Rating: 
Summary: Canon ZR70MC
Review: This is a great camera for the price. Pros: The zoom is incredible and the outdoor picture quality, awesome. Small, light weight makes this a prefect camera for vacations or home video needs. Can't beat it for the price. No motor noise when played thru a TV. Cons: Indoor picture quality is grainy unless additional lighting is used. The Mic doesn't pic up sound real well for anything over six or seven feet away.(Optional Mic cures this) Still photos aren't very great, but work for emails. Overall, a great little camera well worth the price. Those who took or sent it back after a day, didn't give it enough time. Definately recommend it.
Rating:
Summary: Canon ZR70MC
Review: This is a great camera for the price. Pros: The zoom is incredible and the outdoor picture quality, awesome. Small, light weight makes this a prefect camera for vacations or home video needs. Can't beat it for the price. No motor noise when played thru a TV. Cons: Indoor picture quality is grainy unless additional lighting is used. The Mic doesn't pic up sound real well for anything over six or seven feet away.(Optional Mic cures this) Still photos aren't very great, but work for emails. Overall, a great little camera well worth the price. Those who took or sent it back after a day, didn't give it enough time. Definately recommend it.
Rating:
Summary: Great little "toy"!
Review: This is a great little camera (fits in your hand nicely) for the beginer as well as the more advanced video buff that does not want to carry a heavier equipment.
Very easy to use, it has a number of effects (usual fade-in and out, sepia, black and white and various fun digital effects) that will make your movies fun to watch.
Menus are easy to follow and make sense. Documentation is good.
The 22X optical zoom is realy nice and beats out the competion. Most camcorders optical zooms don't even get close to 20X.
The wide angle attachment is a very nice addition as it realy makes a difference when shooting indoors to get more of the room.
Mine came with a free Pinacle Studio 8 editing software which is a good entry level software.(You will need a serious PC, though, if you are going to do any large editing work as digital movies require a lot of space and memory).
The only serious con is the image quality in low light situations. The resulting image is grainy and cold and the camera's "spot" light is useless.
Some reviewers have complained about the motor noise that is picked-up by the built-in microphone, it is noticable when filming in a church (!) but for most applications,you will not notice it.
Rating: 
Summary: Review After Long-Term Use
Review: This is an update to my review of the ZR50MC camera (see ZR-50MC Report With DM-50 Mike and VL-3 Light, May 22, 2002).
I have had the ZR50MC camera for well over a year and I've used it for 6 major events- (2 weddings, 2 cello recitals, 2 school productions). Very simply, this camera works for me very, very well. I typically use the ZR50MC with the DM50 mike, VL-3 light (in poor lighting conditions) and BP-535 (the big one) battery always.
Major advantages-
1) The 22X zoom is to kill for. One cannot underestimate the importance and power of this lens. The ability to fill the screen with faces (whether from a school play, musical performance, or wedding) is spectacular. The audience just loves it. And there is an additional advantage. There are circumstances where backlighting is very difficult, meaning that the background is very bright and the subject in the foreground is dark. Well, all you have to do is to zoom on the subject until the auto exposure brightens the image and the problem is solved.
2) The DM50 mike is indispensable. Because the camera is so small, the mike is easy to carry and does not get in the way. It's a win-win situation all around since the mike (1) gets rid of the motor buzz, and (2) provides CD quality audio with 16 bit resolution. The audience really enjoys the high-quality sound.
3) The oversized BP-535 battery is a gem. I never have to worry about running out of battery power. I've only seen the battery indicator go down to the 50% level once.
In summary, I'll just relay the words of a relative whose son was the groom at a recent wedding- "The video (I produced a DVD of the event) was so professional." All I did was use the fade option of the camcorder.
Bottom line- The camcorder is not perfect, but it produces a quality product. It is very user friendly and has a knack of just taking good video. The image stabilization is impressive. I had to juggle the camera on and off a tripod in the church during a wedding but the video itself hardly betrayed these machinations. Given the good response that I've received for the wedding DVDs that I've produced, I'm contemplating getting more serious about this endeavor with my current video equipment. That basically says it all.
Rating: 
Summary: Decent, probably not the best
Review: This is my first camcorder. I also have a Canon S30 (3.0 mp). I bought the ZR70 based on my experience with Canon and the feature set. I'll start with my positive impressions:-The 22x optical zoom is great. I feel confident in
knowing that I'll probably never need a longer zoom. I
don't even need to use the digital zoom with the ZR70.
-The feature set for this camera is impressive. It has
many digital effects and scene transitions. However, with
most video editing software, any effect not included with
the camcorder can be added in with a computer.
-The battery life is pretty good. It will outlast an 80
minute tape. The battery charges in the camera, but an
external charger is offered by Canon.
-The ZR70 is compact and fits easily into my hand. It is
almost as small (and light) as my S-30.
-Most importantly, the image quality (video) is impressive
outdoors and in a well lit room The negative:
-If the room is not well lit, expect a lot of grain. Also,
the 'super night mode' has little to offer. The light on
the front of the ZR70 is blinding and doesn't help the
image quality. However, while the grain is very noticeable
on my computer, once burned to a DVD and played on my large
screen TV, the grain is much less noticeable.
-The camera does pick up motor noise. It isn't that loud,
but keep in mind that it will be in all of the movies you
take. You can buy an external microphone, but as I've not
used one, I can't comment on any improvement it may offer.
