The Canon ZR800 camcorder is a compact, rugged camcorder with plenty of features to suit most users. And considering the great price, it's surprising that Canon even included an external microphone input (after all, 90 percent of the video is AUDIO). I actually bought the ZR800 as a "deck" for playing and recording mini DV tapes shot with my semi-pro camcorder (to avoid wear and tear on expensive cameras), but once I tried the ZR800 I liked it and use it often. for everyday use instead of lugging around huge camcorders.