Customer Reviews

Canon ZR60 MiniDV Digital Camcorder with 2.5" LCD, 18x Optical Zoom and Image Stabilization

5 star:		(15)
4 star:		(9)
3 star:		(10)
2 star:		(3)
1 star:		(7)

 

 

I was somewhat skeptical of the reviews this camcorder got on here. However, after having it for 3 weeks I have found that this is a great product. For it's price it does have a few drawbacks but it is loaded with options. One of my friends, an amateur filmer, thought I paid $800 when I showed him all the specs. Here's a lowdown of the advantages and disadvantages:

Pluses:
1) 18x optical zoom. Let's face it, you DO NOT want to use digital zoom. Digital zoom just "pixelates" your picture(i.e. makes it unclear and messy). If you are looking for good zoom, totally disregard digital zoom and get as much optical zoom as you can. I haven't seen any miniDV Sony camcorder with more than 10x.
2) All the options included. S-video to connect to your tv, 4-pin firewire to connect to your computer..... etc. etc. This sucker is loaded.
3) Low light performance. Ok, there is a lot of controversy on this, but I was filming surfing from a pier an hour after sunset and I still got workable footage. This wasn't even with the night mode on. The worst thing about filming in low light is you have to have a really steady hand because the camera doesn't focus as much. Also, make sure to stay on your object because refocusing can take up to 10 seconds.
4) No motor noise. I don't know what everyone else is talking about but on the playback there isn't any motor noise. I'll leave it at that.
5) Color viewfinder. Don't need to waste batteries by using the LCD.
6) It's made by Canon. Almost every electronic product I have is Canon. They have been excellent to me. When my digital camera broke after having it for a year they fixed it under warranty no questions asked.

Minus
1) The image stabilizer. Compared to a Hi-8 this is a tiny camcorder. You will have to learn to make your hand ultra-steady if you want to get good footage. Still, I don't find this a drawback because you learn quickly how to keep your hand from shaking. Otherwise, buy a tripod.

Accessories you should buy
I struggled with this area because what's included with the camcorder is hard to find. I bought:
1) A Tiffen 30.5 mm UV filter. You can shoot up-sun and the footage still comes out clear.
2) A BP-512 battery. You NEED one of these or a higher version. The camcorder comes with a battery but it barely lasts for an hour. The BP-512 lasts for around 2 hours if you don't use the LCD.
3) A Firewire 4 pin to 6 pin cable. I have an eMac and the firewire port is 6 pin, while on the camcorder it is 4 pin. With one of these you can edit your footage on your computer.
4) If you plan on hooking it up to the tv, buy an s-video cable. The camcorder only comes with an s-video to analog connector(the 3 colored things, red yellow and white)
5) Also, get a camcorder bag. You don't need a huge one because this thing is tiny. Any camcorder bag will work, you'll probably want one that has some form of water resistance just in case.
6) You might want a battery charger. The camcorder comes with one but I bought a TurboCharger anyway.
7) MiniDV tapes. No miniDV tapes come with the camcorder so unless you buy some you'll have nothing to record from.

Summary
Overall, if you are looking for digital quality and don't have a whole bunch of money to spend, go buy this camcorder. Keep in mind that you'll need an extra $150 for accessories and you'll be set.

When my first MiniDV, Panasonic PV-DV600 that I had for 4 years, got damaged in rain, I was desperate to find a replacement to continue my home video making hobby. I was looking for a MiniDV camcorder that could do similar things that my old Panasonic could do. It made me skeptical when I read all those online reviews about this ZR60 camcorder from Canon, but I went ahead due to its price and the accessories that I already have (more on this later). After having it for 1 week, I have been happy with it ALMOST as much as when I had my Panasonic.

Pros: very light weight, very small, very good pictures, very good color rendition, full features, when compared to my PV-DV600 (a $...camcorder at its time), very affordable...Cons: No "Back Light", No "Infra Red (IR) shooting", No "Hot Shoe"

The picture color from the PV-DV600 really was washed out after seeing what the ZR60 can put out. Just looking at the new movies, we are so surprised to see that there is finally color on our TV! The ZR60 also has some motor noise, too! But it truly is not as loud as my old Panasonic, if the Panasonic was loud at all.

