Digital-Camera Reviews

After about a year of use, ZR 40 started eating tapes. Do a google search on the topic, there are hundreds of people with the same problem. 'Remove Cassette' and 'Eject' (use those as keywords combined with 'Canon ZR' to view message boards postings) will appear on the screen, and that's the end of the toy.

I've had this camera for almost a year now. I'd say that all of the features that I would expect from a digital camcorder meet and exceed my expectations.

Things that I like the most:
1. Perfect companion for my iMac.
2. Great quality analog-to-digital conversion. A must if you want to play with analog videos in digital world.
3. Solid Canon design, made in Japan if anyone cares.
4. Price.
5. No useless features like in more popular brand.

Things I don't like as much:
1. I think indoors quality is reasonable but it's average with low light. I don't really know if any cameras in that price range do well in low light.
2. Some people complained about motor noise? It's possible, I haven't tried to make any silent movies yet. I add music to all my movies that don't already have some sound.
3. Battery life is short but recharges quickly.
4. Shuts off quickly if idle.
5. You probably wouldn't want to use low-resolution Photo feature espesially if you have a good digital camera but this is probably the only "useless feature".

If you are like me and just like to point/shoot/watch on tv/edit on your computer - it's great.

Expecting a baby, I did research for about three weeks before I ended up with this Canon ZR40. Couple of features that I wanted to have were external mic input, analog input, no still images since I already own a nice digital camera, and most of all, affordable price tag. Amazingly, ZR40 had this all! 18x zoom is nice and its compact size is pretty neat. Still, I have minor complaints after extensive tests.

1. As pointed out by many people previously, the picture is somewhat grainy specially indoors. Because this is my first digital camcorder, I don't know if this happens for other high-end models, but I suspect it may stand out somewhat more for ZR40 with only 480K CCD pixels.
2. What has also been noted was the motor noise, which is my primary concern for now. Maybe, I would not been able to tell if I had not read those reviews, but I could certainly hear the noise when recorded in a quiet environment. I tried to use an external microphone to remove the noise, in which case the noise is gone, but the external microphone does not match the internal microphone in sensitivity. (I used a low-end microphone for the test with the sensitivity of -75 dBm, though.)
3. This is a really minor point, but the camcorder automatically shuts down if I don't start recording within 5 minutes.

Overall, I think ZR40 has great features at such a price and is certainly worth owning if you are looking for one in the price range.

My camera has been down to Key West for a short film shoot.
Not a problem it produced the most vivid clearity one could imagine.Also shot footage for The Discovery channel with this camera last month with pro-qaulity.

DVD burns complement this camera this camera looses not one bit of qaulity when editing.
Esspecially if you have a good enhancement program youll love the results the Xl1s produces bump up the saturation and the colors jump out....

I have shot with about every camera out there and the Xl1s beat em all hands down on weight and ease of use.Picture qaulity is by far the best .500+ hours on my Xl1s and it works better than new.
You know, you have to read the manual to adjust for lighting conditions other than that I can produce a great film feel to my work with this DV camera.
A must for the person looking to make his mark in the business.
Dont settle for a gl2 or a panasonic, you'll know what Im talking about once you shoot with this unbelieveable camera.

One thing this camera is very stable,and with practice youll throw away your tripod.....
You,Gotta practice camera technique people....
If you have the cash this is your camera..

The picture quality of the XL1s is outstanding and it is known to be the industry's leading pro-sumer camcorder. It is also an extremely versatile camera, allowing you to change lenses, vary your audio options (such as connecting to professional audio sound systems), and film in both frame and wide-screen formats. The only drawbacks are that it is quite a leap in complexity and it doesn't have a pop-out viewfinder, which means you're stuck looking throught the eye-piece or have to buy an attachable view-finder.

It isn't for your average videographer who wants to just take video of family and vacations. It is actually being used to film documentaries and for professional services such as filming events such as weddings (which is what I use it for).

Due to its size, weight, complexity, and cost (especially when you add the optional accessories such as filters, additional lenses and microphones, etc.), you had better be very serious about videography before you invest in the XL1s. If you are, you will be thrilled with this camera.

