Canon ZR850 Camcorder Reviewby John NeelyPublished on Mar 6, 2007 3:42 PM 
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Automatic Control (4.0)
Like most camcorders, many manual control options are disabled when the camcorder is set to Easy Recording mode, while they are fully adjustable in Recording Program, or P Mode. Interestingly, Canon does not refer to P Mode as manual control mode, and this naming decision probably stems from the emphasis on AE options versus independent control over all image attributes. The Recording Mode selection switch is on top of the body, with options marked P and Easy. In Easy Recording Mode, manual focus and exposure cannot be controlled, but a few rudimentary image settings can be accessed by pressing the Func. button on the LCD frame, and then selecting Menu > Camera Setup. The options are: Auto Slow Shutter On/Off, Digital Zoom, Zoom Speed, Widescreen, and Self Timer.
In Easy Recording mode, the ZR850 (Review, Specs, Recent News, $265) does a decent job, and for the most part, automatic controls are on par with other consumer camcorders in the same price range. Exposure and auto white balance work as they should, though in mixed halogen and natural lighting, the ZR830 (Review, Specs, $240) delivered a particularly off-color image. This is typical of camcorders operating in auto mode, since they are forced to split the difference between lighting of different color temperatures. When the results of auto white balancing are not up to your standards, setting it manually is the way to go.
The other area the ZR850 had trouble with was focus at the top end of its zoom range. This lens has the highest magnification of any Canon optical zoom to date, and it certainly enables you to get up close and personal with your subject. Unfortunately, the camcorder could not hold a sharp focus in Easy Recording mode, even in bright light, at its maximum optical zoom of 35x.
Overall Manual Control (5.0)
The Canon ZR series camcorders have established themselves as consistently good performers that offer a relatively versatile set manual controls and Recording Modes. In combination, the manual image adjustments and AE modes on the Canon ZR850 offer nearly as much flexibility as consumer camcorders that offer independent manual control over settings like gain and shutter speed. While an advanced shooter may prefer the higher level of independent control found on Panasonic’s consumer line, Canon’s image control suite is very efficient, with focus and exposure accessed by simply pressing the LCD-mounted joystick in P, or Recording Program mode.
The number of recording programs on the Canon offers many options for adapting the image parameters for different shooting environments, but some programs are more useful than others. AE is the program that offers the highest level of control over exposure and shutter speed, while most other modes are highly specialized including the esoteric Fireworks program – for shooting fireworks against a dark sky. While the extensive array of program modes might seem mind-boggling at first glance, there is a method to Canon’s madness. This is first and foremost a consumer camcorder that’s geared towards point-and-shooters who may have little familiarity with the ins and outs of manual control adjustments. The Recording Programs are like the Sports or Night modes found on other consumer camcorders, offering shortcuts for getting better looking video in situations that Joe Videographer is likely to encounter. Canon distinguishes itself by offering a suite of Recording Programs that cover a wider range of situations than most.
Zoom (6.5)
The zoom toggle on the Canon ZR850 has a rocking lever design. The lever itself protrudes out from the top of the body near its back end and is positioned well for easy access when hand-holding the camcorder. Barring a zoom ring, rocking lever-style zooms are the design we prefer on consumer camcorders. They allow for more subtle control over zoom speed than sliders, which are also commonly found on compact camcorders. The zoom control on this Canon performs well and traverses the camcorder’s zoom range quickly while still allowing for slower movements in variable speed mode. The zoom can also be set to one of three fixed zoom speeds by selecting the Zoom Speed option from the Camera Setup submenu. Speed 3 moves the zoom at a fixed medium speed, Speed 2 is a bit slower, and Speed 1 is a slow crawl. While a fixed speed faster than medium is not offered, the ZR850 offers more zoom speed options than most consumer camcorders.
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The Canon ZR850 has a great, well-placed zoom toggle |
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Zoom Power Ratio (35.0)
The Canon ZR850 ships with a comparatively powerful 35x optical zoom that would have offered the strongest magnification of any of any 2006 camcorder. The consumer market is a cutthroat place, however, and Sony has released several camcorders in 2007 boasting an even stronger 40x optical zoom. For zoom fanatics, voyeurs, and amateur naturalists, the added 5x might weigh in on their purchase decisions, but most users will find this Canon gets them close enough to the action.