Knowing what I was looking for helped the decision on my ZR60. Since I already own a digital camera, incidentally a 4 MP G2 from Canon, I really didn't need the camcorder to take digital photos at all. So this weed out a lot of so-called "high-end" options - sub-par digital photographing. The BP-512 battery and charger that my G2 uses fit perfectly in my ZR60. This saves me well over $...in cost on optional batteries and chargers.

As a home movies maker using my kids a lot, in-door picture quality is actually better than the old PV-DV600. My family room is about 20x20 feet with two 75W floor lamps on each corner. This is the typical in-door, worst-case condition I have. The ZR60 lives up to its promise. My neighbor (Sony TRV22) and I had a shoot-out tonight and the result compelled me to write this review extensively. I sometimes wonder if people who write those reviews about the "grainy" and "poor" in-door pictures are actually from Canon's competitors or what, but I find them very much biased toward the Sony TRV19/22. I don't know the reason why they say that, but I don't see much differences if you are doing straight color shooting. Every critic I read on the internet points to "low light" shooting, but never bother to define what their "low light" condition is. Strange! I am not talking about the IR mode here people! Just straight out apple to apple. They are about the same. Yes the Canon has no IR mode; so stay away if you need IR. I had my Panasonic for 4 years and I only had done IR once - for experimentation purpose just to see how well it works. Also, the night mode is, just that, night mode. Slowing down the shutter so you'll get brighter COLOR pictures. This produces a sort of "slow motion" effect. This is typical for all MiniDV. No brainer. But some people make a big deal out of it. Strange.

If you don't have enough light, use a video light (or color enhanced light in Panasonic's term). You are bound to take grainy picture if you don't have enough light. Even in my 4 mega pixel G2, to produce a brighter picture with the same level of "low light", you have to either slow down the shutter, or use a higher ISO setting. Using high ISO setting is bound to yield grainy pictures, if you want to maintain faster shutter speed. Slowing down the shutter will produce a "slow motion" like video. This is the law of physics.

I feel that either A) people expect too much out of a digital camcorder B) don't know what digital photography is C) too lazy to read their manual or D) comparing apple to orange (IR Vs non-IR). This is why I want to stand up for the fact, and not for the brand.

To tell the truth, a simple 3W video light goes a long way if you shoot in-door up to 10 feet. Use higher power; say 20W, for a larger crowd and wider coverage. When using video lights, don't stand too close to your subject for they'll over exposed.

I have done my homework and (yes) I know what I am looking for after using a MiniDV to make homemade DVD for over 4 years. The Canon ZR60 covers everything I need except for no "back light" (brings some inconvenience), no "IR mode" (not needed), and no "Hot shoe" (kind of making me angry). Other than these issues, the Canon ZR60 is what a typical family needs without paying a whole lot.

First off, MANY people complain about the motor noise on this model as well as the other ZR series dv camcorders. Don't worry about it and do yourself a favor and buy an external mic! You'll get MUCH better sound - internal mics on camcorders usually aren't great. Here is the solution, after researching this for awhile. Get the following products:

1. Sony WCS-999 Wireless Mic System
2. Sony ECM-717 Table Top Single Point Mic

The WCS-999 comes with a transmitter and receiver and one lavalier mic (clip on type). In addition, the transmitter has a stereo mini port input for the mic and so does the receiver. The ECM-717 is great if you just want to set it up and forget it. It's dual powered, so it can run on batteries and plugged directly into the mic port on the ZR60 and then clipped to your shirt or whatnot. This approach places the mic far enough away from the camcorder to eliminate all motor noise. Secondly, you can plug the ECM-717 into the transmitter of the WCS-999 - then plug the WCS-999 receiver into the ZR60. Next, you just put the WCS-999 transmitter (with the ECM-717 attached) on a table and then shoot your video. For dual mixed sound, plug the lavalier mic that comes with the WCS-999 into the receiver and clip it to your shirt. Then you are picking up sound from the ECM-717, wherever you locate it, AND the mic clipped on to your shirt.

Bottom line, this provides you with enough options to get excellent sound and TOTALLY eliminates the motor whine that people "whine" about! For $, you can't expect the world but considering the ZR series has excellent picture quality (and the ZR60 is better than the 40 in that department), spend the extra money and get the mic hookups! The WCS-999 system can be had for around $ online. You can get by with just this. The ECM-717 unit is approx. $. So, you spend an extra $ and you get quality sound, quality pictures, etc.