What's reviewer: "a customer" & "Tyrone Brumwell"...thinking! There is a Canon XL2 comming out next month in August. I contacted Canon USA and verified it. You can do the same at 1-800-OkCanon. SAVE your money for this new beauty ($4,000) it will be worth it! Read the specs at canon's website. The Xl1 and XL1s, don't come close!!!

YOU DON'T HAVE TO BE A PRO to use this camera. But shop around for the best price and don't buy from grey markets. Be sure the dealer is authorized by Canon.

This camera is super. There are some features that were added to the XL-1S which make this camera stand out over Sony. There are web sites that teach how to use the camera and how to get around some of the XL-1 problems.

This has been the camera of choice for most news organizations that travel the world. Add the EOS adapter and you have a camera that does more than any other camera made in its price range. Before you buy listen to the pros that use this camera, do a search at google.com for tips and tricks and the XL-1 web sites. Then decide between the Sony and Canon.

I have owned one of these for over a year and a half and love this thing. I work at a full digital TV station with a the latest equipment and the first thing I did was do a side by side comparo against a ...Panasonic DVCPRO broadcast camera. The technicians and cameramen were shocked at the image being equal to their cameras. When we explored the camera further and found the ability to also use the ANTON BAUER battery packs it only got better. They looked at the lens quality and lens swapping ability, plenty of manual setting available for video and audio, hundreds of accesories for the proshooter, and the frame mode made it shine brighter in their eyes. The general manager and chief engineer evaluated the camera and said at the same time "imagine what this could do for our budget!". I use this camera for personal use and have also used it for news gathering, Many requests from the news department have come my way to go on a shoot due to lack of cameras. If you are looking for a camcorder to have many bells and whistles, this is not for you. This is a serious tool. I have read reviews where it dosent take very good still pictures, it lacks the LCD viewer!, It wont shoot in total darkness or see through womens clothes. They forget serious shooters have a main priority in their camera and that is the choice of different lenses. No current consumer camcorder has a interchangable lens system. Something to remember many tools have the ability to do many tasks but they never exceed at one. The Canon XL1 EXCEEDS at shooting video to a professional level....

The Canon XL1 is an amazing camera to shoot with. The picture quality is awesome and the audio is sweet. The camera is sleek and professional looking, people take you serious when you go out on a shoot with the "Big Boys." You get the same respect! If I had to buy another camera it would be the Canon XL!!

I was a little uncertain about these waterproof housings for digital cameras until my boyfriend and I took it on a snorkeling adventure. WOW! The pictures came out great. On some of them you can hardly tell that they were taken underwater. The camera was still easy to operate. The slight bulkiness was sometimes cumbersome for my smaller hands, but the size of the housing is not excessive. The LCD is visible through the housing as is all of the other necessary parts of the camera.

The other great advantage of the plastic housing is that your camera can get knocked around on the boat a little. My only suggestion to Canon is to supply the wrist lanyard with a bearing tightening feature, especially for us with smaller wrists, because I was a little nervous at times of losing the camera. But that's just a minor, minor, minor not-even-a-real-complaint, and easily fixable on your own.

With the proper precautions and care, this is an excellent purchase. Especially if you love being underwater and enjoy sharing your oceanic adventures with others!

I bought this case for a dive to the Great Barrier Reef. I was able to get photos and video with total ease using this case. The construction is really solid and you can use all of the camera's controls. I even dove to 32 meters and was worried because the case is only rated for 30 but it held up fine. Never had any leaks. Well worth the price.

Within a couple weeks of purchase, I had this case as deep as 105ft of water for three consecutive days, twice a day. I probably averaged about 50ft for around for an hour per dive. Point? 6 hours of real depth with no problems and spectacular pictures that beyond surprised me from the S200 Camera. Get close to your subject, probably use the flash (I used the auto setting for the most part--and the diffuser thingy on this case) and the camera/housing will do the rest.

Never had a drop get into the housing even though I exceeded the max depth (barely) a couple of times. Follow the instructions, treat the gasket with love, and TEST IT before you subject your camera to it. They walk you through the process in the manual, and it's kinda common sense.

All of the camera controls are very easily accessible, no hint of leaks. There is not cloth bag or anything with the case, so I use a ski-goggle bag. It should also be stored OPEN so the gasket does not stay compressed for long periods of time.

