Canon ZR20 Digital Camcorder (Discontinued by Manufacturer)

So far it has worked fine for what I want to use it for. I was not happy that I got a different one than the one with more things with it, but I wanted to get the camcorder to work on what I wanted to do.

The Canon ZR20 is a Digital MiniDV camcorder with a 2.5" LCD and a color viewfinder.Zoom And Image StabilizerThe camcorder has 10x optical zoom and 200x digital zoom. The image is not shaky at high magnification levels, since the camera is equipped with a digital stabilizer.PictureThe camcorder records video and still pictures. The still pictures can be recorded on a MiniDV tape and one tape can hold around 700 still pictures. The picture quality (the CCD has 460,000 pixels) in the video mode is very good with low noise level.SoundThe camcorder has a stereo microphone and a built-in speaker. The microphone input allows you connect an external microphone. You can select between 12- and 16-bit recording.FeaturesThe camcorder comes with a Li-Ion battery, A/V cable, S-Video cable, power adapter, battery, remote and a shoulder strap. There are several AE modes, including fully automatic "Easy Recording".But in addition to automatic settings (focus, white balance, etc.), you can manually adjust focus, white balance, shutter speed, exposure (AE Shift). The camcorder allows you apply faders and digital effects and has widescreen mode.It also features FireWire (i.Link, IEEE1394) jack, so you can connect it to another digital camcorder, MiniDV VCR or a computer for editing or making a copy. The remote control allows you search for still pictures on the tape using Data Code recorded during the shooting.The camcorder features both composite and an S-Video inputs/outs and LANC editing terminal. The timer allows to perform recordings at predefined time. There is a Low Light recording capability (low shutter speed and high exposure time).RemoteUnlike entry-level digital camcorders from Panasonic, the wireless remote control is included here.Bottom LineThe ZR20 is a nice camcorder with good feature set. But the menu system is unnecessary complicated and the Canon camcorders are not among the most reliable (unlike Panasonic ones).

Very small and compact, but well laid out so for as the user is concerned. Has both a color viewfinder and a 2.5" LED that extends out from the left side. To save battery power, you can only use one at a time however. Some of the settings are a bit confusing, but going through the manual (well written by the way) will quickly supply answers to any questions you may have.Low light capability is not as good as some others, but the camcorder works well in light ample to read by. By comparison with my Nikon FM (50mm F1.8), the Canon ZR-20 will do a good jobdown to what would be about 1/60 of a second on ISO 100. It will do a fairly decent job a couple of stops lower, but gets "grainy" at low light levels. Daylight however is excellent. I also found the still feature works well in daylight, but gets rather "grainy" in low light (like an old "GIF" at about 320x240). I'd guess in good light that stills work out to be about VGA level (640x480), which serves.This is not a digital camera, and if your major interest is in that direction, you'd be better off buying a regular digital camera. On the other hand the stills I've taken in daylight looked pretty good on a TV, and the recordings create images that are the equal of anything you can get off the air or from your local cable provider. This is using the video in and audio in jacks on a regular TV, as none of mine have the S-video feature. Which no doubt would be even better yet.Tape loading seems a bit slow, but I guess this is the way it is. Works OK, but my old VHS camcorder is a lot easier to load.Digital is definitely the way to go, and Canon optics seem to bepretty good. Lens is a F1.8-2.9 zoom with a range of 4mm to 40mm. I'd guess this works out to about 40mm to 400mm on a 35. The digital zoom can be set at two settings, one giving 40x and the other 200x. The 40x setting is very marginal, and the 200x is nothing but a waste of time. On the other hand the optical zoom is good, and you can shut off the digital zoom if you wish.If you're looking for a good small camcorder, this might be the one for you. It is small, but seems to be fairly well thought out except that the mike probably should have been mounted somewhere further away from the tape transport area...

This camera is a great value for your dollar. I have taken along time in shopping around and this one is the best value. Not to mention the quality is excellant. Someone in another review mentioned they had problems with this camera in low-light situations. I primarily use this camera to record live bands and I have had no such problems. The quality was great. As well, if you like there is a low-light filter that opens up the shutter wider. Unfortunatly, some blurring occurs with this filter on. However, it looks kinda cool. I would definitly recommend this camera if you are looking for a more affordable, quality camera.