iPhone 3GS from AT&T. Free ShippingCanon ZR850
Manufacturer: Canon USA Part number: 1878B001
- More product information:
- Editors' review
- User reviews
- Specifications
- Accessories
- Manufacturer info
- Bottom Line:
- Canon's new MiniDV top model, the ZR850, continues the ZR tradition of offering affordable, easy-to-use wide-screen movie-making, though low-light performance is still subpar.
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CNET editors' review
Canon ZR850 price range: $299.00 - $739.99
- Reviewed by: Philip Ryan
- Reviewed on: 02/15/2007
- Released on: 02/01/2007
The good: New, easier-to-use menu system with joystick control; impressive color in good lighting; wide-screen LCD; built-in lens cover; low price.
The bad: No accessory shoe or microphone input; bottom-loading tape compartment; doesn't support analog-to-digital conversions; not enough stabilization at full zoom; poor low-light performance.
The bottom line: Canon's new MiniDV top model, the ZR850, continues the ZR tradition of offering affordable, easy-to-use wide-screen movie-making, though low-light performance is still subpar.
As the top model in Canon's MiniDV line this year, you shouldn't expect earth-shattering improvements from the ZR850 over last year's models. After all, manufacturers seem to be putting more resources into DVD and hard drive-based models. The overall design keeps what we referred to last year as the "palm-friendly design," and again bumps the optical zoom up a bit, this time from 25x to 35x. As we've come to expect from Canon, the ZR850 delivers admirable color reproduction in good lighting, but it can't keep up with the competition when it comes to low light.
One noteworthy improvement over last year's ZR700 is this model's sensor, which has been bumped up to a 1-megapixel CCD, instead of 680K pixels. This makes for slightly better still images, though they're still not near what you'd get from a dedicated still camera. One noteworthy omission compared with the ZR700 is the ZR850's lack of an analog-to-digital converter. If you're looking for a way to convert analog video to digital, you'll have to look elsewhere.
We like the layout of the controls on this year's ZR models. All controls are within reach of your thumb or fingers either on the right side or on the bezel of the 2.7-inch wide-screen display on the left side. This is much better than designs that put important buttons on the left side of the body behind the screen, where you can't readily see them. Plus, Canon redesigned the menu system, so that it's more like the one on its digital still cameras. When you press the function button, a list of options appears on the left side of the LCD, and the choices for each of those options appear in a strip along the bottom of the screen. Last year's ZR700 had four buttons below its LCD screen, but the ZR850 only has two, Function and Digital Effects. Canon now makes you delve into the menus to switch between wide-screen and 4:3 recording modes, or to turn the camera's rather low power video light on or off. The lack of an accessory shoe or microphone input is annoying, but that's also typical of camcorders in this price range.
Canon's Easy mode lets you shoot on autopilot and does a nice job making decisions for you. Program mode gives you a choice of eight autoexposure presets, four white balance settings (including evaluative), three image effects, and a handful of digital effects. You have to dig one layer deep, into the setup menu to choose one of the six shutter speeds, adjust zoom speed, switch between 16:9 and 4:3 recording, or turn on or off the digital zoom, the automatic slow shutter, or the electronic image stabilization. Our one gripe about the setup menus is that they don't scroll, and as such when you reach the top, you can't wrap to the bottom by pressing up again. Since the option to exit is at the bottom, this becomes even more frustrating.
In Still mode you can capture JPEG images at a pixel resolution of up to 1,152x864. You still have access to the same autoexposure, white balance, and image effect modes, though your shutter speed options are limited to 1/60, 1/100, 1/250, or auto. That's more than you see in some camcorders, as is this Canon's nine-point autofocus system. The stills we captured were better than we see from many camcorders, with fairly accurate colors, but they don't approach what you can get from a decent dedicated still camera.
