Digital-Camera Reviews

We purchased this camcorder in October of 2003, and by June 2004 the pause button has already quit working. We have only had light to moderate use of this camcorder since purchasing it. It is still covered under the one year warranty, but we have to ship it all the way to California from Arkansas (and yes we have to pay for the shipping and handling), and it will not be back before our vacation. They will not cover it unless it is shipped to them. I would think twice before purchasing this product.

pros:
- powerful 18x zoom. while less powerful than its siblings (20x for zr65 and 22x for zr70), 18x zoom is still better than most (sonys typically have 10x zoom).
- generally good video quality.
- pass-through analog-digital conversion.
- many optional accessories using the accessory shoe.
- low price, okay value.

cons:
- the deal breaker for me is poor low light performance - expect very grainy video unless the room is well lit.
- the accessory shoe is not a hot shoe; this means that while you can get a third party video light, the camcorder will have absolutely zero interaction with the light. contrast this with sony, which has some video lights that will even adjust light intensity automatically depending on inputs from the camcorder.
- does not support flash memory for stills but given the poor still quality of the zr65 and zr70, this isn't a terrible loss.
- colors a bit washed out in videos.
- bottom loading cassette - can't remove tape while camcorder is on a tripod.
- motor noise can be heard when recording a quiet room.
- while easy to hold, this camcorder is a little bigger than its competition: 2.3"W x 5.8"D x 4.1"H, weighing 18.3 oz.

it's hard to beat the price of the zr60, but you get what you pay for. if you shoot mainly in well lit situations and don't need still photo capability, this may work for you. for low light situations, you can also use a video light. but for outdoor shoots with low light, video lights won't help much either. although a bit more expensive, i would recommend the trv19 over the zr60. i hope this helps your buying decision. peace.

I got this camcorder last week and it has a good optical zoom, pretty cool digital effects and the analog to digital converter feature is a plus. I've only owned the camera for a couple days and I am very impressed with what I have seen so far. The low light quality leaves a bit to be desired but overall a very good camera. The manual focus can be a bit of a struggle because of the location of the buttons. For the average user this is a great point and shoot camera DV camcorder. However, I was very dissapointed by the indoor performance. Like all the digital effects, this indoor video is very, very grainy. Since we will be using the camera mostly inside, it is worth spending a little more to get better indoor quality. We had the Sony TRV27 and returned it to buy this camera just because of the price difference. Big Mistake! The Sony took way better indoor video. Outside, they are about the same. But despite that, this camera is to take short videos and import old VHS tapes to DV and download to the computer to edit. A must try!!

After an extensive market review, I decided to buy this one. Recording quality is excellent when you have appropriate light conditions, and it works ok with poor light. Excellent zoom, and very good stabilization features. The digital still camera feature takes average pictures (640*480), good enough if you are just sending them to friends/family and the software included is quite easy to use. In order to download your movies, you must have a firewire connection in your PC. Consider to buy an extra battery.

The major problem I found is the fact that the microphone records the camera noises, making your movies have an annoying background sound. This is really unacceptable if you want to have good quality audio. If you are concerned about the sound, I would suggest you either to try another camcorder or wait until Canon fix this model or release a new one. Or, if you have the expertise (I don't have it) edit the film with your PC.

The good: Compact, easy to carry, lots of good features (too many to list; read the specifications), excellent playback picture, works great with my iMac, excellent sound reproduction, and straightforward instructions.

The bad (kind of): Yes, in an absolutely silent environment you can hear the motor running, but in our first two hours of taping there was only one time, and that was only for less than a minute, where you could hear the motor running. So, I wouldn't call that bad because there is usually enough ambient noise to cancel it out. The wide angle isn't very wide angle, but you do get a lot of great non-digital zoom. The digital zoom gets pixelated pretty quickly but would you expect otherwise? You can only access some of the features with the viewing screen open and in bright outside light the picture is washed out and you can't really see the menus very easily. The fade in and out features were fun but somewhat cumbersome to use.
The ugly: Do not buy this camera if you intend on using it to take still pictures to the MMC. There are two problems. Check out the specifications and you will see that the CCD chip has only about 250,000 or so effective pixels. But, the real killer is the 8-bit color. There are two resolution modes, fine and normal. The instruction manual says the fine mode can be used for taking pictures for printing out and the normal for sending over the Internet. In the fine mode, a perfectly blue sky comes out mottled shades of blue, pink, and purple. For other, less uniform colors, the effect is worse. With the low number of pixels and 8-bit color, this feature is pretty much useless if you are used to using a good film SLR camera or a high pixel digital camera.

Overall: I gave it four stars because it's a really good minicam with great Canon optics, many useful features, and ease of use, but I was really disappointed with the still picture feature. I can't believe Canon would even include such a poor quality feature. If you want both good digital video and pictures, you probably need to look at different brands with megapixel CCDs, which are available for a comparable price.

