Canon ZR80 First Impressions Camcorder Review

by Mark Bassett
Published on Jan 20, 2004 12:00 AM



The Canon ZR80 is the least expensive camcorder in the line of new ZR's released at the 2004 Consumer Electronics Show. The ZR80 is a basic point and shoot MiniDV camcorder without the benefit of an SD card for stills, a feature that appears in both the ZR85 and the ZR90. Canon separates itself from the pack of manufactures with 65 years of acclaim in the optics industry. The ZR80 has the solid appearance of a well designed piece of machinery, and the camcorder feels comfortable in hand.

The new ZR line is 18% smaller than models featured in last years ZR line. A slew of external function buttons for manual control, digital effects, and VCR playback are organized well on the housing. One drawback is the depressible jog dial that controls these features, as placement and size might trouble users. With a low Manufactures Suggested Retail Price (MSRP) of $499, the Z80 should appeal to novice and budget minded consumers who don't need digital still capabilities.

Video Performance
The Canon ZR80 is fitted with the same 1/6 inch 680K pixel CCD with 340K effective as last years ZR line. While testing video performance on the floor would be subjective at best, it is a reasonable logical leap to liken the camcorder's performance to last years ZR65MC. In the camcorderinfo.com review of the ZR65MC, the video performance was described as excelling in sunny lighting or well lit situations, and producing an under saturated or muted image in less then optimal lighting.

One aspect of video performance which could be evaluated was processor response time in auto mode. The ZR80 is built with a DIGIC chip with VIC circuit connectivity. The combination is described by Canon as minimizing the number or chips used in camcorder functionality, and thus increasing the unit's electronic efficiency. The ZR80 was lighting fast when shift from principals at a variety of focal lengths, and staying in focus while adapting to new levels of zoom. How the new DIGIC chip willl change video performance is unknown.

The Front
The historically prominent Canon 30.5mm lens tops the front of the ZR80. The Canon Video Lens has a large 18x optical zoom, a focal range of 2.8-50.4mm, and the Fstop steps are 11:1.6. Below the lens is a blue brushed surface that features the Canon logs superimposed in gray. Underneath the logo is a vertical infrared sensor, shaped like a flat Tylenol capsule. The sensor bisects the two channel microphone with wind-screening capabilities, that records 12 or 16bit sound. Directly underneath the microphone is a gray rubber panel that conceals a DV port for Firewire connectivity. Last year that cover was blue.

The Right Side
Running from front to back on the right side of the ZR80, is a newly designed all-suede strap without the pleather boarder that appeared on last years models. At the front of the ZR80 is an AV In/Out port covered by a gray plastic cover. As one's eye scans front to back along the housing, which conceals the bottom loading tape mechanism, a gradual cylindrical progression of plastic ovals ends at the locking mode selector. This visually enticing alteration serves an ergonomic purpose; the most pronounced portion of the cylinder is a great place to rest your thumb when not engaging functions.

The Back
A new feature on the back of the ZR80 is a toggle switch that limits access to manual and digital functions. It was described by demonstrators on the floor as the little brother button or a way to keep your little brother from changing your pre-selected settings. However, it's designed to simply default the camcorder back to full automation if a newbie gets into trouble in the LCD menu or with manual settings. Above the little brother button, is a red record button superimposed over the silver and green locking menu selector.

The back of the ZR80 is home to the lithium Ion battery-pack that allows for nearly two hours of shoot-time. Remove the battery and expose the 7.4 volt power cable input. On the upper right of the back of the ZR80, is the battery ejection button.

The Left Side
The left side of the ZR80 has two looks. One with the LCD screen open for shooting, and the other with the LCD reversed and inlayed for viewing footage. Canon's placement of four brushed steal dual-feature VCR control buttons above the LCD gives the ZR line a clever multi-purpose look. The rewind and fast forward double as tape search selector, the play button doubles as the manual focus selector, and the stop button engages night shot. Underneath, or behind the 2.5 inch LCD are more feature buttons, one for digital effects, one for manual or automatic exposure, and one for record pause.

At the back of the LCD, near the battery, are the menu button and the frequently used depressible jog dial. The menu button engages a slew of digital effects options, and manual features like the white balance settings. The depressible jog dial allows users to scroll through menu options and make choices by pushing the spring loaded dial into the camcorder housing. In addition, the dial controls manual focus and exposure steps. The little depressible jog dial is akin to what the mouse is to a personal computer. The dial appears to be designed with petite hands in mind, and big clumsy all-thumbs types will certainly curse the size. The placement of the dial is another area that could be improved, unless you happen to be lefty. With one hand in the smooth suede strap, and the other supporting the underside of the camcorder, the dial is no where near a thumb or forefinger, this makes adjustments awkward.

