Canon ZR65MC MiniDV Digital Camcorder
by Canon
List Price:
Our Price: $125.00
You Save: $574.99 (82%)
Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days
Category: Digital Camera
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Digital Photo Product Details
Manufacturer: CanonPlatform: Mac, Mac OS 9 and below, Mac OS X, PowerMac, Windows, Windows 2000, Windows 2000 Server, Windows 98, Windows Me, Windows NT, Windows NT 3.5, Windows NT 4, Windows NT 5, Windows XP
Model: 8428A001
Product features:
- MiniDV camcorder with 20x optical zoom, 400x digital zoom, image stabilization
- 2.5-inch fold-out color LCD screen and color viewfinder
- Takes digital stills (1024 x 768) and stores them on included 8 MB Secure Digital memory card
- Shoot panoramic still photos, then stitch together on PC
- Connects to PCs and Macs via Firewire (IEEE1394) and USB (for photos)
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Digital Cameras Photo Reviews of Canon ZR65MC MiniDV Digital Camcorder
Customer Review: from '02 to 1wk ago thought it was great, now eats tapes....
Summary: 2 Stars
(correction: i just noticed 12/3 i actually have a zr50mc..duhh...) guess i bought it around 3/2002 since my first tape is dated 3/18/02. (online for $580 or something like that...cant remember.) i've shot 12 90minute tapes since that time (60mins set at SP for 90min recording). like i said, i thought it was a great camera for video until recently. my main reason for getting it was to record my new kids, one now 4yo and one 2.5yo, becaue my vhsc panasonic camcorder began recording very warbly audio (video was/is still good) and i wanted to capture their early talking, etc. the zr65mc problems started recently while i've been converting those tapes to dvd to share selected clips with the grandparents, aunts, friends, etc. (i found ulead's products very good for this, by the way, after first using windows movie maker to import to dv-avi format. had to buy a new 120g hardisk though to add to my 60g since each imported tape took up to 19gigs each. i always wondered why people needed such big harddisks - now i know.) anyway on importing about the 7th tape, while rewinding, it jammed. i was able to eject the tape and used a pencil to wiggle and extricate the caught tape inside but it was chewed up pretty good and about 6inches was hanging out. after some scary tinkering with the cassette since i didnt want to loose the rest of the tape i was able to figure out that you you can manually rewind the tape. if the window side is up, operate the latch to open the tape cover on the right bottom. by using a hairpin or something small to depress the little latch on the bottom back middle and use the eraser of a lead pensil to either rewind or forward past the chewed up tape. sometimes i had to rewind or forward a bit more if it wouldn't work again after the first reloading. but i was able to convert all the tapes with only a few seconds of lost video. the problem is i thought it was only with the rewind, but yesterday (11/27/04) on a bart outing to the metreon with 12 of my family, after working at home, at the bart station i pulled it out to continue shooting on the same tape and it gave me the dreaded red eject tape message on the lcd blue screen of death. i put it back in the car and used my old reliable casio qv2300 digital camera the rest of the day. let me just say, i am a video, digital camera, computer and internet sorta guy...the rest of the family luvs it but the wife often hates it.
now, i'm researching the problem and found many postings for the zr10 of this problem. i suspect all these zr models are the same camera and canon just changes the model number each year...they're up to what zr95 or something and its still probably the zr10 inside. if i figure out a non expensive solution, i'll post it. at least it can be used still as a analog-digital av converte, since that doesn't require a tape...and i did use it with my panasonic to convert 18 vhsc tapes to dvd. all very time consuming tho.
by the way, i had another problem with a canon product before - a digital camera a70, that i bought for my workgroup in cupertino, early 2003 i think. out of the box new, one week later it stopped functioning completely! i sent it back east somewhere and two months later it came back working. but i didn't like that that camera didn't have the ability to choose whether you wanted to have the date stamp on the picture. when i called canon they said to use exifer for that. how lame i thought (after being used to the casio)! also the battery life indicator didn't work right. [thats why i like my casio (plus the swivel lens) and the casio software].
i'm thinking i shudda bought this tiny sony (forgot model) like i wanted to at the time, but i didn't like the $1k+ price then and the mic wasn't in a good spot. this one beat out the jvc's too for some reason i cant remember now. but its a whole new ballgame now with all the different stuff out there. maybe have to start the headache of trying to choose a replacement if i cant fix this one, and i doubt it worth paying to fix so....
anyway bottom line is i'm kinda thinking i'm not gonna buy cannon anymore or recommend it to people who ask me, and recently prior to this, i did recommend cannons to at least 4 of my friends.
