Rating: 
Summary: Good video camera, but not happy with the low light pictures
Review: Maybe I am just picky, because this was my first video camera and I am spoiled by good quality 35mm SLR cameras. If used in the daytime with good sunlight, this camera takes fantastic video. If you try it indoors or low light, the quality degrades significantly.
Moving the video from the camera to the PC or DVD is extremely easy. It comes with a cable to connect to your DVD player or TV. Just plug it in and used the remote (also included). There are several software programs available (Movie Maker, Sonic) that make creating your own DVD's a snap.
I would suggest you also purchase a zoom lens for close-ups and a wide angle lens so you don't have to stand in the next room to get a video of the next birthday party.
The best feature on this camera is it's ability to record VCR tapes directly to digital format. This allows you to easily transfer all of your old home movies on VHS to mini-DV or even DVD.
Overall it's a good video camera for the price. As with any technology, there will always be something better coming out next week.
Rating: 
Summary: Great Little Camera
Review: Nice camera and I can use the batteries from my Canon G2 on it. Does everything it should. Low light is lacking in auto but with the right manual settings it"s fine. Glad I bought it. And converting analog tapes is very good. Converting is the main reason I chose the Canon. I'd give it 5 stars but for no other reason then it's just not quite there. But really close. 4.97
Rating:
Summary: Should you Buy This Camera? The Answer Contained Within...
Review: Okay, I have been going back and forth for 6 months. So, should I get Sony, Canon, one of the other manufactures... Some people say Sony's are terrible, other say Canon's are good but terrible in low light. All say things about both manufacturers and loud noise heard over the mic... So, what is a guy like me, adicted to reading reviews before making purchases to do? Well, I was to wait and tonight I found that Canon announced 3 new XR models; ZR80, ZR85 & ZR90. All basically the same price as these and it appears they fixed the low-light problems. Of course I will wait until they are availible next month and I get to read more reviews; and so should you. I never buy any electronics in January since most new electronics come out by March. I just wanted to give all you nutty review-adicts (like myself) a heads-up.
Rating: 
Summary: ZR-60 vs. ZR-80
Review: Props go to all the people that decided to change the shutter speed and turn a few more lights to get a good picture, and give this camera the good review it deserves. DIRECT FROM CALLING CANON TECH SUPPORT, NOT SALES:
The ZR-80 DOES NOT have... an external mic input or an s-video out I called Canon tech support to get a comparison between the 2 models ZR-60 and ZR-80, and the tech said honestly that if I like the option to plug in an external mic, then definately keep the ZR-60. He also went on to say, that the low-light settings haven't changed much and that the battery life is slightly longer with the ZR-80, which comes with the exact same battery as the ZR-60. Compare the power comsumption of the two cameras- ZR-80: 2.3 W (using viewfinder), 3.3 W (using LCD screen)
or the
ZR-60: 2.9 W (using viewfinder), 3.8 W (using LCD screen) It's not that big of a difference, but he did say is that the main reason for the difference in power consumption was because the buttons on the side of the ZR-80 do not light up like on the outside of the ZR-60 (these lighted buttons can be convient for night filming, since the ZR-60 has no backlight, neither does the ZR-80). The ZR-80 has no added features aside from the "Skin Detail" function, which is supposed to smooth close up's of people. Although changing the default settings on the ZR-60 would do the same thing. Although, the ZR-80 will be a newer camera package, weighing less and is smaller (how small can you get?), it will be the same price as the ZR-60 currently is. Mainly, Canon took out some features to keep the price low, since they said a lot of "home-video" type consumer's weren't using them. But for a budding film maker, quality sound (external mic input) and the ability to view footage more clearly on a TV (s-video) by using regular RCA jacks is vital. Your best bet if you want the features listed above, go out before the ZR-80's come out and buy a ZR-60, you'll get more bang for your buck if you are willing to change some default settings for light and buy a few extra accessories (mic, bigger battery, s-video cable) you will get some great footage. Get the specs and features for yourself at canon's site and tech support line.
Rating:
Summary: solid video, but make sure you have plenty of light
Review: pros:
- powerful 18x zoom. while less powerful than its siblings (20x for zr65 and 22x for zr70), 18x zoom is still better than most (sonys typically have 10x zoom).
- generally good video quality.
- pass-through analog-digital conversion.
- many optional accessories using the accessory shoe.
- low price, okay value. cons:
- the deal breaker for me is poor low light performance - expect very grainy video unless the room is well lit.
- the accessory shoe is not a hot shoe; this means that while you can get a third party video light, the camcorder will have absolutely zero interaction with the light. contrast this with sony, which has some video lights that will even adjust light intensity automatically depending on inputs from the camcorder.
- does not support flash memory for stills but given the poor still quality of the zr65 and zr70, this isn't a terrible loss.
- colors a bit washed out in videos.