The Top
A new development on the top of the ZR80 is a viewfinder housing that extends a full 80 degrees from the locked position, to allow users to shoot with the viewfinder while holding the camcorder palm up against the bottom. The top of the ZR80 houses an accessory port that can be only be used with a self-powered spot light. There are no external microphone capabilities, an important feature for anyone concerned with good sound recording. At the back right of the ZR80 is a raise toggle switch that controls the 18x optical zoom. The toggle is slightly awkward, but positioned in good proximity to the record button and the electronic shutter. The electronic shutter is located an eighth of an inch behind the zoom toggle.

Picture & Manual Control
Automatic Control
The ZR80 is a solid performer when it comes to both manual and automatic control. The DigicDV processor has the power to control automation, specifically changes in focal points, zoom, and lighting environments in near seamless fashion under well lit conditions.

Overall Manual Control
The Canon ZR series continue to offer users a significant amount manual control over picture quality. The ZR80 covers nearly all the bases with manual control over focus, exposure, shutter speed and white balance. Missing from the list are gain control, and audio controls. The dial which controls the manual functionsis too small and awkwardly placed to make the most of the ample manual options.

Zoom
The Canon ZR80 offers an impressive 18x optical zoom. The optical zoom has been a standout feature in the ZR line for several years. The power of an 18x optical zoom combined with 65 years of lens excellence sets the ZR80 apart from camcorders designed by other manufactures. The zoom is controlled with a redesigned but slightly awkward looking raise toggle switch. The zoom control accurately designates the desired speed of the zoom, unfortunately, it seemed as there were only two zoom speeds.

Focus
The focus control on the ZR80 leaves something to be desired. While the ease of access to engage manual focus is outstanding, the absence of a focus ring is disappointing. A button on the left side of the ZR80 puts the camcorder in manual focus mode, but focal adjustments are made with the depressible jog dial.

Exposure (Aperture)
The ZR80 has manual exposure control, AE shift, the feature is activated and controlled in the same fashion as manual focus. There are fifteen steps of exposure displayed in number format in either the LCD or the viewfinder.

Shutter Speed
Users can set the shutter speed through the LCD menu on ZR80. The steps of speed escalate incrementally - 1/60, 1/100, 1/250, 1/500, 1/1000, to 1/2000th of a second.

White Balance
As with most consumer point and shoot camcorders, the ZR80 has the standard white balance settings. Choosing between auto, manual, indoor or outdoor is achieved within the LCD menu.

Gain
The Canon ZR80 offers no manual gain control.

Still Performance
The ZR80 shoots stills to MiniDV at 640 x 480. A drawback in shooting stills to tape is the resulting time code pause while the image is recorded. In the case of the ZR80 that pause lasts six seconds. But unlike most camcorders the ZR80 continues to record sound during the six seconds. While this may not be a major upgrade for those who intend to edit the footage, and enhance sound with background music or voice over, it is a nice feature for family viewing of unedited MiniDVs. For example, if taping your two year olds birthday and snapping off a still of the candles being extinguished, the subsequent squeals of glee will be preserved.

VCR Mode
The ZR80 has stainless steal rewind, fast forward, play, and stop button located directly above the LCD. Not only is the placement top rate, creating a self contained playback device when the LCD is housed screen side out, the buttons themselves are large and function well. The VCR mode on the Canon ZR80 includes all the features you need with the exception of a frame by frame shuttle.

Low Light Performance
The low light performance of the Canon ZR80 could not be evaluated on the floor of CES, the lighting was just too perfect. The ZR80 features the same 1/6th inch 680k CCD as in previous year's models, and even with the quality camcorder lens, the small size of the CCD translated into poor low light performance in the past. It's reasonable to assume that the new ZR80 performs like its processors in that department. Previous observations included excessive picture grain in low or moderate light. The ZR80 is rated for shooting at 2 LUX (night-mode) and has a suggested minimum LUX requirement of more than 100. An approximation of conditions on the floor of CES, a well lit environment with both halogens and incandescent, was 150LUX.

