Sub-$200 camcorder?

[Jaime Valles]

Hello, all. Just wanted to get your opinions on which sub-$200 camcorder my dad should get. His old VHS camcorder died recently, and he doesn't want to spend more than $200 on a new one. http://scarletuser.com/images/smilies/thumbsup.gif

From all the research I've done, THIS CANON ZR850 (http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg/detail/-/B000M4JDQQ/ref=ord_cart_shr?_encoding=UTF8&m=A13BNE3P7C8THK&v=glance) seems to be one of the best options out there, and it's only $179 on Amazon. It's a MiniDV no-frills camcorder that will be used solely for home movies and vacations (he won't be shooting feature films, docos or professional events.)

Does anyone have any experience with this camera?

Is there a different camcorder he should be looking at instead?

Thanks for your help!

[HorseFilms]

It looks like a pretty good deal to me and it seems to be getting some good reviews on Amazon. I'd go for it.:thumbsup:

[Zander]

It should do the trick.

[Adam J McKay]

I had a couple Canon Zr cameras in my day. It will do a great job for what he wants and it even shoots 16x9, has a good optical zoom. My only complaint is the Canon head problem that has so far happened to every Canon I own. Zr100, 500 and GL2. However assuming he wont be capturing footage all the time he probably wont have a problem and for 200 bucks its a steal.

[Captain Pierce]

The ZR850 is nice, I bought one myself and I like it... however, it's an old model, so I'd look closely at what you're ordering. If it's somebody cleaning out new inventory for cheap, no worries, but just look for any fine print that it's a refurbished one or something like that. (And even if it is a refurb, it may not be junk, I'm not trying to say that, just want you to know for sure what you're buying. :) )

[toolmodel]

The only problem I've ever had with my ZR85 is the CCD becoming defective. Canon issued a recall and I had a working unit in less than a week. Other than that, the camera has been absolutely great. The one thing I never did like is how you must remove the tripod or tripod plate from the bottom of the camera to change DV tapes but I am not sure if this problem has been corrected in newer versions.