Canon ZR850 1MP MiniDV Camcorder with 35x Optical Zoom

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Product Details

• Item Weight: 8 pounds
• Shipping Weight: 3 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Shipping: Currently, item can be shipped only within the U.S.
• ASIN: B000M4JDQQ
• Item model number: ZR850
• Average Customer Review: 3.9 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (46 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #3,836 in Camera & Photo (See Bestsellers in Camera & Photo)

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  Camera & Photo > Camcorders > Digital MiniDV

• Date first available at Amazon.com: April 18, 2005

Product Description

Manufacturer Description

Manufacturer Description

Overview
The Canon ZR850 is a perfect balance of style, performance and affordability -- featuring Genuine Canon 35x Optical Zoom lens, advanced image stabilization system, widescreen HR recording, DIGIC DV image processing, joystick controller, and level and grid markers. The results are brilliant video and digital photos that you can easily share with family and friends.

The ZR850 includes a 1.07 Megapixel CCD, along with an array of features that turn your camcorder into a digital still camera, including 9 point AiAF (Auto Focus), progressive photo, simultaneous photo recording, special scene modes, and image effects. It is also compatible with SD HC (High Capacity) memory cards for storing even more of your images. A built-in video light ensures that regardless of the conditions, your subject will be clearly seen.

Canon ZR850 Highlights

35x Optical Performance You Can See
The name Canon is synonymous with optical excellence the world over. Brilliant optical quality is part of every Canon broadcast TV lens, 35mm film camera, digital camera and camcorder -- and the ZR850 is no exception. It gives you clear, vibrant and brilliant video and digital photographs.

Your ZR850 camcorders come with Genuine Canon Optics, known worldwide by professionals and consumers alike for unsurpassed optical performance. In addition, the ZR camcorders come equipped with Canon's longest zoom ever: a 35x Optical Zoom. Plus, a powerful 1000x digital zoom lets you get close to the action from even farther away.

Image Stabilization The ZR850's image stabilizer allows you to shoot rock-steady video -- even at maximum telephoto without a tripod -- for professional-looking video.

Shoot rock-steady video

Brilliant Video

The new ZR850 features Canon's exclusive DIGIC DV image processor, which processes video and photos differently, resulting in exceptional color and clarity for both. Other features make it easy to record brilliant video.

Create the perfect shot

Smooth Zoom Control With Canon's smooth zoom control, you'll have three, pre-set zoom speeds that ensure professional, steady zoom shots.

Level and Grid Markers Capturing level, well-composed shots is simple with the ZR850. Line up the horizon or other horizontal lines with the Level Marker in the viewfinder for level landscapes. Or, use the Grid Marker to help compose the perfect shot. Both markers can be set to white or grey for enhanced visibility, no matter what the background.

Built-in Video Light The ZR850 even comes with a built-in video light so you can record video that's great -- when the light isn't.



Megapixel Performance

With the ZR850 you get a 1.07 megapixel CCD image sensor. Your video will be sharper, clearer and more true to life, as will your photos. Every sunset on the beach will be more dramatic with every color in the sky faithfully captured. The joy on the face of a child scoring her first goal on the soccer field is recorded just as you saw it.

Widescreen HR Recording

You want your memories to last forever -- that's why you've taken the time to capture them. And you want to shoot in widescreen format to get everything you can out of your new widescreen TV or home theater system.

So, why is the way you record widescreen images so important? Because you want an image made for widescreen, not adapted for widescreen. Because every HD television is widescreen -- widescreen is the future.

Canon camcorders use the entire width of the image sensor to capture video in true 16:9 format. What difference does this make? It's simple. With more pixels captured, you get better image quality. Some competitors' camcorders force the wider picture into a smaller space on the sensor -- giving you a less true image, with fewer pixels and lower quality.

In addition, the viewfinder on your ZR850 displays your widescreen image in a letterbox view. From side to side and top to bottom, what you see is what you get. You can also view your widescreen shot in the ZR850's large, 2.7-inch LCD screen or its .35-inch color viewfinder. Either way, there isn't the guessing or extra work in looking at an image that's distorted like a fun house mirror.

To make things even easier, a Widescreen Button lets you switch from standard 4:3 to 16:9 Widescreen HR at the touch of your finger. You can also use the widescreen feature with the camcorder's advanced image stabilization.

