Canon ZR60, ZR65MC, ZR70MC First Impressions Camcorder Review

At the Consumer Electronics Show 2003, Canon announced three new ZR MiniDV camcorder models. The ZR60, ZR65MC, and ZR70MC are replacements for the ZR40, ZR45MC, and ZR50MC. Although they didn't change much, what changes they did make were just improving a good thing and making it better. The new ZRs seem to have the potential to be really great entry level MiniDV camcorders.

ZR60
The ZR60 is improved over the previous model, the ZR40 in a few ways, the biggest being that Canon increased the CCD resolution to 680K pixels. The camcorder includes a 2.5 in. Flexible Color View Screen, 18X Optical Zoom/360X Digital Zoom, Color Night Mode, Image Stabilization, a microphone, both microphone in and headphone out ports, and a built-in Analog to Digital Converter, and more. The ZR60 carries an MSRP of $499, dropped by $100 from the ZR40.

All the ZR models have a rounder feel to them, which I like a lot. Not much else has been changed other than the inclusion of DV Messenger software. The software is pretty cool. The new ZRs, including the ZR60 are able to function now as web cams through the Firewire port. You can use the web cam feature of MSN messenger and the DV Messenger plug-in to control the camcorder of the person on the other end. You can make it zoom and record, you can play, fast-forward and rewind tapes and also view stills off their SD card.

The ZR60 still includes a large zoom, a great picture and lots of manual control. What's really great though is that they've dropped the price by $100, making it a great choice for the budget camcorder buyer.

ZR65MC
The ZR65MC adds an SD card slot for saving 1024 x 768 digital stills to. It also has a 20x optical zoom, and all the features of the ZR60. The ZR60 also includes a neat direct print feature which allows you to hook the camcorder up to a Canon or other compatible printer and print with out a computer.

I think the ZR65MC is the sweet spot in the Canon line, and possibly the best entry level MiniDV camcorder available. Again, at a price point of just $599, it beats the similarly price Sony camcorder by adding more control options, better handling and digital stills.

ZR70MC
The 70MC has all the features of the 65MC plus they're including a wide angle adaptor for free - that’s about a $50 value. The other upgrades are a 22x optical zoom, motion JPEG recording, and super night recording mode. In super night recording mode the shutter speed is dropped below 30 frames per second to over expose each frame for improving image quality.

Conclusion
In handling the new ZRs they felt a little better and more ergonomic than the pervious models but other than that they were practically the same. The 2002 ZR models were great camcorders, and the ZR 2003 models have changed slightly, all of which seem to be improvements. The biggest improvement however is the price drop. Canon has effectively shifted their model line's prices so that the ZR at a certain price point, includes similar features of a camcorder priced $100 more by a competitor. It's going to provide some tough competition for Sony, Panasonic, JVC and Sharp. Withholding judgment on the picture quality. The ZR camcorders look like they might be the best, entry level MiniDV camcorders on the market in 2003.