Not one complaint about this product...very useful and user friendly!  I have a little girl and have captured many memories with this camcorder...first steps, etc.  It goes everywhere we go...on vacation, to the amusement park, etc.  Battery life is good...not the best but it will last you a few hours of recording.  Picture qualtiy is great, audio is great and ability to hook right into your TV is really nice too!

mm0105

Nescopeck, PA

From afar, the right side of the HV20 has a familiar horizontal design akin to the Sony HC7, albeit with a fresh coat of silver paint. These camcorders have similar tape hatch designs. Only on the HV20, you'll find the microphone jack, AV/headphone jack, and component terminal hiding behind a rubberized port cover toward the lens end of the camcorder. Although we've blasted Canon in the past for equipping their camcorders with flimsy plastic port covers, the HV20 proudly sports a burly, flexible enclosure. Mounting both the mic and headphone jacks in one location is easy on the memory. But because Canon condensed the headphone and AV jacks into one, make sure you manually select the correct mode, or you'll be treated to a raucous surprise outlined in the Audio section.

mdaren11112

Redwood City, CA

This is a handy camera to have around.  Its small enough that you can fit it in your purse or back pack but doesnt scrimp on the quality.  I have used it every where from family functions, to outdoor activities, to just sight seeing.  Its easy and you couldnt ask for something better in my opinion

carrierena

Ardmore, OK

I purchased this camcorder as a gift for my cousin. I am always impressed with Canon's advanced technology and strong commitment to best quality. The picture quality outside in a bright, sunny day is amazingly sharp and the Image Stabilization feature works pretty well if you have a shaky hand like me while shooting. To shoot a scene indoors in a low light, the picture is kind of grainy, but still much better than a Panasonic camcorder at the same price range. Transferring the video to your computer and importing into Windows Movie Maker couldn't be any easier. It's truly simple and easy for an amateur to make a professional looking vidoe using this Canon camcorder.

styx7308

Woodbury, MN

I am usually horrible at operating camcorders, but this one is so easy to use! You can control it with the buttons on the outside, or with the toggle buttons on the display screen. We have been wanting to get one for a long time, and after a lot of shopping around, this one was the best price for the features included. I had to get the book out and go over anything I did not understand, and the book is very easy to follow.

jazzmina

Auburn, AL

This Video Camera meets my expectations for what I thought I would get! I have used Canon products (Digital Elph Camera) and Video Cameras before and this definitely combines the best of both worlds. The interface is very similar to that of the Photo Cameras by Canon and the design of buttons are great! I love using this VideoCamera and do recommend it to anyone who reviews the specifications and sees that it meets their needs. The only con that I expected is that it doesn't work great in low light, but when I read the reviews, I expected that. It is great in daylight!"

manoj

Wheeling, IL

I can't say enough good stuff about my trusty Canon ZR 500 camcorder.  As many people go the way of Hard drive or mini dvd video recorders, I haven't jumped on the bandwagon just yet.  The ZR 500 is dependable and tough while providing a terrific picture quality.  It is very easy to transfer videos from the 500 to a computer via firewire cable (which is included with the camcorder.) The ZR 500 can take a beating.  Mine has gotten me through 3 college video courses and more than a dozen freelance videography jobs.  I've literally duct taped mine to the hood of a car and driven down the street.  That was three years ago.  It still shoots a perfect picture today.  On my honeymoon in the Bahamas, when my digital still camera wouldn't work due to humidity, the ZR 500 was still shooting great video of ocean beaches. I do have a few small complaints.  The battery drains far more quickly than expected when not in use.  If I don't use it for a month, then want to shoot something, I almost always have a near empty charge.  Luckily, it doesn't take long to charge, and the camcorder works while plugged in.  My only other issue is the grainy picture in low-light settings.  There is no feature to turn down gain, which sharpens the image but adds a grainy look.  When I'm shooting at night or in dark areas such as the dimmed light of a wedding reception, there's nothing I can do to correct the grainy look.  However, in moderate-to-high levels of light, the picture quality can't be beat. In summary, the Canon ZR 500 is a resiliant and reliable video recorder.  For all it can handle alone, I recommend it.  In addition to being able to take a beating, it also has a great picture in normal light, and has several features that are easy to change around.

CameramanAaron

Crown Point, IN

I bought this camcorder like 1 years ago on woot.com's sale. It's small to carry around and travel. The down side is the limit internal storage size. This camcorder uses the dv tapes which is limit to like one hour per dv tap so it would be a big hassle changing tapes for longer recordings. The light on the front is good for night recording but it's not night vision and it's small. Therefore, it helps but not by a lot especially if is recording things a distance away. The battery life is pretty good and i have purchase generic back up battery since the official canon ones are really expensive. Taking photos with camcorder is a excellent option but the quality is not as good as using just a small digital camera. Overall the camcorder's function is easy to use and fast to start recording. Transferring the video to a computer could be a pain. You will need to rewind the dv tape and transfer by tape. 

iam0204

Walnut, CA

The ZR850 offers a few upgrades, including a better imager, but lacking the mic input of the ZR800, we're torn on which is the better value. The ZR850 has been given a shiny, stylish makeover compared to last year's ZR700. The ZR850's sensor has been increased to a 1-megapixel CCD, compared to the 680,000-pixel CCD found in the rest of the ZR line. Canon has increased the optical zoom from 25X to an impressive 35X, while the digital zoom remains at a prodigious (and at high levels, almost unusable) 1,000X. The ZR850 offers true widescreen recording, and it has an enlarged 2-7/10-inch wide-format color LCD viewscreen for accurate framing and playback. The menu system has also been upgraded with the addition of a joystick control, making it much more user-friendly.Video performance is impressive when shooting in favorable lighting conditions. Colors appear bright and saturated with clean, sharp edges. In good lighting it is difficult to imagine a similarly priced camcorder surpassing the video quality of the ZR850. Unfortunately, the low-light performance is considerably less impressive. Video noise increases dramatically as the light fades, and the automatic focus becomes far less responsive. Engaging the Night mode helps a little, and while the ZR850 does feature a built-in video light, it is designed more for adding a fill light to backlit subjects rather than illuminating dark scenes.The larger CCD on the ZR850 improves the quality of still images, which can be captured to MiniDV tape or SD/MMC memory card at a maximum resolution of 1,152X864. This is passable for an inexpensive DV camcorder, although the ZR850 should certainly not be considered an alternative to a dedicated digital stills camera.

Madhvi

Plainsboro, NJ

I really likethis product.  It is easy to use.  The zoom quality is a must for me.  I take movies of the kids during their sporting events and this camcorder is the best.  My son was at a swimming event and we sit in the bleachers above and I was able to capture the entire event on my camcorder by zooming in.  I was very impressed with the quality after review the dvd on my computer then putting it on a regular sized dvd. I would recommend this product to all the parents who have kids in sports that want to capture every moment. It is also has great quality when taking videos of family gatherings and holidays that you want to remember forever.   

laura0038

Mokena, IL