Rating: 
Summary: Most Matured Consumer Camcorder
Review: 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: great camcorder... affordable cost... can't go wrong
Review: i've had my zr50 for two months now, and i love it!! when i was shopping around i considered the zr50mc and elura 40mc. i'm a mac user so, i had to make sure i bought a camcorder that supported mac os x, imovie and iphoto. after reading the consumer reviews on both camcorders from a few different sites, including the reviews on amazon.com, i opted for the zr50 and have not been disappointed.
i read a lot about the motor humming noises, but truthfully i don't know what humming noise was being referred to. the recorded movies are sharp and crisp; the colors bright.
i do agree with the "night mode" feature being a bit lacking, although the camcorder will record in low-light environment just fine.
no complaints on the battery life and required charging time.
the analog pass through feature is awesome...allows me to edit older movies recorded from an analog camcorder on my ibook!
i was also surprised by the quality of still shots taken on the zr50's photo (digital camera) feature...crisp, vivid colors, not too grainy. after reading some of the reviews, i didn't expect much from the still image feature.
bottom line -- the zr50 is a great buy, and it's affordability can't be beat. works fabulously with mac os x (and jaguar) and compatible with imovie and iphoto...
Rating: 
Summary: Inferior Picture Quality
Review: Most of the video cameras I have used in the past several years have been Sony's. However, I have had very good experiences with both Canon digital cameras (G2, Powershot s300 and Powershot s230) and Canon 35mm cameras. Considering the excellent return policies that are out there, I thought that Canon was worth a risk. Note that I was in the market for a Mini DV camera and wanted to keep my budget under $1,000. The other camera I was considering was the Sony DCR TRV27. The packaging of the camera was very nice (especially when compared to the TRV27), with 4 color printing on the outside, and a little molded plastic tray inside to hold all the wires, battery, remote, and other accessories. Although I wouldn't ever make an electronics purchasing decision based on packaging, this was a nice touch that is getting lost by other brands. When you consider that many camcorders are given as gifts, presentation does count for something. Inserting the battery and plugging in the power supply is quick and intuitive...no surprises here. Inserting a Mini-DV cassette is also fairly simple and loads from the bottom. Compared to the Sony, the loading mechanism is almost the same. Both have the counterintuitive feature of half-closing the tape compartment to trigger the mechanical tape insertion. Although this seems to be the "standard" tape insertion protocol for Mini-DV cameras, it might be easy for an untrained friend or family member to injure your camera if they change the tape. The Canon ZR50 body feels great in your hands. It is very balanced, appropriately light, and the on/off and record toggle buttons fall naturally under your thumb. The on/off/record buttons are big enough to easily manipulate which is a BIG advantage over the tiny, cramped Sony buttons. If you want very simple controls, or are giving this to a novice camcorder operator, the Canon ZR50 might be a great choice. The play/rewind/forward/stop buttons that you can see in all the photos of the camera are also very big and intuitive. You can even change the backlight colors of the p/r/f/s buttons for an extra cool factor. There is also added perk that the p/r/f/s buttons can glow different colors when the camera is in Player mode vs. Camera mode; when my friend couldn't get the camera to record, I could tell from across the room by the colors of the buttons that he was in the wrong mode. The construction of the camera is really solid, and feels much tighter than the Sony. The swing out LCD screen and the viewfinder are adequate. Some people who held it made a comment that it had an overall "PlaySkool" quality to it, as if the camera was a rugged little toy. For some reason, this comparison does seem somewhat appropriate. Recording quality is where the camera falls short. I lined up the Canon next to an older Sony DCR-PC10 (since I didn't have the TRV27 yet, this was the closest test I could do). Holding the cameras side by side, my friend and I shot indoors images, outdoors images, and zoomed in/out with the optical zooms. Comparisons were made based on video quality, color accuracy, brightness and sharpness. The Canon was consistently off in terms of color accuracy: whites tended to have a red cast and purples were blue. The Sony was very accurate and even its LCD was close to what our eyes saw. Light/bright colors were blown out when outdoors on the Canon, but the Sony captured more color detail in these situations. The Canon was roughly 20% darker than the Sony in low light. Using the Canon's Low Light and Night modes did not sufficiently compensate for brightness. Image was very grainy and dark in situations such as normal office lighting. Grain became excessive on the Canon at moderate to high zoom levels, but was always present nonetheless. Sony was superior to the Canon in all these situations. Furthermore, the Sony image was approximately 50% sharper and retained better detail on subjects like the folds of a shirt or leaves on a tree. Manipulating the manual settings such as shutter speed, or the various AE modes did not significantly improve quality on the Canon. Quality comparisons between cameras held true when viewing on LCD screen, NTSC monitor direct from camera, or NTSC monitor after transferring DV files to Final Cut Pro. Finally, there is the issue of the tape whine that is commonly reported. The wine was clearly present. Since the human ear can hear any DV camera's motor whine, I can't completely fault Canon for recording ambient room noise - including its own motor! However, it is more aesthetically pleasing to have a camera that doesn't pick up its own hum. Again, the Sony Mini DV did not pick up its motor noise. In summary, this camera would be a great pick if Canon could improve the quality of the picture with a special emphasis on indoor lighting conditions. Unless you are not concerned with getting the best video quality you can for a similar price, I would not purchase this camera. The Sony DCR TRV18, 25, 27 and 50 all have the same Mini DV mechanism (i.e. Mini DV quality), so you should be able to find a price point to fit your budget.
