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Canon ZR930 1.07MP MiniDV Camcorder with 48x Optical Zoom |
To update my rating, I give 1 star to the condensation sensor design, 5 stars to the rest of the camera.
After 3 weeks turnaround, Canon returned the camcorder to me. They graciously covered cost of shipping when I first called in the issue, and they e-mailed me a UPS slip to sent to the New Jersey facility. I've done some early tests on the repaired camcorder and it seems the condensation sensor is not as finicky as before. They said it was 'repaired', but didn't specify whether they dialed down the sensitivity or disabled condensation sensor altogether. Good thing the warranty lasts for a full year. :-)
Outside of this repair issue, this is an excellent camcorder. Has a microphone input, great video quality, and very easy to upload video. I hope to enjoy using it for many years to come. Will continue to test it before arrival of our first child due in September! :-)
ORIGINAL REVIEW:
Through casual use, the condensation error has come up more than 75% of the time I've tried using it. I think the sensor is oversensitive in order to protect the camera, but at at unreasonable cost to the consumer, because it is no longer useful for "convenient" use.
I am not using it in highly humid environments, so this is particularly frustrating. I have missed several important video footage occasions due to uncooperative condensation error. Stay away from this camera. I have emailed Canon about this problem and I'll update here when I get more news from them.
UPDATE JUNE 17, 2008:
The camcorder arrived June 4 in NJ facility, but they haven't been able to track the camcorder down (should only have taken 3 to 5 days). I just sent the following email to Canon Support (with minor edits).
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Hello Sir/Madam,
I'm writing to ask Canon USA to take necessary steps to expedite our camcorder repair issue.
Kelly from NJ service center is looking for our ZR930 that arrived by UPS on June 4 (almost 2 weeks ago). The camcorder still has not been found. We are expecting our first baby very soon, and we are getting extremely anxious!
The camcorder suffers from a hypersensitive condensation fault, and was only 35 days old when I sent it for service. It is practically new, as I've only taped 3 hours of footage. The condensation fault has appeared almost 80% of the time I've tried to use it, a very poor performance record. I have asked NJ facility to reduce its sensitivity or disable the condensation sensor altogether.
I cannot rely on this camcorder to tape my new baby given the current condensation warning behavior. We have already missed the taping of my wife's PhD convocation and our last chance to see the space shuttle on the launchpad in Florida due to the condensation warnings. (Outdoor conditions were no different than a regular day at the baseball stadium)
Please let me know what actions will be taken by Canon USA. We simply want a working Canon camcorder that does not give false or conservative condensation errors on a regular basis. While the user manual mentions the issue, it gives no indication to the user that these faults can be so frequent, and if so, on what basis (i.e. specify the exact humidity and temperature fluctuations and conditions necessary to trip the sensor). Otherwise, this camcorder will forever feel like a "hit or miss" recording device. Even cell phone cameras can reliably take low quality images. (The key here being "reliably").
We are deeply disappointed with Canon USA on this particular issue (we are Canon digital camera fans) and desperate to hear from Canon about our camcorder. The cynical side of me feels oversensitive condensation warnings in MiniDV camcorders is the current marketing ploy to encourage consumers to adopt the newer and more expensive hard drive based camcorders which yield larger profit margins. Such condensation issues were not as prevalent with older MiniDV camcorders before flash based camcorders came along. Please prove us wrong, Canon!
I hope to hear from you asap!
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The zr930 is a step forward though and is certainly worth the price quoted here. They changed the interior configuration to a more box like shape allowing them to maximize the space and fit as much technology inside as possible. Due to this not only have they included a mic port but they have been able to adjust the AV output to double as a headphone jack so you can monitor sound. Both of these features are necessary as they have failed to fix the sound problem that has dogged this line of cameras for a number of years. The motor noise can still be heard on playback if you use the built in mic and thats really the only area that this camera loses a star. The 35x zoom of last year has been increased to 48x and the picture quality is sharper and brighter than previous models.
I've never had any issues with connecting it to my PC. I did not use any of the software that was included as its usually junk they just want to force you to use. I hooked it up to my PC, my computer immediately recognized it and then I used one of my other programs to start it up.
Extra info:
If you are new to camcorders there are some things you should take into consideration.
Name brand BATTERIES are expensive. While there are cheap ones that you can get for around $10 online these are cheaply made chinese generic versions. They take A LOT longer to recharge and generally only last about 6 - 10 months. The name brand usually lasts around 18 months but as I found out the other week can cost $100. There's is no reason that the battery on an item like this should cost nearly half of the original item price. I would expect a battery to cost $30 at most.
Another unexpected experience you'll come across is the sheer amount of space that will be taken up on your computers hard drive by a video transfer. Only yesterday I went to transfer 20 minutes of tape and it used up 5 gigs yes thats GIGS of space. If you are like me and you need to have all of your video accessible and on your computer then make sure you have a hard drive with the necessary capacity or at least prepare to invest in a new external one for video storage.
In conclusion. This is a great budget cam and if you invest in a good external mic I don't think you could do much better.
4 out of 5 Satisfied.
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The internal microphone works well, but if you want you can also use an external microphone. This camcorder has a microphone jack which is becoming an increasingly rare feature on budget camcorders. While it doesn't have an accessory shoe which would be nice you can use a cheap flash bracket to mount a mic.
As an all around camcorder this one is great. I am using it as a secondary camcorder with my Sony VX2000, and the video is comparable. It is hard to tell between cuts which video came from which camera.
Overall, I would recommend this camcorder if your looking for a good all around camcorder that takes great video!
Pro's:
Light
Cheap
Great Video
External Microphone Jack
Multiple Settings
Works Great with my Mac
Con's
Slight Motor Noise but only in very quiet situations.
And I can't think of anything else.
The only problem I have noticed is with the 48x zoom you need a really steady hand (or a tripod) or else it will get jumpy.
But, this is an unbelievable deal.
My Original review follows:
Good camera. Better video quality than the ZR-800 and has a microphone input so that you can really do some nice filming with this camera. No light on the camera, despite advertising. There is NO motor noise at all, despite what others write. Canon haters have been complaining about motor noise on Canon cameras for years, but there is none on this device.
For the price, in decent light, there is probably no better camera.
The down side is--the firewire does not work. I have a Mac and a PC. And a firewire port. The port sees other devices. It will not see this camera, and believe me, I have tried it all. In short, it is VERY difficult to get video onto a computer for editing and movie making, despite Canon's claims that it can be done via the firewire port. I even bought 2 different cables to make sure. Instead of plugging in the camera via firewire to my laptop, I have to export the video by plugging in an analog miniplug from the camera into my rca input jacks on my DVD recorder, record the video onto a standalone DVD-Recorder I have in my bedroom, and then put the DVD-r into the computer and input the video into iMovie. Very inelegant and very time consuming, multistep process.
In short, I HATE companies who just out and out LIE to their customers, and, sorry Canon, that is what you have done here. How could they possibly have shipped a camera with a firewire port and not have known that is not functional? Doesn't connect to a Windows XP PC, does not connect to a Mac. Gigantic disappointment
There is a down side. Despite claims, the camera has no built in light. You supposedly can flip the monitor and use it as a light, but a cell phone is about as bright and you then lose the monitor for monitoring! For some reason Canon designed the camera with no accessory shoe, so there is no place to mount a real light, or the shotgun microphone that you might otherwise want to plug into the camera.