Canon ZR700
Camcorder | February 14th, 2008
Retail Price: $349.00
Beneath its handsome Grey Smoke finish, the ZR700 packs a powerful combination of performance and features. It comes with a 25x optical and 1000x digital zoom - Canon’s longest zooms ever. It also comes with features like: an easy-to-read menu system; an omni-selector joystick that lets you easily operate playback, focus, exposure and menu options with a single controller; a big 2.7″ LCD viewscreen; and, Smooth Zoom and Level Shot Control. The ZR700 is a stylish performer you can take anywhere.
In addition, the viewfinder on your ZR700 displays your widescreen image in a letterbox view. From side to side and top to bottom, what you see is what you get. You can also view your widescreen shot in the ZR700’s large, 2.7″ LCD screen. Either way, there isn’t the guessing or extra work in looking at an image that’s distorted like a fun house mirror. To make it even easier, a Widescreen Button lets you switch from standard 4:3 to 16:9 Widescreen HR at the touch of your finger. You can also use the widescreen feature with the camcorder’s advanced image stabilization.
Even with a longer zoom and slightly larger screen compared to the ZR300, Canon kept the ZR700’s weight down to just less than a pound with its battery (720mAh) and a tape installed. The grip and right-hand controls are fairly standard, with Easy/Program mode and Tape/Card switches grouped near the zoom rocker. An SD card slot resides below the zoom and to the left of the A/V, USB, and FireWire ports. We were disappointed to see that tapes load from the bottom, though it’s common for such a compact design,.
In addition to size, Canon has also trimmed some much needed specs from the ZR700. This model’s ancestor, the ZR400, had a bigger imager and was able to capture stills at a higher resolution. Sadly, Canon is not alone in this trend of making camcorders more chic and convenient while regressing image quality. We merely anticipate, mind you, this loss of image quality. Our full review will tell the tale.”