Rating:
Summary: Inferior Picture Quality
Review: Most of the video cameras I have used in the past several years have been Sony's. However, I have had very good experiences with both Canon digital cameras (G2, Powershot s300 and Powershot s230) and Canon 35mm cameras. Considering the excellent return policies that are out there, I thought that Canon was worth a risk. Note that I was in the market for a Mini DV camera and wanted to keep my budget under $1,000. The other camera I was considering was the Sony DCR TRV27. The packaging of the camera was very nice (especially when compared to the TRV27), with 4 color printing on the outside, and a little molded plastic tray inside to hold all the wires, battery, remote, and other accessories. Although I wouldn't ever make an electronics purchasing decision based on packaging, this was a nice touch that is getting lost by other brands. When you consider that many camcorders are given as gifts, presentation does count for something. Inserting the battery and plugging in the power supply is quick and intuitive...no surprises here. Inserting a Mini-DV cassette is also fairly simple and loads from the bottom. Compared to the Sony, the loading mechanism is almost the same. Both have the counterintuitive feature of half-closing the tape compartment to trigger the mechanical tape insertion. Although this seems to be the "standard" tape insertion protocol for Mini-DV cameras, it might be easy for an untrained friend or family member to injure your camera if they change the tape. The Canon ZR50 body feels great in your hands. It is very balanced, appropriately light, and the on/off and record toggle buttons fall naturally under your thumb. The on/off/record buttons are big enough to easily manipulate which is a BIG advantage over the tiny, cramped Sony buttons. If you want very simple controls, or are giving this to a novice camcorder operator, the Canon ZR50 might be a great choice. The play/rewind/forward/stop buttons that you can see in all the photos of the camera are also very big and intuitive. You can even change the backlight colors of the p/r/f/s buttons for an extra cool factor. There is also added perk that the p/r/f/s buttons can glow different colors when the camera is in Player mode vs. Camera mode; when my friend couldn't get the camera to record, I could tell from across the room by the colors of the buttons that he was in the wrong mode. The construction of the camera is really solid, and feels much tighter than the Sony. The swing out LCD screen and the viewfinder are adequate. Some people who held it made a comment that it had an overall "PlaySkool" quality to it, as if the camera was a rugged little toy. For some reason, this comparison does seem somewhat appropriate. Recording quality is where the camera falls short. I lined up the Canon next to an older Sony DCR-PC10 (since I didn't have the TRV27 yet, this was the closest test I could do). Holding the cameras side by side, my friend and I shot indoors images, outdoors images, and zoomed in/out with the optical zooms. Comparisons were made based on video quality, color accuracy, brightness and sharpness. The Canon was consistently off in terms of color accuracy: whites tended to have a red cast and purples were blue. The Sony was very accurate and even its LCD was close to what our eyes saw. Light/bright colors were blown out when outdoors on the Canon, but the Sony captured more color detail in these situations. The Canon was roughly 20% darker than the Sony in low light. Using the Canon's Low Light and Night modes did not sufficiently compensate for brightness. Image was very grainy and dark in situations such as normal office lighting. Grain became excessive on the Canon at moderate to high zoom levels, but was always present nonetheless. Sony was superior to the Canon in all these situations. Furthermore, the Sony image was approximately 50% sharper and retained better detail on subjects like the folds of a shirt or leaves on a tree. Manipulating the manual settings such as shutter speed, or the various AE modes did not significantly improve quality on the Canon. Quality comparisons between cameras held true when viewing on LCD screen, NTSC monitor direct from camera, or NTSC monitor after transferring DV files to Final Cut Pro. Finally, there is the issue of the tape whine that is commonly reported. The wine was clearly present. Since the human ear can hear any DV camera's motor whine, I can't completely fault Canon for recording ambient room noise - including its own motor! However, it is more aesthetically pleasing to have a camera that doesn't pick up its own hum. Again, the Sony Mini DV did not pick up its motor noise. In summary, this camera would be a great pick if Canon could improve the quality of the picture with a special emphasis on indoor lighting conditions. Unless you are not concerned with getting the best video quality you can for a similar price, I would not purchase this camera. The Sony DCR TRV18, 25, 27 and 50 all have the same Mini DV mechanism (i.e. Mini DV quality), so you should be able to find a price point to fit your budget.
Rating:
Summary: Great Camera for the Price ....Motor Noise Issue Fix
Review: The camera does pickup some motor noise in quiet environments.
I think that the mic gain increases with low noise resulting in this. I opened the mic housing and placed some dense padding material behind the condenser mic to block out motor noise. This worked great! I now have the perfect Camcorder! The picture quality is far superior to the sony tr series and this unit is much more ergonomic. I love this camera. If you don't want to open the camera up, you can always buy the hotshoe mic. If your not a audiophile then the motor noise really wont bother you. Some posts are a little exagerated about the noise issue. The stills are ok although no digital camera yet really takes good stills. Low light recording is good although any professional camera man will tell you that you need at least 100 lux for best results in any situation no matter what camera you have.
