This camera is wonderful. It is light weight, easy to use. The camera function buttons are within easy reach. It records widescreen or fullscreen. Camera is a great cost. Picture quality is great. I have had mine for only 2 months and have used it every chance I get.
A good working camcorder. So far it has held up great. I market horses for sale and must have a camera that will survive being outside in the dirt, heat, moisture, etc. I have taped dozens of horses, uploaded them and make great sales DVDs. Very valuable tool for my business, and the most important part is that it was affordable.
So far I am loving this camera. Picture is nice, sound is soooo much better than other camcorders I have had before. It transfer easy to my iMac and movie making becomes super easy. I would advise though to get a couple of extra batteries, since battery life is not that great, but what really matters to me, (picture, sound, image) is awesome!
The camera is everything people have said, it's a REALLY nice camera, until it won't accept a tape, a relatively common problem with the ZR line. When THAT happens Canon wants $92 bucks plus to fix, maybe more, used parts ?. I know, been there. I told them forget it when I found out, just as cheap to get another one (used). I had a 200, it broke, wouldn't accept tape. There's always one on Ebay listed as "as is" because of this so it's been heard of. Just be aware, when it happens you lose EVERYTHING that has to do with the tape side (but keep the still side or movies from SD cards. Would I buy another?, yup, if it was used and cheap on Ebay.
The camcorder has some standard features and you can't expect a lot more from it as this is a low-end product. The only thing that really annoyed me was the motor sound. It is way too loud and it gets picked up by the microphone, which creates a pretty loud feedback. I wouldn't have bought this camcorder if a knew about this particular problem. Otherwise it is an "OK" product.
It is easy to use, compact, and we love it! We were able to use it right away and it was sent to us in a timely manner, so we were able to capture wonderful memories at Christmas time! Thank a million!
Pro: - cheap; - very light and compact body; - easy to use; - a good standard battery life span;
Con: - that little joystick to navigate the menu is a HORRIBLE idea ! - image quality is average. - the sound is noisy but decent. - no software to capture or edit on PC.
General considerations: On full automatic mode is doing a decent job, much better than the old Canon models from ZR line. Best results in manual mode.