Video was much better. With ample lighting, colors were very accurate and vibrant, and footage was sharp with responsive and quick focus. Once the lighting dims a bit, that starts to change. In normal mode, we saw a fair amount of noise when shooting indoors with low ambient light. Night mode didn't help much. Even with a tripod, the ZR850 had a very difficult time achieving focus. However, it's worth noting that, while very slow, the ZR850 was able to focus eventually in night mode, even in situations where the ZR830 and ZR800 refused to focus. As has become almost standard in less-expensive camcorders, the electronic image stabilization can't handle this camcorder's maximum zoom. We found that it was only effective to about 75 percent of the zoom range.
Despite our gripes, the ZR850 is a very capable camcorder for anyone looking for a tape-based, general purpose, or relaxed vacation camera. If you're thinking about stepping down in Canon's line to the ZR830 or the ZR800, you should note that both of those models use 680K sensors, which typically show a noticeable drop off in video quality compared to a 1-megapixel sensor, such as the one in the ZR850.
User reviews
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Overall Good Camera
by southpark_rocks on February 18, 2007
Pros: Built in lens cap, no touch screen, wide screen mode, small and light weight, connectors easy to get to
Cons: charge cord prongs don't fold, light on/off in menu system, no analog video in
Summary: This is a very solid camera for the money, I think it is intended as most are in this price range to be an "autopilot" camera, where the user can ...
Summary: This is a very solid camera for the money, I think it is intended as most are in this price range to be an "autopilot" camera, where the user can just turn it on and it does everything for you. In this case I think it does a great job. The issue seems to be with low light, I am not sure how other cameras perform in low light, but I found I can set the P mode to night and get a solid image in very low light. The response time lags a bit, so I wouldn't swing it around real fast in night mode but if you hold it still it seems to work fine, you might have to try it out for yourself if you are shooting low light action sequences. The "light" is useless for anything far away and it adds its own led tint on the things it does illuminate close by. The 35x optical zoom is awesome, you can read a newspaper print from 15 feet away without having to go into digital zoom.
I stuck with Mini DV after reading about the HDD cameras do MPEG compression on the fly which can lower the quality and I didn't want a DVD one. I am sure this camera will do the trick until the HDD cameras become more common and the price comes down.13 out of 13 users found this user opinion helpful.
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Very satisfied!
by seagardan on February 13, 2007
Pros: Above average video,lightweight, 35x zoom, decent still shots,
Cons: Light is useless, tape loads from bottom
Summary: I had purchased and returned a few cameras in this price range (JVC,Sony,Canon) due to lousy video quality. Was very pleased with the quality of this Canon. Like ...
Summary: I had purchased and returned a few cameras in this price range (JVC,Sony,Canon) due to lousy video quality. Was very pleased with the quality of this Canon. Like most cameras in this price range, the low light quality is not great. You need to take some time and work with the different settings. Compared to the other cameras though,this camera was the best.
6 out of 7 users found this user opinion helpful.
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If you don't mind the noise
by Beaglelady on April 8, 2007
Pros: Great features, easy to use
Cons: loud motor/tape noise that you hear while recording and on playback/grainy video
Summary: I have always loved Canon. I purchased the ZR800 after reading all the reviews I could find on the Sony and Canon. The 800 has such a loud tape noise ...
Summary: I have always loved Canon. I purchased the ZR800 after reading all the reviews I could find on the Sony and Canon. The 800 has such a loud tape noise on playback it was very annoying and you couldn't hear people talking low over it. So I took it back and got a ZR850. The noise issue was "better" but still there and still annoying. I thought ok I can live with it. The saleseman told me all MiniDV camera's would have that and if I didnt' want it I should go up to the Hard drive models. Hubby wanted to try another MiniDV camera so we went and got a Sony DCR-HC38 to compare(reviews aren't as good) The Sony is SO much better than the canon! NO tape noise at all. Video quality was better too although the reviews say the opposite. the Sony was still easy to use(but still prefer cannon in that dept.) I will be returning the Canon. I love canon but they have really messed up with their ZR line!