Rating:
Summary: Good Value, Top Features, Easy to Use
Review: The Canon ZR50MC offers upper end features at a mid-range value. I purchased a ZR50MC a few weeks ago after it first came out and am very satisfied. It offers features such as true analog pass-thru so that you can send tape from your analog video camcorder straight to your hard drive (then to cd, dvd or back to tape)without taping first on DV (most models at this price don't offer these options); you can have multitrack recording (such as a music soundtrack under the taped audio) and the ZR50 offers USB and 1394 "firewire" connections. The video is very good in average lighting. In low lighting, it advertises a "night mode" feature that we should sell (make that give) to Al-Qaeda. It only works well if the subject is dead, though for a previous owner of a 10 year old VHS-C unit, even this feature is cool if overrated. With some practice using the AE shift or the "low light" mode you can obtain acceptable low light images. I compared this unit at the store to the Sony DCR-PC9 and found the ZR50 images very favorable in medium to low light. The unit also takes digital still images, but I wouldn't sell your digital camera quite yet. The ZR50 will take clear, web-acceptable 640 by 480 images. I would recommend the Canon ZR50 to anyone looking for a solid, compact, easy to use, midrange DV camcorder. It is very easy to operate, well designed and seems to be solidly built.
Rating:
Summary: The Greatest Camcorder Invented
Review: This camcorder is the best camcorder ever constructed. Everybody was saying the motor hum was obtrusive, which it isn't. The optical zoom is 22x. That lets you see so much from so far! The digital picture quality is horrid but you can buy a digicam for that. Install a light ontop of it and you can have the best movie. The ShowBiz software is extremely good. The only drawback is(not really a negative) that kids who use it might shake the camera which affects the video. Let the dad use the camcorder because it won't shake. The LCD screen is a perfect size in order to see. You can easily zoom in and out and connect it to a computer or VCR. It is fun to use and easy to use. The software that Canon provides is cool for school. I was once debating about a Panasonic camcorder or this but I decided to buy this one because the hand grip is better(yep, that does make a huge difference). I LOVE THIS THING! THERE ARE TWO GREAT THINGS ABOUT THE CAMCORDER: SIZE AND ZOOM.
Rating:
Summary: Great Camcorder At Great Price!
Review: This is an awesome camcorder! I've had it for about two weeks now, and I love it. The video quality is very good and its compact size makes it very portable. I have a Apple iMac G4 and the ZR50 runs outstanding with it. I am an amateur filmmaker and I was previously using my father's Canon GL1, which is a great camcorder, but I needed something for myself. I was skeptical of a high quality camcorder at a low price. So I did all the research and liked the ZR50. The still quality isn't that good, but that is not why I bought it. If you are looking for a nice digital video and still camera, this is not for you. It is a nice bonus, though, to take low quality photos and share them with people over the Internet. If you have read that the motor noise is a problem, well, the same noise is on my father?s Canon GL1 which is $... So, you make the decision to associate the noise with this particular camcorder or not. If you want a small digital camcorder that takes great video at a good price, this is one for you.
Rating: 
Summary: I promise not to whine, unlike my camera
Review: This is probably the best camera out there for the money. You can find the ZR50 for even cheaper on the internet, and before I purchased one, I read all of the reviews here and on other websites. The only flaw really is the whine from the camera. Unfortunately, the whine is noticeable on your recordings. I intend to purchase the zoom mic which hopefully will eliminate the whine from recordings. How would I rate the whine as an annoyance? It's there, if you listen for it. If I hadn't read all the darn reviews, I might not have noticed it, but it's clearly discernible.
Rating: 
Summary: Motor noise made me take it back
Review: This was my first camcorder, purchased at Henry's in Toronto for C$1089. I had it for 5 days and tried everything, even loading the software. We loved it. As other reviewers mentioned, it's a really cool camera. It looks cute, the features and zoom are amazing, and it's easy to use. But unfortunately we realized the motor whines all the time and it's really annoying on playback. You can even hear it when you play back somewhat "noisy" situations, like riding around in a car or being outside. I thought it was unusual, but it turns out there are quieter models available. I took it back to Henry's and traded it for a Sony DCRTRV18 for C$1199, which after a quick test is definitely quieter. Only drawback is the zoom is only 10x and it's not as cute, but the rest of the features are the same. At first, Henry's tried to tell me the Canon was normal, but I guess when they realized I was interested in the Sony and we were writing up the new order, they admitted that they have had many Canons returned because of the noise. Sorry Canon. I hope you read this. Great camera, but I didn't want to spend the next 30 years introducing all my home videos apologetically with "uh... here's junior's first steps... sorry about the motor noise in the background." For all you Canadians out there, don't hesitate to buy from Henry's. Not only were they were ready to give me a full refund, I get 15 more days to try the new Sony and I can still get a refund. They're even keeping my old camera in the box for 15 days in case I change my mind! Not gonna happen though... Bottom line, the camera is too noisy. Don't waste your time and get something else.
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