Canon upgrades ZR, DC lines of camcorders
Looks like Canon's rung in the new year by tossing a slew of its camcorders to the curb, replacing them with new, slightly improved models. The excitement begins with Canon's entry-level ZR-series, where the ZR-500, 600, and 700 all get replaced by the numerically-enhanced ZR800, 830, and 850. Ranging in price from $280 to $350, the three camcorders each pack a 35x optical zoom and 2.7-inch widescreen LCD, with the ZR800 and 830 each capturing video of the 680,000-pixel variety, while the ZR850 bumps things up to a generous one megapixel. Storage on each is strictly an SD card deal, with support for SDHC cards in addition to the garden variety ones. Taking things up a notch, Canon's also let loose four new models to refresh its DC-series of DVD camcorders, with the DC50, DC210, DC220, and DC230 all set to roll out over the course of February and March. Despite its model name, the $800 DC50 at the top of the heap, with a 5-megapixel CCD, 10x zoom with optical image stabalization, and the same 2.7-inch widescreen LCD as the other models. Rounding out the lineup, the DC210 and DC220 camcorders ($400 and $450, respectively) dial things back to 680,000-pixel territory, while the $500 DC230 will give you a whole megapixel.
Read - Crave, "New entry-level miniDV camcorders from Canon"
Read - Crave, "Canon's new DVD camcorders"
