Canon ZR850 Camcorder Review

by John Neely
Published on Mar 6, 2007 3:42 PM

Intro Performance
Format
 Auto / Manual Controls
Still Features Handling and Use
Audio / Playback / Connectivity Other Features
Comparisons / Conclusion Specs and Ratings


Compression (5.5)
The Canon ZR850 uses plain old DV compression – a codec that is giving way to a smorgasbord of alternative compression methods in the consumer camcorder market. Despite its status as an endangered species, DV remains the best standard definition codec in terms of both quality and integration into a post-production workflow. The data rate of DV is a fixed 25Mbps, versus a variable rate of 8.5Mbps for the MPEG-2 compression commonly found in DVD, memory card, and HDD-based camcorders. The higher data rate delivers relatively crisp lines and true colors with less noise and artifacts than standard definition MPEG-2. If quality and editability in a standard definition format are your primary concerns, DV is the way to go.

For still images, the JPEG compression is used.

Media (6.0)
The downfall of DV compression is the media that it is recorded to: MiniDV video cassettes. Video tape is a linear recording format, and many consumer videographers prefer the convenience and non-linear nature of DVDs and other media that can be accessed randomly. The benefits of tape are that it’s relatively cheap compared to DVDs, it’s widely available, and it is the the standard definition format most compatible with NLEs (non-linear editors) like Apple Final Cut Pro and Adobe Premiere. Transferring footage to a PC for editing, however is a realtime process, and you can’t pop out a 6.35mm cassette (the measurement refers to the width of MiniDV tape) and play it immediately in your home DVD player, as you can with DVDs.

For still picure capture, the ZR850 supports SD and SDHC memory cards. The slot is located on the top back corner of the right side.

Editing (8.0)
The Canon ZR830 and all other MiniDV camcorders can be integrated into a post-production workflow very easily, and the format is the most mature on the market. Virtually any non-linear editing program supports DV natively, meaning you won’t need to bother with converting footage to an editable format. In addition, DV is widely considered to be a broadcast quality format. MPEG-2 simply lacks the video quality and editing support for broadcast. Even HDV, which looks stunningly sharp on an HD monitor is considered by some to be a consumer format because it renders motion poorly relative to DV.

Transferrring footage is done via the IEEE 1394 port, located on the top front corner of the right side. IEEE 1394, also known as Firewire, i.LINK, or simply DV, provides a highspeed data interface between camcorders and PCs or external hard drives. This camcorder also provides some in-camera options for editing still images stored to an SD or SDHC memory card. Images can be erased or protected, and memory cards can be initialized, which erases all information on a card. The ZR850 features robust photo printing support, allowing you to create print queues, assign paper quality, and even apply effects to your print.

 

 



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