AFSCME 3357-HOF'S BLOG

Digital Camcorder review: Canon ZR-85
Small in Size and in Performance.

This spring I purchased a Canon ZR-85 mini-DV camcorder. I must say that I am thoroughly disappointed with its performance. The machine is small and sturdy, but the quality of the video is disappointing. It has two key failings. It is awful in low-light situations (which includes most home video environments), and it does not have an S-Video out jack. The latter is inexcusable, in my opinion for a $450.00 camcorder. Through the regular composite out jack, the video is no better than a standard VHS tape. What good is it to have 525 lines of resolution on your DV tape, if when you play it back it looks like a first generation Betamax?


Instead of the Canon ZR-85, I recommend the JVC GRDX77. For a similar price, (but right now 9/10/04 there is a 100 rebate, so Amazon.com is offering it for $319.94 after rebate) the JVC gives you a built-in LED video light, digital noise reduction for low light shots (and it really works), and S-Video in and out as well as a microphone in jack.

















Ken Jennings Jeopardy! Update:

This week marked the return of new episodes of Jeopardy after a 7 week summer hiatus. Through Thursday's show uber-player Ken Jennings has continued to win, with his total wins now at 42 and winnings around $1,400,000. He has not shown the same consistency though, trailing at times and missing all four Final Jeopardy answers this week. Still, at times he has been brilliant, and he has controlled the game going into Final Jeopardy.

Rumors have spread through the media that Ken has lost but the show hasn't been aired yet. The best story that I've seen is linked below.

I won't go into details to avoid spoiling it. (That's assuming the story is true, and it may not be.)

When Is Ken's Final Final Jeopardy? Rumor Has It That . . . (washingtonpost.com)