Every one of the camcorders in Canon's new ZR series gives you Widescreen HR Recording at a very affordable price. Why shouldn't your camcorder shoot as wide as your widescreen TV? It should -- and it's hard to match the widescreen video, or the value, you'll get from your Canon ZR.

Easy Operation

The new ZR850 comes with a variety of features that make it an easy-to-operate camcorder.

The Joystick makes using the camcorder easier than ever. Extra buttons have been eliminated, allowing you to access many functions from one convenient place. The Joystick lets you control Play, Stop, Fast Forward, and Rewind functions during playback. It also controls exposure lock and exposure compensation during recording.

With Quick Start, you'll never miss a shot again. Simply push the Quick Start button, in between shots, to put your camcorder in stand-by mode. Push the Quick Start button again, and your camcorder powers up and begins to record in less than a second. When using Quick Start, you are considerably extending the life of your battery compared to that of regular recording mode.

Also, an easy-to-read menu system makes the ZR850 a breeze to operate.

For the ultimate in stress-free shooting, there's the Easy Mode. In this setting, your ZR850 will automatically choose the focus, exposure and any additional available parameters to ensure that whatever you're recording comes out looking great. You don't have to worry about a thing -- just point and shoot!

Plus, this versatile camcorder is designed for lower battery consumption -- so you can keep on recording.

Perfect Exposures

The new ZR850 gives you exposure controls found on expensive digital still cameras.

Omni-selector joystick

Exposure Lock With a push of its convenient omni-selector joystick, the ZR850 lets you lock your exposure settings, and then recompose your shot. For example, you can lock your exposure while zoomed in on your subject's face. Then, even if you zoom out to include a very bright or dark background, your ZR850 will still give your subject the right exposure. Also, by shifting the omni-selector left or right, you can adjust your exposure by up to +/-11 stops (+/-2.75 EV).

Auto Slow Shutter Function The Auto Slow Shutter function ensures perfect exposures in low light by lowering your shutter speed.

Program AE Mode The ZR850 comes with Program AE Mode settings that give you perfect exposures in a variety of conditions: snow, beach, sunset, spotlight, fireworks, portrait, sports and night.

Stunning Digital Photography

When you've got your ZR850 with you, you can leave your digital still camera at home. That's because with Canon's DoubleShot technology, you don't just get video and photography -- you get the best of both.

At the heart of the ZR850's performance as a digital still camera is Canon's exclusive DIGIC DV signal processing circuit. Because video and still images have different color requirements, DIGIC DV processes the two differently. So, along with stunning video images, you also get digital photos from your ZR850 that are maximized for viewing on computer monitors and as prints.

The ZR850 also comes with an array of features that add to its performance as a digital still camera.

9 Point Ai-AF A feature found on more expensive camcorders, Auto Intelligent Auto Focus ensures sharp images and gives creative flexibility. Even when your subject isn't in the center of the frame, the ZR850's 9 Point AiAF will bring it into sharp focus.

Progressive Photo Canon's Progressive Photo gives you sharper detail in your digital photography.

Scene Modes Special Scene Modes ensure accurate exposures under a wide variety of difficult lighting conditions. Modes include: Portrait, Sports, Night, Snow, Beach, Sunset, Spotlight, or Fireworks. For example, choose Spotlight and your camcorder exposes for the subject in the center of your frame. This is perfect for recording your child's moment in the spotlight on stage. Or, pick Night to capture the magic of a cityscape after the sun goes down.

Image Effects Four different image settings are available depending on your subject: Vivid, Neutral, Low-Sharpening, and Skin Detail.

Simultaneous Photo Recording Simultaneous Photo Recording lets you capture a digital photograph while recording video.

Share Your Videos

The ZR850 comes with an array of features that make it easy to share your videos:

• Firewire/IEEE1394 DV Terminal Transfer your video to your computer and you can easily share your captured memories with friends and family. With the ZR850, it's simple. Just connect your computer to your camcorder's IEEE1394 DV terminal with a DV cable. Also known as Firewire or iLink, this high-speed interface lets you download your precious video footage with virtually no loss of video or audio quality. Your favorite recorded moments retain their pristine image and sound for everyone to enjoy.
• Motion JPEG Mode With the ZR850's Motion JPEG Mode, you can also record movie clips directly to your camcorder's memory card for posting online or e-mailing to family and friends.