5 out of 6 users found this user opinion helpful.
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DV port broke
by JarVander on April 28, 2007
Pros: Produces stunningly vivid and fluid 1280x720 widescreen video in bright sunlight. Menus were easy to navigate and the feature set was good for the price.
Cons: Grainy video under normal indoor lighting, I needed to set up extra lighting for indoor use. The microphone recorded a very loud tape drive drone. Digital image stabilizer was useless.
Summary: I had to use on a tripod, palm held video was too jumpy. I was willing to live with the negatives until the fragile DV port broke, then I returned ...
Summary: I had to use on a tripod, palm held video was too jumpy. I was willing to live with the negatives until the fragile DV port broke, then I returned it. I have a Canon digital still camera and a Canon Hi8 camcorder, the ZR850 doesn't live up to Canon's prior consumer level products.
2 out of 3 users found this user opinion helpful.
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Poor normal and low light performance. Poor light. Ugly LCD viewscreen
by TheUndertow on March 12, 2007
Pros: Price relative to high end models
Cons: Prive relative to entry line models. Poor image quality under normal and low light.
Summary: We were looking to replace a 3CCD Panasonic camcorder that my daughter dropped ($500 to repair - no thanks). I mainly was looking for a reasonably priced camcorder that would ...
Summary: We were looking to replace a 3CCD Panasonic camcorder that my daughter dropped ($500 to repair - no thanks). I mainly was looking for a reasonably priced camcorder that would film "cleanly" - without a ton of features or advanced settings.
I decided to try this model after waiting some weeks for the Sony HC48 to become widely available. I was hoping that the 1MP lens would lend itself to higher quality video and that was enough incentive to choose this over the 830 and 800.
Video performance on this is mediocre to poor. I have a widescreen HD and the image looked pixelated with a lot of "noise" under low light and even normal conditions. I certainly wasn't looking for an HD like picture, but this left a LOT to be desired.
The LCD viewfinder has very few pixels and the screen images looks grainy and washed out.
Also the built in light is more of a gimmick than a functional feature (and casts a weird blue glow).
One other thing to note - the camera does not charge the battery when it is set to the "on" position and plugged in.
In all I am going to opt for a different (probably more expensive) camera.1 out of 1 users found this user opinion helpful.
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pretty good, except for a few peeves
by rodaou on February 27, 2007
Pros: nice image, decent in low light
Cons: caveats with photo captured to card while recording video
Summary: I'm a pro videographer, and have owned more camcorders than I can remember over the years.
While comparing camcorders, always remember that IT'S RELATIVE TO OTHER VIDEO CAMERAS ...Summary: I'm a pro videographer, and have owned more camcorders than I can remember over the years.
While comparing camcorders, always remember that IT'S RELATIVE TO OTHER VIDEO CAMERAS IN THE SAME PRICE RANGE.
First of all it's a pretty decent camcorder. Super (35x) long zoom, good picture quality & and very decent colors.
The low light recording works from well to good, AS LONG AS YOU DON'T USE canon's low light settings, which simply slow down the shutter speed so much all it shoots is choppy video.
For good low light video, set the camera to
P(rogram) mode and select PORTRAIT from the menu. Then hit the joystick toggle to adjust the exposure while watching the image in on the flip out screen. You'll be suprised how well this camera does in poor light, especially for a canon.
And just a fyi, the built in light is absolutly useless.
Canon advertises that this camcorder allows you to capture images to the sd card while shooting video to tape. Well, that's sort of true.
If you want to capture pictures to card while shooting video to tape you MUST set the video to letterbox (4:3), and even then the camcorder will only save them at 640x480 max.
Simultaneous stills CANNOT be captured larger than 640x480, and NOT AT ALL if your shooting video in 16:9 widescreen mode. Which is rather dissapointing. I had dreams of shooting half decent stills while recording video to tape... I guess I'll have to wait a while longer.