This is one great camcorder! I know because I have one, but have lost the software when traveling. Would anyone know how I can get the software? Called Canon, it's discontinued. Searched the Web, nothing! Help!

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.

Pros: pocket sized, sturdy aluminum clad body, largest optical zoom in the Canon Elph-based series
Cons: eats alkaline batteries, need to purchase the power pack and extra battery; better outdoors than indoors
Recommended: Yes

This digital camera fits easily into a shirt pocket, so it's as portable as it gets, and your 'best friend' on vacation. An important feature that is too often overlooked is the fact that it is aluminum clad, so dropping it won't easily result in the heartache of a broken camera that costs hundreds to be replaced immediately or a costly repair that will deprive the owner of its use for an extended period.

It's outdoor shots are excellent; its 2.5X OPTICAL zoom is the largest presently available in the Canon Elph-based repertoire of digicams; its 1.3 Megapixel resolution gives 35mm equivalent 4"x6" prints on either H-P or Epson photo printers.

The drawbacks often reported with shots taken using the internal flash are not critical; although the power of the flash is effectively limited to a range of within 10 feet, the A-50 has multiple modes that deal well with red eye reduction, fill flash, or no flash at all, to the extent of being the virtual match for any digicam list priced under "$1,000". Its controls are easy to master; its playback mode extends to a "slide show" in the LCD (which is larger than the average digicam's at 2 full inches diagonal) or on TV. The camera DOES eat batteries, so TWO batteries and the optional power pack (now readily available for under $80 with one battery, second battery about $25) is a MUST. If you upgrade to higher resolution Canon "Elph-based" digicams, you can use this battery and charger. These lithium batteries will last for up to 100 shots using the LCD as a preview and thus are good for a full day of shooting. The second battery permits full operation while the first battery is charging.

The A-50 will handle most sizes (under 200 MB) of Compact Flash Type I, and puts 161 photos on a 48 MB card. That's enough for a week's worth of vacation shots. (...)It is the BEST optical zoom 1.3 Megapixel camera on the market for ease of use, portability and versatility. Another nice feature, not found in all cameras, is a "raw mode" that permits uncompressed photos. Its JPEG compression on "best mode" does little to adversely affect the photographs, and there are a host of other features that will appeal to the more advanced photographers.

All in all, the A-50 was well designed and a good value for the money. Of course, at this time, with the advent of 3.3 Megapixel cameras, and the S-100 Digital Elph at 2.1 Megapixel with a 2X optical zoom, the A-50, at 1.3MP and its serial interface can be considered obsolete, but, at its current price, it's my choice as a gift for my preteen daughter. It's just right without spending more than necessary for someone who can use the zoom lens effectively, adapt the camera to slide shows and does not need to print anything larger than 5" X 7" photos on a color inkjet.......and if she drops this sturdy little aluminum 'tank' of a camera, I won't be out a fortune for replacement or repair!

I love the camera. It's great for a snapshot camera and has some useful manual functions (flash off, exposure compensation, slow shutter). Another great feature is the Mac software that comes with it-- TimeTunnel. This is awesome. You plug in the camera (or in my case, put the CompactFlash card into a PCMCIA adapter and into the slot in my PowerBook) and upload the photos into this easy-to-use and very well designed program. You can zoom through thumbnails of all of your photos, arranged on a spiral thing which classes them by date. When you click on a thumbnail, you get all the info about it (date, shutter speed, aperture, file size, etc) and when you double click it opens the full size image. You can easily "send" any image to another program, such as the included Adobe PhotoDeluxe, or better yet, Photoshop.

I'm very happy with the camera, and the only reason it doesn't get a 5 star rating from me is that the battery charger and replacement rechargable batteries are on worldwide backorder and have been for months. This is very irresponsible of Canon and is costing me a fortune in batteries.

I have been waiting a long time to buy a really good digitalcamera that I can afford. I got the A50 for $399.00 plus I got a 16meg compactflash card as a bonus in addition to the 8meg card. I was surprised by the excellent pictures I get with the Canon A50. Compares to 35mm SLR cameras. Also it is very easy to setup and use. I was disappointed in the lack of support from Canon. I asked where I can find accessories online, they told me to call an 800 number and order from them. The dk110 power supply kit does not exist and I am beginning to wonder if it ever will. I have looked around for the 2cr5 battery and found a range in price from $6.95 all the way up to $19.95. So shop around. The dumb outfit that wanted $6.95 also wanted $13.95 for shipping. Average price is $9.95. Meanwhile, I won't use the LCD very much. Camera gets 5 Stars for quality, Canon gets 1 star for lack of support. I'd still recommend this camera to all inspite of Canon's poor support.

Danny Fye

Just passed one year warrant period, the eye piece viewfinder didn't work anymore. It seems that the sensor for the foldable screen went bad. Sent back to California Canon service center, and was charged for [money]. The customer service agent was very arrogant about Canon quality, and showed no sign of concern for my problem.

