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Canon HV20 3MP High Definition MiniDV Camcorder with 10x Optical Image Stabilized Zoom
By: Canon Average Rating: 4.0 Total Reviews: 103
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 On: 2008-06-25
I used to own a Canon GL2 (prosumer SD 3CCD camera with Canon L lens) but got tired of carrying it around to take travel video which I rarely ended up editing. So I sold it and purchased this, looking forward to HD quality and 24P framerates.
The HD quality does not disappoint in any way whatsoever. Hook this up to a 1080i/p HDTV via HDMI and the quality of the image will be indistinguishable from what you see on any of the HD channels. I was blown away.
Build quality wise, it seems a little cheap, the tape loading door on my has a little play in it. Its extremely light, which makes it hard to hold steady; however, the optical image stabilization is surprisingly good. Attempting to hold the camera steady at full zoom results in nearly shake free video.
The only reason I didnt give this 5 stars (and it may not matter to you) is that recording in 24p mode, doesnt actually record 24 progressive frames per second. Instead it records 18 progressive frames and 12 interlaced ones in succession, inside of a 60i stream. There are also no markers embedded in the video to signal to applications e.g. Adobe Premiere, Sony Vegas, etc. the correct way to process the stream. In order to get a real 24p video you need to perform a pulldown. There are various ways to do this, but none of them are trivial (search the Internet for "Canon HV20 24p Pulldown").
All in all, though, this is an amazing little device. The video I recently took of Upper Yosemite Falls looks better on my TV than I remember it. How often does that happen to you?!
 On: 2008-06-06
Actually Im looking for this Canon HV-20 Camcorder with PAL recording system. Please help.
On: 2008-05-27
This is the best camera I have ever owned. The picture is flawless and my home videos taken in 24p truly look like they were made for television movies. I love it!
 On: 2008-05-18
I bought this camcorder four months ago. I was really happy with the image quality of my recordings. However, last week I needed to use the camera (after not having used it for about three weeks) and tried to turn it on only to find out that it wouldnt. Thinking the battery had run out, I left it to charge overnight. The next day and for a couple of days afterwards I tried a combination of things to try and get the camera to power-up, but nothing worked. Finally, I gave up and called Canon tech support. Tech support told me that I had to send the camera in for repair. I sent the camera in for repair paying $42 out of my own pocket to do so. Hopefully, it will be repaired and come back soon. Another person wrote of a similar problem with this model and Im beginning to wonder if this model might be prone to such problems.
On: 2008-05-07
Ive shot for a few hours with this camera and plan to buy one as a backup for documentary work. Its extremely easy to use and the single chip works much better in low light than my high end 3 chip HD camera. There are compression artifacts that show up where theres a lot of motion in the frame, but its a great deal for the price and theres a lot to be said for traveling with a camera this small. The only problem Ive seen with it has been some RF interference with a low-end radio mic.
On: 2008-04-17
I wanted to do more with the camera before I wrote the review, but I havent had time to do any video editing on the computer. All I know is that for my use, which is point and shoot video and playback on my HD TV, this camera works great. The picture quality is everything I expected and on 52 inches at high definition, I feel as if I were reliving the moment. I like the end search capability that automatically finds the last moment recorded and the remote control to playback the video. The remote control sensor on the camera is beneath the lens and I had to elevate the camera or turn it on its side to activate it though. Overall awesome buy at a reasonable price. Excellent video quality.
On: 2008-04-16
I am truly impressed with the quality of video I get with this camera. Its small and easy to use, and at an affordable price. However, the battery that comes with it doesnt have much capacity, even though larger/extra batteries are readily available. The "ho-hum-quality" still-photo feature is a waste to me and seems inconsistent with an HD video camera (if HD is important to someone, so would be hi-res stills that they would probably rely on getting from a second good quality still camera). I would much rather they included the accessory light and an inexpensive carrying case with a strap instead of the snapshot feature, even if it were a little more money. I cant imagine anyone not wanting the accessory light and a way to protect the camera, so I gave it four stars instead of five.
On: 2008-04-10
This camera seems to be quite good in its picture quality. The zoom isnt that easy to use, but overall its a nice compact camera with good optics.
On: 2008-04-09
I absolutely love this camera. The picture quality is amazing, and the amount of control you have over your shots is unbelievable. I have access to broadcast quality shoulder mount Sony DVCAM DSR 250s, and find myself using my HV-20 more and more.
Im not even close to realizing its full potential. Some of the gripes you see on CNET or camcorderinfo, are really a non-issue for me personally. I dont find the hand-strap to be that bad, for example, and although I wish the viewfinder had a rubber cup and pivot like everyone else, it serves my purposes as is.
Instant auto-focus works pretty well, and the camera just has all the features you could want. If you are a point and shooter for backyard barbecues, youll love the HD picture quality. If youre an amateur videographer who wants to know exactly what the footage looks like before anything gets captured, youll love all the control.
For the price, it fits into the price ranges of either, and I simply cant recommend this camera more highly at this point in time. I expected a lot and it delivered.
On: 2008-04-09
Canon leads the way with this camcorder. Would be better if it included the firwire.
On: 2008-04-05
I did a lot of research to find a great affordable HD video camera. The HV20 was the clear winner in almost every review I read. It didnt let me down in any way. The quality of the video and sounds is miles ahead of my old Canon Z60 cam. It also supports digital tape instead of a hard drive, so it allows me to still use my old tapes from my Z60. Although cams with hard drives appear to be the new thing, I still believe that digital tape is a much more secure option. Especially for archiving.
The HV20 camera is also very easy to use. I am no videofile, so I briefly read over the main features in the manual and became familiar with all the custom options within less than 1/2 an hour. I picked up this camera on my way to a Mexican vacation with the family, so I wasnt really sure what to expect. I shot around 1.5 hours of video and hoped it would look good. When I got home I used Nero to capture the video. I noticed that you must keep the LCD door close on the camera or the HD video will not capture properly. Once I figured this out I worked like a charm. It took a while to finally get everything captured and to burn my DVD (3-4 hours total) but when I popped in the finished DVD I was amazed at how the video looked on my TV. It was like professional quality video. Fine details and the color were excellent. 1920 x 1080 certainly makes a world of difference.
Still photos are also very nice from this video camera. I didnt buy this for still shots, but loved the fact that I could leave my still cam in the hotel room and just use the one camera for both. You can insert a mini SD card into the camera to take very acceptable photos up to a resolution of 2048 x 1536. They will not compare to any reasonable good digital camera, but they are definately good enough for 8x10 prints of the family vacation etc. But I also like that this camera has 10x optical zoom it lets me zoom in much more than my old Canon G4 still cam.
Overall, this is a great camera. The size and clarity of the video is amazing for such an inexpensive camera.
On: 2008-04-03
Great camera. Very easy to use and seems to fit your hand pretty well. Optical zoom is x10.... I wish it was more. I have a macintosh computer and had no problem installing the canon software. Uploading the video to the computer was easy with the fire wire. Overall, I think the camera was a great buy and am very satisfied.
On: 2008-04-01
Other than the 24p which is a fantastic addition to a compact unit.The size of camera is perfect for more congested filming. I also own a Canon XH A1, this unit is perferred when shooting in large crowds,events with bleacher seating. I fully indorse the Canon HV20 !
On: 2008-03-27
Cant say enough about this camera.
If you use auto settings you cant do a bad movie.
I love this, because its a TAPE drive and I use my tapes as a BACKUP!
If you buy a HD machine you have to delete all of it and store it on your HD that eventually FAIL .... ALL HARD DRIVES WILL FAIL!
So, you will lose all your movies.
Get a tape drive camera as this one.
[...]
On: 2008-03-26
I have a ibook G4 1.33 Pwr PC with 1.5 GB ram. I bought this camera two days ago. The HV20 works flawlessly with my computer however when I import HD quality video to imovie 06 it lags a little bit. However will be able to burn on idvd 06 perfect.
The HV20 video quality is just what I am looking for, for my Disneywolrd vacation!!! The quality in a low light enviroment is decent. Zooming is great even though it is 10x. The sound is ok, you can hear the motor when it is VERY quiet but NOT a problem for me. The only problem with the camera is it doesnt come with a firewire cable but you can buy that seperately for 10-20 bucks.
So overall, i rate this camera five stars becuase it is great in video quality, compatible with Apple products and just right for a couple going on vacation or just having fun! I recommend this camcorder to anyone! I will write more when i go on my vacation and see if it is still a five star camcorder!!! Check in after May 2!!!! Thanks!
On: 2008-03-25
Definitely the best camera in this price range. I use it to make music videos and indie short films and it holds up just fine.
On: 2008-03-13
Solid product for a specific market segment. Very nicely priced and sized, good resolution and few shortcomings...
The product does feel cheap in your hand, but then again thats the very market this camcorder is aimed for.
For more accurate reviews I would recommend, extensive tests around the internet.
 On: 2008-03-07
I purchased the Canon HV20 HDV Camcorder in March of 2007 because we were expecting our first child. The camera worked great and took stunning video for the first couple of months.
Unfortunately, after around 10 tapes, the playback became distorted with horizontal lines. I thought this might have been due to a dirty playback head, so I ran a Canon cleaning tape through the camera a number of times. The problem still persisted, so I contacted Canon factory service. Between October 2007 and February 2008 it has been sent to Canons factory service center three times without correcting the defect. The Canon policy is "repair not replace", which leaves the consumer with a broken product if they are unable to repair the camera.
Since the camera had been sent in three times without resolution, I was referred to Canon Customer Relations. After many phone calls, customer relations requested that I send the camera in for a fourth repair. I found this unacceptable and have taken up the problem with the Virgina Better Business Bureau.
In summary: An amazing camera, but if it fails, you will have a difficult time getting the problem resolved by Canon.
On: 2008-03-03
Had the camera less than a month and it suddenly stopped being recognized by any of my systems although they could access older sony fine. Camera is fine in all other aspects. I am generally careful in hooking up firewire devices (even in cases like this where no power should go to camera due to 6-to-4 pin connector). Fine print on Amazon affiliate says they do not provide service so I will have to contact Canon directly.
On: 2008-02-29
I bought this camera last may after extensive research. since then the price has dropped conciderably. Ive also discovered that there are many things I like about this camera, but also some critical issues that I only found out in post.
Lets start with the good. I love the size of the camera I backpacked through Thailand this summer and it wasnt cumbersome at all. I also LOVE the fact that this camera has an external mic jack. When I was searching for a camera this was one of FEW that offered that unbelievably, important feature. I also love all the features that this camera provides through its menu. White balancing, audio levels etc..
