say it has met all my expectations. The quality of the video a normal person can shoot with this little gem is unbelievable. The only option I would change if I could do it over would be to purchase a wide angle lens. If you are lucky enough to have Windows XP loaded on your computer then you are all set. Add a Firewire Card to your PC, plug the camera into the card and you are ready. XP recognizes the camera and a few clicks of the mouse later you are cutting and editing like a pro. Other than this I would consider a DVD burner. It makes distributing the finished product easier as I found getting the edited video onto normal tape was a little complex.
Rating: 
Summary: The Owners Manual in the box is basically for the ZR50MC!!
Review: I bought this camera after looking at some other brands and this model looked JUST RIGHT for me... The manual states that the ZR45MC requires a 4 to 6 PIN FIREWIRE to hook up to a computer (I have a brand new iBook 14" screen/700/G3..top of the line of the iBook series) Don't you believe it! I couldn't find a 4 to 6 PIN cable anywhere, so I had to order it online via APPLE. I went to put in the cable and presto chango...it won't fit! If you look closely at the SMALL PRINT on the cover of the OWNERS MANUAL you'll see the disclaimer. The owners manual is basically for the ZR50MC. So far I have not even been able to use my camera... For the amount of money we have to pay for this camera, you'd think the company could provide correct information about the product. The information on Canon's technical site... states the same thing as the bogus owners manual. I have 7 days left to return this camera if not satisfied. How do I know if it even works with my computer?... By the way, there are only two FIREWIRE options mentioned at the technical site...4 to 4 PIN, or 4 to 6 PIN.
Rating: 
Summary: great for price, bad digital video quality
Review: I did extensive research on this model (the whole ZR series) and I must say, a lot of things are positive for this little camera.
* light weight, * small, * bright outdoor pictures, * PRICE.
And some negative points raised by many so far, which of course I have not been able to test as I have not bought this item, is the motor noise being recorded and the night shots being grainy.
I will not discuss anything about it as they have been beaten to death by now.
What I want to talk about is the smaller CCD resolution on the ZR series camcorders.
As we know, the US spec ZR series have the 460K pixels, out of which only 290K pixels are used for video (effective pixels). We need about 420K effective pixels to get a 500 line video resolution on the TV. Most of us know that, the VHS format (video tapes) allow upto 240lines of horizontal resolution. The S-VHS tapes allow upto 400 lines and the Digital Video format goes to 525 lines (really crisp and sharp pictures) on the TV/visual media.So now, with mere 290K effective pixels of video resolution being recorded on the ZR40/45/50, the best lines of resolution would be around 300. Now, not everything is bad. If you intend to transfer your videos into VHS tapes for storage and future viewing, you will not have any complaints as VHS tapes store at 240 lines of resolution. But someone like me, who wants to store the video digitally, by burning them into DVDs or storing them in DV tapes, I would like to get the best resolution that I can, right? In simple words, I want 500 lines of resolution for my video, full stop! Even though ZR40 is a DV camera, its resolution is very poor for real digital quality video. By the way, the resolution has got everything to do with what we call SHARP, crisp and colorful pictures. It is the same difference you see between the movies played from the VHS tape and movies played from the DVD. Oh by the way, if your TV doesn't have a 500 line horizontal resolution capability, you are not getting the money's worth by renting DVDs. The TV I bought about 4 yrs ago, a proscan 32 inch, has 700 lines of horizontal resolution. So I can assume most TVs in our houses have capable enough TVs. Going slightly off topic, do you know why the picture quality of HDTVs are so sharp? Bcoz their resolutions are almost double than the 500 lines I am talking about.
Rating:
Summary: A high quality job in a digital format- does the job well!
