I don't know why camcorderinfo tends to not comment on this, but motor noise was an issue on all of last year's ZR models. It was more than noticeable even when recording in not so quiet situations. To some folks, this wasn't a deal breaker, but to me it was.

DVspot.com was very thorough in their examination of motor noise on cameras, but alas they are no more.

I was wondering if those of you who have one of this year's ZR models, i.e. ZR500, ZR700, etc. could comment on the amount of motor noise recorded to the tape. If you can post a clip, that would be even better.

I think this will help folks considering the ZR series decide whether it is right for them or not.

For information on how to post a video clip, please refer to this thread:http://www.camcorderinfo.com/bbs/t123825.html

Okay but let's not forget that there may be significant sample variation between individual units of the same model. Moreover, users with problem samples will be far more likely to submit "noise" than users with quiet units will be to submit "silence".

In my own case, I could give you two audio samples from brand new Optura 60's - one sounding awful (returned), the other quiet as a mouse. If I only submitted one sample or the other, what would that tell you?

Not that what you propose is a bad idea - let's be mindful though of the limitations in the sampling method.

There may be significant variation between individual units, but the chances of this would be lower than the defect rate in general. The defect rate of Canon's miniDV camcorders between 2002 and 2005 according to Consumer Reports is around 7%. If every defective Canon ZR camera had this problem it would be as high as 7%. Now unless Canon is really struggling in manufacturing good tape mechanisms, I seriously doubt we need to worry about this sort of thing being a major issue when asking users to post sound clips.

What happened to you with your Optura 60 does not justify your generalization, though I understand your point about not letting one user's experience define whether or not tape noise on the ZR500/700 is an issue.

Also there are just as many folks if not more on this forum who defend their purchases as there those that complain about issues.

It appears that my experience was neither unique nor a generalization...

I was hoping that some folks with the new ZR series would have posted their experience here by now, but I guess we'll have to wait till more folks buy them.

i just got the zr600. have barely tested it, but haven't noticed motor noise. although i wasn't even considering it until now.

one thing with this years models, the lens is no longer threaded to accept after market lens/filters.

Thanks scorneil, if you get the chance, please see if you can film some video in a quiet room and try zooming in on something. Playback the video on your PC and if you can post a short clip here.

Took it into a quiet room and did indeed notice motor noise. I'm thinking of taking it back.

BitBucket, I saw your original post where you stated you didn't notice any noise, of course this was before you took it into a quiet room.

havelocksparky, another user who recently purchased the ZR500 said exactly the same thing...he didn't notice any noise until he took it into a quiet room. I'll ask you the same thing I asked him...how loud is the noise? If you can post a small clip so we can listen, that would be great. Did you use the zoom, or was it with all the way on 1x?

Thanks

The noise was noticable enough to be annoying when filming a subject that is silent. Given that I bought this camera to film my first child (ETA two more months) I think it could be a problem. Newborns don't tend to talk much, and there is not much point in shooting video of a crying baby.
I would love to post a clip. I shrunk one down to a .wma file already, but I'm not sure where to post it. I guess google video is one option. Any other suggestions? I'm brand new with video, but I am good with computers.
Also, I'm working a night shift tonight, so you probably won't see anything posted until late tonight or early tomorrow.

You can use yousendit.com, put the receipient's email as your own and then post the link they email to you. Alternatively, you can email me the clip and I'll host it for you on my server. This might be more reliable. Send me a private message and I'll give you my email.
Thanks again.

I purchased a ZR500 last Sunday. I immediately fell in love with the crisp sharp images that this camera puts out. However, I took the camera into my bedroom and began zooming in and out and low and behold NOISE could be heard quite easily.If a silent shooting mode is needed look for a different camcorder. Now, I must contemplate taking the camera back but in all likelihood I probably won't. My choices at BB would be a Pany PV39 which I heard had there own issues or a Sony HC26. What to do???

I just received my ZR500 yesterday and it too suffers from what I consider excessive motor noise. I didn't even have to record in a quiet room, it's apparent under most conditions. When you turn the camera on with a tape in it, there is a noticeable whine even when not recording. Is this what everyone else is experiencing?

I just started using my ZR700. I taped a basketball game and I can defineatly hear the motor whine during playback. I can expect that it will really be noticable during quite tapings.
I've also noticed that the video isn't as good as my 10 year old Hitachi 8mm. I will try to test it under better light conditions and see if it's any better. My first test was in a well lit, indoor gymnasium.
I'm not feeling too good about this purchase.

Guys, because of the nature of the tape mechanism, it is normal to hear motor noises when you have a tape in, even when you're not recording. Obviously when you're recording or doing anything else that involves tape movement, you will hear even more noise.

What really matters is how much of that noise gets recorded to your video. Many factors affect this; placement of the mic, sensitivity of the mic (zoom mic's sensitivity increases when you're at full zoom), and lastly how noisy the mechanism is to begin with.

I don't personally own a ZR series cam, but last year when i was looking to buy, i watched some folks videos that they had taken with the zr300 and zr400. It was like those videos were taken in a room that had a fan on. This one guy filmed in his bedroom with the TV on and the noise was still noticeable. Also, listening to the audio that dvspot.com had taken with the ZR series, I found it to be similar to that of the videos I had seen.

So my suggestion is to playback your video on your PC or TV and see how noticeable the noise is.

If you find the noise to be more than desirable, there are programs that can cut out the frequencies in the audio that correspond to the noise, vastly improving your audio.