Now for the bad. What I want to stress is that when you by an HD camera make sure that your computer, editing software etc... can handle this feature. Personally uploading my footage to the computer for editing has been such a headache to me that I wish I had just bought a 3CCD camera instead. HD is relatively new and not all the quirks are worked out yet for post. In fact, my computer was a few years old and it wouldnt even recognize my HD footage. This made editing a project an absolute nightmare and Ive since had to upgrade to a newer computer. Please make sure that all this is in your budget before you buy the camera. Also note that footage needs to uploaded by mini 1394 cable and that DOES NOT come with the camera.
However, if you are up to date on your software, hardware etc... then its a fine choice. As for me Im not sure what I was thinking as I dont even have an HD TV set or an hd or blu-ray burner. So most of the time Ive just been taping things in dv and not HD. Had I known all these dificulties originally I wouldnt have bought an HD camera at all. Its really something to think about before buying.
On: 2008-02-25
I like this camera - very nice, big display, easy to handle with buttons easy to reach and logical.
On: 2008-02-24
I wanted a Camcorder very badly to edit and upload some of my videos onto Youtube. I had never had a Camcorder before, it wouldve been my first one that Ive actaully used. Ive tried tons of camcorders before; Panasonic VDR-D210, Sony DCR-42, and the Panasonic SDS-5. Either it couldnt hook into the computer, had bad video quality, or just wasnt a good camera. So I discovered this Camcorder, and did loads of research on it and I mean loads. I bought the Firewire my computer needed (some computers do not have Firewire and the only way to do video transfer for MiniDv is Firewire. You can buy a $10.00 to $20.00 port at Best Buy) , and saw that the camcorder had really Nice Picture Qaulity. But, computer didnt recognize the camcorder. I own a Windows XP and to everyone who has Windows XP, there isnt a good way of capturing the High Definiton onto Windows XP, unless you want to upgrade to Windows Vista which will be more money out of your pocket.
Instead, I sold the camcorder on ebay, got $615.00 off of it, and bought a Panasonic VDR-D230, which works great. Even though I had just found this out; if you have Windows XP, just record in Standard Definition. Then you can take your Windows Movie Maker, capture the video, edit, and so fourth. The standard definition is still really good picture quality. Wish I wouldve known that earlier. But, if you have a Apple Mac, or Windows Vista, you should have no problems.
If you have Windows Vista, you need at least ONE gigabyte of RAM Memory, and a Direct X9 Compatible Graphics Card. Very recommended Camcorder, but only if you have the requirements for it.
So I advice you, before you start looking for High- Definiton Camcorders, do as much research as possible. Itll help out a lot. Im just going to try the Panasonic VDR-D230; a DVD Camcorder, and try out with that.
Pros*
* Nice Picture Quality
* Nice Structure
* MiniDv
Cons
* Windows XP Complications
Overall Grade* B-
Jordan
On: 2008-02-17
So far I had no problems or complaints with my camera. I thought I will have difficulties with PC/TV connections and video editing. Everything came really easy and simple. The first day I received it, I made a small movie and converted it in DivX and watched it on my PS3. The camera has this cheap feeling quality, but you will get over it pretty soon. Other minuses like viewfinder, size, design and accessory shoe cover are not making me feel bad.. I am indifferent to them. Thats why I would only recommend HV20. Great buy
On: 2008-02-16
If this is your first jump into HD, like it is mine, you are in for a treat! First off, the picture quality of the HV20 is spectacular. OK, all HD looks spectacular compared to SD, but I was especially pleased with the low light performance (always check this out before purchase!) and the white balance. If you do a lot of shooting indoors, the HV20 is a strong performer (and it has a built-in light if you really need it). HD cameras still using miniDV tapes are rarer than the AVCHD and DVD types, but I prefer the ability to switch tapes, lend them to friends, act as cheap storage, etc. Once the AVCHD drive is full, you are pretty much done until you can download to your computer. In the field, the ability to switch tapes and keep going is mighty nice. As for downsides to the HV20, there are a few worth pointing out. First is the battery time. The standard battery just cant keep up with the power needs of this camera. I strongly suggest buying an additional battery with as much capacity as you can buy/afford and use the original battery as your backup. Next, the various covers and flaps covering the audio in/out port (YES, audio IN capability!), HDMI port, etc, all look like they are flimsy and wont last for long. Mind you, they havent fallen off, yet, but they sure feel like they will. Also, the hand-held feel takes some getting used to, as the pause/start toggle and zoom button are too small and placed a bit awkwardly. Overall, this is a great value and an excellent HD starter camera (and beyond) for most people. The HV20 is fully compatibility with PC programs and with Macs iMovie HD (both new and older versions) and, of course, Final Cut (Express and full versions).
On: 2008-02-15
Ive been wanting to switch to High Definition format for some time, but when this camera debuted at $1299, it was a little out of my price range. Now the camera has dropped to $650 plus I got free shipping, what a great deal, so I decided to buy the camera and give it a try.
Now I am a huge proponent of MiniDV tape systems over discs and hard drives, but thats another topic. This camera lets you shoot in standard definition and high definition, so you have choices and wont have to throw away your old equipment to be compatible. Ive shot footage indoors and outdoors, and running it through the HDMI is gorgeous!
Before HD, I had bought a number of cameras including more professional heavyweights, but I love this camera overall and it makes a great all purpose or backup camera. Very light, simple to use, the resolution and function is top quality. The sound is good but with the smart shoe, I plan to get an external microphone.
A few little issues, I did not like the control buttons for zoom and menu stick, they are awfully small and could have extended out better, they also feel slightly plastic and weak. Also the viewfinder is too flat against the back, I wish it could extend out and offer a better feel. Also I did not like that the control functions are on the pullout videoscreen, as a righty the controls on the screen are on the left, I suppose I could just flip the screen...I prefer the controls to be intuitive on the menu stick, like my Panasonic GS300.
Overall the sound is good, the picture is great, and the size and price are fantastic. The film 24 mode is okay, but I havent used it too often, also white balance is not an option you can play with and overall, most of the functions are set...one feature I do love, you can adjust the zoom speed to 3 variables or just leave it on auto!
Another gripe which eludes the 5 stars, the camera saves photos on MicroSD, which kills the idea of using the ton of SD cards I have on hand and swapping easily between my devices.
I have had problems editing the HD footage, Magix Pro 11 and 12 crashed and did not even work in Vista and XP, I did cut some stuff eventually but had problems with playback, and other methods used I lost quality, so it may be a little more work before I can edit beautiful HD movies.
This is a short run article...one month after purchase...will write again after 6 months.
Thanks. John Dae
On: 2008-02-15
Very nice camera. Works great. Havent had it long but our film school daughter is using it for class assignments and is very happy with it so far.
On: 2008-01-25
Completely satisfied; good value. But be sure to read the hdv download computer-tech-requirements for the video processing product you intend to use.
On: 2008-01-24
I stood in a shallow river in Mexico filming birds hand-held, and then watched it on my HDTV, and friends thought it was the Discovery channel. I dont really know what the complaining is about indoor ... yes it isnt as good as outdoor shooting, but is that a "new" issue?
In three weeks I take it to Egypt! Im waiting for someone to review a tele-extender for this before I buy one. Then watch out world here I come!
On: 2008-01-22
Picture is beautifull, but cannot connect to my PC via Firewire port, Windows looks for a AV/C Subunit software nowhere to be found, Canon tech support unable to help. Looked on various forums in the internet and this seems to be a common problem, with no solution so far.
Nobody seems to know what is AV/C Subunit
On: 2008-01-21
I started out a few weeks back with a Panasonic GS80. I thought I just wanted a basic no-frills camcorder to do some indie short filming, but I quickly learned that the GS80 wasnt going to do it for me, and I kept hearing amazing things about this Canon HV20. So I just went for it.
So, Im going to review the HV20 drawing contrast against the Panasonic GS80. I realize these cameras are not in the same league, but youll see why as the review goes on.
The picture really is awesome. Ive been using Cinemode 24p pretty much exclusively and I love how its been turning out. But youve all heard about the awesome quality this little cam delivers, so Ill move on to the quirkiness, and also misc things that I like.
The zoom rocker... youve heard about this gripe before too. What makes me crazy, is I LOVED the zoom rocker/slider on my $220 GS80. So why oh why did Canon have to put this Mickey Mouse zoom rocker on this thing. I can say, Ive gotten used to it, and if I never read anything about it, nor had the Panasonic to compare it to, it might not bother me as much. But it really is that little and dainty and doesnt protrude a hair out of the cavity, so its hard to feel where the rocker is on your fingertip.
The build... for a $700 camcorder, this thing honestly is built very loose. It feels loose in my hands. The tape door has play in it when closed, and just overall feels not very tight. Again my $220 Panasonic felt like a tank. The tape door closed nice and snug, and nothing moved or creaked or anything. I miss that. Again, you can get used to it, it just makes you crazy because if Panasonic can make their lowest priced camcorder built nice and solid, why cant Canon with their higher end consumer model?
The manual focus control... firstly, Im thankful to have any kind of manual focus thats not menu based. It could be worse. But if they were gonna go thru the trouble to include this, why not design it better. I cant see myself using this on the fly during a take, its more useful for getting something in focus in strange lighting conditions. I was in Manhattan, NY the other day and I wanted to focus on some lighted signs about a block away and the lights closer to me were stealing the focus, so I used the manual to get there. Manipulating that little focus "roller" makes the camera move around, unless you have it locked really really tight on a tripod, I cant see being able to use this on the fly during a take, which is one of the great things about manual focus.
That tape door... I had to mention it on its own. click click. click click. grrr. why not have just designed it with the catches further in a hair or two. or just put a buffer on the door itself. I see some people are doing it DIY style and bending the two catches ever so slightly inside. I might do that at some point, but right now Im not too thrilled about doing that to my new camera.
Ergonomics... Ive also read some about the ergonomics of this cam being bad. And its really not that bad. Im sure there are better ones, but once I get my hand comfortable in the right place, Im good. The strap isnt placed too badly. My Panasonic was much worse and would flop down almost a full 90degrees if I let go of it with my top fingers. The joystick is in a good place the zoom is in a good place, and the record button is a little (and i mean a LITTLE) out of the way. which I like, keeps me from accidentally hitting it mid-take.
LCD screen... its pretty bright and looks pretty darn good to me. Ive seen bad reviews of the LCD screen and I just dont see how thats justified. As LCDs go, this one is pretty good.
Battery Life... this one is different in that Ive heard battery life is pretty good with the stock battery, but I find it to be pretty bad. Ill be messing with the camera for 5-10 minutes and I already lose one bar. Havent really tried to shoot till dead, so I cant say for sure. In any case most people serious about shooting at all get a couple extra batteries, preferably high capacity ones and keep them all charged and on hand.
