Home > Consumer Reviews > Canon ZR60 MiniDV Digital Camcorder with 2.5" LCD, 18x Optical Zoom and Image Stabilization

I own this camcorder and for the price there aint one better. It has everything you want. I think that hooking up to the computer for editing is great... by if you are not looking to edit your videos on a PC, don't let that stop you from buying this camcorder. Why? Because it's digital. The most advanced picture in the market. I has a Canon lens, of course, the same technology as those lens' at the major league baseball games. The quality of digital never fades out, and this camcorder performs great in well lit conditions, although poor lit rooms deliver poor quality out of this camcorder. Also, never leave out anything that you think you wont use, such as an external light, or a firewire cable for you computer because later on, you are going to want to get in the world of digital. Happy videoing!

Canon is a very good company, I am happy with the ZR60 I bought as others have mentioned. But this month (9/05) the sensor went out after a bit less than two years! You can be pretty sure the sensor is out when you detect no light at all (black screen on LCD and viewfinder) but sound recording still works. I went on this website to look up the product and found several unhappy customers complaining about the sensor going out also. I went to the canon web site and manual to try to figure out what was wrong and concluded that my sensor was out. I then looked at the Canon web site and did not find anything on this except the support line. I called and after a 3 or 4 minutes on hold was connected to someone who seemed familiar with this problem and I was delighted to hear that I would get a new sensor at no charge if the sensor problem was indeed what was wrong. I spent $13.80 to ship it (insured and confirmed delivery) and within two weeks I have my camera back and it is working. I am relieved I did not have an expensive repair to deal with. Overall, I am very happy with the product and service. Just wish the sensors were more stable and wonder now if the new sensor will go out in a couple of years or if it will be good for the 10 years I would expect.

Well, I am a filmmaker. I have done many true no-budget films. I have always shot on MiniDV. I used to work with excusively Panasonic, but after my last Pana died an awful death of being smashed after falling, I decided to get myself a Canon ZR60. This camera has an extremely good viewfinder and LCD. I did find that the CCD doesn't let much light in, but I always put a wide angle on all of my cameras, and this helped greatly. I also found this camera to be too light and small for me to achieve the kind of steady shot I got on my Panasonics. I have since solved this problem with a shoulder brace, but beware of thinking that the image stabilizer will fix all shaky shots. It truly cannot. The audio is a plus on this camera for me. The mic input is well situated, and the accessory shoe makes for a perfect mic mounting spot. I also love the AV inputs. These are a great option instead of an expensive Analog to Firewire converter.

All in all, this camera is highly recommended, but the light weight and smallness make it a complete pain for keeping steady.

Just over a year after purchase, the LCD screen went black. I did some research online and heard about the CCD malfunctioning in a bunch of canon series camcorders, including the ZR60. The camera tech I took it to was going to charge me $300 to fix it, but luckily Canon did it for free! because of this happening to so many cameras! So, since I got it fixed it still works great! I wouldn't use it for anything professional, but its small enough to carry around for a good time and film home movies!

I thought I made a good purchase. i didn't want a real expensive camcorder and this one had everything I wanted. However 13 months after i bought it the LCD viewfinder stopped working. Every other function worked except the only thing I could record was black. Plus the camera won't be repaired until after Christmas. If you choose to buy this camrea beware and buy an optional warranty because you will be repairing it.

This is the last Canon product I'll ever purchase!