Like virtually all consumer camcorders, the ZR850 also features a digital zoom that can be set to 105x (three times the optical zoom max) or allowed to peak out at 1000x. We advise against the use of digital zooms because they work by magnifying the size of the pixels available at a camcorder’s peak optical zoom power. The result is a rapid decline in image quality as you enter digital zoom territory. If you can live with some image degradation, capping the digital zoom at 105x will offers some quality control. As a further quality control measure, when the camcorder’s digital zoom is capped at 105x, the right side of the zoom indicator bar is colored blue to delineate digital zoom territory, while the left side remains white to denote zoom powers of 35x or less. In addition, when you cross from the optical/digital zoom boundary, the zoom pauses momentarily as a warning sign that digital pixelization is imminent. At the 1000x maximum digital zoom setting, the indicator bar adds a third darker blue subdivision at the 105x/1000x boundary.
Focus (4.0)
The Achille’s heel among virtually every consumer camcorder is manual focus control, and the ZR850 is no exception to the rule with a joystick interface that makes accurate manual focus difficult at best. Using the manual focus control is easy enough. In any P recording mode, (manual focus is not available in Easy Mode) pressing in on the center of the joystick brings up a small on-screen display with options for exposure and focus. Pressing down once on the joystick engages manual focus control, and focus can be moved closer to the lens by pressing left, and further from the lens by pressing right.
On the plus side, focus can be accessed very easily when operating the camcorder in any of the program recording modes. Ease of access to key manual controls on a consumer camcorder is more vital than it might appear at first glance because if a control like focus can be used easily, the likelihood that users will take advantage of it increases exponentially. In the case of many Sony Handycams, focusing manually involves a lengthy detour from the task at hand (shooting) to the P-menu to engage manual focus. At that point, a manual focus overlay appears on the LCD screen, and then you must touch the screen in order to make focal adjustments. Compared to Sony’s touch screen interface that’s buried deep in the menu, obscures your shooting, and employs an unwieldy interface for making manual adjustments, Canon’s manual focus works like a dream.
Exposure & Aperture (5.5)
Engaging manual exposure control is just as easy as manual focus – you press the center of the joystick in P recording mode and then press up to select exposure. This is not an iris control but an exposure compensation adjustment that changes both iris and shutter speed to increase or decrease exposure. The steps are represented on a scale running from -11 on the left to +11 on the right side of the scale.
While the Canon ZR850 defaults to adjusting iris and shutter speed in tandem, it is possible to lock the shutter speed in AE mode and adjust the iris independently. Even though this allows for independent control over iris, the steps are not displayed in f-stops but as simple whole numbers. A few consumer camcorders, notably Panasonics do display f-stops and allow for fully independent iris adjustments, but this Canon still offers more control than the majority of its peers.
Shutter Speed (5.4)
The Canon ZR850 offers a handful of manual shutter speed adjustment settings, making it relatively good for an entry-level camcorder. Many comparable camcorders, including most Sonys, offer no shutter speed control at all, so even the smattering of settings offered on this Canon are welcome. Shutter speed can only be adjusted in Program AE mode, which is effectively the ZR series manual control mode.
Unlike the two manual controls that can be accessed almost instantly with a touch of the onscreen joystick – focus and exposure – shutter speed is located in the menu. Getting there requires a slightly lengthier digression from your shoot, but thanks to the joystick menu control, it can still be accomplished within a few seconds. The settings available are: 1/60th, 1/100th, 1/250th, 1/500th, 1/1000th, and 1/2000th of a second. In a nod to the consumr orientation of the ZR850, the shutter speed selection will flash on screen if it is “inappropriate” to the situation, i.e. if it results in under- or overexposure There are no manually selectable shutter speeds lover than 1/60, but the Auto Slow Shutter option in the Camera Set submenu allows the camcorder to drop below 1/60th automatically in low light.
White Balance (5.5)
Setting white balance manually on this Canon is a relatively fast and painless process. In P mode, press the Function button, navigate to White Balance, and select the manual white balance option by pressing in on the center of the joystick. In most situations, the camcorder will snap adroitly into sync with the current lighting conditions. In environments that are challenging for camcorders to accurately assess white balance, such as low light, the white balance icon did not stop flashing, apparently failing to set properly. The user’s guide claims that even when the icon does not stop flashing, the manual white balance setting is accurate.
In addition to auto and manual white balance settings, the Canon ZR850 includes presets for daylight and tungsten lighting.
Gain (0.0)
Gain cannot be adjusted manually on the ZR850. Panasonic is the only consumer camcorder manufacturer to offer full independent control over gain while most other manufacturers offer no manual gain control, or very limited control (i.e. JVC).
Other Manual Controls (2.0)
All Canon consumer camcorders now come equipped with a small set of “image effects” that can shape image qualities. Found in the Function menu, the image effects on the ZR850 include Vivid, Neutral, and Soft Skin Detail. Vivid increases color saturation, Neutral decreases it, and Soft Skin detail shifts skin tones into more flattering portions of the spectrum. These features can only be turned on and off; there is no finer degree of control. Also, you can only use one at a time.