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Review: Canon ZR-10 Camcorder
Page 2 Special Effects/Fades/WipesThe ZR10 has four special effects which can alter the recorded video. The effects are:
The ZR10 also has four fades/wipes. These are meant to be used as transitions between shots. These are really meant for people who have no intention of actually editing the video they shoot. If you intended to edit your video with iMovie, or some other editing software, it is best to do these transitions when editing rather than in camera. That said, the four fades/wipes are: fade, vertical wipe, horizontal wipe and mosaic fade. LensThe lens of the ZR10 is quite sharp for being so tiny (see the link to the still shots later in the article). The lens can reproduce a reasonable amount of detail and distortion is minimal given the camera's low cost. However, don't expect it to be as sharp as $2000 video camera. The lens accepts 30.5mm screw on filters. This allows you use a UV filter to protect the lens or other filters for special effects. You can also purchase wide angle or telephoto attachments if you choose. Like other video cameras, the lens is a zoom lens. In the case of the ZR10 the optical range of the zoom is 4.2 to 42mm (this translates into roughly a 42mm to 420mm range for a 35mm camera). The ZR10 also has a digital zoom which can be turned on or off or limited to either a 40x or 200x zoom range. The digital zoom sacrifices image quality for the additional effective telephoto range. Even if you aren't too keen on the image quality of the digital zoom, it effectively turns the ZR10 into a powerful hand held telescope which can be handy for seeing things at a distance. The ZR10 also features digital image stabilization. The image stabilization can be turned on or off. With it on, it smooths out normal camera shake and allows you to get reasonably stable video even when zoomed in on your subject. ResolutionThe more lines of resolution, the sharper the video or still image. The DV format is capable of more than 500 lines of resolution. Compare this to VHS which has a maximum of about 240 lines of resolution. When shooting video through the lens the ZR10, like other DV cameras in its price range, can not meet the maximum resolution of the DV format. Although the format can support more than 500 lines of resolution, the lens and the CCD (the imaging chip behind the lens) are not capable of capturing this resolution. According to tests I performed with the ZR10 it is capable of about 350 lines of resolution. This is plenty sharp enough to create very pleasing video and stills in my opinion. The video created by the ZR10 is noticeably sharper than any VHS, VHS-C or 8mm video and better than most Hi8 or SVHS video. Remember, the ZR10 has a street price of less than $800. If you are interested in a DV camera capable of 500 lines of resolution, you'll need to look elsewhere and be prepared to pay twice the cost of the ZR10.
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Hiram Wilson© 2000 |