LCD/ Viewfinder
The Canon ZR80 has a 2.5 in color LCD screen with 112,000 pixels of resolution. The LCD shows a crisp clear image, and the fonts in the display don't clutter the space. The LCD can be manipulated to a slew of angles, and flipped and recessed into the camcorder body creating a handy portable playback device. The color viewfinder has incredible angular adjustment, when unlocked the viewfinder rotates up to full 80 degrees-nearly perpendicular. Why is this important? If your preferred shooting style is to hold the camcorder from the bottom with an open palm, without a nearly perpendicular viewfinder you would need to shoot with the LCD. Also, if working with a tripod in a low angle or table top style shot, a viewfinder that only lifts 45 degrees is essentially useless-unless you don't mind wearing knee pads. A drawback of the viewfinder is the thin plastic eye cup, which is frustrating for those who wear glasses.

Audio
Sound was another feature that could not adequately be tested at CES. Although, as a general rule built in camcorder microphones are not the greatest way to capture accurate acoustics. Unfortunately the ZR80 doesn't have any accessory microphone options; the cold-shoe is for spotlight only. Canon removed the microphone in jack that was on previous ZRs, it's a big problem if you want to improve your audio quality.

Handling
Canon's ZR80 handles great. The newly designed ergonomic thumb rest that abuts the record button adds to the intuitive feel of the camcorder. The ZR80 rests firmly in hand with a newly designed suede strap, and feels substantial-not like a plastic toy. The integration of stainless steal buttons and muted brushed colors add to the appearance and functionality. The ZR80 is very balance, and easy to steady for long periods of time. The addition of extra viewfinder rotation offers the opportunity for new shooting postures, and the reduction of size translates to less weights. Detractors are the bottom loading tape mechanism and its strangely placed, small eject switch. The switch is located in the corner of the bottom of the camcorder-tripod users take note. Another area for improvement is the depressible jog dial. Specifically, increasing the size and moving the dial to the front of the camcorder where it can be easily accessed by a users thumb. This is a stand out feature on the Optura XI, a recently release consumer/prosumer camcorder from Canon. Port placement is another well thought out aspect of the ZR80, and the high quality, sturdy plastic covers that conceal ports when not in use, are in a word-high grade.

Ports
The ZR80 has a two ports, a Mini AV in / out jack, which is also the headphone jack, and a Firewire port.

Other Features

The ZR80 has very few other features, however, one digital feature that bears mentioning is the Skin Detail Function which softens skin tones. This feature is designed to minimize the sharp focus on facial imperfections; eliminating potential embarrassing moments during group playback.

Analog to Digital Pass Through The ZR80 can transfer an analog signal from a VCR or television to DVD, and can directly duplicate that content if your PC has a DVD burner.


Comparisons
The ZR80 technically replaces the ZR65MC or the ZR60, however, by in large the camcorder of the ZR line have the same CCD size and video and low light performance. As a result the true comparisons in the line are with still capabilities and additional features, which seem to be the current trend camcorder with the exception of Panasonic-who offered a moderately priced three CCD camcorder. When it comes to still capabilities, the ZR80 is little brother of the line. The both the ZR85 and ZR90 have SD cards.

Sony's DCR-TRV19 was the one video and low light performer in the 2003 CamcorderInfo.com Select Award in this price category. The camcorder outperformed last year's ZRs, but the zoom power was significantly less. The new Sony camcorders have decrease the size of the CCD in their 2004 models, so cacorderinfo.com looks forward to comparing Sony and Canon models in the future.


Who's it For
Point and Shooter's
The ZR80 will function fine for the point and shoot user as long as they don't have a need for still performance, as the camcorder is a still to tape machine.
Budget Consumers
The ZR80 offers a good value for a top notch lens, a well built housing, and a fast processor. While low-light and video could not be evaluated, if previous models are any indication, the camcorder will work best in optimal lighting conditions.
Still Photo / Video Camera Hybrid
The ZR80 shoots stills to tape at 640x480.
Gadget Freaks
The ZR80 is more along the lines of a stripped down MiniDV point and shooter.
Manual Control Freaks
The ZR80 has abundant manual control, the only drawback is the control mechanism.
Pro's/ Serious Hobbyists
The low light performance could be an issue in pro shooting situation.

Conclusion
The ZR80 is a good point and shoot camcorder with a small CCD. The stand out zoom and lens, and the well designed and strong construction are two positives, unfortunately there are many detractors. Namely no SD card, still to tape, and no external microphone capabilities. If considering purchasing the ZR80, seriously consider spending a few dollars more (literally) and looking into the more sophisticate models in the ZR line. If they haven't improved the low light quality on this year's models, once again, it will be hard to recomend the ZRs because of their poor low light performance - however we can't make conclusions on this until we have models to test in our hands.