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General discussion

ZR 200

Jul 5, 2005 1:34AM PDT

I wanted to buy a camcorder that I can tape my 2.5 year old and 9 month old. I'm not a pro, I just want to have tape of them with a clear picture day and night.. Well I went onto c-net and did some research. The one I wanted of course is always too expensive. So I ended up with ZR 200 but I am soooo unhappy with it.. The worst part about it is that it is way toooo grainy especially at night and you can't even see anything at night OUTSIDE. Unless I am doing something wrong but I read what I needed to read and it said "ZR 300 has the SUPER NIGHT MODE." Frustrating!!! Any thoughts?

Then I read a review after buying it that the ZR100 is almost the same and there's no need to buy ZR200 and spend an extra $100 when the ZR100 will do just the same. Time to go purchase another one. Just thought I'd share my thoughts.

Discussion is locked

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I have a ZR100
Feb 15, 2006 3:11AM PST

I also bought a ZR200 after reading the review on CNet. Before I cracked the seal and began using it, I read the same thing about how the ZR100 is cheaper because it doesn't have the remote and built-in digital camera. Since I already had a digital camera and I have no use for a remote control, I exchanged it for the ZR100. I, like you, have gotten poor quality footage indoors, even in bright light. I just read a suggestion that if you turn off the electronic image stabilization, you may get slightly better picture quality. I plan on trying that the next time I film. Best of luck.

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zr
Feb 15, 2006 7:52AM PST

The ZR series is famous for it's poor video in low light. In general, the larger the CCD, the better the quality in low light. ZR series mostly have a 1/6" sensor which is very small.
Look for a camcorder with a 1/4" sensor or a 1/3" sensor if you can afford it.