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Summary: The days of black and blue.
Review: As beautiful as a moonlit sky and a pile of leaves on a warm fall morning. This is the camera to catch those very moments. Crisp, stylish and comfortable, the Canon MiniDV Digital is ideal for all trips and adventures. Perfect for parties, especially the ones where Uncle Fred ends up head first in the John; anniversaries even if the hubby's hiding at work pretending to be too busy; those holidays when the kids are kicking at your posterior for buying them socks and not "Sponge Bob" and last but not least your days of adolesence as your being stuffed in lockers, fed a healthy blend of hamburger and crud and drooling on the essential works of William Shakespeare.
This is a camera not to be given for a gift but a gift kept for oneself instead.
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Summary: A Great Buy for the $$$$ - But Get an External MIC!!!
Review: First off, MANY people complain about the motor noise on this model as well as the other ZR series dv camcorders. Don't worry about it and do yourself a favor and buy an external mic! You'll get MUCH better sound - internal mics on camcorders usually aren't great. Here is the solution, after researching this for awhile. Get the following products:1. Sony WCS-999 Wireless Mic System
2. Sony ECM-717 Table Top Single Point Mic The WCS-999 comes with a transmitter and receiver and one lavalier mic (clip on type). In addition, the transmitter has a stereo mini port input for the mic and so does the receiver. The ECM-717 is great if you just want to set it up and forget it. It's dual powered, so it can run on batteries and plugged directly into the mic port on the ZR60 and then clipped to your shirt or whatnot. This approach places the mic far enough away from the camcorder to eliminate all motor noise. Secondly, you can plug the ECM-717 into the transmitter of the WCS-999 - then plug the WCS-999 receiver into the ZR60. Next, you just put the WCS-999 transmitter (with the ECM-717 attached) on a table and then shoot your video. For dual mixed sound, plug the lavalier mic that comes with the WCS-999 into the receiver and clip it to your shirt. Then you are picking up sound from the ECM-717, wherever you locate it, AND the mic clipped on to your shirt. Bottom line, this provides you with enough options to get excellent sound and TOTALLY eliminates the motor whine that people "whine" about! For $, you can't expect the world but considering the ZR series has excellent picture quality (and the ZR60 is better than the 40 in that department), spend the extra money and get the mic hookups! The WCS-999 system can be had for around $ online. You can get by with just this. The ECM-717 unit is approx. $. So, you spend an extra $ and you get quality sound, quality pictures, etc. I won't go on about the camera - many have here - just look at the reviews of the ZR40 series to get a feel for it. Most people who complain complain about the motor noise and the battery life. Again, do yourself another favor and get the BP-522 battery - it gives you about 5 hours of recording time with the LCD on. You get what you pay for. Don't skimp and you will have a very nice system and if you decide to upgrade later once prices come down on the more sophisticated cameras, you can always use the mic systems with that new camera - they will not be throw away. For I/O with your computer, get a simple IEEE 1394 firewire card. I actually got a 1394 firewire card that also has USB 2.0 ports. Then, SIIG, Inc. makes a "hub" that mounts in the front of your PC. You then connect the internal PCI card to the hub and that places all the ports right there on the front of your PC - very convenient. The card I got is a Belkin 1394/USB 2.0 card. Digital video is great - if you add a DVD burner you can make your own DVDs and preserve your memories forever....
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Summary: Perfect Camera for Me (an authentic NOVICE)
Review: First, let me thank all of the previous reviewers of this product. It is because of the quality information (including the night time settings) from these folks, that I bought this camera here at amazon.com. Look, I'm a complete novice to video recording/editing and had some apprehension of buying one because I thought it would be too difficult to master, let alone begin to understand. I wanted a simple, yet quality DVC. The Canon ZR60 is just that. I have had no issues with the camera and was able to plug it (using an optional 4 pin to 6 pin firewire cable) right into my Apple G5 and begin editing video. The quality of the footage has been great. I am so impressed with the little camera, that I have even begun transfering our wedding videos to it, in an effort to preserve them to DVD. Thank goodness for simplicity!
Rating: 
Summary: Think!
Review: I am a owner of Canon camcorder now. I thought of buying this product, as it is for a good price, but I stumbled upon a better model ZR80 for a much much cheaper rate(only canon knows why it is so). Try to do a search on it and you will find too. I am not here to say that ZR60 is a bad camcorder. I am just saying that it isn't a good choice if you are looking for a handycam in this range.
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Summary: Had it for a year!
Review: I bought this camcorder last year because of the size, cost, and Canon name- we have had no problems w/ it- it works great w/ my imac...this is a great price and would recommend anyone in the market for a new camcorder to grab this one while it is still around!
