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1. 

   Robert Fagen
   May 21st, 2010 - 10:54

   I’m very impressed with the image quality, the display quality and the combination of intelligent automatic settings with the freedom to adjust the picture how you’d like it. The camera is unobstrusive in its weight and size. It works perfectly with the firewire card/DV editing package that I bought. A great tool for a new (and addictive) hobby.
   Rating: 5 / 5
2. 

   B. Hiestand
   May 21st, 2010 - 13:28

   I have the same problems that everyone else is talking about. I get several bars across the screen that make the picture not viewable. I noticed that the camcorder was making a very faint noise that sounded like the tape was wrinkling. I took the tape out and sure enough there was slight evidence that the tape was being damaged especially on the top edge of the tape. It sounds like it is not even worth it to get it fixed. I guess I will look in to getting a new camcorder that is NOT a Canon.
   Rating: 1 / 5
3. 

   M. Johnson
   May 21st, 2010 - 14:05

   I’ve recorded about 20 minutes with my brand new ZR25 and have already had to send it back to Canon twice for repairs for an identical issue.

   When the camera was brand new, I had recorded 15 minutes worth of tape when the recording and playback became distorted. While playing tapes back, four horizontal, pixelated lines would scroll down the screen and render the image unwatchable. The sound playback was also garbled beyond comprehension.

   I called Canon and they said to try a head cleaner. A $16 head cleaning tape later, the problem persisted. I called back and Canon said to try a new tape. I bought two brand new tapes ($14) and neither made a difference.

   Then I called Canon back and asked them if they would replace the camera and reimburse me for the cost of the head cleaning tape, which did not solve the problem. They refused on both counts. Though I had used it for a mere 15 minutes, Canon insisted I send the camera in for repair–and they would not reimburse me for the cost of shipping, thank you very much.

   $25 worth of shipping and insurance (and related hassle) later, I got the camera back from Canon. For the first 6.5 minutes of recording, the problem seemed resolved…and then the garble came back. Once again, the images have pixelated distorted bars running across the screen. Canon says I have to send the camera back yet again–shipping at my expense–for a second round of “repairs.”

   Considering that I bought this camera when our child was born three months ago, and that the camera has not allowed me to record more than 10 minutes of our baby without 4 giant stripes perforating his body, I’m not satisfied. The camera’s low reliability, failure to serve me in recording my child’s infancy, and Canon’s unwillingness to replace the camera or pick up shipping costs show a surprising Canon unwillingness to do right by their customers.

   I’d pass on this model and go with one of the other brands and models available on Amazon.
   Rating: 2 / 5
4. 

   Anonymous
   May 21st, 2010 - 15:11

   First I want to say I’m not very knowledgeable at all about Mini-DV, and as this being my first camera as such any opinions I express are only very amateurish and I cannot compare this camera to others as I have not had the experience of using any other DV devices, and I have not had alot of time lately to play with it. But I’ll say my first impressions here of it for what they are worth.

   First, I’ll have to say my first impressions about the Image Stabilisation are’nt ideal as far as I can tell. It’s not much to be desired. If I don’t hold the camera very steady in my hands or use a tripod the “shakes” are very noticeable. I have been using the camera to take footage of rural Alaska, on trails and mountains, and as you can probably guess it’s rather hard to climb a rough trail without considerable shaking. It’s not horrendous, but I really don’t see any help from it. Again, I don’t really know what to expect from it either, but so far, it’s not been what I expected. However, it IS a digital stabilisation method as opposed to the more desireable optical kind, and it is better to turn this off actually when using zoom in extended ranges.

   Also, the low light feature does work, but is very grainy when taking indoor shots especially. It seems the camera does best in bright outdoor light, and to take decent footage of indoor scenes your lighting better be good. The various options for lighting adjustment in the menu for outdoor/indoor lighting however work great, and adjust for the different conditions well.

