Rating: 
Summary: ZR60 pleases me, for about 9 months
Review: This was a video camera of mine before it broke. It truly is bad. The camera itself is excellent. But you think Canon, you think good name. Ask any professional in the digital world, they will say get a SONY. My ZR60 broke 9 months in, just having digital explosions. It is a good camera until it breaks, and it will. Canon has a 1/3 faliure rate, which was a 1/2 for quite some time. Just spend a few extra bucks, and please buy a sony.
Rating: 
Summary: Not very great
Review: Tried this camcorder for a day, was amazed by the style, features and ease of use for the price. if somebody is cash crunched but wants to buy one, they could go in for this. The low light problem some people complained was not an issue for me. It performed decently ok. But the reason why I returned it back was because of the low noise (internal) which you could hear when recording and most importantly appears in the recording very prominently. I think Canon is a good company but this product is not upto the mark.
Rating: 
Summary: 8 months old & already problems!
Review: We purchased this camcorder in October of 2003, and by June 2004 the pause button has already quit working. We have only had light to moderate use of this camcorder since purchasing it. It is still covered under the one year warranty, but we have to ship it all the way to California from Arkansas (and yes we have to pay for the shipping and handling), and it will not be back before our vacation. They will not cover it unless it is shipped to them. I would think twice before purchasing this product.
Rating: 
Summary: As good as any consumer cam out there...
Review: Well, I am a filmmaker. I have done many true no-budget films. I have always shot on MiniDV. I used to work with excusively Panasonic, but after my last Pana died an awful death of being smashed after falling, I decided to get myself a Canon ZR60. This camera has an extremely good viewfinder and LCD. I did find that the CCD doesn't let much light in, but I always put a wide angle on all of my cameras, and this helped greatly. I also found this camera to be too light and small for me to achieve the kind of steady shot I got on my Panasonics. I have since solved this problem with a shoulder brace, but beware of thinking that the image stabilizer will fix all shaky shots. It truly cannot. The audio is a plus on this camera for me. The mic input is well situated, and the accessory shoe makes for a perfect mic mounting spot. I also love the AV inputs. These are a great option instead of an expensive Analog to Firewire converter.All in all, this camera is highly recommended, but the light weight and smallness make it a complete pain for keeping steady.
Rating: 
Summary: Good MiniDV camcorder, very good value, average "low light"
Review: When my first MiniDV, Panasonic PV-DV600 that I had for 4 years, got damaged in rain, I was desperate to find a replacement to continue my home video making hobby. I was looking for a MiniDV camcorder that could do similar things that my old Panasonic could do. It made me skeptical when I read all those online reviews about this ZR60 camcorder from Canon, but I went ahead due to its price and the accessories that I already have (more on this later). After having it for 1 week, I have been happy with it ALMOST as much as when I had my Panasonic. Pros: very light weight, very small, very good pictures, very good color rendition, full features, when compared to my PV-DV600 (a $...camcorder at its time), very affordable...Cons: No "Back Light", No "Infra Red (IR) shooting", No "Hot Shoe" The picture color from the PV-DV600 really was washed out after seeing what the ZR60 can put out. Just looking at the new movies, we are so surprised to see that there is finally color on our TV! The ZR60 also has some motor noise, too! But it truly is not as loud as my old Panasonic, if the Panasonic was loud at all. Knowing what I was looking for helped the decision on my ZR60. Since I already own a digital camera, incidentally a 4 MP G2 from Canon, I really didn't need the camcorder to take digital photos at all. So this weed out a lot of so-called "high-end" options - sub-par digital photographing. The BP-512 battery and charger that my G2 uses fit perfectly in my ZR60. This saves me well over $...in cost on optional batteries and chargers. As a home movies maker using my kids a lot, in-door picture quality is actually better than the old PV-DV600. My family room is about 20x20 feet with two 75W floor lamps on each corner. This is the typical in-door, worst-case condition I have. The ZR60 lives up to its promise. My neighbor (Sony TRV22) and I had a shoot-out tonight and the result compelled me to write this review extensively. I sometimes wonder if people who write those reviews about the "grainy" and "poor" in-door pictures are actually from Canon's competitors or what, but I find them very much biased toward the Sony TRV19/22. I don't know the reason why they say that, but I don't see much differences if you are doing straight color shooting. Every critic I read on the internet points to "low light" shooting, but never bother to define what their "low light" condition is. Strange! I am not talking about the IR mode here people! Just straight out apple to apple. They are about the same. Yes the Canon has no IR mode; so stay away if you need IR. I had my Panasonic for 4 years and I only had done IR once - for experimentation purpose just to see how well it works. Also, the night mode is, just that, night mode. Slowing down the shutter so you'll get brighter COLOR pictures. This produces a sort of "slow motion" effect. This is typical for all MiniDV. No brainer. But some people make a big deal out of it. Strange. If you don't have enough light, use a video light (or color enhanced light in Panasonic's term). You are bound to take grainy picture if you don't have enough light. Even in my 4 mega pixel G2, to produce a brighter picture with the same level of "low light", you have to either slow down the shutter, or use a higher ISO setting. Using high ISO setting is bound to yield grainy pictures, if you want to maintain faster shutter speed. Slowing down the shutter will produce a "slow motion" like video. This is the law of physics. I feel that either A) people expect too much out of a digital camcorder B) don't know what digital photography is C) too lazy to read their manual or D) comparing apple to orange (IR Vs non-IR). This is why I want to stand up for the fact, and not for the brand. To tell the truth, a simple 3W video light goes a long way if you shoot in-door up to 10 feet. Use higher power; say 20W, for a larger crowd and wider coverage. When using video lights, don't stand too close to your subject for they'll over exposed. I have done my homework and (yes) I know what I am looking for after using a MiniDV to make homemade DVD for over 4 years. The Canon ZR60 covers everything I need except for no "back light" (brings some inconvenience), no "IR mode" (not needed), and no "Hot shoe" (kind of making me angry). Other than these issues, the Canon ZR60 is what a typical family needs without paying a whole lot.
Rating:
Summary: Love this camera
Review: You won't find anything in this price range with the features and quality of this camera. I pulled it out of the box and began filming immediately. It will also do digital still shots but that isn't it's forte. If you want high quality digital recording for a value price get this camera!
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