Quick Review Camcorders : Canon ZR80

Both camcorders share the same range of manual shutter speeds: 1/60 — 1/2,000. They also share the same .33-inch 133,000-pixel color viewfinders, 2.5-inch color LCD screens, and white balance options (auto, manual, indoor and outdoor). Manual exposure is also included with the ZR80.

The camcorders also share a history of poor low light performance ratings. They perform well in sunny or well-lit areas, but when light levels fall below 60 lux, the noise and grain of the shots increase dramatically. This is the main drawback with the Canon ZR series. Indeed, the next model up, the ZR85, suffers from the same problems. It should be noted, however, that the ZR series performs very well under regular, recommended light conditions.

The ZR65 and ZR85 do differ in lens power. The Canon ZR80 has a 30.5mm lens with 18x optical zoom. The Canon ZR65 boasts a 20x optical zoom lens. Both the ZR80 and ZR65 can shoot still photos at 640 x 480 resolution, but only to tape, as no card media is compatible. When taken to tape, each photo includes six seconds of sound, so those pictures of choir concerts can be a little more exciting. There is a 16:9 fake-widescreen effect on the ZR80.

With a two-channel microphone that has wind-screening capability, those six second recordings should be clear. The Canon ZR80 can record sound in 12- or 16-bit, which is the industry standard. The ZR80 doesn’t go above and beyond with its audio features; the camcorder doesn’t have an external microphone input port, though it does include a “cold” accessory shoe. However, it does have a headphone jack, an A/V port input/output and a FireWire port. Because of the included analog input (A/V input), the ZR80, like the ZR85, supports Analog-to-Digital pass through. Unfortunately, there is no S-Video input or ouput.

Many of the manual functions and VCR playback buttons are organized on the housing of the Canon ZR80, but shutter speed and white balance are found on the menu in the LCD monitor. The Canon ZR80 has manual control options for just about everything except gain and audio, and includes a jog dial that greatly improves handling, especially when compared to other camcorders in its price range.

The LCD monitor can be tilted or turned to any angle, making it easier to shoot in tight places or the sunny outdoors; this will appeal to the point-and-shoot crowd, who probably aren’t investing in a tripod. The monitor can also recess into the camera body, making the already compact camcorder even easier to handle. However, while the ZR80 is very easy to handle, the fact that the tape loads from the bottom can be a hindrance, especially when using a tripod, and while most of its users won’t exactly need a tripod due to the camcorder’s compact nature and handleability, a top-loading mechanism would be nice.

Despite the poor low light performance ratings and the bottom-loading design, the Canon ZR80 is a good buy in its price range of $300-$400. For families hoping to capture reunions and birthdays rather than an independent film, the Canon ZR80 would be a good investment. The most noticeable shortcoming of the ZR80 -- besides low light performance, of course -- is its lack of card media for stills, which, while in line with other camcorders in its price range, would be a nice feature to add to the relative wealth of manual control. Also, the fact that the ZR80 accommodates Analog-to-Digital Pass Through makes it much more appealing to those looking for a decent cheap unit for transfer of old analog recordings.

Canon ZR80 Compared to the...