Canon ZR700 Camcorder Review

Compression (8.0)
MiniDV tapes experience very slight compression when recording, especially in comparison to the MPEG2 format that is used with current DVD and hard disk camcorders. This means that the Canon ZR700 (Review, Specs, $277) is able to provide far better image quality at a far lower price when compared to DVD format camcorders.

Media (8.0)
There are two media formats that users can record to when shooting with the Canon ZR700. The primary video format for this camcorder is of course still 6.35 mm MiniDV cassette tape while still images and reduced resolution video clips can be also saved to SD/MMC memory cards. The compartment for MiniDV tapes is located on the right side of the camcorder in a bottom loading compartment that can be blocked by the tripod head unfortunately causing headaches and unnecessary aggravation that can be easily avoided by choosing camcorders with top or side loading compartments. The SD/MMC card is also located on the right side of the camcorder directly above the tape compartment. There are only two image resolution settings for the Canon ZR700’s still images with a maximum resolution of 1024 x 768 and a minimum resolution of 640 x 480. When recording video clips to the memory card the image quality will be of a sub-par resolutions of 320 x 240 or 160 x 120 at a stuttering frame rate of just 15 frames per second (as compared to the standard 29.97 frames per second rate found with fixed rate camcorders).

Editing (8.0)
The Canon ZR700 does come with a digital video solutions disc that can run on both Windows and Macintosh platforms. The software did not initially install and it was necessary to take ten minutes to read the installation help me guide to solve this installation driver snafu. Once the PC was reconfigured, this basic software package took between fifteen and twenty minutes to fully install which is definitely far longer than 2006 software offerings by manufacturers like Sony and Panasonic that loaded easily in a reasonable period of time. This software program will allow for basic image editing of both stills and video footage. Viewing images can be done either as single or multi-up formats and users can select a series of images or video clips for editing or composing a larger work. Digital effects can be applied to video and still images and while not advanced like Photoshop or Avid the editing features will at least be a simple starting point for beginning users. Video files can be exported from the digital video solutions program for future viewing outside of this Canon program. Sony's Picture Package software and Panasonic's Motion DVStudio were both easier to install, and had no trouble recognizing the camcorder as soon as it was connected.