Can't believe the value in this camera!
Pros:
Price
Easy to use
Picture Quality
Ext Mic Jack
Cons:
No hotshoe
Did not include Firewire cable in box
The Bottom Line:
Great camcorder with some features found only in more expensive units.
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Overall Rating:
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Author's Review
I purchased the ZR800 as an alternate camera to make some low budget DIY videos for a very narrow audience. Because of the requirements for filming, I did not want to risk damage to a more expensive camcorder.
While I was leery at first, I thought for $200 I would take a chance. I am pleasantly surprised! This thing is great, especially when used with an axillary mic.
The picture quality is very acceptable for a low cost camera. Of course it's not up to a 3 chip camera, but is less than one fourth the price also. Even still, the resulting video capture is very good. While not especially good in low/no light, with aux lighting it is fine. For my videos I use halogen shop lights you can buy at Lowes, WalMart, etc.
The ZR800 offers enough manual control to allow some pro-consumer shooting. It has adjustment for white balance and shoots for wide screen if needed.
As stated, this is most likely the only camera selling for less than $600 that has an aux mic input. While it only allows for a 1/8 mic jack you can find many mic options that will be acceptable. I personally use a lapel mic for great sound. Be warned though that the ZR800 requires a condenser mic with its own power supply. Not a big deal, but if you do not know that you may buy the wrong mic.
The only negative, considering the price, is it does not come with a Firewire cable to link to your computer. You can find these on ebay for less than $5 or you can check Best Buy, but be prepared to shell out about $50 for the same thing.
Consider this camera carefully if you are looking for the best low budget camera value.
