Canon ZR45MC MiniDV Digital Camcorder
Written: Jul 16 '02 (Updated Jul 16 '02)
|
Product Rating:
|
|
| Ease of Use: |
 |
|
| Durability: |
 |
|
| Battery Life: |
|
|
| Movie Quality: |
|
|
|
Pros: video and photos, price, weight, size, several connection options
Cons: low quality photos, non-intuitive controls
The Bottom Line: Good quality camera at a reasonable price. Light and compact. Doubles as a digital camera for still shots, although the quality is poor. Video quality however is very good.
|
|
|
| buckmd's Full Review: Canon ZR45MC Mini DV Camcorder |
Features
Features on the camera include Firewire (IEEE 1394) for transferring video, and USB for transferring photos. Photos are stored on MultiMediaCard or SD Memory Card. Video is of coursed stored on mini DV tape, which is about the only thing that is not included with the camera. It would be nice if Canon included even a short tape so customers won’t have to make another trip to the store to try their new cameras.
The camera has a 18x optical zoom (360 digital), with a speed sensitive switch which is nice for zooming fast or very slowly, for gentle changes. It also has a night mode, that lets you shoot in color in the dark. This is not the same though as the 0 lux mode on Sony cameras that let you shoot in total darkness.
There are a lot of digital effects thrown in also, for those who want to jazz of their movies. If you are going to edit movies on your computer though, these are best avoided, since it gives you more control in the editing room.
One complaint about the camera though is that the controls are not very intuitive. Plan on spending some time with the manual to find out how to use the functions of the camera.
Still Photos
While the ZR45MC can easily take digital pictures, don’t expect great quality. The pictures are only available in one size (640 x 480), at two quality settings. If taking quality still photos is your main objective, get a digital camera. Even a cheap one should give better results.
That being said, it is handy to have a built in camera if you want to pack light. The included card holds about 60 pictures, and you can always buy a bigger card, or carry a couple of cards. The card contains some cartoon like images that can be used to frame pictures you take.
The software will allow you to download the images in your computer and organize them. The camera works great with iPhoto on the Mac provided you reformat the memory card. It also mounts like a disk on the Mac so you can just drag pictures in and out of it if you wish.
Video
Unlike the still picture quality, the video quality is very good. This is one of the reasons for buying a DV camera. The other reason of course is to edit the movies on a computer. In testing it with iMovie, the program immediately recognized the camera, and easily downloaded clips for editing.
Built in image stabilizing helps reduce jitter, but I would recommend using a tripod when you max out the telephoto lens.
What’s in the box
- Canon ZR45MC DV Video Camcorder
- Wireless Remote Control
- Battery Pack (lasts about 1 hour 20 minutes)
- Power Adapter / Battery recharger
- 8MB MMC card for still pictures
- Firewire cable (IEEE 1394)
- USB cable (for transferring still pictures)
- Software (Windows and Mac)
- Manuals – Camera and Software
Specifications
Weight: 1.2 lbs, (530g)
Zoom: 18x optical (360x digital)
Terminals: Firewire, USB, S-video, LANC, AV, Mic, power
Recommended:
Yes
Amount Paid (US$): 579.00
|
|
|
|
Epinions.com ID:
buckmd
|
|
Reviews written: 3
Trusted by: 0 members
|
|
|
- Add to My Yahoo!: 
- Add to Google Homepage: 
© 1999-2009 Shopping.com, Inc.