If you use it, you will be happy. Everyone I was with (including a number of people that initially scoffed at the little camera) were impressed with the performance.

Oh yeah, with the camera, the whole things is a little bit negative (it sinks slowly). Not a big deal, but know you won't see it bob to the surface if you let it go.

I purchased the WP-DC700 underwater case for my A70 and followed the directions exactly, oiling the gasket and cleaning it after each use. It leaked and ruined my month old camera. Customer service was rude, blamed me and then tried to bargain with me to fix it for $190 instead of the $280 that they initially requested. The underwater case has a 7 DAY WARANTY and the camera is not covered for water damage. My father had a similar problem with his $1000 Nikon digital which just stopped working for no aparent reason, they claimed it was water damage and tried to bargain with him to buy a rebuilt one for $500. So beware of bad customer service. Canon's customer service has all bad unreasolved reviews at the Better business Bureau

The Canon WP-DC300 is the most fun and useful camera accessory I have ever purchased. The case is crafted for the S30, S40, S45, and S50, and as such enables the user to press all (with one exception) of the buttons underwater, or in the rain. The case is extremely sturdy and can be taken down to a depth of 100 feet.

The housing holds the camera snuggly and can be used as a protective casing, and within the housing the flash functions well. As a previous reviewer wrote, the black ring does occasionally block the viewfinder, although is neither a major problem, nor does this always happen.

The only complaints I have are as follows:
Turning the camera off in the case requires auto-shut-off
There up/down menu navigations are not usable in the case
Lens fogging is a comparative hassle (although canon provides anti-fog solution)

Other than these easily remedied and small downsides, this housing is an incredible addition to the S series Canon cameras. I personally purchased the S50 in part because of this case and I have not been disappointed.

This case is great for underwater work. I have taken it to 120 feet and I has held up fine (it is only rated to 100 feet however, so go deeper at your own risk) I use the flash a lot, but where I dive there is not much particulate in the water, so backscatter was not an issue, except when I was in caves and such. I highly recommend this case to anyone wanting to take underwater photos. An external strobe would improve photos a lot, and I am working on fabricating one to work with my Powershot. There is a tripod mount-style hole on the bottom of the case that facilitates attachment to a strobe assembly. I usually set the camera to automatically power down after 5 mins, this saves battery somewhat. I have been able to take up to 90 shots over the course of about 6 hours (2 dives and a long surface interval) with 80% of the shots with flash. Thats about as far as one can extend the battery's life. Get an extra battery if you plan on doing more work than that without a recharge, Overall it is an excellent product to go with an excellent camera

I am a Scuba instructor and I own a Nikonos V, a Sea&Sea MX-10 and an Ikelite housing for my Pentax PZ-1 SLR. I wanted to move to digital photography for my Underwater Photography classes. (I am NOT an expert. I am NOT a professional photographer. I teach the intro course.) I also needed to reduce the weight of the gear I was hauling to the Caribbean. The Canon S30 with the DC300 housing lets me do just that. I added an Ikelite Substrobe DS50. (If you want to use an external strobe, you REALLY need to get one that is specially made for digital. Normal strobes don't work!)

I taught a class of high school students to do Underwater Photography last spring with this rig. I used it myself last summer on my own vacation trip. I'm using it again this summer in preference to my other rigs. We were all able to take remarkably good pictures and see the results using my laptop during lunch. I really liked being able to give feedback on the student's technique while s/he still remembered taking the picture. No waiting for developing.

(We also were able to take remarkably bad pictures as well. The delay between pushing the shutter release and actual snappage of the picture is Especially Annoying!)

As with any underwater photography gear, meticulous care and cleaning is necessary. That said, I found this particular rig very easy to maintain and very easy for my students to learn how to maintain and use.

My husband and I bought the waterproof case for our honeymoon and it worked great at the time. Two months later we went to the beach and the latch cracked when we closed the case. After calling numerous Canon numbers, we discovered that the plastic latch that holds the case closed (and any part of the case for that matter) is un-repairable and the camera case completely unusable. We are very disappointed we spent the money to use the camera case on two occasions.