Description of Canon ZR65MC MiniDV Digital Camcorder
Looking for an easy way to break into the world of digital video? Look no further than the Canon ZR65MC, which makes capturing valuable family memories as simple as pressing a button. It also features the ability to take high-resolution digital still photos and store them on memory cards. Lens
The ZR65MC features a high-performance 1/6-inch 680,000-pixel CCD to capture high-quality video and digital photos. The zoom technology found in the ZR65MC lens is the same as Canon uses in its broadcast TV lenses. The ZR65MC is fitted with a high-performance 20x optical zoom lens, which can easily handle all your shooting needs--from wide-angle shots of all the family at the reunion to close-up sports action at full telephoto. The ZR65MC's 400x digital zoom significantly expands the telephoto magnification of the subject.
Image Stabilization
Canon's image stabilization system corrects camera shake caused by, for example, an unsteady hand. This image stabilization system makes for smoother and steadier video even with hand-held shots--at full telephoto--and with shots taken from a moving car.
Digital Still
In addition to high-quality video, the ZR65MC also captures outstanding digital photos. All it takes is a single press of the photo button to shoot crisp XGA (1,024 x 768 pixels) digital still images. The ZR65MC stores these images via the built-in slot for Secure Digital (SD) and MultiMediaCard memory cards. You can also choose to store still images on the MiniDV tape. The camcorder records the photos for approximately 6 seconds, as well as recording the sound for your verbal notes or narration.
You can search through the recorded tape for your photos using the supplied remote control. This photo search feature allows you to search for images recorded in photo mode. Search forward or backward through the images one at a time, or 10 from the current position.
More Features
- Print photos directly to Canon bubble-jet printers
- 2.5-inch fold-out color LCD screen and 0.33-inch color viewfinder
- The My Camera function is designed to let you customize a number of features, including start-up image and sound, shutter sound, start-stop sound, and the self-timer sound
- Shoot panoramic still photos, then edit together on your PC with the PhotoStitch software
- The full-function wireless remote control works at distances up to 16 feet
- Wide selection of faders and special effects, including sepia, black and white, wave, mosaic, and more
The ZR65MC comes with the standard DV IEEE 1394 port (also referred to as FireWire), which provides a lossless connection to a PC or other DV machines, as well as USB connectivity for transferring still photos. Additionally, the ZR65MC features two types of analog audio and video inputs and outputs: composite and S-video. The analog audio inputs of the ZR65MC let you dub or insert editing from CDs, cassettes, microphones, or the soundtracks of other videocassettes.
MiniDV Format
MiniDV is the new preferred format for personal and broadcast-quality video, highly regarded for its high audio and image quality. With up to 540 lines of horizontal resolution and minimum color noise, MiniDV delivers a 20 percent clearer picture than analog camcorder formats. This is all delivered on a cassette that's 1/12th the size of a standard VHS tape. A MiniDV tape offers digital recording time of 2 full hours--20 times the capacity of a CD.
Power, Size, and Contents
The ZR65MC comes with a rechargeable lithium-ion battery pack, which has an approximate battery life of 75 minutes when using the LCD screen. The camera itself measures 4.1 by 2.3 by 5.8 inches and weighs 18 ounces. This package includes the ZR65MC camcorder, battery pack BP-508, power adapter CA-570, wireless controller WL-D79, shoulder strap, stereo video cable, USB cable, 8 MB Secure Digital memory card, and the DV Network Solutions and Digital Video Solutions CD-ROMs.
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