The lowest-priced current entry in Canon's budget ZR series of compact MiniDV camcorders is the excellent value ZR500, an updated version of the ZR100...The ZR500 is slimmer and lighter than its predecessor, and it includes a revised feature set along with some noticeable upgrades...9 mode, in which the ZR500 provides 450,000 effective pixels for video (400,000 when...

Costs less than $300; wide-screen LCD; easy-to-use controls; built-in lens cover; above-average color reproduction; 25X optical zoom; plenty of manual...No shoulder strap or accessory shoe; bottom-loading tape compartment; not enough image stabilization...The ZR500 doesn't capture still photos, though we'd hardly call that a catch, unless you're dying for grainy, 0.7-megapixel snapshots...In

Under these conditions, the ZR500 produced a richly saturated image...The reds appear stronger in the Panasonic, but overall, the ZR500 image is far more preferable...The ZR500 definitely comes out the winner in this competition...Overall, the picture was nearly as bright as the ZR500’s, but the Canon had stronger green and yellow saturations which managed to...

"True hi-resolution widescreen mode, mic input, built-in lens cover, and surprisingly good low light performance make this an outstanding product among the "base models" of the four camcorder brands..."

"If this is your first camcorder purchase, I fully recommend it! If not, then it's a good example of how refined the budget camcorder have become, a very capable replacement or backup..."

"The look and feel..."

"Clean images, 16X9, good auto functions Bottmo-loading tape No, this litte gem does not produce the same quality recordings as my Canon GL-1..."

"What it DOES produce is very good recordings, in 16X9, with adequaate IS for most..."

"Got one of these the other day after reading the bountiful good reviews..."

"This camcorder is the LOWEST priced entry level camcorder on the market..."

"If you're a novice that needs a good camcorder at a great price, the ZR500 (replaces ZR100) is an excellent choice..."

"The video quality is good even in dark environment..."