I am pretty happy with this camera. It works will outdoors. Indoor/low light is not that great. Then again, I was looking for the smallest camera with a 22x zoom. No regrets.

well...the camcorder is great and i love the size and shape of it . I have had it for 1 week and my LCD is always so blurry so i thought maybe it's just the Lcd so I connected the camcoder to the T.V and it is still blurry. The good thing is I think it has great sound and recording is just one really simple step. I like the camcorder except the fact that the screen is blurry. I am wondering if the screen is blurry just because it is new...I'm not that sure but...I love the Canon brand.

These cameras are very user-friendly. I teach video classes for children ages 8-15 and even the youngest of the group are able to pick them up and go. They capture the best images when used outside; image quality is significantly sacrificed indoors when using automatic mode. They seem to be fairly durable but inconsistently so. Of the handful we have at work, one has started dropping frames during import (into iMovie, FinalCut, and Premeire) while the others do not. It is frustrating that you cannot utilize auto-focus with some of the special effects. Also, the digital steady-cam is pretty useless. All in all, it is not a good camera for extemely important or professional quality footage. However, for kids who want to document their new skateboard tricks, or learn how to make movies using their home PC, or for vacations and stuff like that, it is a good camera with a fair price. It is small, easy to operate, and fun. PERFECT for mini-filmmakers.

And Canon is generally VERY good about owning up to problems with their products. So the other review in which the woman says they were unhelpful seems extremely atypical to me. I have had several problems with products and they have been entirely supportive. I only buy Canon cameras. I think you always get the best bang for your buck with Canon products.

I bought the predecessor to this model over a year ago, and have made a total of 15 tapes of my kids. Being busy parents, we never have time to watch them, and have maybe seen a total of 5 of the tapes. Total time operated in this period (whether recording or playing) is less than 40 hours. Last night we decided to rewind some of the more "recent" (taken in the last 6 months) tapes, and 4 out of 4 tapes we tried to rewind would get stuck in the middle of the rewind and the tape would get mangled up. Now I have 4 destroyed tapes, no way to see them (except buy a new camcorder), and Canon said no way under any circumstances they would help in any way because it is out of warranty, even if I had not used it at all. I have written the president of Canon USA and will never buy any Canon product ever again, if they are going to produce such crappy quality product and not going to stand behind it when it has such a gross malfunction.

Also agree with the crummy low light performance. You might think that it is a good value, but I would have gladly paid more for something reliable (as I THOUGHT Canon was), after all, the whole reason you go to digital format is to preserve your memories, not destroy them.

We use Canon in general because of their amazing compatibility with a wide rage of formats. The ZR-Series is no exception. You are able to achieve high quality with ease. The VIC chip makes a big difference when you are importing a lot of video to edit on your PC/Mac. You'll need to pick up a Firewire for $10-15 because Canon doesn't include one in this box.

I recommend visiting http://www.canondv.com/zr90, there you can view videos of this camcorder. That will help you see if this camera is right for you. Sony, Sharp, Panasonic and most every respective brand have similar videos on their sites to help you compare. Of course Amazon.com has the best prices.

Also I find it very odd that nearly every negative reviewer ends up mentioning Sony as an alternative. As a professional I wonder why someone wouldn't mention Panasonic, JVC or Sharp now and then. You would have to spend at least $595.00 to find a Sony that compares indoors or out. Even then you won't find features like Canon's Digic technology.

If you are serious about sound you really need a boom/shotgun microphone no matter what brand of camera you use. An external mic will help you capture directional sound. For voices, wireless microphones will always give you superior results. You can then mix both boom and wireless feeds to create dynamic sound. Unless you are shooting pro video the Canon mic is adequate and features a handy wind filter if you decide to activate it.