Ill finish off by commenting on how good the picture is though. I took a bunch of footage in Manhattan, and also some nature footage in my back yard, editing it quickly in Sony Vegas 8, did some minimal post production, burned up a DVD, and it rivals anything Id actually see on Television, especially the Manhattan stuff which btw was taken at night.
Im very happy with this camera and will probably be using this for a long time to come until I can afford a more pro model with a full feature set. For now this camera is untouchable for those that want to break into making films, music videos, documentaries, all the while being just perfect for family videos and vacations.
On: 2008-01-15
This is my 5th camcorder over the years and so far the best. The camcorder by its self was great for the price but need to spend more for a extra battery, mic, and tapes. Which equals out the same as other HD camcorders, so Im not mad just beaware. The video quality is 5 stars but sound is only 2 stars. I guess that is fine because I like it better then fair video with good audio. I use Sony Vegas 8 with Vista to edit and have no problem yet.
On: 2008-01-12
First and foremost, this camera takes superb, effortless video. If youre a video newbie, you can pretty much take it out of the box, charge it, and press just one button to get footage that rivals what you see on the HiDef Nature Channel. I did a great deal of research before purchasing this, and theres no question at all that Canon has done a superb job in creating something truly useful and high-performing.
So, why not five stars? Well... before I decided on it, a large number of on-line reviews pointed to silly, nagging annoyances, ones a company like Canon should know well enough to have avoided. Here is just a minor list:
1) Its all plastic, and feels quite cheap. A camcorder in this price range should feel tight; this doesnt.
2) VERY few of the REQUIRED cables are included. You want to get your footage onto your nice Hi-Def TV? Well, go out and buy an HDMI cable! [Canon charges $50 for theirs; Google it to pay 1/5 that from anyone else.] You want to get it on your computer? Well, there are two different kinds of firewire cable youd probably need; neither is included.
3) You cannot use USB to transfer VIDEO to your computer, only still photos. So silly.
4) There is NO software. Of ANY kind. If you want to DO anything with your tapes, good luck to you. It is FANTASTICALLY difficult to make your taped footage into an ordinary DVD. Im very tech-savvy, and spent three full evenings reading user forums, downloading shareware (etc.) before essentially giving up and settling instead for making nice AVI files I could share with family and friends. If you arent good with technology, fuggeddaboudit.
5) The manual maddeningly tells you, if you want to do quite a few things that anyone would want to do, that you should refer to your software. Not THEIR software: yours. Like, for example, getting your taped footage into separate .m2t files, changing those files into ordinary MPEGs; changing those MPEGs into other formats; etc. And does it make ANY recommendation about what software you might find useful? Nyet. Youre on your own.
6) Excited about trying out your new camera? Keep your enthusiasm in check, because theres not even one tape. Want to take some still photos? Cant! Youll need an SD card, also not included.
Nice going, Canon. Have you ever heard of OOBE, Out-Of-Box-Experience? Have you ever wondered why people LOVE Apple products? They actually take, you know, a bit of time to figure out what people will try to DO with their products, and take out the guesswork. Note to Canon Corporate: Do a better job on OOBE. People spending nearly $1000 on a camcorder will not understand your failing to include under $15 (your manufacturing cost) of additional, required items, like tape, cards and cables. AT THE VERY LEAST: have an up-front section of the manual telling people what they will have to go out and buy, and how to do so.
So, overall, Canon REALLY dropped the ball here on post-usage consumer experience. Maybe they will get better with the next release of the camera. It IS easy to use, and takes spectacular footage. If all you want to do is watch it back on your TV from the camera, youre good to go... once you figure out which additional cable(s) you have to purchase on your own!
On: 2008-01-09
This is my first camcorder. I did a lot of research before the purchase, and I figured the extra $$$ to go HD is worth it with this camera. The only downside is the need for a powerful computer to be able to edit the footage in a reasonable fashion and time frame.
Easy to use, lots of fun, even for an amateur like me.
On: 2008-01-09
I bought this videocam for my wife on Xmas so she could take HD video of our son to put on .mac so I could see shots of my son while I spend every other six-weeks overseas. The camera did not disappoint!
I personally use a Canon XHA1 Prosumer Cam which is a 3-ccd system and much bigger (as well as much more complicated). The surprising discovery with the HV20 is how close it is to the video quality of the XHA1! It wont do as much as the higher end cam, but at less than 20% of the cost, its amazing.
Its so good, that Im buying a second HV20 to use as a backup to my XHA1 and as a fill-camera for two-cam shots. It is really THAT good!
Transfers to a Mac via firewire are fast and painless. My wife uses it with iMovie and it is flawless. I use Final Cut Pro and Sony Vegas on both Mac and PC (XP Pro Only) without any issues. I cant speak for Vista as I dumped it some time ago due to serious compatiblity issues.
I am a fanatical Canon enthusiast, and own a Canon EOS 40D DSLR camera as well as my Canon videocams. The quality of Canon equipment is without question the best in the industry, and their lenses are clearly without peer.
Having said that, I reduced my rating of the HV20 by one-star due to the fact that the HV20 is NOT usable directly out of the box, and there are no warnings on any of the sites selling the unit (including Amazon) that required components must be purchased separately. These include:
1. No firewire (1394) cable in the box which is absolutely required in order to transfer video from the camera to a computer. I suspect that Canon did not include this because the camera output is a 4-pin Firewire outlet, and computers may have 4 or 6-pin outlet. However, as in other equipment I have purchased in the past, they could have included a 6-pin adapter with a 4/4 cable.
2. No initial MiniDV or HDV tape in the box. This is ridiculous on a $1000 retail system. Canon should have included at least ONE tape in the box so their customers could start taping immediately.
3. Finally, Canon does NOT include a mini-SD memory card of ANY size in the box, which is required in order to take stills. They DO include a USB cable in order to transfer stills to a computer, but I think its really cheap of Canon not to include at least a 256mb or 512mb SD card with the camera.
So... if youre contemplating a purchase of the HV20 (which I HIGHLY recommend)... make sure you order a Firewire Cable; some MiniDV tapes; and a MiniSD memory card at the time of purchase. That way, youll be set to GO as soon as your camera arrives, and youve charged the battery.
On: 2008-01-03
I checked out the reviews, rated the best in the price range. I have been shooting minidv video for 7 years. I was overwhelmed with the color and clarity of a concert in a club I shot. Even after compressing and sending to the web, the clarity is a whole new level, not to mention on a large screen.Canon HV20 3MP High Definition MiniDV Camcorder with 10x Optical Image Stabilized Zoom
On: 2008-01-01
all transactions were perfect. It came on time and in great condition.
Could not have been better.
On: 2007-12-30
We received the product on time and it works fine. Havent explored it properly as I didnt have any mini dvds. So please make sure that you order them along with the camcorder itself.
On: 2007-12-28
Bought this HD camera for trip to Kauai. I took a 3 CCD Panasonic SD Video camera on a trip to Costa Rica a few years back, and when I got home and compared the two I was shocked. The color and picture quality of the HD was amazing. The Panasonic was good at the time but cant even come close to the HV20. You need an HDMI cable connected to an HDTV to really see the difference in HD vs SD, but I will never shoot anything but HD again.
On: 2007-12-27
I bought HV20 to replace my 7 year old Canon ZR25. It performs much better than the ZR25 under low light condition. The high def recording it awesome. You can buy a camcorder under 300 dollars, but I think the extra 400 dollars on HV20 is well worth it. I did not notice any motor noise, maybe my ears are not that sensitive. Right now, I export the HDV content as DV to my computer to burn DVD. Once the HD DVD/Blue Ray becomes abundent, I can burn the content in hi-def. Overall, it is a great camcorder.
On: 2007-12-25
Im using it for 6 months and video quality is exceptional but the sound is not that good! Probably will buy microphon. the problem is if you want to shoot from moving car with the windows down dont do it very strong noise! If you want very good sound maybe you should consider buying external mic.the noise cancelation is not doing very good job if at all.
On: 2007-12-24
Im using it for 6 months and video quality is exceptional but the sound is not that good! Probably will buy microphon. the problem is if you want to shoot from moving car with the windows down dont do it very strong noise! If you want very good sound maybe you should consider buying external mic.the noise cancelation is not doing very good job if at all.
On: 2007-12-24
I wont go into the technical details again since others have done an excellent job of posting the virtues/specifications of the HV20. It is an exceptionally well engineered camera with an easy learning curve, novice and pro alike. I am a Mac user and find it interfaces with both PowerPC and Intel based machines with ease. The camera is very well built, easy to use, reliable, produces outstanding results, and is well worth the price. The only suggestion Id make to Canon in regards to the HV20 would be to include a firewire cable and an SD card since both are virtually required to get the most out of the camera. Amazon is the way to go when purchasing the HV20!
On: 2007-12-23
The HV-20 is Canons "flagship" camcorder, and received CamcorderInfo.coms "2007 Camcorder of the Year" award. It has the best low-light image quality in its class (in 24p mode, using 1/48th second shutter speed), and CCI says that it has the overall best image quality of all comparable models.
What I like about the HV-20:
1. High definition 1440x1080i video image, using MPEG-2 compression. The similar Canon HG-10 outputs the full 1920x1080i resolution, but since it uses the more aggressive MPEG-4 compression scheme, its low light performance suffers. Another advantage of the HV-20 is that MPEG-2 is easier to edit than MPEG-4.
2. Manual focus control that is relatively easy to access. The focus control consists of a button and wheel placed just behind the lens on the left side. The button toggles between manual and auto focus and the wheel effects the actual focussing. A lens-mounted ring would be a lot better, but these have gone by the way side on consumer priced camcorders - you have to spend $2500 or more on a semi-pro model to get a focus ring nowadays. WHY MANUAL FOCUS IS IMPORTANT: Digital cameras in general often have trouble focusing in low light or low contrast situations, for example shooting seascapes on a foggy day where everything is shades of gray and outlines are blurry and dim. On auto focus, the camera will "hunt" back and forth trying to lock focus, or will lose lock and start hunting in the middle of a shot, ruining that take. You will get better results if you use manual focus in these conditions.
3. Stereo Microphone jack, mounted on the side instead of the front. If you buy any MiniDV camcorder, you will eventually want to use an external shotgun or lavalier microphone. The built-in mic on almost any MiniDV tape drive camcorder is going to pick up the whine from the tape drive and lens zoom motors; an external mic will eliminate this problem. NOTE: The HV-20s mic jack is a stereo input, so that you can use two separate mics with a y-cable, or a single mic with a Mono-to-Stereo adapter. Radio Shack sells a suitable one for $3.00, their part number is 274-374. I use it with the ATR-55 shotgun and ATR-35 lavalier mics I bought for use with the HV-20. If you dont use this type of adapter, a mono microphone will only give a signal to the left audio channel on the HV-20 camcorder, leaving the right channel silent. The adapter will split the signal from the mic equally to both channels, which sounds better. Canon sells a shotgun mic for this camera that is stereo, and uses the cameras hot shoe, but at $150 it was three time the price of the ATR-55 shotgun, so I passed on it.
