February 20, 2006
Canon ZR500 Camcorder Review
It looks like the new Canon ZR-500 has taken the lead in terms of price/performance of the low-end $300 camcorder market. I might get one myself.
Too often, replacement models do little more than bump up the zoom and change the color of a camcorder. Canon has gone above and beyond this year, overhauling old designs and building off of a solid imaging system. As I said earlier, this is one of the best ZR camcorders we've seen in years. The low light performance has been a thorn in their side for too long, and barred us from making recommendations towards them without an assortment of caveats: "good video... but bad low light;" "good design... but no mic input." No more. Barring the ability to take stills, expect the ZR500 to be one of the best deals in the low-end market.