I won't go on about the camera - many have here - just look at the reviews of the ZR40 series to get a feel for it. Most people who complain complain about the motor noise and the battery life. Again, do yourself another favor and get the BP-522 battery - it gives you about 5 hours of recording time with the LCD on.

You get what you pay for. Don't skimp and you will have a very nice system and if you decide to upgrade later once prices come down on the more sophisticated cameras, you can always use the mic systems with that new camera - they will not be throw away.

For I/O with your computer, get a simple IEEE 1394 firewire card. I actually got a 1394 firewire card that also has USB 2.0 ports. Then, SIIG, Inc. makes a "hub" that mounts in the front of your PC. You then connect the internal PCI card to the hub and that places all the ports right there on the front of your PC - very convenient. The card I got is a Belkin 1394/USB 2.0 card.

Digital video is great - if you add a DVD burner you can make your own DVDs and preserve your memories forever....

I've had my camera for a few days now and spent the weekend really putting it to the test. First thing is you need to change the default settings to accommodate for the low light problem. Here are the settings you should use (I read this on digital camcorder forum):

* Program AE: Auto
* AE Shift: <= -1.0
* Shutter: 1/60
* White Balance: Indoor.

With these settings indoor filming is quite good, still not perfect, but according to everything I read, these type of cameras (mini-DV) are never going to be great low light performers. When I filmed outside or in my workshop (which has ALOT of light) the quality was amazing.

I love the 18x zoom on this camera. There are many different fading options as well as other effects (Black&White is cool). It also comes with a remote control that comes in handy. The LCD screen is a good size as well as very functional. Manual is good as well.

I have not downloaded it to my computer yet, but from what I read it comes with good software which makes it easy.

Bottom line, I do not feel you can get a better camera in this price range with all of the options as long as you do not use the default settings for indoor filming. Supposedly the Sony's are better indoor performers but they only come with 10x zoom (I really like the 18x) and they do not have any manual control buttons and the LCD screens are suppose to be pretty bad, plus they are more. Also, the battery that comes with this one only last approximately one hour.

pros:
- powerful 18x zoom. while less powerful than its siblings (20x for zr65 and 22x for zr70), 18x zoom is still better than most (sonys typically have 10x zoom).
- generally good video quality.
- pass-through analog-digital conversion.
- many optional accessories using the accessory shoe.
- low price, okay value.

cons:
- the deal breaker for me is poor low light performance - expect very grainy video unless the room is well lit.
- the accessory shoe is not a hot shoe; this means that while you can get a third party video light, the camcorder will have absolutely zero interaction with the light. contrast this with sony, which has some video lights that will even adjust light intensity automatically depending on inputs from the camcorder.
- does not support flash memory for stills but given the poor still quality of the zr65 and zr70, this isn't a terrible loss.
- colors a bit washed out in videos.
- bottom loading cassette - can't remove tape while camcorder is on a tripod.
- motor noise can be heard when recording a quiet room.
- while easy to hold, this camcorder is a little bigger than its competition: 2.3"W x 5.8"D x 4.1"H, weighing 18.3 oz.

it's hard to beat the price of the zr60, but you get what you pay for. if you shoot mainly in well lit situations and don't need still photo capability, this may work for you. for low light situations, you can also use a video light. but for outdoor shoots with low light, video lights won't help much either. although a bit more expensive, i would recommend the trv19 over the zr60. i hope this helps your buying decision. peace.

I don't understand all the universal negative feedback from customers about this camera revolving around the two issues:
(a) Abysmal low-light performance: video comes up pixelated/grained.
(b) In low ambient noise situations, a high-pitched sound in the background.

I have used this unit for over 3 months now, in many situations, and have never had either of the above problems.

If you care to head over to some serious websites such as camcorderinfo.com or such, you'll notice that this camera is being used by professionals with good success in a variety of lighting conditions. If you insist on being a point and shoot person, and don't want to spend the 10-15 minutes it takes to breeze through the manuals, well you have to live with the default factory settings -- which are NEVER ideal, for ANY brand.

If on the other hand you don't mind fiddling and experimenting a little with your device -- which is almost a necessity for good stills or videos -- then the ZR60 is a very charming, almost an addictive, gadget.