Rating:
Summary: very good value for the money
Review: I bought this camcorder to replace my old Hi-8 Sony TRV65. I was a little hesitatant about buying it despite the very attractive price because of the complains here on Amazon about (a) poor low light sensitivity and high noise level, and (b) audible motor sound. Ultimately, other factors (about them later) convinced me to buy this camcorder. Let me first address the noise issues first. I videotaped a test footage by both Canon ZR60 and my old analog Sony TRV65 (which used to be a relatively high end consumer-grade camcorder back in 1998), and burned them side by side to a DVD. I found the following: (1) The video noise level of the Canon in poor light condition is exactly the same as that of the analog Sony; (2) the Sony measures the light intensity differently - it tends to bring up the details in the shadows while overexposing the bright spots, whereas the Canon adjusts the exposure for the bright spots, while the shadow come out quite dark in the picture - hence the wrong impression that the Sony has a better light sensitivity (3) Canon has a selection of several color temperatures through the menus (such as artificial light and sunlight), which makes the overall results better - Sony tends to make outside colors bluish and the insight shots reddish (4) the analog Sony has a better microphone with a better sensitivity - the voice of a person who speaks in a quite room 6-8 feet from the cameras comes out louder in the Sony's footage (5) The motor noise in the Canon is indeed somewhat louder than in the Sony, and it sounds like a high-pitch tone whereas the sony's motor sounds as quite hummering in the background. This noise is audible when you videotape in a quite room with little or no background sounds and is a little annoying, but it is not untolerably bad. Hence, I can say that the Canon, while is much smaller, is overall not any worse than the 6-year old high-end Hi-8 analog camcorder. Of course the technology has developed in 6 years, but for this rockbottom price the Canon shows a very decent performance. Now for the features. A great advantage of ZR60 is that it has a built-in analog-to-digital converter which allows one to connect any analog video source (a VCR or an analog camcorder) and use the Canon as a capture device to convert analog video into digital. This feature was a primary reason why I decided to buy this camcorder as I have some 25+ analog videotapes and want to convert all of them to DVD. Converting and editing home videos is a slow process, but I already converted 8 hours of home videos to DVDs with the excellent image quality, and none of the problems which video capture boards (which are typically priced over hundred dollars) are known for (such as poor audio/video synchronization). Sony also includes this feature in some of its digital camcorders, but those are usually priced over eight hundered dollars. Additionally, for those for whom the motor noise is a serious issue, there is a microphone jack on the camcorder (a feature usually found only in high-end camcorders). Plug in any stereo microphone, and all motor-related noices in the video will be gone. A compact size and relatively easy operation is also a great plus. I have only a few minor complaints. There is no "record while the button is pressed" mode which I got used to in the past - you always have to press the button once to start the recording, and press it again to stop the recording. Image stabilizer is not very efficient. There is no built-in title generator to add the date or location to the video (this can be done later on a computer, but you have to remember the dates and the names of the places). Finally, the only software enclosed with the camcorder is a totally useless program for videoconferencing - nothing at all for image editing (fortunately, there are free Windows Movie Maker in WinXP and iMovie on the Mac which are good enough for the first experiments with digital video editing). Overall, while this camcorder is not the most advanced piece of video technology, it is a very decent camera which gives you a lot for the money and helps a lot in a transition from analog to digital video. If you are shopping for a camcorder in this price range and cannot afford or do not want to go for a $800+ camera, this Canon is a great deal. There are a couple of other modifications of Canon, ZR65 and ZR70, which cost more, but differ mostly in features which in my opinion are not very valuable or practical.
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Summary: Oh the things you can do with this...
Review: I bought this camcorder when my daughter was born after I saw a short video my brother made. I had been thinking about getting one, but wasn't sure what I would be able to do with it. Six months after getting it, and recording hours of tape, I sat down to author my first DVD. After two days of working in the basement, I came up and showed my wife 5 short (3 - 5 min) videos (complete with transitions and music). She was crying. It was worth it. I burned several copies and sent them to family members who were equally impressed. All that was made possible by using this camcorder. O.K. Now to the camcorder review. This is a great camcorder. It is small (palm sized) and light. The controls are all easy to use/understand. I opted for this model instead of the ZR65 and up because of price, and I didn't need the ability to take stills (I have a Canon G2). The picture quality is fine. I have used it primarily indoors and in low light. Admittedly there is some grain, but it is totally acceptable when you look at the benefits of going digital. In better lighting conditions, the grain is not noticeable. I have opted for the next size up battery (Canon BP512) because the one supplied only last about 30 minutes. For $45 I can close to 1 1/2 hours of recording time. Plus I have the original as a backup. The fully functional remote is also a nice feature. It does everything for the camera. This camcorder feels like it is a quality piece of equipment. It never feels flimsy, or weak. It has a solid feel to it. Canon makes great digital optical equipment. I have the G2 digital camera, and a flat-bed scanner, and I have no problems with quality (image quality or build quality). I highly recommend this.
