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| Brand: Canon
Category: Photography
Buy New: $269.99
New (1) Used (1) from $240.00
Avg. Customer Rating:  15 reviews
Sales Rank: 3922
Media: Electronics
Autographed: No
Memorabilia: No
Batteries Included: No
Floppy Disk Drive: None
Optical Zoom: 37
Display Size: 2.7
Maximum Focal Length: 96.2
Minimum Focal Length: 2.6
Shipping Weight (lbs): 4
Dimensions (in): 3.2 x 5 x 2.7
Warranty: 1 year warranty
MPN: ZR930
Model: ZR930
UPC: 013803090086
EAN: 0013803090086
ASIN: B00114163O
Release Date: February 1, 2008
Availability: In stock soon. Order now to get in line. First come, first served.
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| Customer Reviews:
 Condensation sensor addressed by Canon repair May 29, 2008
3 out of 5 found this review helpful
UPDATE JUNE 23, 2008:
To update my rating, I give 1 star to the condensation sensor design, 5 stars to the rest of the camera.
After 3 weeks turnaround, Canon returned the camcorder to me. They graciously covered cost of shipping when I first called in the issue, and they e-mailed me a UPS slip to sent to the New Jersey facility. I've done some early tests on the repaired camcorder and it seems the condensation sensor is not as finicky as before. They said it was 'repaired', but didn't specify whether they dialed down the sensitivity or disabled condensation sensor altogether. Good thing the warranty lasts for a full year. :-)
Outside of this repair issue, this is an excellent camcorder. Has a microphone input, great video quality, and very easy to upload video. I hope to enjoy using it for many years to come. Will continue to test it before arrival of our first child due in September! :-)
ORIGINAL REVIEW:
Through casual use, the condensation error has come up more than 75% of the time I've tried using it. I think the sensor is oversensitive in order to protect the camera, but at at unreasonable cost to the consumer, because it is no longer useful for "convenient" use.
I am not using it in highly humid environments, so this is particularly frustrating. I have missed several important video footage occasions due to uncooperative condensation error. Stay away from this camera. I have emailed Canon about this problem and I'll update here when I get more news from them.
UPDATE JUNE 17, 2008:
The camcorder arrived June 4 in NJ facility, but they haven't been able to track the camcorder down (should only have taken 3 to 5 days). I just sent the following email to Canon Support (with minor edits).
---- EXCERPT START ----
Hello Sir/Madam,
I'm writing to ask Canon USA to take necessary steps to expedite our camcorder repair issue.
Kelly from NJ service center is looking for our ZR930 that arrived by UPS on June 4 (almost 2 weeks ago). The camcorder still has not been found. We are expecting our first baby very soon, and we are getting extremely anxious!
The camcorder suffers from a hypersensitive condensation fault, and was only 35 days old when I sent it for service. It is practically new, as I've only taped 3 hours of footage. The condensation fault has appeared almost 80% of the time I've tried to use it, a very poor performance record. I have asked NJ facility to reduce its sensitivity or disable the condensation sensor altogether.
I cannot rely on this camcorder to tape my new baby given the current condensation warning behavior. We have already missed the taping of my wife's PhD convocation and our last chance to see the space shuttle on the launchpad in Florida due to the condensation warnings. (Outdoor conditions were no different than a regular day at the baseball stadium)
Please let me know what actions will be taken by Canon USA. We simply want a working Canon camcorder that does not give false or conservative condensation errors on a regular basis. While the user manual mentions the issue, it gives no indication to the user that these faults can be so frequent, and if so, on what basis (i.e. specify the exact humidity and temperature fluctuations and conditions necessary to trip the sensor). Otherwise, this camcorder will forever feel like a "hit or miss" recording device. Even cell phone cameras can reliably take low quality images. (The key here being "reliably").
We are deeply disappointed with Canon USA on this particular issue (we are Canon digital camera fans) and desperate to hear from Canon about our camcorder. The cynical side of me feels oversensitive condensation warnings in MiniDV camcorders is the current marketing ploy to encourage consumers to adopt the newer and more expensive hard drive based camcorders which yield larger profit margins. Such condensation issues were not as prevalent with older MiniDV camcorders before flash based camcorders came along. Please prove us wrong, Canon!
I hope to hear from you asap!
---- EXCERPT END ----
Need to know info May 28, 2008
7 out of 7 found this review helpful
I recently purchased the zr830 and found a number of issues with it. If you wish to compare that review you can read it on my profile rather than me re-hashing it here.