Share Your Photos

The ZR850 give you a variety of ways to share your photos with friends and family. It's easy to share digital photos via email because you can easily transfer images directly to your PC using the USB terminal. You can also print directly from your camcorder to any PictBridge-compatible printer, or store your digital photos on a Secure Digital (SD) Memory Card or a MultiMediaCard. Plus, these new ZRs are SD HC compatible, which allows you to use cards with a capacity of 2GB or larger. That means you can store even more digital photos than before.

Additional Features

• Built-in Manual Lens Cover means you never have to go looking for your lens cover again. Plus, you don't have the bother of your lens cap dangling from your camcorder.
• Remote Control lets you be operate your ZR850 remotely -- so you can be in the picture with everyone else.
• 1 Year Parts And Labor Limited Warranty provides protection long after other manufacturers' warranties expire.

What's in the Box

• ZR850 Camcorder
• Battery Pack BP-2L5
• Compact Power Adapter CA-590
• Wireless Controller WL-D85
• Stereo Video Cable STV-250N
• USB Cable IFC-300
• Digital Video Solution Disk for Windows & Macintosh

Product Description

Around the world, the name Canon means optical excellence, advanced image processing and superb performance. And Canon digital video camcorders are no exception.Whether you're shopping for your first camcorder, or would like to upgrade from analog to digital, the ZR camcorders are a perfect balance of style, performance and affordability. The ZR digital camcorders give you a brilliant Genuine Canon 35x Optical Zoom lens, Canon's advanced image stabilization system, Widescreen HR recording, DIGIC DV image processing, Joystick controller, and Level and Grid Markers. The results are brilliant video and digital photos that you can easily share with family and friends.The ZR850 is the top of the line of ZR camcorders. This addition to the ZR family includes a 1.07 megapixel CCD, along with an array of features that turn your camcorder into a digital still camera, including 9 Point AiAF (Auto Focus), Progressive Photo, Simultaneous Photo Recording, Special Scene Modes, and Image Effects. It is also compatible with SD HC (High Capacity) memory cards for storing even more of your images. A built-in video light ensures that regardless of the conditions, your subject will be clearly seen. With the ZR850 you get all of these exciting features, plus its ease-of-use makes it the perfect solution for capturing all of life's precious memories.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

152 of 157 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Great for the price, May 15, 2007

By	Marc A. Healy (Elgin, IL United States) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

I did a lot of research before I settled on this camera. I was prepared to spend a fair amount of money on a better model, but I came to the conclusion that it was a better idea to spend less money and wait a couple of years for the HD technology to come down in price and the hard drive storage format to become more established. So this was, in my opinion, the best mixture of quality and price. There are certainly cheaper models out there but beware. There are three major bugaboos camcorders have to face: internal noise, image stabalization, and low lighting conditions. You can expect cheaper machines not to excell in these and to pay dearly for those that do. Canon's real selling point is its optics, but like most lower-end models, they don't "shine" in low light. They put external mike jacks only on their chapest models so they can sell to schools (the education market likes low prices and external mikes). Personally, I have a pocket digital recorder with a lavalier mike and I edit in a separate digital soundtrack to get around the noise problem, but not everyone wants to do that. Canon's image stabalization seems improved from the previous model that I've had, although while 35X zoom seems impressive, I've not yet tested it to see what the vibration reduction is like at the etxreme end. My biggest problem is the low lighting, so I bought a portable utility light at a home improvement store for ten bucks to help with that.

The reality is that even though you don't care to spend a couple hundred bucks every year on new ccamcorders, you should consider this a disposable camera. It costs almost as much to buy a new model as to fix them. I bought this to replace a ZR85. Which leads me to another point- if you have the option, you might consider an extended warantee. The earlier generations of camcorders seem to have had a habit of blowing out.

You will want to buy an extended life battery as well- the battery that this model came with was good for only a short while.

I wouldn't bother much with still photography- camcorders don't have great snapshot capabilities just as camera's don't generally have good video capabilities. It's tempting to try to kill two birds with one stone, but none of the models I've seen do both eaqually well. Even my cheapo point and shoot digital camera takes better pictures (but not nearly as good video). Also, copying video to the SDram card is a quick and easy way to slap a short video clip on your website or email it to friends, but you will get a compressed file with significantly poorer quality than the miniDV tape. On a PC you can use Windows Movie Maker (free download if you don't already have it) but it only saves in WMV format. To burn in DVD format you will need authoring software (that's another review, but I use Adobe premiere elements).