- bottom loading cassette - can't remove tape while camcorder is on a tripod.
- motor noise can be heard when recording a quiet room.
- while easy to hold, this camcorder is a little bigger than its competition: 2.3"W x 5.8"D x 4.1"H, weighing 18.3 oz. it's hard to beat the price of the zr60, but you get what you pay for. if you shoot mainly in well lit situations and don't need still photo capability, this may work for you. for low light situations, you can also use a video light. but for outdoor shoots with low light, video lights won't help much either. although a bit more expensive, i would recommend the trv19 over the zr60. i hope this helps your buying decision. peace.
Rating: 
Summary: Warning: hook it up to a TV before buying it ! ! !
Review: Seriously, this has a terribly grainy picture. I purchased this camcorder at the 'After Thanksgiving Day' sale. I got excited playing with all of the features that it has, and yes, it has a lot of cool features. But then I hooked it up to my TV and saw that it has the 'worst' picture quality I have ever seen in a camcorder. My dad's 15-year-old VHS camcorder has better quality than this. Oh yes, I used the low light settings and the night settings and all of that, but I still ended up with grainy video. If you are considering this camcorder, I highly recommend that you go to a store that has it connected to a television so that you can see the picture quality. The image in the LCD is fine because it's only 2.5". Compare it to other camcorders. If you care at all about the quality of what you are recording, and if you can only afford a camcorder in this price range, consider borrowing someone else's camcorder until you can afford a better one. Am I bitter about this camcorder? Yes. I returned it. I now own a Sony DCR-TRV22. Yes, it cost almost twice as much as the Canon, but it is well worth it! Night and day difference. Much, much better quality, and I can sleep at night now. I was so disappointed with the Canon. So pleased with the Sony.
Rating: 
Summary: Keep your receipt!!! (also see "Kevin in TX" review)
Review: Sure enough, about a month after the 1 year warranty expired, all I can record are vertical streaks. It still plays back fine, so I believe it's a problem with the CCD or associated electronics.
This is nothing new. I had to return my cellphone (twice), my PDA (three times), and my wireless router (only once) before I finally got a good one. I take good care of things and when something works, I hang on to it for a long time. I've had the phone for four years now and the PDA for three.
Unfortunately, when it comes to quality and customer service, any brand can be lacking. I feel the only leverage I have is to be careful which retailer I buy from and ask for a refund if the product isn't satisfactory. A camcorder that stops working after less than two hours of recording time isn't acceptable, warranty or not. I don't want to deal with the manufacturer's customer service and repair people; I want the retailer I bought it from to make it right.
What about the camera? I agree with the other reviewers; I was satisfied with it when it was working, which makes it even more of a disappointment. If you could give ratings for specific things, I'd give the product four stars for price and features but zero for quality.
Don't get mad, get your money back! Cheers,
Rating:
Summary: 8 months old & already problems!
Review: The ZR60 has a mic port and a remote, both of which are missing on newer models such as the ZR80. The motor noise through the built-in mic is audible much of the time so I ordered an external Sony mic. The newer models supposedly are 18% smaller, but the ZR60 is small and light to begin with. Image stabilization is good but not great. Video quality is great with adequate light. If shooting in low light, experiment with the AE +/- settings. By using AE minus settings you are just telling the camera not to crank up the gain. You might have to read the manual (horrors!) to learn how to adjust AE. 18x zoom is plenty long; if anything I would like to have some more room at the wide end. Digital zoom, as on every video and still camera I've ever seen, is a useless marketing gimmick. I picked up this unit as a refurb for $247, and considering I can also use it as an analog to digital pass-through to hook my VCR to my computer, I think it was a great deal. The Firewire cable you need to hook the camera to your computer is not included. You can have a local retailer gouge you for $30, or you can find one online for about $11.
Rating:
Summary: Features that newer models don't have
Review: The ZR60 has a mic port and a remote, both of which are missing on newer models such as the ZR80. The motor noise through the built-in mic is audible much of the time so I ordered an external Sony mic. The newer models supposedly are 18% smaller, but the ZR60 is small and light to begin with. Image stabilization is good but not great. Video quality is great with adequate light. If shooting in low light, experiment with the AE +/- settings. By using AE minus settings you are just telling the camera not to crank up the gain. You might have to read the manual (horrors!) to learn how to adjust AE. 18x zoom is plenty long; if anything I would like to have some more room at the wide end. Digital zoom, as on every video and still camera I've ever seen, is a useless marketing gimmick. I picked up this unit as a refurb for $247, and considering I can also use it as an analog to digital pass-through to hook my VCR to my computer, I think it was a great deal. The Firewire cable you need to hook the camera to your computer is not included. You can have a local retailer gouge you for $30, or you can find one online for about $11.
Rating:
Summary: Poor Picture
Review: This camera has an absolutely horrible picture. This is the type of technology I'd expect from a camera made in the '70s.
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