Canon ZR70MC Mini DV Camcorder
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- Recording System: NTSC
- Camcorder Type: Digital
- Recording Media: Mini DV
- Optical Zoom: 22x
- Weight: 1.2 lb.
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Good Camcorder for the price
Pros
Many features at a low price. Compact size. Ease of Use.
Cons
Poor night shots. Battery life could be longer.
Recommended it?
Yes
The Bottom Line:
If you want many features with a great zoom, get it. The night shot mode is something that could use improving. A lot of camcorder for the money.
This is my 3rd camcorder and my 1st digital camcorder. When trying to decide which one to buy, I considered several things. Price, features, ease of use, and video quality were my primary considerations.
First, the price. It is hard to talk about the price of this camcorder without referring to the other built in features. Let's just say that you get a lot of bang for your buck.
Second, the features. The main thing that grabbed me here was the optical zoom. My biggest complaints about my previous camcorders was the lack of a decent zoom. My last camcorder had a 10X zoom with a 360X digital zoom. I purchased it because of the digital zoom. NEVER again. Digital zoom is, in my opinion, a marketing gimmick. It is not useful. The Canon ZR70 has a 22X optical zoom and the ability to turn the digital zoom off. It also has several special effects, a digital still camera, stereo sound, super night shot, and more. The night shot and the low light setting are not that great, but the picture quality in regular light is very good.
Third, ease of use. The buttons are very intuitive and you could almost use this camcorder without reading the manual. Don't though because there are so many features you would never figure it all out on your own. This model has a feature that allows you to change the color of the lighted buttons so that you can know if the camera is in recorder, playback, or camera mode.
Fourth, video quality. This is where the Canon ZR70 truly redeems itself. Compared to my two previous camcorders (VHS-C and Super VHS-C) the video quality is very impressive. There is no interference in the playback and the colors all seem to be very accurate. I have not been disappointed except with the Super Night Mode. Video quality in this setting is very poor and grainy. But, I am able to shoot in almost complete darkness.
Some people write about tape noise or motor noise being heard on tape playback with camcorders. I can honestly say that I have not experienced this problem. Also, battery life could be better. I purchased the extra long life battery because I don't completely trust the battery indicator.
First, the price. It is hard to talk about the price of this camcorder without referring to the other built in features. Let's just say that you get a lot of bang for your buck.
Second, the features. The main thing that grabbed me here was the optical zoom. My biggest complaints about my previous camcorders was the lack of a decent zoom. My last camcorder had a 10X zoom with a 360X digital zoom. I purchased it because of the digital zoom. NEVER again. Digital zoom is, in my opinion, a marketing gimmick. It is not useful. The Canon ZR70 has a 22X optical zoom and the ability to turn the digital zoom off. It also has several special effects, a digital still camera, stereo sound, super night shot, and more. The night shot and the low light setting are not that great, but the picture quality in regular light is very good.
Third, ease of use. The buttons are very intuitive and you could almost use this camcorder without reading the manual. Don't though because there are so many features you would never figure it all out on your own. This model has a feature that allows you to change the color of the lighted buttons so that you can know if the camera is in recorder, playback, or camera mode.
Fourth, video quality. This is where the Canon ZR70 truly redeems itself. Compared to my two previous camcorders (VHS-C and Super VHS-C) the video quality is very impressive. There is no interference in the playback and the colors all seem to be very accurate. I have not been disappointed except with the Super Night Mode. Video quality in this setting is very poor and grainy. But, I am able to shoot in almost complete darkness.
Some people write about tape noise or motor noise being heard on tape playback with camcorders. I can honestly say that I have not experienced this problem. Also, battery life could be better. I purchased the extra long life battery because I don't completely trust the battery indicator.