Rating:
Summary: not a bad buy
Review: I bought this camera because I needed for school, The zoom is outstanding, I can zoom into tiny print and the camera stays focused quite well, The image tends to be grainy which gets worse as light is reduced. The ergonomics are outstanding and the lay out is logical. My biggest complaints is this camera doesn't use a memory card for still images, it saves them to the tape, this proves to be more trouble than it's worth. Also the camera has no USB connections, it has Firewire and S-Video, but they omitted the most common type of connection. I have firewire but that isn't the point. And last and maybe least, you have to remove any tri-pod mount in order to change tapes, (inserts in the bottom) aside from these minor issues I am very happy with this camera and would recomend it as a good starter mini-dv cam.
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Summary: Motor noise is a real problem
Review: I bought this camera today and am returning it tomorrow. The problem is the constant whine from the internal motor which is very audible on playback. I wish this weren't a problem because I like the camera and love the price. If you're hearing isn't that sharp or you don't tend to notice these things, the whine might not bother you. But if you are the type of person (like me) who is irritated by a low, whining sound in the background of your videos, steer clear of this camera. P.S., the ONLY reason I sought out online reviews (and discovered these) is because I noticed the whining right away and wanted to see if I had a lemon or if it was a common complaint.
Rating: 
Summary: THE BEST "MY FIRST CAMCORDER" ON THE MARKET
Review: I don't understand all the universal negative feedback from customers about this camera revolving around the two issues:
(a) Abysmal low-light performance: video comes up pixelated/grained.
(b) In low ambient noise situations, a high-pitched sound in the background. I have used this unit for over 3 months now, in many situations, and have never had either of the above problems. If you care to head over to some serious websites such as camcorderinfo.com or such, you'll notice that this camera is being used by professionals with good success in a variety of lighting conditions. If you insist on being a point and shoot person, and don't want to spend the 10-15 minutes it takes to breeze through the manuals, well you have to live with the default factory settings -- which are NEVER ideal, for ANY brand. If on the other hand you don't mind fiddling and experimenting a little with your device -- which is almost a necessity for good stills or videos -- then the ZR60 is a very charming, almost an addictive, gadget. Below I offer some of my comments about this camera, and some suggestions on how you can get the best out of this brilliant device: NOTEWORTHIES & HOW TO GET THE BEST OUT OF IT: (1) The accessory shoe allows for an extra boom-light or boom-mic. All of the cam's supposed lighting "issues" can be handled with these simple accessories. (P.S. A good boom light can be had off eBay for under $40.)
(2) Aside from that, the camera's indoor/outdoor/auto white balance is right on and the in-camera mic is of decent quality (although serious videographers may wish to consider a wireless lapel/boom set.)
(3) For indoor shooting, you can try tweaking the Auto Exposure (AE) of the lens: lower it to about -1.0 for low light footage.
(4) The camera's steadying function is awesome -- ideal for handheld situations.
(5) Installs for PC and a Mac with equal lack of difficulty.
(6) Long battery life with the big battery.
(7) An often unnoticed fact: this recorder comes with an 18x *optical* zoom (as opposed to a digital zoom.)
(8) With Windows XP, you can use this piece as a webcam.
(9) Quite miniscule compared to other cameras, notably Sony's DCRs or the entry-level JVCs.
(10) The colors are so much more vivid than almost any other brands I have seen. Especially scenes of nature show up with the same beauty that you get from Canon's lens in their digicams! QUIBBLES & IMPROVEMENT POSSIBILITIES: (1) Bottom loading tape. This sucks when you have the cam mounted on a tripod for instance.
(2) Digital effects buttons could have and should have been located on the outside of the camera body so you don't have to open the swivel viewfinder if you don't want to.
(3) Flimsy connector cover for s-video out/ firewire out.
(4) The buttons do not light up in the dark (minor quibble.)
(5) No timelapse function (although I may still have to RTFM.)
SUMMARY: In short, for a sub-400 camcorder I get Canon's topnotch lens technology without punching a hole in my wallet, and I have a DV camera with superb results that has me thinking very strategically about video -- being aware of lighting, noise, steadiness, etc. Planning your shots and editing afterwards will go farther to improve your videos than shelling out the extra hundreds dollars for competing cameras. This is quite easily my no.1 recommendation to friends just starting out with video.
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