Canon ZR700

Now allow us to get a look at the mildly sweet specs of the Canon ZR700. We're positive you'll dig it. In all honesty you might adore it. Like every other single time, we endeavor to dig up and also list the biggest finds gettable in any place on the web below the statistics.

The Following Review By: Karen Weatherford

Heir apparent to the Canon's well-regarded ZR300, the ZR700 offers more compact-camcorder goodness to budget-minded home moviemakers. The new model maintains a palm-friendly design while adding a wide-screen LCD, simplified controls, and a bump to 25X zoom--one of the highest we've seen in an entry-level camcorder. However, while the Canon ZR700 delivers the same top-notch color reproduction as those of its predecessor, it's equally bad at low-light video and still photos. Even with a longer zoom and slightly larger screen compared to the ZR300, Canon kept the ZR700's weight down to just less than a pound with its battery (720mAh) and a tape installed.

The grip and right-hand controls are fairly standard, with Easy/Program mode and Tape/Card switches grouped near the zoom rocker. An SD card slot resides below the zoom and to the left of the A/V, USB, and FireWire ports. We were disappointed to see that tapes load from the bottom, though it's common for such a compact design,. The camcorder's left side is dominated by a 2.7-inch wide-screen LCD--a natural match for the ZR700's full-sensor-width, wide-screen recording capabilities.

Even better, Canon moved all video and playback controls to the bevel of the LCD panel and simplified them, too. A five-way joystick provides navigation and quick access to manual focus and exposure settings. Four buttons put frequently used features, including digital effects, wide-screen/4:3 mode, and the video light, at your fingertips.

We found the ZR700's zoom controls quick and responsive, though autofocus seemed to lag, regardless of how fast or slow we zoomed. Also, though Canon's electronic-image-stabilization (EIS) worked reasonably well at moderate zoom levels, it couldn't handle maximum zoom. These complaints aside, most home moviemakers will find the Canon ZR700's video quality perfectly acceptable. And price-conscious shoppers are sure to love its many features and small size.