4. Ability to do "pass-through" Analog-to-digital transcoding. For example, if you have old family videos shot on VHS or 8mm analog videotape, you can use the "pass-through" capability of the HV-20 to convert the analog video to 720x480i digital video that can then be edited on a computer. You connect a VCR or your old Hi-8 camcorder to the HV-20 with component video cables (thats the red, white, and yellow cables that come with the HV-20), then connect the HV-20 to your computer with a firewire cable. Start the capture software on the computer, then play the analog tape - the HV-20 will transcode the analog video to digital video and pass it to the computer. You can then perform whatever type of image clean-up your video software supports, and output your old wedding or baby videos to DVD! Not every camcorder supports this, so it was a bonus feature that drew me to the HV-20.
5. Decent ergonomics. The camera feels pretty good in the hand and the controls are pretty good, with a few exceptions, most notably the zoom rocker, which is very poor compared to the EXCELLENT zoom rocker on Canons own HG-10. What a shame that the HV-20 doesnt share this zoom rocker with the HG-10! Sonys camcorders generally have better "feel" in the hand than the HV-20, but I wanted the best image quality possible, so ergonomics was secondary in my priorities.
6. Well thought out layout of controls and I/O jacks. Some camcorders place I/O jacks UNDER THE BATTERY, requiring you to remove the battery to use them, meaning that you MUST power the camera with the AC adapter to use these jacks. STUPID! What if you are in the field, and dont have access to any power source other than the cameras battery? Thankfully, the HV-20 doesnt seem to suffer from any bone-head design bloopers like that. I also liked the fact that the HV-20 is fully self-contained, compared to a certain Sony model that does not have a firewire jack on the camera itself: you have to use a "docking station" to download this camera to a computer (another dumb design IMO).
7. 24P shooting mode: This is one of the "key" features on the Canon HV-20 and HG-10, and is really one of the primary features that would lead someone to choose one of these Canons over a Sony, Panasonic, or JVC high-def camcorder. The primary benefit of 24P seems to be that it substantially improves the cameras low light capability, generally this is because 24p uses 1/48 second shutter speed instead of 1/60th second. In CamcorderInfo.coms 4-way "shootout" between the 4 top brands of High def camcorders, the HV-20 won the low-light image quality test hands-down. The HG-10 happens to use the same sensor, lens, and DIVIC processing chip as the HV-20, but its low light capability suffers from compression noise caused by the MPEG-4 (AVCHD) compression algorithm. If the best possible low-light image quality is something you will need from your camcorder, avoid any model using AVCHD compression - this includes all current (2007) high-def camcorders that store to DVD, Hard disc, and Flash memory cards.
8. Audio (microphone) input level can be manually controlled. This feature is not available on many other camcorders. However, at highly boosted gain levels, the audio recorded from this camera gets pretty "noisy" - use a low impedance (600 ohm) microphone to get best results.
What I dont like about the HV-20:
1. Poor zoom rocker - it doesnt stick up out of the camera body enough to offer a really good "grip" to your finger. Its still useable, but could be a lot better, like the HG-10s zoom rocker.
2. The cover over the accessory hot shoe is not attached in any way to the camera, making it inevitable that you will lose it eventually. I will fix this issue by drilling a small hole in the cover and making a lanyard for it out of heavy nylon thread which can then be tied to the cameras hand strap.
3. The joystick that you use to access the cameras menu system feels loose and wobbly, like it isnt the best quality. Joysticks on other digital cameras Ive used feel more "solid". I guess for $700, I shouldnt expect the same components that you get on a $8000 professional video camera, but this joystick could have been a little better.
4. The viewfinder is physically fixed, and doesnt extend or swivel. This could be a problem if you use an aftermarket high capacity battery that sticks out from the cameras body (the BP-2L13 and BP2L14 batteries that I got for the camera dont stick out, but there might be some brands of aftermarket batteries that do?). Otherwise, the viewfinders image quality is okay, and seems to be about the same as those of comparable Sony and Panasonic models.
OTHER ISSUES TO CONSIDER AS YOU RESEARCH A CAMCORDER PURCHASE:
1. Storage media: Currently, High Def camcorders are available that record to one or more of these four media: MiniDV tape, built-in Hard disk drive, MiniDVD-R/RW discs, and SD or MemoryStick (Sony) flash cards. The primary differences here are cost, time capacity and compression algorithm used. MiniDV tapes cost about $3.00 each and hold one hour of HD video at 25 megabits per second, and use HDV (MPEG-2) compression. Hard drive, DVD, and Flash card cameras all use AVCHD (MPEG-4) compression at 15 megabits per second; AVCHD is a much more aggressive type of compression than HDV, and most cameras using it have somewhat poorer image quality in low-light situations. AVCHD is also more difficult and processor intensive to edit, requiring a computer with more power than is needed to edit HDV video. Following are some specifics (keep in mind that the Canon HV-20 uses MiniDV tape):
ADVANTAGES OF MINI-DV TAPE: Its cheap and widely available, costing about $3.00 per one hour of video storage capacity. Its easier to edit HDV video than AVCHD video, and HDV offers better image quality in low light. The tape itself is your archival media, and should last at least 10~15 years if you store it in a suitable container that protects it from moisture, dust, and temperature extremes. NOTE: It takes 3 single-sided DVDs to hold the video from one Mini-DV tape if you want to use DVDs as your back-up archival media.
DISADVANTAGES OF MINI-DV TAPE: Real-time video transfer via Firewire; if you have a full 60 minute tape, it takes 60 minutes of real time to download your video to your computer. Also, the 25 megabit per second bandwidth may be too much for many older computers: even if you already have a Firewire card installed, if your computers CPU, data bus, or hard drive cant accept the data stream at the rate its being transmitted by the camera, you will at least lose frames and at worst, the whole captured video file could be trashed and unplayable. Tape drive cameras are more sensitive to humidity than the other types; condensation inside the cameras tape compartment will shut it down, requiring you to bring it indoors to an air-conditioned space to dry out. Motor noise from the tape drive can be picked up by the cameras built in microphones (same problem really with HDD and DVD cameras). The HV-20 is no exception, its motor noise is clearly audible on the recorded video. Use an external mic (600 ohm for best results) to alleviate this problem. Keep in mind that you can remove unwanted noise from the audio track in post production with relatively inexpensive software
2. ADVANTAGES OF HARD DRIVE CAMERAS (Canon HG-10 especially): Stores the full 1920 x 1080i high def video; MiniDV tape cameras using HDV compression actually record only 1440 x 1080i (non-square pixels), requiring a resampling of the video in post-production to get 1920 x 1080i. Lots of storage capacity: Up to 5 hours on the 40 megabyte drive in the Canon HG-10. Fast and easy video transfer to your computer via USB; you dont need to install a firewire port if your PC doesnt have one already. Transferring an hours worth of video from an HG-10 to a computer takes a lot less time than the same transfer on an HV-20. Less motor "whine" in the audio track than you have with tape drive cameras. Less sensitivity to environmental problems like dust and moisture.
DIDADVANTAGES OF HARD DRIVE CAMERAS: A little more expensive purchase price, about $100 more for the Canon HG-10 compared to the HV-20. The big disadvantage currently is the AVCHD compression: compared to HDV compression used in MiniDV tape cameras, its harder to edit in post-processing software, and requires a more powerful computer. AVCHD video shows a LOT more noise and compression artifacts in low-light shots than you get with HDV video.
ADVANTAGES OF DVD CAMCORDERS: Only one really, and thats the ability to put the disc into a DVD player and view it, or transfer it to computer. Transfer of video to computer same as HDD (via USB) so faster than Tape drive. Hitachi recently came out with a high def camcorder that stores to Mini-BlueRay discs. I dont know for sure what the blank discs would cost, but you can bet theyre way more expensive than regular 8cm DVD-RWs (Standard size blank BlueRay discs at Frys cost $20 PER UNIT (December 2007))!
DISADVANTAGES OF DVD CAMCORDERS: Expensive media in terms of cost-per-minute of shooting time. The small, 8cm DVDs used in these camcorders have very limited capacity, only about 15~20 minutes at the highest image quality. DVD cameras tend to be bulkier, since the 80mm diameter disc takes up a lot of space compared to a 64mm wide x 45mm tall MiniDV tape. AVCHD Compression; same issues as for HDD cams in terms of loss of image quality and difficulty to edit in post-processing.
ADVANTAGES OF FLASH CARD CAMCORDERS: No moving parts in the storage media. This should mean longer service life and greater reliability. If flash memory continues to grow in capacity while dropping in cost, this type of camcorder could eventually bury Tape, HDD, and DVD. Easy transfer of video to PC over USB bus.
DISADVANTAGES OF FLASH CARD CAMCORDERS: Currently (2007) Most Expensive storage media: $140.00 for a 16 gigabyte SD card, compared to $3.00 for a 13 gigabyte MiniDV tape. Uses AVCHD compression; same issues as for HDD and DVD cams in terms of loss of image quality and difficulty to edit in post-processing.
On: 2007-12-21
This is a great camera. The video output is incredible; guaranteed to put the output of your VHSC, Hi8 or older cameras to shame. The tapes are kind of expensive, but the quality is worth it.
I havent tested the firewire output yet, but everything Ive read elsewhere leads me to believe that this will work great with my Mac.
Ive owned many Canon cameras over the years, and I am never disappointed.
On: 2007-12-17
Canon HV20 excellent camera, easy to operate, and gives a very sharp image, unfortunately Canon does not supply editing software for High Definition HDV, the editing software that is available costs over $800 and it is impossible to produce HDV DVDs in a home computer.
On: 2007-12-16
Canon HV20 excellent camera, easy to operate, and gives a very sharp image, unfortunately Canon does not supply editing software for High Definition HDV, the editing software that is available costs over $800 and it is impossible to produce HDV DVDs in a home computer.
On: 2007-12-15
We spend $768 to buy this camera. However, when we first receive it. The camera box was not sealed. we were thinking the camera should be a new one, and continue to use it. End up the port upload to the computer didnot work, and the Company selling this camera (J&K)refused to provide any repair or help because it passed 7 days after the purchase. We are very disappointed with this seller.
On: 2007-12-14
Im very pleased with my purchase of the HV20. We bought it because our child was growing very quickly [as most do] and because we elected to take a big trip down to Argentina to see whales, penguins, mountains, vineyards, etc. The conclusion after the trip was that the camera performed beautifully for the most part.