Review: I got this camcorder for a few reasons. First, Consumer Reports loved it in their 2002 buying guide, and second, the size and capabilities. The zoom lens on this is incredible, but obviously shouldn't be moved too quickly if you are zoomed in on something. I took it to an airshow and was able to zoom in on things other people were missing, and the digital recording allowed us to clearly pick out details when we paused a recording that were surprisingly sharp. The camera is easy to use, and having the LCD screen and onboard speaker is heplful when playing back. The still camera will do the job, but it isn't as sharp as a normal digital camera, although the memory card in this camcorder is separate (the newer, smaller type) from the tapes used to record the movies. Also, the lower resolution still images can be stored in greater numbers, though, with an estimated 300 pictures possible on my 36 MB card. The included software, USB cables, and cables to attach the camera to the VCR/TV are all easy to use, and I have had no problems. Those folks who have seen my videos thus far have been very impressed, and I have been very happy.
Rating:
Summary: Awesome camcorder!!!
Review: I have been in the photography business for 9 years and i must say this is the best digital camcorder (thats small) ever.
I suggest anyone who wants it should get one.
Rating:
Summary: Another nightmare about the remove cassette message
Review: I have had this camera for 18 months and about 2 months ago, it started beeping at me to eject the tape almost every time I used it. I went on-line and found that this is common with this camera for some reason. I was able to prevent major problems by removing the tape after each use, but that no longer works. Now I cannot record or watch any tape without it forcing me to remove the cassette. I was very fond of this camera until it stopped working. I am very disappointed that I will now have to buy a new camcorder (a local repairman estimated over $200 to fix it). I have a friend who has the exact same camera and he has yet to have a problem, but it isn't worth the risk.
Rating: 
Summary: Nice little camcorder
Review: I have read a lot of reviews and concluded that I'll give this camcroder a try. I was not really afraid of the motor whining but on the low-light performance much really. Anyway after I bought I did a couple of trial shootage in various lighting conditions and I was satisfied. After it got dark i did a trial under low-light in-house and it was satisfying to me. Because the shutter speed slows you do not have the luxury of moving the camcorder fast but this is a fact of optics not a camcorder flaw or anything. Motor whining is a problem but not a big deal really. If it is buy a mic. With the size of the cam, price i don't think this would be major problem. This is my humble opinion.
Rating:
Summary: All was well until the "safety mechanism" went berserk.
Review: I love the features and optics of this camera. I love everything about it, except that it really doesn't work and their service is terrible. Many people posted about the humming sound -- I didn't have that problem. But the electrical system was intermittent from the time I got the camera. I've sent it to them three times, and each time they repair it, or claim to. Now it is out of warranty and the battery still doesn't work. So I'll have to buy a new camera and hope that you don't make the same mistake I did -- go with a different camera.
Rating:
Summary: Nice camera, when it works
Review: I love the features and optics of this camera. I love everything about it, except that it really doesn't work and their service is terrible. Many people posted about the humming sound -- I didn't have that problem. But the electrical system was intermittent from the time I got the camera. I've sent it to them three times, and each time they repair it, or claim to. Now it is out of warranty and the battery still doesn't work. So I'll have to buy a new camera and hope that you don't make the same mistake I did -- go with a different camera.
Rating:
Summary: GREAT CAMERA FOR ANYONE!!! HIGHLY RECOMMENDED!!!
Review: I love this camcorder. First of all, I am going to start this review by telling you about the biggest concern I had when I bought this camera. Many people say that there was a lot of motor hum, this may be the case when the room is TOTALLY silent, however an external mic fixes this. ALL MINIDV CAMERAS HAVE THIS PROBLEM!! People complain that the mic adds extra size, but if you want to spend the same amount of money on a digital 8, with less resolution, much bigger, and heavier, than get a Mic for your MiniDV, then you have some problems. However since I usually overlap music onto my videos, its not such a big probelm for me. The size is great (any bigger and it wouldn't be comfortable, and any smaller it would be difficult to hold). I had the Sony TRV-340 Digital 8 Camera and then returned for only one reason, it was heavy and big (it cut off circulation in my hand when I was filming, and would have to take it out every 5 minutes or it would become numb). The picture quality is pretty much the same as all other minidv's which are better than digital 8's but not enough to make a big difference. Pretty much, this is a good camera at a great price. If you want a MiniDV, go with this no doubt, however if you have hi 8 or 8mm tapes you should probably go with a digital 8. They are pretty good for the price, but big and bulky.
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