Quick Review Camcorder : Canon ZR400

The Canon ZR 400 is this year’s leading ZR model, and it pays to be on top. This camcorder features a much improved imager compared to the rest of the ZR series – a step up from a 1/6” CCD to 1/4.5”, and an impressive effective video pixel increase from 450K to 690K. All this spells a better image for you, for only a little bit more money than the ZR300.

Our testing showed that the ZR400 shows a sharper image in bright light than the rest of the ZRs. Resolution also scored highly. Low light performance was also tested, with less than stellar results. All users will encounter low light shooting environments at some point, more frequently than they might think. Camcorders do not register light and color the way the human eye does, and a camcorder can often fall short in situations where the user might see quite easily. Therefore, low light scores are essential to a camcorder's overall performance. The ZR400 proved to level out with the rest of its ZR family in this test. Even the Canon Eluras, the next series up, showed similar results in low light. 

Automatic controls on the Canon ZR400 are merely acceptable. They do not come near the speed and precision of the average Sony camcorder. The sign of a good automatic control is the speed with which it can make an accurate adjustment. The ZR400 tended to be sluggish, particularly when zoomed in on the subject. You’ll find preset options (called Automatic Exposure, or AE) that can cover specific shooting environments, but even the best AE options rarely make for the best picture. For real quality control, you’ll have to engage the manual controls. The ZR400, unfortunately, does not have stellar manual control. Focus and exposure control are adjusted via buttons and the jog dial, but lack any numerical value. You must judge the picture quality solely on the LCD’s picture, which may not have ideal lighting on it while you’re making the assessment. Zoom control is the best manual control feature on the camcorder, with a large, raised toggle switch far superior to the kind found on this year’s Eluras and Opturas. 

An Easy mode on the ZR400 makes for decent ease of use. Just hit the Easy button and let the camcorder make the adjustment decisions. Handling is of middling quality. The ZR400 is a bottom-loader, meaning that changing MiniDV tapes could be a problem if you are preferential to tripods. Button placement could be better, though it far exceeds the Elura and Opturas' mistakes of hiding the jog dial behind the LCD. The body is small and comfortable in the hand, but larger than the models in the new trend of super-small camcorders.

Stills can be saved to an SD/MM card in three quality settings and two resolutions (640 x 480 and 1152 x 864). This latter resolution is the largest on any ZR camcorder. Picture quality was far better than the other ZRs, truly making use of the larger CCD. Colors were bright and crisp, particularly in the blue part of the spectrum. This could add some “oomph” to your sky and sea shots during vacation.

Other features on the ZR400 include Super Night Mode, an included 16MB MM card, a wide angle converter, and a MPEG movie mode. Most of these are also included on the ZR300, except the MM card, which is downgraded to 8MB. The zoom is actually smaller on the ZR400 (14x vs. the ZR300’s 22x and the ZR200’s 20x), but zoom is a nugatory feature when it spans over 10-12x and picture quality begins to decrease. Overall, the ZR400 is a good buy for vacationers and people who only plan to use their camcorders only occasionally. More frequent users and experienced consumers will want to look outside the ZR series.

Canon ZR400 THE BOTTOM LINE.... Rating: 201.22

Likes

-Video Performance -Still Performance -Still Capability

Dislikes

-Button Placement -Handling

Canon             Elura 85      Rating: 204.35	Canon           ZR300 Rating:195.12	Panasonic PV-GS35 Rating: 199.07	Sony DCR-HC32           Rating: 182.95	JVC                    GR-DF550   Rating: 195.26
Better	Better	Better	Better	Better
-Automatic Control -Manual Control -Ease of use -Accessory Shoe -Ports -Optical Zoom Specs -Audio -Digital effects	-Optical Zoom specs -Wide Angle	-Handling -Optical Zoom Specs -Manual Control -Ports -Audio -Low Light Performance -Wide Angle -Ports	-Automatic Control -LCD -Wide Angle -Ease of Use -Optical Zoom Specs	-Low light Performance -Video Performance -Wide Angle -Automatic Control -Manual Control -Still Capability -LCD -Audio -Ports
Equal	Equal	Equal	Equal	Equal
-Video Performance -Low Light Performance -Handling -Still Capability -LCD -Widescreen Mode	-Low Light Performance -VCR Mode -Automatic Control -Audio -Handling -Widescreen Mode -Ease of Use -Manual Control -LCD -Ports -Portability	-Automatic Control	-Low Light Performance	-Ease of use -Portability -Optical Zoom Specs -Handling -Widescreen
Worse	Worse	Worse	Worse	Worse
-VCR Mode -Portability	-Video Performance -Digital Still Capability	-Video Performance -Ease of use -Digital Still Capability -VCR Mode -LCD -Portability -Widescreen Mode	-Video Performance -VCR Mode -Manual Controls -Navigational system -Widescreen -Ports -Digital Still Capability -Audio -Handling -Portability	-Portability -Widescreen mode -VCR Mode