Below I offer some of my comments about this camera, and some suggestions on how you can get the best out of this brilliant device:

NOTEWORTHIES & HOW TO GET THE BEST OUT OF IT:

(1) The accessory shoe allows for an extra boom-light or boom-mic. All of the cam's supposed lighting "issues" can be handled with these simple accessories. (P.S. A good boom light can be had off eBay for under $40.)
(2) Aside from that, the camera's indoor/outdoor/auto white balance is right on and the in-camera mic is of decent quality (although serious videographers may wish to consider a wireless lapel/boom set.)
(3) For indoor shooting, you can try tweaking the Auto Exposure (AE) of the lens: lower it to about -1.0 for low light footage.
(4) The camera's steadying function is awesome -- ideal for handheld situations.
(5) Installs for PC and a Mac with equal lack of difficulty.
(6) Long battery life with the big battery.
(7) An often unnoticed fact: this recorder comes with an 18x *optical* zoom (as opposed to a digital zoom.)
(8) With Windows XP, you can use this piece as a webcam.
(9) Quite miniscule compared to other cameras, notably Sony's DCRs or the entry-level JVCs.
(10) The colors are so much more vivid than almost any other brands I have seen. Especially scenes of nature show up with the same beauty that you get from Canon's lens in their digicams!

QUIBBLES & IMPROVEMENT POSSIBILITIES:

(1) Bottom loading tape. This sucks when you have the cam mounted on a tripod for instance.
(2) Digital effects buttons could have and should have been located on the outside of the camera body so you don't have to open the swivel viewfinder if you don't want to.
(3) Flimsy connector cover for s-video out/ firewire out.
(4) The buttons do not light up in the dark (minor quibble.)
(5) No timelapse function (although I may still have to RTFM.)

SUMMARY:

In short, for a sub-400 camcorder I get Canon's topnotch lens technology without punching a hole in my wallet, and I have a DV camera with superb results that has me thinking very strategically about video -- being aware of lighting, noise, steadiness, etc. Planning your shots and editing afterwards will go farther to improve your videos than shelling out the extra hundreds dollars for competing cameras. This is quite easily my no.1 recommendation to friends just starting out with video.

I've just bought this camera less than 2 weeks ago and i'm already in love with it. Very easy to learn and get used to, consumer friendly. Nice picture quality on the computer and you get the same if not better resolution when hooking it up to the tv. The battery life isn't very long but you can easily live with it unless you need to tape a sporting event which carries on for more than an hour or so. Recharger works fine, the viewfinder has very nice quality. Not recommended for pictures but you can freeze any frame you shoot during filming and export the photo on the computer but the quality isn't anything like a digital photo from a nice camera but it's acceptable. But for filming it is exellent quality, I've had zero problems with the computer compatibility and I have a macintosh so it should work on most other computers without a hitch hopefully. Has extra shooting modes for the more experienced person like sports, low light, night, etc ... which offers better shooting under those surroundings. I very much enjoy this camera and can't wait to see what is next. The only accessories needed are a firewire cable to the computer and a mini dv tape or so and if you wish a long battery

I bought this camcorder to replace my old Hi-8 Sony TRV65. I was a little hesitatant about buying it despite the very attractive price because of the complains here on Amazon about (a) poor low light sensitivity and high noise level, and (b) audible motor sound. Ultimately, other factors (about them later) convinced me to buy this camcorder. Let me first address the noise issues first.

I videotaped a test footage by both Canon ZR60 and my old analog Sony TRV65 (which used to be a relatively high end consumer-grade camcorder back in 1998), and burned them side by side to a DVD. I found the following: (1) The video noise level of the Canon in poor light condition is exactly the same as that of the analog Sony; (2) the Sony measures the light intensity differently - it tends to bring up the details in the shadows while overexposing the bright spots, whereas the Canon adjusts the exposure for the bright spots, while the shadow come out quite dark in the picture - hence the wrong impression that the Sony has a better light sensitivity (3) Canon has a selection of several color temperatures through the menus (such as artificial light and sunlight), which makes the overall results better - Sony tends to make outside colors bluish and the insight shots reddish (4) the analog Sony has a better microphone with a better sensitivity - the voice of a person who speaks in a quite room 6-8 feet from the cameras comes out louder in the Sony's footage (5) The motor noise in the Canon is indeed somewhat louder than in the Sony, and it sounds like a high-pitch tone whereas the sony's motor sounds as quite hummering in the background. This noise is audible when you videotape in a quite room with little or no background sounds and is a little annoying, but it is not untolerably bad. Hence, I can say that the Canon, while is much smaller, is overall not any worse than the 6-year old high-end Hi-8 analog camcorder. Of course the technology has developed in 6 years, but for this rockbottom price the Canon shows a very decent performance.

