Nice camera. Bum rap on motor noise?

Author's Rating:

Pros: Zoom, image stabilization, audio dubbing, analog conversion

Cons: None yet.

The Bottom Line: 
Well worth the money.

Author's Review
First let me say I think this camera has an undeserved bad reputation for being noisy. I wanted this camera from the start of my search but hesitated over and over again because of all the complaints of whining noise. I finally bought on 30-day approval and am delighted I did.

The first thing I did was film outside in my virtually silent back yard. I could hear a very faint noise during recording, but at playback - nothing but the occasional bird singing!

I wanted a camera for taping wildlife, so I needed a decent zoom. This camera has a fantastic 22x optical zoom, and the image stabilization works very well with the zoom. The zoom control is easy to reach and use. It operates smoothly, both when zooming slowly and more quickly. Unlike my previous cameras, this one doesn't lose focus on zooming.

The 2.5 inch LCD screen is easily adjustable to compensate for light conditions, and the ability to turn the screen completely around so the subject can see what is being taped is a nice feature. By doing this, you can also reach some controls that would otherwise be hidden behind the closed screen when using the color viewfinder. I find the viewfinder to be very comfortable to use.

The ZR70 feels very solid in my hand without being heavy. It's comfortable to hold, with a secure hand strap. The on/off switch, zoom control, and photo shot button are all easy to reach and control with my right hand, while the menu selector dial and other controls are conveniently located for easy use with the left hand. The menu is logically organized and simple to navigate with the selector dial, which I much prefer over my previous touch-screen menu control. The lens cap fastens securely to the camera via both a strap and a clip. This double insurance should prevent those annoying lost lens cap problems!

I had also heard this camera performed poorly in low light. Naturally, it isn't as good as full light, but I've video taped my household inventory, including closets and interior low light rooms with no difficulty. I deliberately did this taping in the late evening to test the low light quality. Since low light isn't one of my major concerns, maybe I'm not critical enough in this area, but I doubt many cameras short of the multi-thousand dollar professional models would do any better.

In addition to the low light and night light modes, there's a variety of other recording programs, including sports, sand & snow, portrait, and spotlight, as well as the easy recording (auto adjust settings) and the regular AE mode, which allows the user to manually select settings. I've experimented with the portrait and sand & snow modes, both with excellent results.

A couple of other nice features include a choice of digital effects, which can be used during recording or playback. These include fades, wipes, jumps, puzzles, zig-zags, as well as a number of others. I also like the fact that the buttons light up, and you can change the color of the buttons to allow for easy visibility under different lighting conditions.

The fact that you can convert analog tapes to digital very simply with this camera is another plus in my book. I have already converted some old analog tapes that I will now be able to easily edit on my computer, although I haven't done any such editing yet.

When recording in SP mode with 12-bit audio sound, you can later add a second sound track. You can then play back, using either of the sound tracks or a balance of both. If I can just learn to be quiet while taping wildlife sounds, I can later add a hushed commentary. I'm looking forward to mastering the "be quiet" part!

I've owned this camera for six weeks now, and overall it has met all my expectations. It's easy to use, has a nice variety of features, appears to be a nice, solid camera without being heavy, and in my opinion, it takes very good video. With the purchase of an extra battery, I'll have everything I need and more.