The video image quality is excellent. I have reviewed it directly on a HDTV as well as downloaded it to my computer to be chopped up in Premiere, and the resultant image quality is stunning [as expected].
The image stabilization is quite good as long as you are not zoomed in, but as long as you keep that in mind, the camera performs well in that regard. The zoom for the camera is quite good, but you do have to be careful if youre panning [as expected].
The camera does use SD mem for the single pictures and for the most part the single shot pictures are great. The biggest complaint I have about this feature is that the low light quality is relatively BAD and highly grainy. Again, as long as you realize the limitation, you will be happy with some of the other features. One related feature I used quite extensively is the ability to click single pictures WHILE I was shooting video -- excellent feature. You can select what grainy-ness and smoothing for this style of single shot, but the resolution will follow the video quality. Still, a very excellent feature
I have large hands and although the buttons were small, after the first day or so, I had little to no problem using the camera.
The camera uses miniDV tapes and I was pleased with that feature as well. I didnt want to have to make the HD video format choice and I didnt want a relatively fragile and limited storage harddrive inside. The tapes are cheap and the image quality is well-preserved.
I am very glad I purchased the camera and am quite pleased with the results I procured from it.
On: 2007-12-08
I received my HV20 a few days ago and I am extremely pleased with the picture quality and the true colors it produces. I give it 5 stars for video quality.
I agree with some of the other reviews that some of the buttons are poorly placed and sized. The cover for the HDMI terminal is a pain. Im pretty sure that it will break off with moderate use...or that Ill get fed up with it not staying put and rip it off myself.
The build quailty looks good, but Ill reserve judgement on the long term ruggedness until I can get more time in with it.
On: 2007-12-07
I received my HV20 a few days ago and I am extremely pleased with the picture quality and the true colors it produces. I give it 5 stars for video quality.
I agree with some of the other reviews that some of the buttons are poorly placed and sized. The cover for the HDMI terminal is a pain. Im pretty sure that it will break off with moderate use...or that Ill get fed up with it not staying put and rip it off myself.
The build quailty looks good, but Ill reserve judgement on the long term ruggedness until I can get more time in with it.
 On: 2007-12-07
Hi, I am currently a film student and I received my HV20 in the mail yesterday. I also ordered the external microphone, the Canon DM-50 because I knew that this camcorder, just like any other consumer camcorders out there have motor sound issues. Ive been testing the camera since then and I am very sorry to say that the initial reactions were not so pleasant. But let me start off with the good.
Pros:
First, the camera is really easy to handle. You almost dont need the instruction manual for basic footage taking since the menus and controls are really simple and self-explanatory.
Second, its really light and small. I dont know if this is always a good thing because even in my medium sized hands, the camera seemed really small. If I had bigger hands, I dont know if I would have liked the size.
Third, and the obvious is the image quality and 24p. There are plenty of great reviews on this so I will move on to what I didnt like.
Cons:
First, my biggest complaint is the audio. I knew that there would be some motor sound issues, but I didnt expect it to be this bad. Even with the DM-50 attached, the sound quality was absolutely horrible. The constant whining noise of the motor made me want to cry when I was watching my footage on the computer.
Second, and this is not a big deal, but the camera looks cheap. The plasticky feel of the camera, combined with the lightness gave me the feeling that this camera could break any moment. Now, Im sure it wont, but I used to own the Canon Elura 70 and that miserably died after just over a year. The reviews for that camera was great until all the cameras started having all kinds of problem. Because of the cheap build of the camera, I have the feeling that the HV20 might not last in the hands of a film student for long.
In conclusion, let me say that this camera is perfect for those who just want to make family movies. However, this camera will probably not meet the expectations of most film students. Pity since the next step up is a camcorder that is over $3000.
On: 2007-12-06
Hi Everyone,
We got this camera to use on a 7 week tour we just completed across Europe. Were big Canon fans and own a Canon XL2 which we use to video a lot of live music events in the work we do. Because of the length of the tour and flying, we had to get a smaller camera and this seemed like a good choice. We are not pros nor are we videophiles. Were just average users who shoot a lot of interesting places and footage. We do it to archive places and people and events. I doubt most average users shoot as much footage as we do, so perhaps this will be of help to others since we faced a wide variety of real world situations.
Ruggedness: It gets a surprising 10 out of 10. We had this thing in all sorts of bad weather conditions including a solid week of heavy downpours across Belgium and Germany. We used it in the rain (with efforts to shield it a bit in the heaviest storms) and it chugged along with no problem. We took it in and out of pockets (it fits in sweatshirt and jacket pockets pretty easily.. I even got it to fit in my jeans pocket in a pinch (I am a big guy with big pockets) and I was worried that it would break with all the wear and tear. But it held up perfectly. (Which is more than I can say for my Canon G7 digital camera which completely fell apart or the Canon 30 D which had all sorts of dirt on the mirror problems during the same trip). We recorded over 30 hours of footage in the 7 weeks and it worked just as well at the end as the start. The camera feels very light and flimsy and I was sure it would break in some way. But it held up like a champ.
Battery Life: It gets an average 7 out of 10. We started and stopped the camera constantly and left it in pause mode lot. The battery far surpassed our expectations. We had a back up battery but rarely ever had to use. (I think 1 time we drained the battery completely in one days shooting of about 2 hours of footage). I think it would be very rare for a normal user (family, vacations, holidays) to need more than 2 batteries (we had extended life batteries, not the small one it comes with). Each night we usually just pulled the batter out of the camera and recharged it and put it back in. I do recall the back up battery draining down a bit faster after a few days of non use, so if you have a critical shoot coming up, check the power on the charged back up to make sure its holding its charge. Also, we did have 1 bad battery that we had to replace. (It was a name brand canon). But thats not the fault of the camera itself. For practical purposes, having 2 batteries should cover well over 3 hours of use. Not fantastic, but acceptable.
Low Light Picture Quality: This gets a 7 out of 10. We shot at night and in a lot of really dark places. It doesnt have a "night shot" infrared feature (you know, that weird green lit footage you see on the Travel Channel ghost show?), but it does have a tiny built in light. And guess what? That little light actually works surprising well. It wont light up a room by any stretch but it will light up an item or subject pretty well. We used it for short commentary (we described a lot of places we visited travel channel style to help us remember who we met, what we did and what we saw for later) and even in pitch dark, you could light up the person enough for an interview. We even used it one night as a flash light at Pompeii when we stayed until after sundown and there were no lights in a building we visited. As for the video footage itself, in low light conditions it was shockingly good. It got grainy of course, but you could make out what was going on very clearly in every dark scene we shot. We didnt really expect it to do so well but it surpassed our hopes.
Good Light Footage: It gets a 9 out of 10. We got really excellent footage all over Europe. The colors are vibrant. It even handled backlit situations well with the back light feature. (Not perfect.. but much better than without the feature). It didnt transition well from low light to bright light and back.. but overall it did correct itself acceptably fast to the light/shade conditions in daylight/bright light shooting.
Focus: It gets an 8 out of 10. Focus was sometimes hit or miss. We found if we werent closely monitoring what was being recorded, it would occasionally go out of focus and get hopelessly lost until we adjusted the zoom manually. So this was a bit less than we expected/hoped for as we arent always able to monitor live action footage closely.
Audio: It gets a miserable 1 out of 10. Sadly.. the Achilles heal on this camera is the audio. Its terrible on pretty much every level. The camera has an incredibly loud whine in the motor and the mic picks it up loudly. A pro might be able to go into the editing room and cut some of it out, but the average user is simply out of luck. In addition to the built in noise that cant be avoided, (tape mechanism and zoom are BOTH horribly loud) the mic is very sensitive and just amplifies the sound even more. If you are taping in a quiet setting, its awful. If youre in a noisy place, its better simply because the noise can drown a lot of it out (but its still there). To make matters worse, if youre outside, its almost impossible to record someone talking if theres the slightest breeze. If its windy, forget it. The wind noise drowns out even loud and direct audio. (We couldnt even hear live music outside blasting if the wind was blowing at all). A little tip in desperation is to simply find the best angle to point the camera to avoid some of the brutal wind noise. But its useless if you want to do anything with the tape beyond capture a video memory. We also purchased the Canon External Zoom Mic and guess what? It lessens the tape mechanism noise a little, but it makes the zoom noise even worse. So that purchase solved nothing at all. This little camera might have been the best on the market.. but the miserable audio capabilities just make it a nightmare if you hope to use the footage for anything other than video. (i.e. youll need a non mounted external mic if you want to capture decent audio directly onto the tape... most pros use external audio recordings, but most normal users dont). You can (and should) monitor the audio in real time when possible. The external mic jack can give you a scare if you havent read the manual. You need to go into the settings and change the audio jack to headphones setting otherwise youll get a horrible buzz when you put on the phones. Its several menus deep and a bad design. In addition, it kept resetting back to default (i.e. the buzzing came back) each time you shut it off, so youd have to go back into the menu again (even though the little headphone icon would stay lit.. you still had to reset it manually via the menus). That was really annoying and time consuming if you wanted to get a quick spontaneous shot. Usually we went without monitoring the audio because of that and after the fact realized that was a grave mistake. If you care about the audio that will be on the tape, you have to monitor and adjust in real time as best you can. Also keep in mind even minimal directional changes vastly changes the sounds youll pick up even without a directional mic attached. If you pan away from someone talking to show something over their shoulder for example, expect their audio level to lower dramatically. Again, Pros will know this and handle it. Average users will find out when its too late.
Canon External Mic: 6 out of 10. As mentioned above, it didnt solve the mechanical noise problem. But it does cut back on the wind noise and it does cause the audio to be more directional than the built in mic. It didnt seem to boost the levels much though and if anything it was actually less sensitive than the built in mic. Sadly, I am not aware of any other solution if you want to keep the camera in one piece.
Viewfinder: 8 out of 10. The LCD viewer is wide screen and looks great. Its quite easy to flip around in different angles and all the way around so you can tape yourself and view that youre on screen. Its got most of the controls on it at the bottom and seemed pretty rugged as we twisted and turned it all different ways for 7 weeks and had no problem with it. The only downside is that the manual viewfinder (i.e. not the LCD screen) is pretty bad and pretty useless to use much. Its always going out of focus and often when it was damp out it fogged up and was unusable. For most folks, youll be using the LCD 95% of the time.
Playback on the camera: This gets an 8 out of 10. It was pretty easy to view your shots back and the little built in speaker works surprisingly well to see what you got. You can turn the viewscreen all the way around and view it on the side of the camera. Unfortunately theres no rewind/play/forward buttons on the body of the camera. You can only find those functions on the viewscreen or access them via the little remote control. I suggest keeping that handy as its a lot easier to do it that way. With the large viewscreen it was great to play back stuff throughout the trip and remember what we had done.
