Canon Announces Three New ZR Camcorders at CES

by News Editor
Published on Jan 7, 2004 12:00 AM



At the 2004 International Consumer Electronics Show today Canon announced three new ZR camcorders. The ZR80, ZR85 and ZR90 have adeptly integrated logical technological progressions, but represent small steps in the continuation of a long line of Canon ZRs. The new camcorders feature minor upgrades including a new digital skin mode, further MPEG recording options, and extended battery life.

Canon's new ZR line of Mini DV camcorders break new ground in the marketplace by affordably placing much-asked-for feature-sets, user-friendly product design and Canon image quality into the hands of more people than ever before, said Yukiaki Hashimoto, senior vice president and general manager of the consumer imaging group at Canon U.S.A.

The Canon ZR80 pictured above.
The camcorders appear to be very similar in body size to their 2003 predecessors-the ZR60, ZR65MC and ZR70MC. The familiar exterior of silver plastic exterior with gray edging around the LCD screen and other functions features remain the same. The ZR80 includes a 18x optical zoom which is the same as it's 2003 predecessor, the ZR60. The ZR85 includes a 20x optical zoom which is also the same as it's 2003 predecessor, the ZR65MC. The ZR90 includes a 22x optical zoom which is also the same as it's 2003 predecessor, the ZR70MC. At the time of this story, information on the CCD size was not available. The camcorders feature Canon's DIGIC chip technology. According to the company press release, DIGIC DV makes it possible to achieve accurate color reproduction for both video and digital photos, by employing two different color techniques to maximize video quality on a TV and still image quality for print or computer display.
The Canon ZR85 pictured above.

New to Canon is a Skin Detail mode which, according to the company press release, Automatically recognizes and softens skin tones when shooting close-ups of people, to reduce skin imperfections and create a more flattering appearance.

In what seems like an attempt to capture some of the success of Sony's touch screen Spot Focus feature, Canon has added a three area focus option where the user can select to have the camera focus on the left, right or center portions of the screen.

As with previous ZR lines, only the top two models, the ZR85 and ZR90 can record stills. They record their stills at 1,024 x 768 pixel resolution to the SD cards. The camcorders can record MPEG video to an SD card, and Canon has added a new feature where users can convert video recorded to a MiniDV cassette to an MPEG video file stored on the SD card within the camcorder. Canon has also added a simultaneous photo option which allows users to save 640 x 480 pixel resolution stills to SD card while they simultaneously record video to the MiniDV tapes. Each of the camcorders features a color viewfinder and a 2.5 in. LCD screen.

The Canon ZR85 pictured above.
The ZR90 includes an S-Video attachment, unlike the ZR85 and the ZR80, which is a downgrade from last years models. In addition, the ZR90 includes a .5X wide angle adapter. Canon has added a new Night Shot mode to the ZR90, titled the Night + Mode which uses an LED light on the front of the camcorder.

All three camcorders will be available in March. The ZR80 will carry a price of $399, the ZR85 will carry a price of $499 and the ZR90 will carry a price of $599.