CamcorderInfo has posted its review of the Canon ZR500. I’m really a fan of Canon’s consumer digital camcorders, but they still haven’t figured out that a top-loading tape is a must. I can’t stand having to take a camcorder off a tripod and unscrew the whole foot just to put in a new tape. Anyway, here is an excerpt from their conclusion, which was as I expected:

When compared to the competition, the ZR500 shines. It has better bright light vide [sic] performance than the Panasonic PV-GS39, the Sony DCR-HC26, and, we expect, the JVC GR-D350. In low light performance, it truly shined, and showed significant improvements over last year’s ZR100. The improvements from last year don’t stop there: this camcorder is smaller, lighter, has a bigger zoom, a bigger LCD, and a better menu interface.

See the full review here.