-The digital camera mode is a joke. 1024x768 is a decent
resolution, but the camera picks up so much noise (grain)
in the images that they are almost unuseable. This is to
be expected in most camcorders however, and I have my S-30,
which takes great shots. (Don't expect great stills from
a camcorder OR great video from a digital camera)
-The image stabilization isn't that great. Thats to be expected though, with the long zoom. In conclusion:
I don't know if I would recommend the ZR70. I was close to returning it myself, but didn't want to go through the hassel. I mainly compared the ZR70 to the current offerings by Sony (TRV33, etc.). The reviews for the Sonys are good, but I can't get past the touch screen LCD. In my opinion, that is a very impractical way to control the camcorder. If you won't be using the camcorder in darkness frequently and don't mind the soft motor noise, the ZR70 is a good buy. Hopefully Canon will address the low light grain and the motor noise in their future products.
Rating:
Summary: What motor noise? Awesome optical zoom~Great Camera !
Review: This is my first camcorder. I have downloaded several 60 minute MiniDV tapes to my editing program and have had NO detectable motor noise. I purchased the optional directional stereo microphone that attaches to the accessory shoe for higher quality sound recording, but haven't used it yet. The 22X optical zoom is fabulous. I turned off the Digital Zoom. I recorded herds of elk that I could barely see with naked eye and with the 22X Optical Zoom they were close enough to count antler points and of very good quality. Filmed beach at Pacific Ocean in Washington state, excellent quality films, zoomed in on distant objects and got very good quality shots. Some of the reasons I decided on this make and model (after months of research and hands on with digital camcorders in stores) is due to the large size of the buttons (they are easy to locate and depress),the compact size of the camera, and it's very easy to operate. I can fit the camera in my coat pocket and the weight is barely detectable. Great for people who hike or hunt, etc. The camera's size doesn't detract from it's quality~ it's constructed of tough materials and feels like it's quality, not junky at all. Another selling point for me is the 22X Optical Zoom. It's the highest level OPTICAL zoom that I found of any MiniDV camcorder. Canon has an excellent reputation for high quality lenses. Some reviewers complained about the still pictures being poor quality, but that is not an issue for me. I didn't purchase it for still photos. I do find it appealing to have the option of taking a still photo with it once in a while. I have not tested the still photo option yet. I have a feeling it will be pretty good quality though :-) THIS CAMERA DOES NOT COME WITH FIREWIRE CABLE, YOU NEED ONE TO DOWNLOAD VIDEO TO COMPUTER! Make sure you have one and that your computer has a FIREWIRE port. I had to install a firewire card to my computer. I purchased several accessories for my camera:
1) Tele-Converter lens (TL-30.5)
2) Lens filter set (FS-30.5U)
3) Canon Directional Stereo Microphone (DM-50)
4) Canon Lens Cleaning Kit (Z-02-A ?)
5) Sony Mini DV Head Cleaner (Digital Video Cleaning Cassette)
6) Canon BP522 Lithium Battery and car charger
7) Firewire cable for video capture (Camera DOES NOT come with firewire cable! You NEED this to download the video to your computer!!!!)
8) SLIK 504QF-ll Video Tripod
9) Canon Deluxe Back Pack Bag (200 EG)
10) SIMA Video Light (fits on hotshoe) Model SL-9
(I am sure the CANON VL-3 Video Light or the VL-10li Battery Video light that fit on the hotshoe are better for this camera but I bought this on impulse at Circuit City) I bought Adobe Premiere 6.5 for my digital video editing, and purchased two very useful books on digital video filming and editing: 1) How to Use Digital Video (SAMS Publishing) by Dave Johnson Teaches editing in Adobe Premiere and MGI Video Wave III but the lessons are applicable to most video editing software. Full of good photos of editing software screens and easy to follow instructions. Very useful book. 2) Capture, Create, and Share Digital Movies (Survive and Thrive series, Gateway Press) Teaches editing in Pinnacle Studio and Ulead Video Studio
but lessons are applicable to most video editing software. Has lots of good pictures of video editing software screens and easy to follow instructions. Very useful book. I think that if most of those who left negative reviews had spent some time reading the manual and practicing with the manual and camera in hand, they would have been satisfied with the camera. Much of their negative comments deal with issues that are drawbacks to ALL digital camcorders, and are discussed in the instruction booklet. (night shooting, etc) I'm 100% satisfied with this camera. I think it's awesome. At Circuit City you can test it for 30 days and if you aren't satisfied with it you get a full refund.
Rating:
Summary: Great camera good price!
Review: This is the first video camera I have purchased. Having used many Hi8 and SVHS video cameras I was unsure what camera to buy. After reading the reviews and asking associates and testing the camera. I purchased the ZR70MC at my local electronics shop and immediately liked the look and feel of the controls along with the excellent quality of the videos I was taking. Outside the camera's picture quality was excellent. I filmed my nephew walking, running and playing with his toys. No loss of quality. I thought I was watching digital cable! The wide angle attachment is perfect for group shots and large room areas. The picture quality from the photos wasn't great but acceptable for e-mail. We have a traditional camera for those needs. My wife liked the weight of the camera it is light and easy to carry. I wasn't able to hear the motor noise that everyone was talking about. The camera is small and some background noise can be heard. You can also hear the clicking of buttons and the movement of the zoom. You do need a firewire cable for direct connection to your MAC/PC, however the photos and 10 second movies can be downloaded with the USB. I'm waiting to receive the free video editing software by mail and will update you on the quality of the software with the camera.
Rating:
Summary: Unacceptable motor noise in an otherwise good product
Review: This was the 3rd camcorder I tried. I wanted something that was quiet and had a decent LUX. It shot fairly well in low light situations but the motor noise was too loud. Very high pitch. When playing back, low noise scenes were dominated by eeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee at a high note. Too bad. I liked everything else. Circuit City was great about returning it, as usual. I finally went with the Sony TRV22 (4th one I tested).
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