Playback into something else: This doesnt get a rating but we have some comments. The camera has an HDMI output which allows for High Def video and audio to go directly into your HD TV without additional cables/cords. Thats great. We cant rate it because we dont have a TV or device to hook it into so we dont know how well it works. We do have Component inputs and the camera comes with a cable for that purpose. The video doesnt look a good as I am sure it would look via an HDMI cable into a HD TV or computer but we cant fault the camera for that. Keep in mind to view this stuff youre going to need more gear at home.
Working with HD On the Computer: Again, not rating here, but just a reminder that most video editing software and most computers in the average home wont deal with HD video. You probably already know that if youre looking at an HD Camera.. but some folks dont realize it. Were looking at getting a high end Mac or Windows machine that can handle HD Video with the software that supports HD. Thats another big investment youll likely have to make if you havent already. Otherwise youll have to be happy just playing stuff back using the camera as a VCR and your Hi Def TV as your viewer.
Ergonomics: 6 out of 10. This camera doesnt feel great in your hand. The zoom slider is awkward and not easy to reach with your fingers (no matter what size your hand is.. my wife had trouble with a small hand, I had trouble with a large hand). We did get used to it during the trip and once we were, we didnt have too many problems.. but I wonder if anyone at Canon actually held this thing before it went to market. Its surprisingly non-ergonomic. We also couldnt ever find a setting on the hand strap that was good for both of us to use so wed have to either grasp it awkwardly or change the velcro setting before each shot which also hurt spontaneous shooting.
Start Up Time: 7 out of 10: This thing starts reasonably fast and you can usually start shooting video within a few seconds. Certainly not anywhere close to instant on like our 30D digital cam, but reasonably fast so you can get shots within about 5-6 seconds if youre quick at the trigger.
Size: 10 out of 10: This camera is the right size. Though its not ergonomic, you can definitely carry it in any coat pocket and even front jeans pants pockets if they/you are large. That was handy if I need to quickly set the camera down to switch to the digital camera. Sliding it into my jeans pocket was a great safe temporary place to put it when I didnt have a coat on.
In summary, Canon got everything right on this camera except the audio. If you need to be able to hear whats going on without hum or whine or buzz, youre going to have issues with this camera. If youre a pro and have a separate audio recording on an external device, then this camera will be fantastic for quick and easy shots using a handheld. If youre just doing family stuff (Holidays etc..) and the audio is less important than the visuals, then you may still be happy. If you shoot stuff like kids sports games etc.. the wind noise is going to be a serious problem if you want ot hear anything. Getting the external mic will be helpful in that case. (Not sure that Ive seen a wind screen solution for this camera anywhere). I dont know whats on the immediate horizon, but you may want to wait and see if theres another generation of Canon cameras coming and then hope theyve solved some of these issues for the average user who wants acceptable built in sound.
But dang.. the video quality is stunning!
Good luck and happy videotaping!
Brian
Brian Austin Whitney
Founder
Just Plain Folks Music Organization
On: 2007-12-05
Hi Everyone,
We got this camera to use on a 7 week tour we just completed across Europe. Were big Canon fans and own a Canon XL2 which we use to video a lot of live music events in the work we do. Because of the length of the tour and flying, we had to get a smaller camera and this seemed like a good choice. We are not pros nor are we videophiles. Were just average users who shoot a lot of interesting places and footage. We do it to archive places and people and events. I doubt most average users shoot as much footage as we do, so perhaps this will be of help to others since we faced a wide variety of real world situations.
Ruggedness: It gets a surprising 10 out of 10. We had this thing in all sorts of bad weather conditions including a solid week of heavy downpours across Belgium and Germany. We used it in the rain (with efforts to shield it a bit in the heaviest storms) and it chugged along with no problem. We took it in and out of pockets (it fits in sweatshirt and jacket pockets pretty easily.. I even got it to fit in my jeans pocket in a pinch (I am a big guy with big pockets) and I was worried that it would break with all the wear and tear. But it held up perfectly. (Which is more than I can say for my Canon G7 digital camera which completely fell apart or the Canon 30 D which had all sorts of dirt on the mirror problems during the same trip). We recorded over 30 hours of footage in the 7 weeks and it worked just as well at the end as the start. The camera feels very light and flimsy and I was sure it would break in some way. But it held up like a champ.
Battery Life: It gets an average 7 out of 10. We started and stopped the camera constantly and left it in pause mode lot. The battery far surpassed our expectations. We had a back up battery but rarely ever had to use. (I think 1 time we drained the battery completely in one days shooting of about 2 hours of footage). I think it would be very rare for a normal user (family, vacations, holidays) to need more than 2 batteries (we had extended life batteries, not the small one it comes with). Each night we usually just pulled the batter out of the camera and recharged it and put it back in. I do recall the back up battery draining down a bit faster after a few days of non use, so if you have a critical shoot coming up, check the power on the charged back up to make sure its holding its charge. Also, we did have 1 bad battery that we had to replace. (It was a name brand canon). But thats not the fault of the camera itself. For practical purposes, having 2 batteries should cover well over 3 hours of use. Not fantastic, but acceptable.
Low Light Picture Quality: This gets a 7 out of 10. We shot at night and in a lot of really dark places. It doesnt have a "night shot" infrared feature (you know, that weird green lit footage you see on the Travel Channel ghost show?), but it does have a tiny built in light. And guess what? That little light actually works surprising well. It wont light up a room by any stretch but it will light up an item or subject pretty well. We used it for short commentary (we described a lot of places we visited travel channel style to help us remember who we met, what we did and what we saw for later) and even in pitch dark, you could light up the person enough for an interview. We even used it one night as a flash light at Pompeii when we stayed until after sundown and there were no lights in a building we visited. As for the video footage itself, in low light conditions it was shockingly good. It got grainy of course, but you could make out what was going on very clearly in every dark scene we shot. We didnt really expect it to do so well but it surpassed our hopes.
Good Light Footage: It gets a 9 out of 10. We got really excellent footage all over Europe. The colors are vibrant. It even handled backlit situations well with the back light feature. (Not perfect.. but much better than without the feature). It didnt transition well from low light to bright light and back.. but overall it did correct itself acceptably fast to the light/shade conditions in daylight/bright light shooting.
Focus: It gets an 8 out of 10. Focus was sometimes hit or miss. We found if we werent closely monitoring what was being recorded, it would occasionally go out of focus and get hopelessly lost until we adjusted the zoom manually. So this was a bit less than we expected/hoped for as we arent always able to monitor live action footage closely.
Audio: It gets a miserable 1 out of 10. Sadly.. the Achilles heal on this camera is the audio. Its terrible on pretty much every level. The camera has an incredibly loud whine in the motor and the mic picks it up loudly. A pro might be able to go into the editing room and cut some of it out, but the average user is simply out of luck. In addition to the built in noise that cant be avoided, (tape mechanism and zoom are BOTH horribly loud) the mic is very sensitive and just amplifies the sound even more. If you are taping in a quiet setting, its awful. If youre in a noisy place, its better simply because the noise can drown a lot of it out (but its still there). To make matters worse, if youre outside, its almost impossible to record someone talking if theres the slightest breeze. If its windy, forget it. The wind noise drowns out even loud and direct audio. (We couldnt even hear live music outside blasting if the wind was blowing at all). A little tip in desperation is to simply find the best angle to point the camera to avoid some of the brutal wind noise. But its useless if you want to do anything with the tape beyond capture a video memory. We also purchased the Canon External Zoom Mic and guess what? It lessens the tape mechanism noise a little, but it makes the zoom noise even worse. So that purchase solved nothing at all. This little camera might have been the best on the market.. but the miserable audio capabilities just make it a nightmare if you hope to use the footage for anything other than video. (i.e. youll need a non mounted external mic if you want to capture decent audio directly onto the tape... most pros use external audio recordings, but most normal users dont). You can (and should) monitor the audio in real time when possible. The external mic jack can give you a scare if you havent read the manual. You need to go into the settings and change the audio jack to headphones setting otherwise youll get a horrible buzz when you put on the phones. Its several menus deep and a bad design. In addition, it kept resetting back to default (i.e. the buzzing came back) each time you shut it off, so youd have to go back into the menu again (even though the little headphone icon would stay lit.. you still had to reset it manually via the menus). That was really annoying and time consuming if you wanted to get a quick spontaneous shot. Usually we went without monitoring the audio because of that and after the fact realized that was a grave mistake. If you care about the audio that will be on the tape, you have to monitor and adjust in real time as best you can. Also keep in mind even minimal directional changes vastly changes the sounds youll pick up even without a directional mic attached. If you pan away from someone talking to show something over their shoulder for example, expect their audio level to lower dramatically. Again, Pros will know this and handle it. Average users will find out when its too late.
Canon External Mic: 6 out of 10. As mentioned above, it didnt solve the mechanical noise problem. But it does cut back on the wind noise and it does cause the audio to be more directional than the built in mic. It didnt seem to boost the levels much though and if anything it was actually less sensitive than the built in mic. Sadly, I am not aware of any other solution if you want to keep the camera in one piece.
Viewfinder: 8 out of 10. The LCD viewer is wide screen and looks great. Its quite easy to flip around in different angles and all the way around so you can tape yourself and view that youre on screen. Its got most of the controls on it at the bottom and seemed pretty rugged as we twisted and turned it all different ways for 7 weeks and had no problem with it. The only downside is that the manual viewfinder (i.e. not the LCD screen) is pretty bad and pretty useless to use much. Its always going out of focus and often when it was damp out it fogged up and was unusable. For most folks, youll be using the LCD 95% of the time.
Playback on the camera: This gets an 8 out of 10. It was pretty easy to view your shots back and the little built in speaker works surprisingly well to see what you got. You can turn the viewscreen all the way around and view it on the side of the camera. Unfortunately theres no rewind/play/forward buttons on the body of the camera. You can only find those functions on the viewscreen or access them via the little remote control. I suggest keeping that handy as its a lot easier to do it that way. With the large viewscreen it was great to play back stuff throughout the trip and remember what we had done.
Playback into something else: This doesnt get a rating but we have some comments. The camera has an HDMI output which allows for High Def video and audio to go directly into your HD TV without additional cables/cords. Thats great. We cant rate it because we dont have a TV or device to hook it into so we dont know how well it works. We do have Component inputs and the camera comes with a cable for that purpose. The video doesnt look a good as I am sure it would look via an HDMI cable into a HD TV or computer but we cant fault the camera for that. Keep in mind to view this stuff youre going to need more gear at home.
