Average Rating: 
Rating:  - Most Matured Consumer Camcorder
I work with camcorders since 1988 - S-VHSC, Hi8, etc. No question, no matter what kind of digital camcorder you compare with an analog one, it is superior. However, I found this camcorder particularly interesting and bought it since I left the 'semi-professional' field (and being now an electrical engineer in software development). Here are my findings:
Pro:1) Awesome workmanship: The high-grade plastic case pieces precisely fit and give the camcorder a valuable finish, the buttons have a well defined 'ignition' point and the connectors for FireWire, USB, Analog Video etc. are 'cemented' into the case.
2) Excellent cost / feature ratio: Although following the hype of marrying video with stills, this camcorder emphasizes on video (please, do buy a digital camera if you need digital stills). The outstanding optical unit with a real 22x zoom and one of the most effective image stabilizer in the market, combined with a friendly user-interface including illuminated buttons and a clean menu, this camcorder is a bargain.
The picture quality is excellent. One note here: please remember that the miniDV standard builds on 5.7 Mhz video bandwidth. In other words, no matter what the (multi) colored CCD ship is capable of a resolution, it comes down to a maximum of 370,000 effective pixels needed for NTSC video. The 460,000 pixels of this camcorder seem more than enough.
3) Accessories: Just in case you really care about the somewhat whining recorder server motors, please do buy the optional microphone - it's an awesome addition if you do semi-professional sound-recordings. Also, Canon offers wide and tele-converters specialized for the ZR series. Not a novelty in camcording in general, but a serious affordable consumer expansion if needed.
4) Internationality: Yes, there are other electrical power systems out there: the Canon switching power supply is not only very light, it also connects to almost every wall-outlet in the world with the right (optional) plug-adapter.
5) Ergonomics: Oh yes, I thought about a palm-ready camcorder, too. But think about it: the optical unit including the lenses and the CCD has to fit into half the length of a regular camcorder like the ZR 50 (Palm recorders do not have more than 10x zoom, the ZR 50 has 22x). The camcorder fits right into my hand, the zoom button can be accessed naturally without shifting the camcorder in your hand (try Sony!) and the zoom button is depth sensitive - the deeper you zoom, the less sensitive is the camcorder zoom-button. Additionally, beside so many other brands out there, the digital zoom is even useable to a certain degree. It becomes affective once the optical zoom is exhausted to a 22x. However, if you want quality video, turn it off.
6) Video Modes: Select one of the predefined video modes. One of the most impressive mode is the night-mode - if the moon strikes you, your ZR 50 will catch it. However, don't expect wonders, every serious video-grapher recommends at least 100 lux (a unit of measuring light-intensity). Con:
I couldn't find a con so far - maybe the sound-quality the integrated microphone produces? Hm, given the size of the case, it seems reasonable... Yeah, I am enjoying this camcorder. Canon showed once again that a camcorder design can meet almost all of a consumer-customer's needs:
Rich functionality, lightweight design, extensible through optional accessories including lenses, robust workmanship. Recommended!
Rating:  - Too much buzz on this thing
I recently got this camcorder and am extremely frustrated at the motor buzz captured on tape. I have recorded three tapes worth of stuff, both indoors and outside. The whine of the motor is not perceptible on the outdoors shots but that's explainable by the background noise being loud enough to mask it. It's the indoor settings where the motor sound is very evident on playback. That said, this camcorder creates a pretty good picture and the optics are great. It is very compact and fits your hand nicely. The swing-out screen is a little hard to see in sunlight. But the motor whine is preventing me from giving more than 2 stars. It's distracting enough to take away from any viewing pleasure. I have recently noticed postings on other camcorder user websites complaining about the motor buzz on this model so it seems like a common problem. I will probably return this camcorder for another brand/model that doesn't record the motor, if such a thing exists. It's too bad because this machine looks and feels very cool.
Rating: - the sensible camera
I actually own a zr25mc, but I had a run in with a cup of coffee and the thing is all done. Just ordered the ZR50MC because of the 22x optical and the success I had with the ZR25MC. I hear a lot of complaints about the motor noise. yes it is there, and yes you can work around it by using an aux mic. The camera is so compact that the tape mech sits very close to the audio. To me, the size outweighs the noise. You can tuck this thing in a pocket. One of the best things about this camcorder, is the placement of zoom. I looked at some of the vertical style camcorders out there, and was disapointed/confused by there placement of zoom. Camcorder functions are very intuitive, as oppose to like a sony, where everything is done by hunting around in menus (like I feel like using an operating system when filming). Image quality is superb. For those of you that whine about its low pixel count (460K is a bit low), you should realize that this is not even noticable on standard TVs, unless your some kind of cyborg that can distinguish those things. I'd even say its not noticable on an HDTV, but thats beyond my knowledge. Personally, I would recommend Canon over Sony. Although Sony has tremendous extra features, I'd imagine you would use them about 5% of the time. I hardly even use the features on the Canon, opting to do that kind of stuff with adobe premiere/after affects. I'd say, the only negative about the ZR50MC is the plastic housing, it can and will get scuffed up.
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