Now for the features. A great advantage of ZR60 is that it has a built-in analog-to-digital converter which allows one to connect any analog video source (a VCR or an analog camcorder) and use the Canon as a capture device to convert analog video into digital. This feature was a primary reason why I decided to buy this camcorder as I have some 25+ analog videotapes and want to convert all of them to DVD. Converting and editing home videos is a slow process, but I already converted 8 hours of home videos to DVDs with the excellent image quality, and none of the problems which video capture boards (which are typically priced over hundred dollars) are known for (such as poor audio/video synchronization). Sony also includes this feature in some of its digital camcorders, but those are usually priced over eight hundered dollars.

Additionally, for those for whom the motor noise is a serious issue, there is a microphone jack on the camcorder (a feature usually found only in high-end camcorders). Plug in any stereo microphone, and all motor-related noices in the video will be gone.

A compact size and relatively easy operation is also a great plus.

I have only a few minor complaints. There is no "record while the button is pressed" mode which I got used to in the past - you always have to press the button once to start the recording, and press it again to stop the recording. Image stabilizer is not very efficient. There is no built-in title generator to add the date or location to the video (this can be done later on a computer, but you have to remember the dates and the names of the places). Finally, the only software enclosed with the camcorder is a totally useless program for videoconferencing - nothing at all for image editing (fortunately, there are free Windows Movie Maker in WinXP and iMovie on the Mac which are good enough for the first experiments with digital video editing).

Overall, while this camcorder is not the most advanced piece of video technology, it is a very decent camera which gives you a lot for the money and helps a lot in a transition from analog to digital video. If you are shopping for a camcorder in this price range and cannot afford or do not want to go for a $800+ camera, this Canon is a great deal.

There are a couple of other modifications of Canon, ZR65 and ZR70, which cost more, but differ mostly in features which in my opinion are not very valuable or practical.

Props go to all the people that decided to change the shutter speed and turn a few more lights to get a good picture, and give this camera the good review it deserves.

DIRECT FROM CALLING CANON TECH SUPPORT, NOT SALES:
The ZR-80 DOES NOT have... an external mic input or an s-video out

I called Canon tech support to get a comparison between the 2 models ZR-60 and ZR-80, and the tech said honestly that if I like the option to plug in an external mic, then definately keep the ZR-60. He also went on to say, that the low-light settings haven't changed much and that the battery life is slightly longer with the ZR-80, which comes with the exact same battery as the ZR-60.

Compare the power comsumption of the two cameras-

ZR-80: 2.3 W (using viewfinder), 3.3 W (using LCD screen)
or the
ZR-60: 2.9 W (using viewfinder), 3.8 W (using LCD screen)

It's not that big of a difference, but he did say is that the main reason for the difference in power consumption was because the buttons on the side of the ZR-80 do not light up like on the outside of the ZR-60 (these lighted buttons can be convient for night filming, since the ZR-60 has no backlight, neither does the ZR-80).

The ZR-80 has no added features aside from the "Skin Detail" function, which is supposed to smooth close up's of people. Although changing the default settings on the ZR-60 would do the same thing.

Although, the ZR-80 will be a newer camera package, weighing less and is smaller (how small can you get?), it will be the same price as the ZR-60 currently is. Mainly, Canon took out some features to keep the price low, since they said a lot of "home-video" type consumer's weren't using them. But for a budding film maker, quality sound (external mic input) and the ability to view footage more clearly on a TV (s-video) by using regular RCA jacks is vital.

Your best bet if you want the features listed above, go out before the ZR-80's come out and buy a ZR-60, you'll get more bang for your buck if you are willing to change some default settings for light and buy a few extra accessories (mic, bigger battery, s-video cable) you will get some great footage. Get the specs and features for yourself at canon's site and tech support line.

In my opinion, this is the best all around camcorder money at a great price. I used this camcorder every day for almost a year and the results were always fantastic. There werent ever any glitches or issues I had. This camcorder is small enough that you can take it practically anywhere. The quality is a huge step up from analog and Hi-8. I have absolutely no complaints.