Canon ZR700

Wide-screen LCD; excellent color quality in outdoor settings; easy-to-use controls; built-in lens cover; supports analog-to-digital conversions; plenty of manual controls; accepts add-on lenses and filters; low price.

No accessory shoe or microphone input; bottom-loading tape compartment; grainy, low-resolution still photos; not enough stabilization at maximum zoom; poor low-light performance.

Canon's latest entry-level camcorder, the ZR700, is easy to use, affordable, and ideal for wide-screen moviemaking, but low-light performance remains a problem.