 "don't buy" | 2007-11-06 |
| - Reviewed By User: A1T5K47F2Y3Y1D |
| camera works fine, up to a point. Controls are marginal and you'd best have the manual handy to figure them out. However, I recommend you don't bother buying it, it is NOT moisture proof, or even moisture resistant, and the electronic control board will corrode with the slightest dampness such as filming in foggy weather or light rain. And you cannot dry it out inside. |
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 "compact with good picture" | 2007-10-27 |
| - Reviewed By mcdonaldgoforth |
| I have a full featured Camcorder but needed an inexpensive small camcorder that I could slip into my pocket for a trip to Europe. This had more features than I needed, was cheap and fit easily into my pocket. I didn't want to carry a camcorder over my shoulder while touring. It worked perfectly. |
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| "Fantastic camera!" | 2007-05-16 |
| - Reviewed By sell-the-best-for-less |
I have nothing but good things to say about this camera. It works perfectly and does everything I could ever ask for and more for the price.
Great buy, I'd recommend it to anyone! |
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 "Great Value" | 2007-03-26 |
| - Reviewed By kaul_amit |
If you are looking for an entry level MiniDV camcorder, the Canon ZR500 offers excellent value for money.
Pros
1. Very intuitive interface
2. High Optical Zoom
3. Use of joystick reduces number of buttons to just 3
Cons
1. Motor noise
It also lacks a still camera mode, though I don't consider that to be a drawback. |
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| "Not suitable for indoor use" | 2007-03-14 |
| - Reviewed By sandip100 |
The look and feel of this camcorder is very good. Unfortunately my camcorder use is limited to low light indoor activities. For example, evening party, indoor school activities, kid drama and orchestra. This camcorder is not at all suitable for these activities. Earlier I had a Sony DCR TRV140, which was way better than this camcorder.
This camcorder has a very small sensor and hence such a low price. One easy guide to evaluate the sensor size is to look at the optical zoom. Most of the camcorders with more than 10x optical zoom has small sensors. These large optical zoom camcorders will perform poorly in low light.
If you are planning to use this camcorder in low indoor light, I do not recommend it. |
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 "CanonZR500Mini Camcoder" | 2007-03-08 |
| - Reviewed By User: A3TEAZ58XPL4LD |
Camera is light in the hand, sometimes too light for security feel of the camera. Camera when charged or used for length of time tends to over heat and feel hot to the hand. Toggle switch for play, stop, rewind, fastforward is difficult to use and flimsy. Down side - no hot shoe for external flash or level which is "so so" for a camcorder not essential; battery included with camera has about a 20 minute life cycle depending on video conditions.
Optics are not as good in night shooting as anticipated.
Postives are that one can video @ 720x480 with minidv tape, allowing for in computer editing in the most common video-editing programs possible - has 12 and 16 bit audio and is not just video destined for the web only! Also has external mic input. This was the main reason I went with this camera and not the ZR600, 700 or 800 (new) series. |
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| "Top quality camcorder" | 2007-01-10 |
| - Reviewed By User: AWDQLLKXQLP3I |
| I am very, very pleased with this camcorder. It produces great photos and videos. It is small and compact. The price is appropriate and the optical zoom and numerous advanced options makes it one of the best options on the market. Well done, Canon. Thanks for this great product. |
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| "Great value - Great in low light" | 2007-01-10 |
| - Reviewed By User: A3TW5GLA6KY9GK |
This camera was bought to replace a JVC MiniDV that suffered from mysterious condensation errors that would reliably take the camera out of service for key events like my son's birthday and the holidays. The JVC also took a lot of dark or washed out videos unless the setting was in direct sunlight.
That said, I was blown away by how well this camera does in low light. For a low end camera it provides a great picture. From my review searching before I bought the camera, I learned that Canon skimps on extra features, but not quality for their low end cameras. This is nice because sony and JVC seem to skimp on quality but offer more features on their cheaper models. I don't really care about a zillion and one features, I just want to capture good memories on film with a picture that isn't painful to watch.
This is a great point and shoot video camera. Definately not pro-grade, but for home use it's perfect.
If you want a camera that can double as a digital camera, this is not the product you want. This is fine for me because I have a digital camera that I'm quite happy with already. But to some it may matter.
Also, this camera does not offer a USB connection just a ieee1394/Firewire style connection. Again a non-issue for me since I have both USB and firewire, but if your PC only sports USB then you may want to look at newer models.
I've got to hand it to Canon. Their digital photo and video equipment has left me impressed and didn't eat my wallet to badly either.
Pros: Small, Easy to use, great price, nice picture
Cons (to some): Does not capture stills, no USB interface |
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| "Great quality for the price" | 2007-01-09 |
| - Reviewed By User: A1YWGOEHG75J2F |
| Bought this for my 11 year old daughter to video her dogs and horses -- she's more a wiz at it than I am -- very easy for her to use -- the only draw back -- really can't do night time recording without ALOT of light and the direction manual resembles the thickness of the book War and Peace! But then, what 11 year old will really read a direction manual? |
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| "Works great with iMac." | 2007-01-09 |
| - Reviewed By User: A3FCXN1T82KKLR |
| I feel that I got a lot of camera for the price and have been very happy with how well it works with iMac and iMovie. For example, after attaching the firewire cable, all the playback controls are available through the iMovie panel. Also I like that the video is automatically separated into individual clips (based on when I started and stopped recording a scene). |
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Expedited Available