ON the bright side though if you're shooting letterbox and are happy with 640x480 stills it does work flawlessly. While capture stills to card the video flows seamlessly although you can hear a little click on the audio when you press the photo button to take the still.
Image quality is... well... what you would expect from a $300'ish dollar camcorder.
All in all it's a pretty good camcorder and compares very favorably to my sony 26 & 42, and is honestly much better than JVC GR-D650 & Panasonic PV-GS39
Hope this helps everybody out1 out of 1 users found this user opinion helpful.
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Greatest Camcorder You Can Get.
by GoneWrongTV on December 16, 2009
Pros: This camera is durable, catches medium to fast images, and is quite easy to operate. I believe the most convenient part about this product is that it enables you to edit the video on your camera! Just buy it , check it out.
Cons: The only downside is that ..wait..there isnt one!
Summary: I use this product for harsh weather, and rough terrain shooting. since i drop it ALOT and its so durable, it stays protected. I use it for YouTube.com/GoneWrongTV
Summary: I use this product for harsh weather, and rough terrain shooting. since i drop it ALOT and its so durable, it stays protected. I use it for YouTube.com/GoneWrongTV
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this is the best camera belive me its the best cheap camcorder!!!
by isaacx3 on May 6, 2008
Pros: high video, bulit in effects, led light in front,screen has a joystick
Cons: bad in low light,
Summary: over all its the best under $500 dollor camcorder
Summary: over all its the best under $500 dollor camcorder
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Great Bang for Buck!
by sommer182 on February 4, 2008
Pros: High Zoom, Great single sensor color and picture quality
Cons: no mic input, poor low-light performance
Summary: A lot of my opinion has already been said. I needed to replace an old JVC VHS-C camcorder that was on it's last legs. HDD was to pricey with ...
Summary: A lot of my opinion has already been said. I needed to replace an old JVC VHS-C camcorder that was on it's last legs. HDD was to pricey with to many format issues right now. And DVD-based stinks if you want to edit your films on iMac. So, I went with MiniDV. So far regular light videos have looked GREAT, far better than the VHS-C tapes I used. And it works GREAT with the iMac. The DV connections also allow me to connect directly to my Panasonic DVD recorder to create backups of raw footage, which is a nice plus. Overall, a GREAT buy for under $300.
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No matter what people say, I love this camcorder!
by Wynner3 on December 29, 2007
Pros: size, zoom, megapixel sensor, widescreen, good price, sd slot, weight
Cons: only does full screen on memory card
Summary: I have only had this product for a few days I love it. I know it's too early to review because I'm still madly in love with it ...
Summary: I have only had this product for a few days I love it. I know it's too early to review because I'm still madly in love with it and very excited to have it. It's a great little camera I got for $250. For the price and the features, you can't go wrong. I have played around with the different features during the day and night and got good shots. I chose this over the Sony dcr-hc38. When looking for a camera, don't just look at the reviews, look for videos taken by the camcorders online. Videos from the Sony appeared online more but this had more features for a lower price. Look for my videos on vimeo.com, it has good quality unlike youtube.
Specifications
- Manufacturer: Canon USA
- Part number: 1878B001
- 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.
