Product Description

Designed for point-and-shoot simplicity, Canon's ZR65 MC camcorder allows everyone to great results without any effort at all. Place the camcorder in your hand, and it fits comfortably and securely, like you've owned it for years. No learning curve is necessary as soon find yourself shooting crisp, vibrant video and life-like digital photos, just by pressing a single button. Connect your camcorder to a computer running Windows or Mac operating systems, and experience the digital world like it was meant to be, quick, seamless, and fun. Canon, the trusted name in optics for decades, has made capturing memories more convenient, exciting, and easier than ever.

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Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #2940 in Camera & Photo
• Brand: Canon
• Model: 8428A001
• Platforms: Windows, Windows NT, Macintosh, Windows 98, Windows 2000, Windows NT 3.5, Windows NT 4, Windows NT 5, PowerMac, Windows Me, Windows XP, Windows 2000 Server, Mac OS X, Mac OS 9 and below
• Dimensions: 4.10" h x 2.30" w x 5.80" l, 1.10 pounds
• Display size: 2.5

Features

• MiniDV camcorder with 20x optical zoom, 400x digital zoom, image stabilization
• 2.5-inch fold-out color LCD screen and color viewfinder
• Takes digital stills (1024 x 768) and stores them on included 8 MB Secure Digital memory card
• Shoot panoramic still photos, then stitch together on PC
• Connects to PCs and Macs via Firewire (IEEE1394) and USB (for photos)

Amazon.com Product Description
Looking for an easy way to break into the world of digital video? Look no further than the Canon ZR65MC, which makes capturing valuable family memories as simple as pressing a button. It also features the ability to take high-resolution digital still photos and store them on memory cards.

Lens
The ZR65MC features a high-performance 1/6-inch 680,000-pixel CCD to capture high-quality video and digital photos. The zoom technology found in the ZR65MC lens is the same as Canon uses in its broadcast TV lenses. The ZR65MC is fitted with a high-performance 20x optical zoom lens, which can easily handle all your shooting needs--from wide-angle shots of all the family at the reunion to close-up sports action at full telephoto. The ZR65MC's 400x digital zoom significantly expands the telephoto magnification of the subject.

Image Stabilization
Canon's image stabilization system corrects camera shake caused by, for example, an unsteady hand. This image stabilization system makes for smoother and steadier video even with hand-held shots--at full telephoto--and with shots taken from a moving car.

Digital Still
In addition to high-quality video, the ZR65MC also captures outstanding digital photos. All it takes is a single press of the photo button to shoot crisp XGA (1,024 x 768 pixels) digital still images. The ZR65MC stores these images via the built-in slot for Secure Digital (SD) and MultiMediaCard memory cards. You can also choose to store still images on the MiniDV tape. The camcorder records the photos for approximately 6 seconds, as well as recording the sound for your verbal notes or narration.

You can search through the recorded tape for your photos using the supplied remote control. This photo search feature allows you to search for images recorded in photo mode. Search forward or backward through the images one at a time, or 10 from the current position.

More Features

• Print photos directly to Canon bubble-jet printers
• 2.5-inch fold-out color LCD screen and 0.33-inch color viewfinder
• The My Camera function is designed to let you customize a number of features, including start-up image and sound, shutter sound, start-stop sound, and the self-timer sound
• Shoot panoramic still photos, then edit together on your PC with the PhotoStitch software
• The full-function wireless remote control works at distances up to 16 feet
• Wide selection of faders and special effects, including sepia, black and white, wave, mosaic, and more

Inputs and Outputs
The ZR65MC comes with the standard DV IEEE 1394 port (also referred to as FireWire), which provides a lossless connection to a PC or other DV machines, as well as USB connectivity for transferring still photos. Additionally, the ZR65MC features two types of analog audio and video inputs and outputs: composite and S-video. The analog audio inputs of the ZR65MC let you dub or insert editing from CDs, cassettes, microphones, or the soundtracks of other videocassettes.

MiniDV Format
MiniDV is the new preferred format for personal and broadcast-quality video, highly regarded for its high audio and image quality. With up to 540 lines of horizontal resolution and minimum color noise, MiniDV delivers a 20 percent clearer picture than analog camcorder formats. This is all delivered on a cassette that's 1/12th the size of a standard VHS tape. A MiniDV tape offers digital recording time of 2 full hours--20 times the capacity of a CD.

