Canon ZR500 Camcorder Review

Audio (6.75)
The Canon ZR500 provides its users with a Mic-in port, and is, in fact, the only ZR models this year to include it. The reason, states Canon, is that the education market is one of the largest purchasers of their low-end MiniDV cams, but that they also demanded an audio input. So, here we are with the ZR500.

The mic jack should greatly improve audio quality when compared to what can be recorded with the in-camera stereo condenser microphone. It’s located under a cover on the right side of the camcorder body. This port location is away from the lens, which is great, as cables can obstruct the view if the port is located on the front of the camcorder. The only downside to the Mic-in port is the lack of an accessory shoe on the ZR500. Users will either have to hand-hold or tape the microphone to the camcorder body when shooting with an additional mic.

If alteration to the audio setup is required, the user will need to enter the function menu and select the administrative menu option at the bottom of the screen. Once this menu is opened, the audio setup submenu can be entered and users can turn the Wind Cut feature on/off or alter the audio bit recording rate. The wind cut feature, when turned on, will engage a high pass filter that blocks the low tones which are produced when wind hits the diaphragm of the microphone.

Choosing the 12 bit audio rate will allow two tracks of audio to be recorded while leaving two tracks open for later audio dubbing by another system. Selecting the 16 bit sample rate will mean higher audio quality without the option to record additional tracks on another system. This variable bit rate makes sense on camcorders that have an audio dubbing feature in-camera; however, the ZR500 doesn’t have this option, and makes recording at a lower bit rate somewhat absurd since many editing programs allow the importation of 16 bit audio into multi-track layouts during postproduction editing.

VCR Mode (9.0)
The VCR mode is entered by turning the mode dial to the Play mode setting. Users may control tape movement settings through the joystick navigator found on the frame of the LCD screen. This joystick allows for the following controls to be used: play/pause with the up arrow, fast forward with the right arrow, rewind with the left arrow, and stop with down arrow.

If another recording device was used to record multiple tracks, this camcorder (though not capable of producing dubbed audio) is capable of playing it back. It is possible to engage digital effects and faders when viewing images in playback. However, such features are neither easy nor intuitive to access, alter, and implement; while amusing, they hardly merit the labor. It is possible to alter the speaker volume and engage the End Search feature, which finds the last bit if recorded footage and stops the tape there. Next time the user records, there will be no blank spaces between clips.

In the administrative menu, users will find that they can select between audio mode, channel output, and mix balance, functions that would primarily be used when viewing video footage on an external monitor.

Ports (7.75)
There are two port locations on the Canon ZR500. The majority are placed under a rubber port cover on the right side of the camcorder body. This port cover doesn’t really have a tab or other design feature to enable easy opening, and users will find it necessary to slide a finger into a small space when opening it. The A/V out, Mic-in, and DV in/out ports are located beneath it and are positioned horizontally with enough room between each for easy access even when multiple ports are in use. The port cover moves easily out of the way, although it doesn’t feel durable enough to keep locking closed with extended use; eventually it will probably either hang open or be ripped off in frustration. The DC-in port is located on the back of the camcorder beneath the battery which will allow the user to switch between battery and wall power.