General
- Product Type Camcorder
- Digital Zoom 1000 x
- Effective Sensor Resolution 1.07 megapixels
- Optical Sensor Size 1/6"
- Optical Sensor Type CCD
- Min Illumination 2 lux
- Digital Video Format MJPEG
- Special Effects Art, Ball, Cube, Wave, Sepia, Vivid, Mirror, Mosaic, Neutral, Color Mask, Skin Detail, Black & White, Low Sharpening
- Image Stabilizer Electronic
- Digital Scene Transition Beam, Flip, Jump, Tide, Puzzle, Zigzag, Corner wipe, Window wipe, Fade trigger
- Shooting Modes Digital photo mode
- Shooting Programs Snow, Beach, Sunset, Fireworks, Spotlight, Night mode, Sports mode, Slow shutter, Portrait mode
- White Balance Custom, Presets, Automatic
- White Balance Presets Daylight, Tungsten light
- Exposure Modes Program, Automatic
- Camera Flash None
- Widescreen Video Capture Yes
Main Features
- Camcorder Sensor Resolution 1.07 megapixels
- Camcorder Effective Still Resolution 0.8 megapixels
- Color Support Color
- Exposure Compensation ±2.75 EV range
- Still Image Format JPEG
- Remote Control Camcorder remote control - Infrared
- TV Tuner None
Memory / Storage
- Flash Memory None
- Supported Flash Memory MultiMediaCard, SD Memory Card
- Floppy Drive None
- Media Type Mini DV
- Recording Speed LP, SP
Lens System
- Type Zoom lens - 2.6 mm - 91 mm - F/2.0-5.0
- Focal Length 2.6 mm - 91 mm
- Lens Aperture F/2.0-5.0
- Auto Focus Points (Zones) 9
- Optical Zoom 35 x
- Lens Construction 8 group(s) / 10 element(s)
- Lens system type Zoom lens
- Min focal length 2.6 mm
- Max focal length 91 mm
- Auto Focus TTL contrast detection
- Features Built-in lens shield
- Focus Adjustment Manual, Automatic
- Zoom Adjustment Motorized drive
Additional Features
- Low Lux / Night Mode Yes
- Digital Still Camera Function Yes
- Built-in Light Yes
- Additional Features AE lock, Auto power save, Date/time stamp, Demonstration mode, PictBridge support, Display brightness control, Analog to digital conversion with pass through
- Remote control Camcorder remote control - Infrared
- Included Accessories Battery pack, Compact power adapter, Wireless controller, Stereo video cable, USB cable
Viewfinder
- Viewfinder Type Electronic
- Viewfinder Diagonal Size 0.35 in
- Viewfinder Resolution 114,000 pixels
- Image Aspect Ratio (camcorders) 16:9
Display
- Type LCD display - TFT active matrix - 2.7 in - Color
Digital Player (Recorder)
- Type None
Microphone
- Type Microphone - Built-in
Connections
- Connector Type 1 x IEEE 1394 (FireWire/i.LINK), 1 x Composite video/audio output, 1 x Microphone
- Expansion Slot(s) 1 x SD Memory Card
Audio Input
- Audio input type Microphone
- Microphone type Built-in
Miscellaneous
- Carrying Case None
- Cables Included 1, 1 x A/V cable
Power
- Power Device Power adapter - External
- Battery type - Lithium ion
Battery
- Supported Battery Canon BP-2L5
- Supported Battery 1 x Li-ion rechargeable battery - 530 mAh ( Included )
Manufacturer Warranty
- Service & Support 1 year parts and labor warranty
Viewfinder / Display
- Display Form Factor Rotating
- Display Format 112,000 pixels
- Viewfinder Color Support Color
Physical Characteristics
- Width 2.2 in
- Depth 4.7 in
- Height 3.6 in
- Weight 13.4 oz
Accessories
- Digital Concepts BP-DU14 - camcorder battery - Li-Ion
- JVC MDV60DU4 Mini DV tape - 4 x 60min
- Sima Mini Zoom Microphone MZM-1 - microphone
- PIXMA IP6310D PHOTO PR-10PPM/12PPM
- Digital Concepts BP-DU14 - camcorder battery - Li-Ion
- JVC MDV60DU4 Mini DV tape - 4 x 60min
- Sima Mini Zoom Microphone MZM-1 - microphone
- PIXMA IP6310D PHOTO PR-10PPM/12PPM
Manufacturer info
- Canon USA
- Manufacturer profile
- Browse Canon USA products on Shopper.com
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- Website: http://estore.usa.canon.com/
- Address:
One Canon Plaza, Lake Success, NY 11042 - Phone: 516-328-5000
- Email: mediacontact@cusa.canon.com