Power, Size, and Contents
The ZR65MC comes with a rechargeable lithium-ion battery pack, which has an approximate battery life of 75 minutes when using the LCD screen. The camera itself measures 4.1 by 2.3 by 5.8 inches and weighs 18 ounces. This package includes the ZR65MC camcorder, battery pack BP-508, power adapter CA-570, wireless controller WL-D79, shoulder strap, stereo video cable, USB cable, 8 MB Secure Digital memory card, and the DV Network Solutions and Digital Video Solutions CD-ROMs.

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Customer Reviews

Excellent entry-level video camera
I have been researching entry-level digital video cameras for quite some time now. The consensus of the reviews seemed to be that the Canon ZR range of cameras was excellent value for money but that some people were disappointed with the level of motor noise captured.

I decided to take advantage of Amazon's 30-day money-back guarantee and try the ZR-65 out.

I am extremely impressed - the video quality is great. It has lots of great features that I won't repeat here. The most important thing was that the motor-noise captured was no issue at all. The motor noise seems prominent when played back through the camera itself but was barely detectable (I'm tempted to say *un*detectable) when played back through a TV/VCR.

I'm speculating that this is due to a number of possible reasons :

(1) The response of the built-in speaker is such that it amplifies the motor noise

(2) Some sort of audio filter is applied when playing the tape through the A/V out ports

(3) The motor noise seems worse when playing through the camera itself because you can hear the noise of the tape motor as it *plays* the tape

Whatever the reason, the motor noise is not the issue that some others have suggested it is. If you are not sure I would recommend trying it out and being sure to play the tape out through a TV/VCR.

I've tried the video pass-through and tested that I can capture video input from my VCR into Mini-DV format.

The other main criticism I have seen is that some digital camcorders have problems with low-light conditions (especially indoors). Some preliminary tests here also indicate that this isn't an issue, although it does require some manual manipulation of white-balance. The special low-light mode helps but at the expense of shutter-speed so you get noticeable jerkiness when panning.

The battery life of the standard battery supplied with the camera isn't great, but that came as no surprise to me having read other reviews.

Overall my initial impressions are that this is a fantastic camera for the price. I am looking forward to trying out the Firewire capabilities of the camera when I buy a desktop for non-linear video editing!

Sony TRV19 vs. Canon ZR65
If you are interested in a camcorder [in this price range] I would recommend the Canon ZR65. I would also recommend reading the reviews...if you are at all uncertain about what you want. In most cases people will be comparing the ZR65 with the Sony TRV19 so I'll include my personal findings for both in this review.
Pros:
The Canon ZR65 is currently selling at most major retailers for the same price as the Sony TRV19. The Canon ZR65 offers a 20x lens compared with a 10x for the Sony also the Canon beats Sony in Digital Zoom with a 400x vs. 120x. The GretagMacbeth ColorChecker posted on dvspot indicated the ZR65 had slightly better color rendition than the Sony, though I found the color on the ZR65 to be slightly washed out in snow and bright light. The Canon ZR65 has a excellent stabilization system, and offers very solid performance while recording, except at full zoom. The menu is button and toggle driven verses the touch LCD of the Sony. The only draw-back to Sonys touch LCD is that I worried about screen damage due to scratching and smudges during routine use. Additionally some reviews stated that the menu was not very intuitive, both camcorders have very similar menu contents. The Canon also comes with a SD memory which the Sony TRV19 does not, this integrates very nicely with the software package, utilizing the USB interface. The ZR65 also has a color view finder while the Sony TRV19 is black/white.
The software package is very nice, it installed on W2K easily and following the instructions, which were also very clear, I was able to be playing around with stills from the memory card in about 30 minutes.
If you wanted to stick with Sony, and they are a very good manufacturer, I would pay the extra [money] and get the TRV22.
Cons:
We ended up returning our first ZR65 when we found it had extremely loud motor noise, we offered to try another before exchanging it for the TRV22. The second one was fine, no motor noise at all. This may be related to an issue with the Canon motors.

nice camera
I just don't understand the reviews for this camera. I've had the camera for over a month and I find the picture quality to be good in all situations, including indoor shots. I was a little disappointed in the image stabilizer.I've used cameras that are good at image stabilization and this one isn't one of them. I shopped around a bit and found the zr65... so I really can't complain. I have had a very good experience with tech support. I was having a problem connecting with the firewire card and I called to make certain I was doing everything right with the camera. Turns out I needed to update the driver for my video card.The tech walked me thru this and I now have video on my computer. The optical zoom is great. The display is bright and clear. The supplied software works fine. Even my wife can use it,and she can't work the toaster. It may not give professional quality results, but you know what,I'm not a pro.This camera is exactly what I hoped it would be.