The zr930 is a step forward though and is certainly worth the price quoted here. They changed the interior configuration to a more box like shape allowing them to maximize the space and fit as much technology inside as possible. Due to this not only have they included a mic port but they have been able to adjust the AV output to double as a headphone jack so you can monitor sound. Both of these features are necessary as they have failed to fix the sound problem that has dogged this line of cameras for a number of years. The motor noise can still be heard on playback if you use the built in mic and thats really the only area that this camera loses a star. The 35x zoom of last year has been increased to 48x and the picture quality is sharper and brighter than previous models.
I've never had any issues with connecting it to my PC. I did not use any of the software that was included as its usually junk they just want to force you to use. I hooked it up to my PC, my computer immediately recognized it and then I used one of my other programs to start it up.
Extra info:
If you are new to camcorders there are some things you should take into consideration.
Name brand BATTERIES are expensive. While there are cheap ones that you can get for around $10 online these are cheaply made chinese generic versions. They take A LOT longer to recharge and generally only last about 6 - 10 months. The name brand usually lasts around 18 months but as I found out the other week can cost $100. There's is no reason that the battery on an item like this should cost nearly half of the original item price. I would expect a battery to cost $30 at most.
Another unexpected experience you'll come across is the sheer amount of space that will be taken up on your computers hard drive by a video transfer. Only yesterday I went to transfer 20 minutes of tape and it used up 5 gigs yes thats GIGS of space. If you are like me and you need to have all of your video accessible and on your computer then make sure you have a hard drive with the necessary capacity or at least prepare to invest in a new external one for video storage.
In conclusion. This is a great budget cam and if you invest in a good external mic I don't think you could do much better.
4 out of 5 Satisfied.
Great bang for the buck camera! May 24, 2008
12 out of 12 found this review helpful
I bought this camera a few weeks ago and I am very pleased with it so far. First, it's very light to hold and easy to use. Video quality is good in average light. Low light is so-so but that is true with most consumer level camcorders. Audio is fine with the built in microphone but great with an external mic plugged in (which is the main reason I bought this model from Canon). My Windows Vista computer's firewire port recognized the camera and had no problem at all importing video from it. You can control the camera via the firewire connection and import the parts you want too, etc. Only complaint is the battery is very weak and runs out after about 30 minutes or so of record time. Buy an extra battery and you will be very happy with this nice little camcorder.
Haven't tested camera yet because "buy together" tapes have yet to ship! May 22, 2008
1 out of 10 found this review helpful
I ordered a Camcorder, and was given the opportunity to order recording tapes at a "buy together" price - which I did. The camera came yesterday from AMAZON, but apparently the tapes are coming from a 3rd vendor and haven't even shipped yet. A person ordering a Camcorder expects to use it when received, so one expects the "buy together" items to arrive together - right? I had to go to a store today and buy recording tapes because the "buy together" turned out NOT to be a "buy together". When AMAZON makes this offering it should be only for items Amazon can ship directly and together. Don't you agree?
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Better Together
Buy this item with Panasonic MiniDV Tapes (Pack of 5) by Panasonic today!
Total List Price: $294.98
Buy Together Today: Our price is too low to display. Add both items to your shopping cart to see the price. No purchase required. Why don't we show the price?
 Great Little Camcorder!!! May 1, 2008
10 out of 10 found this review helpful
I got this camcorder for my birthday last month, and I have to say that it is great. It takes awesome video, and has multiple setting for every situation. I took this camcorder skiing and the snow setting keeps the snow from being blow out, which really pleased me. The other settings also work great, including the automatic setting which is great to just film something quickly.
The internal microphone works well, but if you want you can also use an external microphone. This camcorder has a microphone jack which is becoming an increasingly rare feature on budget camcorders. While it doesn't have an accessory shoe which would be nice you can use a cheap flash bracket to mount a mic.
As an all around camcorder this one is great. I am using it as a secondary camcorder with my Sony VX2000, and the video is comparable. It is hard to tell between cuts which video came from which camera.
Overall, I would recommend this camcorder if your looking for a good all around camcorder that takes great video!
Pro's:
Light
Cheap
Great Video
External Microphone Jack
Multiple Settings
Works Great with my Mac
Con's
Slight Motor Noise but only in very quiet situations.
And I can't think of anything else.
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