Canon MV850i

The Canon MV850i / ZR300 is a compact camcorder that is small and heavy enough for one hand holding and controlling when shooting and even to fit into the pocket, so it is very convenient for travelling use. It will be a very popular device with newbies as it is easy to use, especially for making home videos. It has a fantastic battery life, lasting for 1 hour and 20 minutes, which is relatively long considering that most last for less than an hour. It has a wide angle lens converter, making it easy to take bigger images. In this way, you will not get the squashed effect that many camcorders produce for wide-screen shooting. Its 2.4 inches LCD opens easily in this model as compared to its predecessor. It even has a backlight, so you will not have any problems when you are viewing the images outdoor. There is a combination of Menu buttons and a jog dial, thereby making it easy for navigation of the camera’s onscreen menus. This device is fitted with a 22x optical zoom and comes intact with an image stabilization to prevent shaky images.

The Canon MV850i / ZR300 is fast at automatically adjusting the white balance of the images when we move from a dimly lit indoor environment to a sunny outdoor one, so the newbies will not have a problem with manual adjustments. Its built-in stereo microphone is capable of capturing sounds which are both in front and behind the camera, so user does not need to worry about shifting the camera around or in adding an external microphone. In fact, this device does not even allow an external microphone to be attached because there isn’t any microphone jack. However, this model has a bottom-loading tape compartment, which might irritate the users who require the tripod. Like many other camcorders, the Canon MV850i / ZR300 also faces a problem in low-light situations. The still images taken are also low in resolution, so buyers must seriously consider what is more important to them before purchasing.