| PRODUCT DETAILS | | Canon ZR200 MiniDV Camcorder w/20x Optical Zoom (High Metal) |  | |
Canon ZR200 MiniDV Camcorder w/20x Optical Zoom (High Metal)
Whether it's your first island vacation or baby's first steps, you can trust Canon's ZR200 to preserve every moment with spectacular color, clarity and detail. Part of the new line in ZR digital camcorders, the ZR200 combines ergonomic styling with a variety of enhanced digital features. Compatible with both Windows XP and Apple Computer systems, the ZR200 features Canon's advanced DIGIC DV system, a 20x Optical Zoom/360x Digital Zoom lens, and a versatile SD Memory Card/MultiMedia Card slot. Want to give your movies a touch of Hollywood style? The ZR200 gives you the ability to shoot true widescreen photos and videos thanks to its high-resolution 16:9 widescreen recording mode. You'll also get the advantage of Canon's world-renowned expertise in photography and broadcast television with every video and photo you take. Stylish, versatile and affordable, the ZR200 is a welcome addition to all of your life's most vibrant moments. Audio Recording system - PCM digital sound - 16 bit (48 kHz/2 ch); 12 bit (32 Image Sensor - 1/6-inch CCD, approx. 680,000 pixels / Effective pixels - approx. 340,000 pixels Number of Recording Pixels - Still image - 1024 x 768, 640 x 480 pixels / Movie - 320 x 240, 160 x 120 pixels, at 15 frames per second Still mages may be stored on a SecureDigital SD card It's PictBridge compatible - make prints without a computer MiniDV tape format Tape Speed - SP - 18.81 mm/s (0.74 ips), LP - 12.56 mm/s (0.49 ips); Maximum Recording Time (with an 80-min. cassette) SP - 80 minutes / LP - 120 minutes. Lens - f=2.8-56 mm, f/1.6-3.2, 20x power zoom Viewfinder - 0.33-inch. TFT color, approx. 113,000 pixels / LCD Screen - 2.4-inch. TFT color, approx. 112,000 pixels Microphone - Stereo electret condenser microphone DV Terminal - Special 4-pin connector (IEEE 1394 compliant) Unit Dimensions - 2.0 x 3.7 x 5.1 inch / Weighs 15.2 ounces without battery pack
Manufacturer: Canon
Price: $449.99
 Canon ZR200 MiniDV Camcorder w/20x Optical Zoom (High Metal)
|
| User Reviews |  | Fine while it lasts
rating: 2
I run a multimedia lab, where we own several of this model of camera, as well as others from the Canon ZR series. They get very light, careful, daytime use. They are not carried with other equipment, they are carefully stored, and generally pampered. I also personally own this model. It is light, easy to use, easy to carry. The video quality is decent - in fact, we have used some of the video (not audio) in broadcast pieces.The audio is adequate for most personal usage. At first, I loved these cameras.
The issue is the durability. These cameras develop iris problems (the iris doesn't open for filming, so the machine is only good for playback) and other internal issues that lead the the dreaded "Remove the cassette" message, which my personal camera has just delivered to me.
So, even though this is seems to be an inexpensive little camera, appearances are deceiving. If we calculate its value based upon it's lifespan in usable video hours divided by cost, as compared to our more expensive heavy duty Panasonic and Sony cameras which we had had for years of heavy use, this cheap little Canon is probably more expensive.
If you can afford it, buy a better camera. If you can't afford it, know that this camera has a limited life span of an average of two years of light use. But you will probably like the camera while it lasts.
|
Good camcorder but with a bit of known technical problem
rating: 3
This is fairly nice camcorder for the price. It worked fine for me for a while and suddenly one day it would not hold the cassette. The screen gives the error "remove cassette". I thought something is wrong with the cassette, so changed it but still the same. I googled the error and found many people are having the same problem of either not accepting the media or not giving it back.
Called Canon and they sent me a $160 repair bill. I was ready to let go of it and buy a new one, but just for the heck of it called Canon and the person reduced it to $60 saying that we send that estimate for any issue with the camcorder. Guess what, if you decide to click the accept button and not call and talk to someone, you are down with $100. I found it kind of cheap way of making money from a company like canon.
They will offer you to buy their refurbished models in return of you camcorder and additional money ( you can buy a new one in that additional money).
So by and large it is person's luck if it works fine till you decide to retire it. Mine did not.
|
Canon ZR200 very bad tape problems
rating: 1
The tape would not work after only using it a few times. The camera was never droped always kept in a case when not filming. Will only work now with the card. Customer support is non-existant. Will never buy a canon camcorder again. Canon should stick to still cameras only.
|
Ejection problems have killed this camera -- and apparently many others
rating: 1
We bought this camera a little over a year ago but have rarely used it. However, just when I need it the most to capture a family event, the camera starts beeping and tells me that the tape must be ejected. So I tried to eject it, but it did not eject. Moved maybe a millimeter then moved back. I don't think we put more than several hours of use on this thing and it broke. Very unhappy.
Spoke to tech support, but they didn't offer up anything but disconnecting all power and waiting an hour to start it up again. Didn't work. Have a suspicion that the hour I waited was the hour that tech support closed. Repairs will cost as much as buying a new one. So buying a new one we will, just not a Canon.
Still very, very, unhappy.
|
ZR200 Transfers Old Video (V8,Hi8,VHS) Like A Charm
rating: 5
One excellent feature of the ZR200 camera which I have not seen discussed is its ability to transfer home video from VHS, V8, Hi8, or any other video format which has an RCA jack system (yellow, red, white), to digital video (DV) on Mini-DV tapes.
This feature is fabulous and dramatically easier to use than other methods I have tried. I did not discover it during nearly 1 1/2 years of camera ownership until I inadvertently came across a terse mention of such transfers in the owner's manual. (See Canon ZR200 owner's manual at page 79 for instructions, or page 72 for the Canon ZR700 unit with similar capabilities.)
Suffice it to say that the transfer process is very easy, assuming that one has kept the original cabling which came with the ZR200 (or ZR700) camera. It produces a video image which is superior to any other method I have tried. And I have tried a number of methods, including transferring video to a high-quality external video capture card to DV and ultimately to Mini-DV tape using iMovie on an Apple computer.
Upon careful comparison of like clips, this complex, multi-step approach produced good results, but only a nominally clearer image and it has tiny diagonal stripes running across it and a curling upper left edge from the video recorder heads; overall not as good. The color quality and image clarity that results from direct videotape to Mini-DV-tape method using the ZR200 built-in features is overall, smoother, cleaner and produces a full screen image without diagonal lines or the jagged tape-head artifact in the upper left corner. Direct transfer appears to eliminate this visual nuisance entirely, or at least it did so for me. This significantly improves the image appearance and eliminates an otherwise very distracting visual distortion.
In transferring 20-year old V8-tapes, I was stunned at the improved image clarity and vivid color, in some instances as if the tape had been shot the day before! It was a real pleasure to see clear images from the past - now I only wish I had had slightly better camera skills.
I also recommend buying a cleaner for the heads of any video source you might use; Sony makes a good head cleaner for V8/Hi8 and for Mini-DV. As I cleaned the heads of the video source, the image quality and clarity quality improved significantly.
Overall, the ZR200 is an excellent camera and has some delightful hidden features, including 16x9 widescreen and direct video to Mini-DV transfer.
Five stars.
|
|
Canon ZR200 MiniDV Camcorder w/20x Optical Zoom (High Metal)
|
|
|
|