   The camera seems VERY well built. I have knocked it around considerably on the trails, thrown it in a bag and out without overdue care, and subjected it to high winds, mist, and rough handling. No problems. It feels very solid in the hands and does’nt give me any impression of fragileness. The LCD door clicks open and shut with certainty, as does the battery. The covers for the DC jack and S/DV in-out jacks are’nt though, they are made of rubber and do not seem to be very reliable, and hang by a thin rubber strip when open. They also don’t seem to want to stay closed alot, and I’m always afraid of ripping them off when opening them for access. Otherwise, the cam seems very solid and able to withstand abuse. The camera fits snugly and comfortably in the right hand using the supplied strap, and it also comes with a neck strap for additional security. The controls are easily accessible considering this cameras very small size, though the main power switch is hard to move due to it’s extremely small center lock button. The footage/shutter stop/start button is very nicely located and can be quickly found with the thumb. Same is true for the zoom rocker with the index finger.

   The Optical zoom (10X) is superb. No degradation in image quality whatsoever either all the way up to 40X in the digital zoom. This thing is like a telescope, I can zoom in on things the naked eye could never pick up even past the 40X. However……past the 40X, the image gets grainy, and is practically worthless past 100X. It gets so pixelated past 100 that I turned the option off and only use the 40X digital zoom option. Once again, it is also better to turn off the image stabilisation when using digital zoom past the 10X optical.

   The image quality so far is excellent. Very clear, the colors are accurate and vibrant, and noticeably improved over Hi-8 when dubbed to a VHS tape. The zoom is smooth, and very fast/slow according to how much pressure you place on the rocker swith.

   The DV out/in works flawlessly with my firewire terminal, and I’ve been using MGI Videowave 3 for editing and compression. BTW, I can also highly recommend that program, very user friendly and works great. I may someday want to graduate to a more robust application, but for now it’s awesome. I also called their tech support for a question I had regarding capture (I was being an idiot, enough said of that!) and the support person was very friendly, patient and helpful.

   The ZR25′s battery life seems excellent. I have not yet ever completely depleted it using the included Li-ion BP-512 pack, even using the LCD constantly. Canon has available a higher capacity pack as an accessory, but I see no need for it for my uses.

   The LCD quality is not what I expected. According to specs, it’s 2.5 inch LCD is approximately 112,000 pixels. I’m not sure how that compares to other screens in it’s class but I’m sure it’s low. I always have to keep in mind that my footage is going to look 3X better than what I’m previewing on it. It’s also terrible in sunlight (I imagine this may be common with most DVcams, but the LCD on my Kodak digicam spanks it big time). The viewfinder however is more than adequate. Nice color, and seems to be accurate according to the actual footage taken. It also swings up and away from the battery pack for easy replacement of the battery, and it’s angle is good for comfort of use when extended.

   Overall, though the CCD is admittedly of lower resolution compared to the Allura’s, (1/4 inch CCD, approx. 460,000 pixels, approx. 290,000 effective) but the quality of footage is so far excellent and more than satisfactory to me as long as the lighting is adequate. I have not yet tried the still image mode, but I did not buy this camera for that feature as I have two digital cameras for that purpose (Kodak DC-4800′s, 3.1MP. I also by the way EXTREMELY recommend these digital cams, they take superb images and have the best price going in their class, as well come loaded with extra features including full manual control over exposure settings plus a limited range of acessory lenses with optional adapter). I’m pleased with it more than not.

   I’ll write more on this camera as I gain more experience with it, and I hope this somewhat helps others who might be considering purchasing this model.
   Rating: 4 / 5
5. 

   Michael Zatuchni
   May 21st, 2010 - 15:51

   Canon strikes again. This little camcorder picks up where the ZR10 left off. Easiest camcorder to use. High quality of DV – you gotta love those little tapes. Functions that put it above the rest…Analog input, long battery life, media card. Use the still mode instead of a still camera. No more carrying multiple big cameras on my vacation. Just one little versatile ZR25
   Rating: 5 / 5

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