Bests & Worsts Reviews from Amazon

I've been playing with this camcorder for a few days now, and I must say that I am overall satisfied with its performance, especially for the price. The camcorder records in 16:9 (widescreen) aspect by default, although you can switch to 4:3 (normal) if you like. This camcorder is small--easily fitting in your hand--but it's not too small. I don't have any trouble using any of the buttons or switches. It is also light, which is a big bonus if you plan to carry it with you regularly. The zoom is more than sufficient at 25x Optical / 1000x Digital. However, as with all camcorders, it is almost impossible to use the camera at anything over 100x unless it is sitting on a solid tripod. Even at 50x, the image quality noticeably degrades. For optimal performance, keep it under 25x and do not use the digital zoom (you can turn off the digital zoom in the menu system). The ZR700 includes a "video light" for low-light situations; however, it is a single LED bulb that emits very little light. In fact, it is pretty much useless unless you are in pitch darkness, and you need to film something that is less than 2 feet in front of the camera. And speaking of low lighting, this camera uses a new image sensor that is smaller than those used in earlier Canon camcorders, and smaller sensors are typically less sensitive to light. While in normal daylight situations the new sensor is fine, once the lights start to dim, there is noticeable grain and noise in the image. Unfortunately I've found the noise to be a problem in most indoor situations, which means many home movies will have less than amazing image quality. And unlike many other camcorders, there is no low-light infrared mode (e.g. Sony's "NightShot"). The ZR700 provides three different methods for transferring video-RCA, USB and Firewire. The RCA and USB cables are included, the firewire cable is not. In addition, the ZR700 model allows for analog-digital pass-through. This means that you can hook up an old VCR to the camcorder, then hook the camcorder to a computer so that you are able to transfer video from the VCR through the camcorder and into the computer. This is a nice feature if you want to digitize old VHS tapes. Finally, this model has a SD card slot for taking digital still pictures. While this is a nice feature, the resolution of the photos is quite low (~1 Megapixel). This is fine if you want to email the photos, but the quality is far too low to have made into prints. If you are hoping to have photos that you can print, you should certainly stick with a digital still camera--this camcorder is not a replacement. Overall, I'm satisfied with the ZR700. It's a nice camcorder for a low price. It is the perfect camera for taking on vacations or just out on a picnic or sporting event. The picture quality is too low for anything other than personal use. If you're looking to film important events (weddings, etc), then you should probably look for camcorders with better low-light performance.