MiniDV is on its way out, but will probably still be around for a while. It has great quality- much better than a DVD, although you can certainly create DVDs from a miniDV tape. As far as storage goes, the tapes are pretty cheap- 13 gigs or so for a couple of bucks is pretty good. In the future though I think the hard drives are going to be the next big thing.

Copying your tapes to a DVD via a Mac is a breeze with imovie and iDVD (no, I don't work for Mac) although I generally do my editing on a PC. It is a bit of a pain (less so when you finally get the hang of it) but I don't have regular access to a Mac.

This is a really great starter camera if you are just getting into digital video and a real easy, convient, point and shoot workhorse. That being said, it is sophistocated enough that you can grow into it. My guess is that by the time you grow out of it the prices for more advanced technology will have come down and this camera will have reached the end of its lifespan anyway. I found mine brand new online for 260 bucks, and I got what I paid for and then some.

79 of 79 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars A brand new camcorder, February 10, 2007

By	B. Stogsdill - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

The following camcorder is the first camcorder I have ever owned. I purchase it because I am interested in taking home movies as keepsake. For that purpose, this digital camera will work perfect for anyone, However, if you keep your expectations too high, you will probably be disappointed.

Many people have complaned about motor noise on camera's along this line, if you purchase the zr 800, you can use an external mike of as high quality as possible, and avoid this background noise. If you are like me, and wanted the higher offered pixel ratio, then you can get the zr 850, which lacks the external mike and the possibility of preventing that noise. The noise, I might add, appears to me little more than a suddle white noise in the background, which can easily be filtered out with most video editing software.

When recording to the sd card (the plus of the 850), the movies shot are rather low resolution and appear a bit blurry for me. Part of this could be the videos I have shot this way consisted of a lot of close ups. This camera does not seem designed for doing much in the lines of close ups. The night vision does a very good job in pitch black. A small led on the front of the camera adds extra light. Unfortunately this is the only light you get, since any high powered light isn't available to attach to this camcoder. The led doesn't add very much light, and with any low light area, the picture resolution is severly hindered, but still seeable considering how dark it is.

The still pictures look decent, but obvious static that you would easily not see on any modern digital camera are very evident, so definately don't purchase this as a digital camera replacement. The battery lasts about 45 minutes, the guide suggestions you can buy larger batteries that will increase the life.

Since I kept my expectations so high, I expected the resolution to be a little better on the camcorder in general. It is decent enough, and so is the sound. I just expected more than I should have with a small handheld camera. The camera feels great though, it is easy to carry, easy to use. You run pretty much no risk of getting your fingers in the way of the view finder. It is very comfortable and easy to use. Very little instruction is needed to figure out just about everything you can do with it.

My biggest beef with this product, which really has nothing to do with the product itself, is that it didn't come with a firewire cable or capturing software. This means you can't transfer stuff to your compuer out of the box. Rather, you need to get a firewire cable (presuming you have a firewire port) for up to $35 as the price at best buy. You probably should order a cable with the camera. The capturing software is available from the canon website, just requiring you to register your product. After trying several programs, roxio seemed to work the best for me trying to capture video. At that capturing video is a breeze, although that has more to do with software than the camcorder itself.

Besides that, its a good product, it comes with a remote control if you happen to be filming yourself, and av cables so you can put the image on the television. Not the best on the market, but a pretty decent camcorder, especially at the discounted price.

55 of 60 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars Not worth the money, May 31, 2007

By	All Around "all around" - See all my reviews

I am a first time camcorder owner and decided to get this camcorder based on reviews on another website. Then, right after I ordered the camera, I began reading the reviews on Amazon and got worried--I should have checked here first. After further research, I decided to also order the Panasonic PV-GS80 to compare the devices.

What I found is that the Canon is just as loud as everyone has reported. When I played back the tape on my TV, you could hear the humming noise it makes while filming plus a clicking noise each time you zoom in or out. My other complaints are that it doesn't fit in the hand as well as the panasonic, it has a bottom tape loader, and the power adapter is only a couple of feet long

In comparison, the Panasonic was quite as a mouse. Images are also more crisp on the 2.7 inch screen and the power adapter is at least 5 feet long which is very helpful.

I am returning the Canon ASAP.