Along with its stylish Blue Mist finish, the ZR500 boasts Canon's longest zoom ever. It also comes with features found on more expensive camcorders. An easy-to-read menu system makes it a breeze to operate. The joystick lets you easily operate playback, focus, exposure and menu options with a single controller. And a big 2.7" LCD lets you lets you see exactly what your camcorder is recording.
Widscreen HR Recording
Canon camcorders use the entire width of the image sensor to capture video in true 16:9 format. What difference does this make? It's simple. With more pixels captured, you get better image quality. Some competitors' camcorders force the wider picture into a smaller space on the sensor - giving you a less true image, with fewer pixels and lower quality. With a Canon camcorder, your videos of your travels will let you relive great memories.
In addition, the viewfinder on your ZR500 displays your widescreen image in a letterbox view. From side to side and top to bottom, what you see is what you get. You can also view your widescreen shot in the ZR500's large, 2.7" LCD screen. Either way, there isn't the guessing or extra work in looking at an image that's distorted like a fun house mirror.
To make it even easier, a Widescreen Button lets you switch from standard 4:3 to 16:9 Widescreen HR at the touch of your finger. You can also use the widescreen feature with the camcorder's advanced image stabilization.
Optical Performance You Can See
Thanks to the ZR500's powerful 25x optical zoom lens and 800x digital zoom, you get an incredible range of focal lengths. Whether you're at the back of the auditorium while your child's on stage, or you want a panoramic shot of the sun setting over the lake -- you always have the perfect lens.
Along with outstanding optical performance, Canon's Advanced Image Stabilization is another feature that helps you shoot great, professional-looking video by correcting camcorder shake instantly.
Brilliant Video
The ZR500 delivers stunningly vivid video thanks to Canon's exclusive DIGIC DV signal processing circuit. A variety of other features help you shoot video that will impress all your friends and family. Smooth Zoom Control lets you select from 3 pre-set zoom speeds and Smooth Zoom Control does the zooming for you -- giving you steady, professional-looking shots every time. Level Shot Control will cause and horizontal and center markers to appear in your viewfinder. With these markers, it's easy to level the horizon for perfect video footage of a breathtaking landscape, or keep your child in the center of the frame while they're on the soccer field.
Share Your Video
Otherwise known as Firewire or iLink, the ZR500's IEEE 1394 DV Terminal is a high-speed digital interface that ensures virtually no loss of video or audio quality when transferring videos to a computer. Simply use a DV cable to connect the camcorder to your computer's DV Terminal and you can be sure that your favorite, recorded moments retain their pristine image and sound.
Specifications:
Image Sensor - 1/6" CCD, approx. 680,000 pixels Tape Format - Video cassettes bearing the DV mark. Maximum Recording Time (with an 80-min. cassette) - SP: 80 min. LP: 120 min. Lens - f/2.6-65mm, f/1.8-2.6, 25x power zoom Minimum Illumination - 2 lx (Using the Night Mode) Recommended Illumination - More than 100 lx Viewfinder - 0.3", 123,000 pixels LCD Screen - 2.7", approx. 112,000 pixels Number of Recording Pixels - tape: 4:3 - approx. 340,000 pixels, 16:9 (IS* off) - approx. 450,000 pixels, 16:9 (IS* on) - approx. 400,000 pixels Dimensions - 1.9 x 3.6 x 4.5 in. (49 x 92 x 115 mm) (excluding protrusions) Weight (not including lens and battery pack) - 13.2 oz. (375g)
