Home > Consumer Reviews > Canon ZR40 MiniDV Digital Camcorder with 2.5" LCD, & Digital Still Mode

Things I like...

- price
- size

Thing I didn't like and made me return

- performance under regular indoor house lighting very grainy and considerably worse than my 8mm analog. Doing further research it appears this is likely not unique to Canon but common to DV camcorders. I am going to stick with my 8mm for a couple of years until DV tech improves since much of my use is indoors filming kids, etc.

I have this camera and I noticed two things that were kind of annoying:
When you play back what you have recorded you clearly hear the cameras motor in the background, so you should use an external microphone. Even [an inexpensive] one (like the one I use) has better sound quality than the cameras internal mic.

Also, the manual is VERY vague on the cameras specs. I edit my video on a PC and there is a lot you need to know when uploading video via FireWire, like if the camera has a 4-pin or a 6-pin port, if it is NTSC or PAL, that sort of stuff that you MUST know in order to upload.

Overall, this is a very good camera, just with some minor flaws.

I just purchased my ZR40 and I think it just barely gets by. The still photos are very grainy and in low light scenarios it does not perform well. The digital zoom is out standing, and it is very handy. I�ve only had it one week so I can�t say every much yet.

Up until tonight, the ZR-40 seemed average to me. It's pretty small, has high video quality etcetera, but doesn't have many effects or features. Tonight, however, our family puppy knocked it off of the TV (about 4 feet above the hardwood floor) and dragged it around after him by the power cord as he ran away panicking. After a thorough inspection and runthrough, I found NO damage to the camera, and only a slight bend in the TV interface plug where he'd ripped it sideways out of the camera. If you're not sure you can protect your camera from all harm, I'd suggest this camera - it takes a lickin' and keeps on tickin'!

I just bought this camera on 6/30/02. I love the size, it is in the midi-palm category, so it fits nice and snug in your hands. The 18x zoom is what grabbed my attention the most. I was in the market for a Sony camcorder, but decided on the Canon and glad I did.