Recently half of screen became distorted during replay. Don't want to waste another [money], so tried lots of cleaning and changed the tape from TDK to Sony. The problem seems to be under control.

If it goes bad again, I will trash this junk, and buy a Sony.

My main draw to the Canon Optura Pi was the optical (rather than digital) image stabilization. Canon is the only camcorder manufacturer that offers this feature in this price range. The image quality is excellent, although the camera calibration can take some getting used to. Experiment with white balance settings, etc. until you find something that works well. The LCD screen is a little too bright, but otherwise looks good. This camera integrates flawlessly with my Macintosh G4 and iMac DV computers. My only complaint about this camera is that occasionally the picture can become blocky and behave erratically. However, I have discovered that this is a problem with ALL DV camercorders and is due to flaky DV cassettes. So, choose your tapes wisely! In every instance of picture glitches, the problem has corrected itself within a matter of minutes. As I said, this is probably the best camcorder you can get in without spending $2500 or more

The Optura Pi is one fantastic video camera! I had never purchased a Canon product before, but I am very impressed with the Optura Pi. You buy a camcorder primarily to shoot moving video. This is one machine that doesn't disappoint. Best features: optical image stabilization(a high end feature usually found only on the most expensive models); superb canon lense(second to none in the industry); large 3.5' LCD with high end resolution(200k pixels); excellent detail and color reproduction( RGB filter); manual overrides for controls ( useful for more experienced videographers); solid construction (many Sony and Panasonic models in the same price range have a cheap, plastic feel); amazing low light performance(although the jarring motion inherent in the low light setting may turn some people off). Cons: no manual focus ring(just a non mechanical option ring); overly touchy zoom control(be careful!); poor ergonomics for the zoom control( you have to reach back with your pointer finger to activate the zoom); low pixel count(360k for the CCD-all the better models are going mega pixel, but then, you pay for it too); blank tape is expensive( but this applies to all digital format camcorders). If you want to take digital stills, buy a dedicated still camera.You'll get way better quality for way less money. Progressive scan is not a significant feature for most people-record in "movie" mode( the Pi's successor 100MC is without Prog Scan). In summary, the Pi delivers excellent detail and color reproduction in all kinds of lighting situations. It feels like a high end camera and performs like one too.Unless you are willing to pay for the performance of a 3CCD camera, this is the one to get. Act fast; the PI has been discontinued. If you're lucky enough to find it at a vendor who made a special factory purchase, you'll get a fantastic deal!

I gave this 4 stars because I dont think the Coach case is worth the extra $100. You can get this camera for $399 and to pay $499 for this combo with the Coach case seems unreasonable to me. I got this as a gift and trust me, I would have preferred the hundred bucks cash :-)

Ipurchased this copier March 2003, and have benn frustrated by the paper jamming consistently in the machine. I have been using Xerox 20 Lb paper and cannot print more than 50 copies without the machine jamming.I would not suggest this product for anyone that wanrs a reliable copier. It is extremelely frustating to keep puuling out the jammed pages and restart again.I print only 200 to 300 copies a month. The white pages I use are Georgia-Pacific Multi System Paper.

I reasearch things for a living and I have to tell you, the information available for these multifunctions is weak and misleading. So, I thought after my purchase I would chime in.

At first glance, the HP 3300/3330 series seems to give you the most bang for your buck -- (1200x1200 dpi vs. the Canon 600x600), sort of good looking, includes a scanner, etc... But it wasn't intil I got my hands on them and compared them side by side that a clear winner was revealed.

The Canon is far superior -- period. The Sharp and Brother versions may be fine machines, but there was no way to tell, as I had trouble either finding them or working them in the store (not a good sign). The HP version is noisy, and the feeder created a crooked copy everytime. Also, I was scared off by tales of poor software and margin issues. What put me over the edge was the ... ONE YEAR warranty.

The Canon was much more solid, much higher in quality, and much, much, more quiet. The text this fella prints is top notch. Also, it comes with a THREE year warranty and the first year is ONSITE! Also, the toner is the L50 cartidge -- Expensive, but is good (they say) for 5000 copies and has the drum/developer/toner in one unit. Basically the parts that have trouble are in the replaceable toner cartridge.

The bad news: You'll need to buy a printer cable if you don't have one. And the only other drawback is that there is no on/off button, only an energy saver mode that is like a "sleep" -- to solve this problem I am putting mine on a power strip that I can turn off.

Ultimately, get your hands on one and I am sure you will agree Canon beats HP.

Make sure you have USB 2.0 interface; the "old" 1.4 from six months ago can't handle it. Setup is a breeze, even for XP-os (the printed instructions are so good that they tell you the error message Windows will give you in advance, and give you the simple cure in the next sentence!) Absolutely crisp copying and printing (b&w only)that will have you kicking yourself for putting up with that old inkjet for so long--just let the old splatter painter do your color jobs, and never refill another ink cartridge again.