Working with HD On the Computer: Again, not rating here, but just a reminder that most video editing software and most computers in the average home wont deal with HD video. You probably already know that if youre looking at an HD Camera.. but some folks dont realize it. Were looking at getting a high end Mac or Windows machine that can handle HD Video with the software that supports HD. Thats another big investment youll likely have to make if you havent already. Otherwise youll have to be happy just playing stuff back using the camera as a VCR and your Hi Def TV as your viewer.
Ergonomics: 6 out of 10. This camera doesnt feel great in your hand. The zoom slider is awkward and not easy to reach with your fingers (no matter what size your hand is.. my wife had trouble with a small hand, I had trouble with a large hand). We did get used to it during the trip and once we were, we didnt have too many problems.. but I wonder if anyone at Canon actually held this thing before it went to market. Its surprisingly non-ergonomic. We also couldnt ever find a setting on the hand strap that was good for both of us to use so wed have to either grasp it awkwardly or change the velcro setting before each shot which also hurt spontaneous shooting.
Start Up Time: 7 out of 10: This thing starts reasonably fast and you can usually start shooting video within a few seconds. Certainly not anywhere close to instant on like our 30D digital cam, but reasonably fast so you can get shots within about 5-6 seconds if youre quick at the trigger.
Size: 10 out of 10: This camera is the right size. Though its not ergonomic, you can definitely carry it in any coat pocket and even front jeans pants pockets if they/you are large. That was handy if I need to quickly set the camera down to switch to the digital camera. Sliding it into my jeans pocket was a great safe temporary place to put it when I didnt have a coat on.
In summary, Canon got everything right on this camera except the audio. If you need to be able to hear whats going on without hum or whine or buzz, youre going to have issues with this camera. If youre a pro and have a separate audio recording on an external device, then this camera will be fantastic for quick and easy shots using a handheld. If youre just doing family stuff (Holidays etc..) and the audio is less important than the visuals, then you may still be happy. If you shoot stuff like kids sports games etc.. the wind noise is going to be a serious problem if you want ot hear anything. Getting the external mic will be helpful in that case. (Not sure that Ive seen a wind screen solution for this camera anywhere). I dont know whats on the immediate horizon, but you may want to wait and see if theres another generation of Canon cameras coming and then hope theyve solved some of these issues for the average user who wants acceptable built in sound.
But dang.. the video quality is stunning!
Good luck and happy videotaping!
Brian
Brian Austin Whitney
Founder
Just Plain Folks Music Organization
On: 2007-12-03
Watch Video Here: http://www.amazon.com/review/R35TVQ1WB1ZSMW My first movie made a day after I bought the camcorder.
Love the video of this camcorder.
Tapes cost 3 dollars and you can store them for future when Blue Ray/HD recorders become cheap.
The built in mic is good for indoor use and for regular family shots, but if you are outside you need external mic with wind screen, but that is true for all of them. I have a few other camcorders and blowing wind without Wind Screen sounds bad on all of them.
The fact that it does HAVE an external mic input and hot shoe is GOOD because some dont have that and you are stuck with internal mic.
Small and can fit in front pocket in my summer shorts.
Since the camcorder is small the buttons are small and I expected that, you get used to it, just like anything I use after a few hours, it becomes intuitive , just like driving my car is intuitive, I dont think about pushing gas pedal, I just do it.
Vimeo.Com has 42 pages of video clips users have posted coming from this camcorder and it will give you ideas what other people are doing with it.
TV reporters in the field carry a Mic in their hand or have a Mic hanging down from above with wind screen, and if they are in studio they use wireless/wired lapel mic. I would think it silly if they used the mic in their camcorder to capture the scene.
This movie I made in local park and put together with Windows Movie Maker that comes with XP Windows, using all auto settings with no extra lens, just the stuff that comes in box.
Camcorderinfo.com rated this Model the Camcorder of the YEAR and they have reviews of all the major models and go into depth checking them all out.
On: 2007-12-02
Found this one of the best available HD Camcorder, outcome is better then what I wanted.
On: 2007-11-30
I have had this camcorder for about a month now and have used it to record kids football games and school programs. It does equally well outdoors and in lower light conditions indoors. The image quality is outstanding on a hi-def TV and the inexpensive media is a great way to store uncompressed video. No regrets.
On: 2007-11-21
I was very excited to have a very small HDV camera that could shoot in 24 fps, until I read a footprint in the instruction manual. It may capture in 24 fps, but it RECORDS in 30i. So if you ask me, the cinema mode is pretty useless!
On: 2007-11-20
I was very excited to have a very small HDV camera that could shoot in 24 fps, until I read a footprint in the instruction manual. It may capture in 24 fps, but it RECORDS in 30i. So if you ask me, the cinema mode is pretty useless!
On: 2007-11-20
I was excited about the possibilities of a digital camcorder, especially if I could use it as a "pass through" for converting my analog tapes to digital to computer as well as shooting better video. I read many reviews of the models with "pass through" capabilities. Many reviewers cited the poor ergonomics of the mini dv camcorders. So I went today to Circuit City and handled several of them. I found most of them impossible to handle with one hand. The buttons are too low, too cramped together. You cant use the tip of your thumb to turn the record button on and off. To reach the tiny zoom wheel on top is most difficult without jarring or moving the camera. The cameras have a flimsy feel. Even if I could learn how to use it, when I need to ask someone else to operate it they would find it difficult to impossible.
No one has had a problem handling my Sony high8, and its video has very good resolution. I hope it lasts a long time. In the meantime Ill be searching for a stand-alone analog-to-digital converter. If I cant find that Ill just use my DVD copier and do the limited editing it is capable of.
On: 2007-11-09
At the end, much of quality perception is relative (to what youre used to and comparing to) - both for audio and video. My first "digital" camcorder was a Sony DCR-VX700. Bought it 11.5 years ago in the first year or so of consumer mini-DV. The detail and color blew me away....until I bought a Sony TRV-900 and then 950 6 and 4 years ago, respectively. The apparent sharpness was a bit better but the color from these 3 chip beauties just blew away the 700. Suddenly the 700 footage didnt look very good. The 950 continued to impress...until I got an HD-TV and saw the image on Discovery Channel HD. Suddenly the 950 didnt look so good.
I tried a Panasonic SX5 (AVCHD) briefly and the outdoor images, at highest bit rate, blew away my 950. They didnt compare to Discovery HD but it was a real step up. Outside. Inside, under "normal" lighting (not low light), the image and color were awful - looking equal too or maybe even inferior to my 950 (which had blown me away not long ago).
Got the HV20 a month ago and took it to Colorado to really test it out. It blows away everything Ive seen in a consumer format to date. I can say outdoors, with careful pans, the images are equal and often superior to Discovery HD (in terms of sharpness. Color seems, on a purely subjective basis, comparable). The image is jaw dropping. There is no motion artifacting that I can detect. Inside, in "normal" indoor lighting, it still produces an awesome image - though not quite like outdoors. In lower light, the CinaMode setting still produces a very decent picture (even without 24P).
I have no doubt, however, that this is still relative. If I bought a Canon XH A1 or Sony HVR-A1U, I suspect I would no longer be as thrilled with the image. Learned that from experience. The same, I know, is true of audio. Im less of an audio fanatic (at least for my home videos), so I havent played and compared as much. If I was used to using a high quality, detached mic, I would probably be very disappointed in the audio. As a guy who has never used anything but the integrated mics, Im relatively pleased.
Conclusion - if youre coming from a world of SD consumer camcorders and integrated microphones - youll be blown away by the video and relatively satisfied with the audio. If youre already "conditioned" by very high end gear, you may not.
On: 2007-11-03
I bought this camera for a carry-on only train trip around the country. Its tiny size allowed me to tuck it away in a corner of my carry-on, and yet it recorded fantastic video (3 1/2 hours) that Im editing now. The video is flawless, bright, and vibrant. Even the stills are great. Though I havent tried blowing them up above 4X6
On: 2007-10-27
This thing rocks, the only negative is the motor noise, but it is only noticeable when you first get it, you hardley even hear it while playing the footage on a TV. Also glad Canon has kept using the same batteries, makes it easy to purchase more and a lot cheaper too. You cant go wrong with this camcorder.
On: 2007-10-25
the HV20 is so tiny and light, its hard to believe the quality of image and sound it captures. ive used "pro" cameras that weigh several times as much and cost at least a couple grand more that do not give you the results the HV20 does (its cinema setting shoots true 24 frames per second, much better than the frame mode on many higher-end models). ive been using it for weeks now and am completely in love with it, and it works flawlessly with my mac editing software. i dont yet own a HD television, so if the HV20 footage looks this great on a regular set its got nowhere to go but up. bottom line, if youre a filmmaker who cant afford the pro-grade cameras this is the closest you can get for the money.
On: 2007-10-25
I did about a month of research, on Amazon, camcorderinfo.com... and several other sites before deciding to buy this camera.
Let me first say i am NOT DISSAPOINTED AT ALL!!!!!
This is by far the best camera I have used/owned. I purchased it for my own personal indie films, as well as for videography work at several clubs and for a magazine. It lacks a few manual controls, and sometimes i wish it "felt" more pro, but honestly the video quality, especiall during the day, is amazing.
The first 45 minutes I shot with this camera were just of my friends hanging out.... no plot not even very interesting conversations, but my friends and I sat a watched the video twice now, simply because it LOOKS awesome. I mean it looks just like one of those True Life MTV shows....
For the money, there is NOTHING better.
cons:
it feels sorta cheap, and rattles slightly from the battery...
On: 2007-10-20
I was excited to get this camera and I shot some footage. But I found out (too late) that the *only* way to get the video recorded to the MiniDV cassete is through firewire. That great. I dont have a MAC on hand and none of my laptops (bought in the last year) have firewire. So no joy.
When I researched this camera, no where, and I mean no where, was it mentioned that the video from the MiniDV could only be transferred via Firewire. I might not have bought it if I had known that. Now I have to return it and fight to not pay a restocking fee.
Btw, the manual shows that you can use a USB cable, but it doesnt even say that video from the MiniDV cassette can not be transferred over USB.
Oh, and no video editing software? For $1000, Canon couldnt put something on the DVD. Sure, I can use Microsoft Movie Maker, but I cant say that I like it.
On: 2007-10-14
I purchased this camcorder almost 6 months ago, for both personal and professional uses. I made my decision because of the overwhelmingly positive professional reviews. You cannot go wrong with either a Canon HV20 or a Sony HC7, they have very similar characteristics. One thing that the Canon has is the true 24p mode which is important for indy filmmakers and also improves low light performance indoors and out.
