By Staff, January 7, 2004
Canon has introduced three new digital camcorders for entry-level users. In stores beginning in March, Canon's ZR80, ZR85 and ZR90 models will be available at estimated selling prices of $399, $499 and $599, respectively.
"Consumers want to use video as often as they do digital still photography, but have waited for the price-to-benefit offerings to become greater," Yukiaki Hashimoto, senior vice president and general manager of the consumer imaging group at Canon U.S.A., Inc., a subsidiary of Canon Inc. "Canon's new ZR line of Mini-DV camcorders break new ground in the marketplace by affordably placing much-asked-for feature-sets, user-friendly product design and Canon image quality into the hands of more people than ever before."
Focused on creating a series of truly consumer-friendly Mini DV camcorders, Canon has added an array of new features to the ZR line. Enhancements include:
Skin Detail Mode that automatically recognizes and softens skin tones when shooting close-ups of people, to reduce skin imperfections and create a more flattering appearance
Extended battery life thanks to lower power consumption (up to 12 hours continuous recording using the optional BP-535 battery pack)
End Search feature that locates the end of the last recorded scene with one touch of the button
To record Motion JPEG -- short movie clips saved to the SD Memory card for easy email attachment -- users can record for the full capacity of the memory card (ZR90 and ZR85 models only)
To Transfer Video Footage stored on the Mini-DV tape onto an SD card inside the camcorder, which will convert and encode Mini-DV video into Motion JPEG so that consumers can e-mail or stream their video on the web (available on the ZR90 and ZR85 only)
Still Image Capture to an SD card (on the ZR90 and ZR85 only), creating XGA resolution digital still photos that can be emailed or directly printed on any PictBridge compatible printer
Simultaneous Photo Recording that permits e-mail-ready image capture (VGA) on a separate memory card while recording high quality video to the digital videotape
Selectable Focusing Points feature permit users to opt for automatic sharp focus in one of three areas of the frame -- left, right and center
Selectable Display Languages that offer information in the LCD or viewfinder in a choice of English, French, Spanish, German Italian, Russian, Chinese and Japanese
The "My Camcorder" feature that permits users to personalize their start-up screen
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This trio continues the ZR tradition of offering one of the longest optical zoom range in its class: 18x on the ZR80, 20x on the ZR85 and 22x on the ZR90 models. Factor in the 360x digital zoom on ZR80 model, the 400x digital zoom on the ZR85 unit and the 440x digital zoom on the line leading ZR90 model and the camcorders reportedly surpass other cameras in their class.
These three Canon digital camcorders also feature optical innovations such as:
A high quality image stabilization system that helps to correct camcorder shake even when shooting hand held at full telephoto
An automatic slow shutter speed -- ranging from 1/30 to 1/500 -- for low light shooting
A night mode setting that automatically selects a slow shutter speed and increases the sensitivity of the camcorders' CCD, permitting extreme low-light shooting and a brighter image without sacrificing color
ZR90 Model's Top-Tier Exclusives
With a 22x Canon optical/440x digital zoom lens, the ZR90 Mini-DV Camcorder features Super Night Mode and Night + Mode (selected from the camera's menu). This set of additional low-light shooting options enhances the camera's image sensitivity and capture capability.
Canon's proprietary DIGIC DV system seamlessly blends the company’s imaging and electronics expertise to achieve superior quality video and photographic results. DIGIC DV makes it possible to achieve accurate color reproduction for both video and digital photos, by employing two different color techniques to maximize video quality on a TV and still image quality for print or computer display.
The ZR series Mini DV camcorders feature a 2.5" LCD Screen, a color viewfinder, an IEEE 1394 terminal, an assortment of digital effects and fades, and a seven setting Program AE function that offers a choice of Easy Recording, Auto, Sports, Portraits, Sand & Snow, Low-Light and Night shooting modes. All three models ship with a battery pack (BP508) a compact power adapter (CA-570) and a shoulder strap (SS-900).
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