Customer Rating: 
Summary: A very good entry level device
Comment: I bought this specifically so my wife and I could tape horse riding clinics and our practice exercises. Quality zoom was important to us, and the ZR930 has it. Video quality is fine for playback on a home TV, with settings for regular or wide-screen.
Firewire download to a PC with XP works well, but mind you, it happens in real time, so half an hour of video takes half an hour to download. Downloaded files are massive, and our PC's external hard drive is going to get some work. While I chose this model for the external mic input, the built-in mic picks up voices from a considerable distance, so the point-and-shoot approach works well for us. The little joystick on the LCD panel looks dainty, but a gentle touch is all you need, and the response is good.
One minor annoyance: there's a slider switch to focus the eyepiece, but it's in a tiny nook between the eyepiece and the battery where an ordinary finger doesn't fit easily. It's a problem if people with different visual acuity share the camera.
Add-ons and accessories you may find useful:
Spare battery or two (large size)
Firewire cable (4-pin on the camera, 4 or 6 pins at other end, depending on what you're plugging into)
Tripod (zoom is excellent, but requires a very steady hand)
Stand-alone battery charger (for when you need to be shooting and recharging simultaneously)
Customer Rating: Summary: Condensation sensor addressed by Canon repair
Comment: UPDATE JUNE 23, 2008:
To update my rating, I give 1 star to the condensation sensor design, 5 stars to the rest of the camera.
After 3 weeks turnaround, Canon returned the camcorder to me. They graciously covered cost of shipping when I first called in the issue, and they e-mailed me a UPS slip to sent to the New Jersey facility. I've done some early tests on the repaired camcorder and it seems the condensation sensor is not as finicky as before. They said it was 'repaired', but didn't specify whether they dialed down the sensitivity or disabled condensation sensor altogether. Good thing the warranty lasts for a full year. :-)
Outside of this repair issue, this is an excellent camcorder. Has a microphone input, great video quality, and very easy to upload video. I hope to enjoy using it for many years to come. Will continue to test it before arrival of our first child due in September! :-)
ORIGINAL REVIEW:
Through casual use, the condensation error has come up more than 75% of the time I've tried using it. I think the sensor is oversensitive in order to protect the camera, but at at unreasonable cost to the consumer, because it is no longer useful for "convenient" use.
I am not using it in highly humid environments, so this is particularly frustrating. I have missed several important video footage occasions due to uncooperative condensation error. Stay away from this camera. I have emailed Canon about this problem and I'll update here when I get more news from them.
UPDATE JUNE 17, 2008:
The camcorder arrived June 4 in NJ facility, but they haven't been able to track the camcorder down (should only have taken 3 to 5 days). I just sent the following email to Canon Support (with minor edits).
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Hello Sir/Madam,
I'm writing to ask Canon USA to take necessary steps to expedite our camcorder repair issue.
Kelly from NJ service center is looking for our ZR930 that arrived by UPS on June 4 (almost 2 weeks ago). The camcorder still has not been found. We are expecting our first baby very soon, and we are getting extremely anxious!
The camcorder suffers from a hypersensitive condensation fault, and was only 35 days old when I sent it for service. It is practically new, as I've only taped 3 hours of footage. The condensation fault has appeared almost 80% of the time I've tried to use it, a very poor performance record. I have asked NJ facility to reduce its sensitivity or disable the condensation sensor altogether.
I cannot rely on this camcorder to tape my new baby given the current condensation warning behavior. We have already missed the taping of my wife's PhD convocation and our last chance to see the space shuttle on the launchpad in Florida due to the condensation warnings. (Outdoor conditions were no different than a regular day at the baseball stadium)
Please let me know what actions will be taken by Canon USA. We simply want a working Canon camcorder that does not give false or conservative condensation errors on a regular basis. While the user manual mentions the issue, it gives no indication to the user that these faults can be so frequent, and if so, on what basis (i.e. specify the exact humidity and temperature fluctuations and conditions necessary to trip the sensor). Otherwise, this camcorder will forever feel like a "hit or miss" recording device. Even cell phone cameras can reliably take low quality images. (The key here being "reliably").
We are deeply disappointed with Canon USA on this particular issue (we are Canon digital camera fans) and desperate to hear from Canon about our camcorder. The cynical side of me feels oversensitive condensation warnings in MiniDV camcorders is the current marketing ploy to encourage consumers to adopt the newer and more expensive hard drive based camcorders which yield larger profit margins. Such condensation issues were not as prevalent with older MiniDV camcorders before flash based camcorders came along. Please prove us wrong, Canon!
I hope to hear from you asap!
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