Canon ZR950 1.07MP MiniDV Camcorder

This is my first camcorder, so I cannot really compare to anything else that I' ve owned. I did try a JVC minidv,but was not overly impressed and went with this one over the Sony DCR-HC62 and JVC GR-D870. The JVC I tested was the GR-DA30 which according to JVC ha sthe same sensor as th GR-D870 which was highly rated. The Sony was interesting due to the infrared low light feature however I will never know if it's any better in low light and am satisfied with the ZR950 although the night feature has some noise andyellow tint, but trying different settings and is getting better. I honestly do not believe that either of teh camcorders are great in low light so not disappointed with my choice. Of course this uses a DV (IEEE1394 or firewire) connection as do all miniDV camcorders and if you have a PC you could easily find this out by searching google or reading the specs on the respective sites for the camcorder you are interested in. A lot of newer motherboards come with a firewire con... Read more

Film making is not just a hobby of mine. I plan on doing it as a profession so i needed a good low budget camcorder. This is just it. It has 1CCD and 1+megapixel. Also The camera has an amazing 48x advanced zoom that does NOT deteriate the quality at all. Another thing is that the camera is loaded with amazing effects, white balances, and features. Next it has a color view finder, and a nice big lcd screen. It is a very small camera and very light. It has a dv(firewire) output and usb output. Also the picture comes out great on tv, even on a 60 inch full HD tv. Finally the LCD screen converts into a bright white light to use as a small flash. Its not very effective in large areas but it does come handy. Now a con would be that the camera does not operate to great with auto exposure in low light but then again very few cameras in the world do good in low light. A good thing is it has an accesory shoe to add a flash on the top. One thing i didnt like was that the view finder was non ret... Read more

I purchased this a couple of weeks ago after reviewing just about every comment on the mini DV cameras. I picked mini DV because I expected a lot of learning and cost reduction to follow on the newer hard disk drives (and I didn't want to spend $600). I used the camera on vacation (in Oregon and Indiana). Frankly, it was pleasantly easy to use, and very easy to integrate/transfer over to my iMac (I selected this camera partly because it has a firewire). It's sound is great, it's zoom is amazing. I have no regrets over the purchase. I did need some help connecting it, and called their 800 number, and they were equally helpful (also a pleasant surprise). I realize the markets are constantly changing in terms of technology. But for this camera, it will last me for years (assuming it lasts for years). But it's really nice, and I've already made several DVD's with it. Now I'd like to upgrade my Mac.....

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.

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.

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 sol... Read more