Canon ZR950 1.07MP MiniDV Camcorder with 48x Optical Zoom

Customer Reviews

Great Camera & Service

2008-05-05
I ordered this camera, not expecting it to arrive early. It came two days early and is a great value for a beginners camera. It would be a great gift for a grad or father.

This one ruined Cannon's Reputation

2008-05-03
The product I received was a defect. The camcorder could not get normal images for outdoor recording. It had red and green dots all over the LCD and viewfinder with indoor recording. I had to return it. It ruined my daughter's birthday party.

Additional Information

2008-04-30
In the product description Amazon.com lists as a feature that the ZR950 has a microphone input: "The microphone terminal on the ZR950 makes it especially useful for educators and trainers to carefully capture the audio they need to make most effective use of the video they shoot. It's also handy when you want to easily record a live narration for your footage."

However, having hands-on experience with this camera and from reading over the manual it does not have any audio-in jacks. This is a fine camcorder, but if you're buying it to record lectures and want to record from a microphone source you're buying the wrong tool. The Canon ZR930 and the ZR900 both do state that they have microphone input on the canon website. Also, among the older models, the Canon ZR800 has audio-in as well, however the ZR830 & ZR850 do not. This is not made clear initially from Canon's website and required a good deal of research. I wish they listed that spec in their comparison page.

At any rate, these are good cameras, at a good price. Just be certain to get the 930, 900 or 800 if you need audio-in. I'm not sure why they removed that feature from their higher-end camcorders, it seems counterintuitive to me.

Canon ZR950

2008-04-03
This is a solid camera for a great price. Has options for SD cards for still photos. Native wide screen support and decent battery life. Works great with iMovie. Still photos could be higher resolution, but this isn't meant to be a digital camera replacement.

"One great minidv camera!"

2008-03-05
Pros: Great video, great 48x advanced zoom, looks great, ease of use and Vista ready.
Cons: None found.

This is one of the best camera's on the market currently in this price range. Great video resolution and the ability to take photo's as well. The ability to zoom in on objects from far off and lots of extra's that most camera's do not offer. 1+ megapixel as well. Good luck finding a better camera with all these features at a price slightly under $300.

Awesome camcorder -- gr eat value

2008-06-04
I love this camera and and hooke don Canon products. It's very easy to use, and the clarity of the footage is just incredible. For the price, it cannot be beat, in my opinion.

Great video camera

2008-06-04
Our family ordered the Canon ZR950 to record our son's stock car races. This is a true test of a camera (and operator), as you are recording varying conditions and light levels. The Canon is preforming beautifully! The images, whether bright sunlight or under the lights at night, are crisp and clear. The zoom is a breeze to use and the microphone captures all of the action we need to hear (and some we don't!) Since we've only had the camera a few weeks we have not been able to delve into all of the options the camera has to offer, but so far we love it! We would definitely recommend that anyone looking for a low to mid-level priced camera give this one a try.

Warning PC users - Deceptive Features

2008-05-31
If you are a PC owner be very careful before purchasing this product. Canon wants you to think this is an easy product to synch to your computer, when in fact it is anything but. For instance, it comes with a firewire and USB connection making one think that if you don't have a firewire connection you'll be all set when it comes to transfering videos through the USB connection. This is not the case. The USB connection is only for transfering images. Fine, so pretend for a sec that you do have a firewire connection (which more often than not, is not the case for PC users), once you install the software you think you'll be downloading videos in no time. Well, you would be wrong again. The camera does not come with video editing software despite the fact that Canon labels the CD that comes with the camera as "DIGITAL VIDEO SOLUTION DISK" when all it does is EDIT PHOTOGRAPHS!!! You have to wonder who thought it would be a good idea to label softare that only downloads images as a video solution disk. Probably not the sharpest knife in the drawer over at Canon...

Anyway, that's my too cents. As a video camera it seems ok so far, but it really falls short for PC users who want to purchase a camera that is easy and quick to synch up with their PC. I hope someone finds this useful and avoids making the same mistake I did which was to trust the kid at BestBuy who assured me this synched up easily.

PS. I apologize for the use of all caps, but really thought it appropriate in this case.

Awesome

2008-05-16
For the money with all the options this camera has, ease of use, you can't touch it. I highly recommend it.

Good for price - No Xtras

2008-05-13
I bought this for recording family stuff. It records good with good sound. I am very unimpressed with the still pictures, especially in low light. It doesn't come with any software for capturing or editing your videos. Windows comes with one. There is no firewire cable to transfer your video to your computer either. I picked one up for cheap. It doesn't come with a sd card for still pictures. Overall I am happy with the camcorder, the zoom is great and the video is sharp. If you plan on taking a lot of still pictures you probably wont be happy. My phone takes better photos than this.

Cameras & Photography Products and Books

	Click!. The No Nonsense Guide to Digital Cameras Review: ... "Click! The No Nonsense Guide to Digital Cameras" is misnamed. It covers a lot more than just cameras. In a couple of hundred pages, it includes using a scanner and Adobe Photoshop Elements 2 to rescue faded, damaged family photos, the basic guidelines to good picture taking, how to use Elements 2 to improve your digital photos, and how to print and preserve your pictures for the ages. White, the author of the bestseller "How Computers Work," knows how to pack a lot of helpful, understandable information in a brief no nonsense book.
	Sony Cybershot DSCS90 4.1 MP Digital Camera with 3x Optical Zoom Review: "This Camera is one of the best in its price range. It takes beautiful clear pictures and can be used right out of the box, but its worth learning all its features. The included memory holds about 20-25 pictures so I upgraded to 128mb. I reccomend getting a 128mb card and the Sony camera case. Not only is this one of the best cameras in its class it includes decent software and rechargeable batteries that are at least a 20$ value. HIGHLY reccomend over canon,kodak, and fuji. One more thing this camera has CARL Zeiss lens (if you dont know, great lens) all the competetors have generic lens."
	Sony Cybershot DSCF88 5MP Digital Camera with 3x optical Zoom Editorial Review: Kick back with your favorite DVDs anywhere! Sleek, portable player features IR wireless remote. Plays DVDs, CDs, MP3s and Kodak Picture CDs. Includes 12V power source adapter and Li-Ion Battery Pack. Model D1710. 90-day limited warranty.

PC Magazine Guide to Digital Photography

Editorial Reviews from Book News, Inc.
A couple of digital photography experts weigh the advantages and disadvantages of film vs. digital photography, and explain the basics underlying both types of photography. The Grottas provide reality checks on such issues as whether the number of megapixels really matter, and tips on camera selection, use, and e-mailing and organizing photos. The handbook includes color and b&w images, a glossary, and sidebars and Web links for further technical details.Copyright © 2004 Book News, Inc., Portland.

From the Back Cover The megapixel hype
The fact is a camera’s megapixel rating is only a measure of how many pixels (photosensitive sites) an image sensor has…. An image sensor is simply one component of an entire system that produces a digital photograph… So resist buying into the megapixel hype when you’re choosing a digital camera. From Chapter 1

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