I can attest to the durability of this unit as I put it through a limited torture test over 6 months. Its been to Hawaii which actually has many different environments. Dry, hot, wet, humid, and rain. Yes, there were shots that I had to get of waterfalls that got the camcorder sprinkled with a light mist. The camcorder performed perfectly. I quickly wiped off any moisture after I got the shot. Its been on a boat and down hiking trails.
The video in good lighting is spectacular. Lighting is the most important aspect of good video making. Even the best camcorder will perform poorly if the lighting is not good. The best time to video for the most spectacular results is either overcast days or where the sun is not visible. A sunny day is not the best for video, since you get extremes in contrast. Of course a dark environment is also not the best for video making. Canons 24p mode is a great addition to help in the low light department, but I recommend a strong video light for very dark areas. The HV20 is the cheapest true 24p camcorder.
I also had the opportunity to take video in standard definition (this camcorder will do both High Def, and standard. I needed to take some video of a professional sports team, and interview. The requirements were standard definition. The outdoor shot were the best I have ever seen from a camcorder in standard definition. I put it on a standard DVD and played it in the home player and it was excellent. So you can shoot either way. Standard def can be put directly to regular DVD today.
Sound is very good, but I recommend that you get a wireless microphone for any interviews. I bought the Audio Technica wireless lavelier microphone. It can go up to 100 feet away and sounded very good.
Still pictures were good. Its nice to have if you dont want to lug around a still camera. But as with any camcorder, you will get your best shots from a dedicated still camera.
Overall this is a great camcorder. If you are doing editing, your best bet is to use a tape based HDV camcorder. They are less compressed (better quality) video than Hard Disk or memory card based camcorders. At least for now.
Some more tips for this camcorder: use the sony high definition tapes (available here at amazon), if you want, you can get a wide angle adapter lens, get a good case that can hold your camcorder and accessories and get at least 1 extra battery. I also recommend that you get a clear filter and lens cap if you are going to be in conditions where the lens could get dust, dirt or water. Its much easier to clean the filter than to clean the primary lens. This camcorder does have an automatic lens cover, but since I was in rainy conditions I found the filter to be very useful.
When in a car, you will many times see a reflection from the dash on the windshield. If you have ever worn polarized sunglasses you know that that will get rid of that glare. The same is true for the camcorder. Get a polarized lens if you plan to do filming in a car during the day, or are going to be outdoors in bright light, especially near the glare that comes off the ocean.
On: 2007-10-13
I bought the Canon HV20 4 months ago. The video quality is great, as many other reviews testify. But I have had major hardware problems.
One day my camera would not power up. I called Canon Tech Support and they told me I would need to send it in. This cost me $40 and 4 weeks. Canons policy is 7-10 business days to ship the unit back, however in my case they "were very busy" and didnt open the box for a week, then took the full 10 days to process and repair my camera, then ground shipping. 4 WEEKS until I had my camera back! This down-time was made especially aggravating because I am currently on a year-long trip around North America.
Whats worse than a new camera that fails? Answer: A new camera that fails twice.
After having my camera back for less than a month, the same problem reoccurred. The HV20 will not power up under any circumstance. I call Canon, they tell me I need to ship it in again. The only consolation is that they will cover the shipping cost this time. Canons policy is "repair, not replacement", the nice customer service man told me. His name was Sean.
As a consumer, I am quite understanding of product failures, especially when the product is new to market. I accept some extra risk as an early adopter. But when a product fails twice, I want it replaced. I want Canon to ship me a new unit. Im not willing to go without my new camera another 4 weeks of my trip. But this is all Canon is offering.
Beware the HV20 and Beware the Canon Repair Policy.
On: 2007-10-04
This is a really good camcorder. I had it for a few month now and love every bit of it. The picture quality is flawless on my hd tv.
On: 2007-09-30
Hi, I just bought the canon HV20. The image is amazing.
However, I went out for a test shoot. Then I rewinded the tape and playback. For some reason, the footage randomly freeze for a second, and then jump forward a second or two in time (always at the same point). In 10 minutes of shooting, it happens 4 times. I thought it was a tape defect, but it wasnt.
I dont know if anyone else has the same problem.
On: 2007-09-25
I am very happy with this camera. After doing quite a lot of research, I chose this one on the pricepoint and the fact that it has a microphone jack! Its amazing how hard it is to find a camera with a mic jack.
Anyway, takes great footage. You can still use the standard mini dv tape or pay three times more for a mini HD tape. I guess it depends on how particular you are. I mainly record on the mini dv tape and get very impressive video quality. You can tell a big difference compared to a digital 8 video.
The size is very nice as well. You dont have to have a huge 10 pound camera to have HD anymore.
Has a firewire port to download directly to the computer for editing. User friendly.
Feel free to contact me with any questions. arspromotions@comcast.net
Thanks,
Amy
www.arspromotions.com
On: 2007-09-24
I am very happy with this camera. After doing quite a lot of research, I chose this one on the pricepoint and the fact that it has a microphone jack! Its amazing how hard it is to find a camera with a mic jack.
Anyway, takes great footage. You can still use the standard mini dv tape or pay three times more for a mini HD tape. I guess it depends on how particular you are. I mainly record on the mini dv tape and get very impressive video quality. You can tell a big difference compared to a digital 8 video.
The size is very nice as well. You dont have to have a huge 10 pound camera to have HD anymore.
Has a firewire port to download directly to the computer for editing. User friendly.
Feel free to contact me with any questions. arspromotions@comcast.net
Thanks,
Amy
www.arspromotions.com
On: 2007-09-21
In one word the Canon HV20 is: FANTASTIC! After I received my camcorder I went outside and made a recording. I then connected this technological wonder via the HDMI cable to my Sony Bravia HDTV and pressed the play button on the remote that is included with the camcorder. When the picture appeared, my jaw dropped and my eyeballs practically popped out of my head! I could not believe what I was seeing. In my entire (50+) life I have never seen a video from any camcorder that was so true to life. The colors are rich and vibrant. The details are stunning. I also found this camcorder to be extremely quiet when recording. Trust me. Dont waste your hard earned money purchasing a camcorder that cost hundreds or maybe thousands of dollars more. If you are looking for a camcorder that has picture quality that borders on perfection the Canon HV20 is for you.
On: 2007-09-21
This camera is really good. If you get one though you should also get a microphone, or else you will get a light mechanical sound while filming but other than that its great.
On: 2007-09-19
I was very Impressed with the low lighting capabilities, but it is very fragile. The joystick for zoom is cheap plastic, and Ive had experience with Sonys warranty or lack there of, my Sony 52" HD TV would not power up a week before Christmas 14 months after purchase, $800 and 5 months later,it was repaired.... I think it works fine, I donated it to a womans shelter. Anyway I bought the Panasonic SD5, easier storage (HD card) better quality... The guru at Best Buy says alot of the SONY HV20s are coming back! and the SD5 will have better battery life also. Ill give full review of SD5 if it ever arrives;)
On: 2007-09-13
I bought HV20 for its two advantages: (1) best HD video of current, 9/07, consumer camcorders; (2) excellent low light performance.
I have not been disappointed. Bought it two days ago from Amazon. Today I went to shoot my son at his swim practice at an outdoor pool around 7:00pm. The light was not bright, especially around 7:30 or so it became really dark. The HV20 performance wonderfully. Beyond my expectation to say the least.
The optional mic, Canon DM-50, is highly recommended. In its "shutgun" mode, you can hear clearly the people talking with subdued surrounding noise.
On: 2007-09-13
HD at its best. Low light performance is superb! HDMI port is a huge plus. Id vote this over HV10.
On: 2007-09-07
I love the camera. Many complained about the fit and I agree that it is some what uncomfortable at first. Ive got medium sized hands and find that a tight fit is better for me. For those with large hands, use of the 2nd finger to manipulate the zoom probably would work better. The camera is light and although I have a slight hand tremor, Ive been able to achieve steady films without undue blur or shakiness. Those that complain about poor low light capability are not being realistic. Even a still consumer film camera will have trouble with low light (sans flash) unless you have a super fast lens---if you can afford the price.
On: 2007-09-06
I bought the HV20 5 weeks ago and have used it twice. Since then it has sat in a case on my desk. I went to go use it yesterday to shoot footage of our newborn and the lens cover motor is failing to open. It makes a mechanical motor sound three times and stops without the cover opening. After searching on the web, I found out this is an issue which is affecting other users as well.
At this point Im not sure what to do. Send it in for repair, which will take weeks, or try and exchange for a new one. Regardless, how will I know that this or some other issue wont turn up?
I have used Canon products for many years and have trusted the brand name, even paying more at times than other competing products. This issue however, has raised serious doubts about quality of the HV20.
On: 2007-08-29
Ive had this camera for about 2 weeks and having put through its different shooting modes I can honestly say, its the best "auto" camera Ive ever owned. Im really a Sony camera guy and Im used to more manual control from 3-chip models but this has a place in my camera bag. The auto focus is the fastest Ive ever seen and the auto WB (unlike most models that never quite get it right), is right on about 95% of the time. This is also my first HD cam and wow, its like it was when I first got my HDTV...I just want to stare at the blades of grass in my yard, or the splattering of rain on my driveway. HD is a whole new world.
That being said, I do have some quibbles about it. It never feels like it really fits in your hand. Its like its TOO small, I feel like Im going to get a cramp in my zoom finger whenever I use it. The LCD display is good but HD is so sensitive to focus you have to use some kind of focus aid. I found peaking to be the most useful. The built in light is good for about 10 feet beyond which it doesnt do much. This is also my first experience with 24f and "cine mode". I will say it does not look like film. 24f looks like progressive scan low shutter speed video which I find rather distracting to look at. Also "cine mode" seems like another gimmick that does not look like film. It looks like muted contrast and colors video, also not very appealing. I think the whole reason people were going for the film look was to minimize the artifacts of video. Well HD has a whole lot less artifacts(given the proper bandwidth) than SD video to begin with so I say enjoy HD! OK Im off my soapbox...
In summary, I am amazed at this cams abilities for $1k. When youre in that tight spot and need to shoot quick, Ill do things $10k cams wont...the right tool for the right job.
On: 2007-08-24
I purchased the Canon HV20 a week before taking a family trip to Ireland. I shot about an hour of video during the trip. I regret not spending more time with the camera. The camera is easy to operate. I did not use the still camera option. I only shot 1920x1080i video. The payback onto my 46" 1080 Samsung LCD is incredible! The image quality and the color are great. I am in the process of downloading the video onto my iMac. Like all "home movies" a little editing will go a long way but my mistakes cant be blamed on the camera.
I like the Canon HV20 a lot. I have used the Canon HV10 and found the zoom on the HV20 to be a lot better. I would suggest getting a wide angle lens adaptor for inside shots. I am very happy with my purchase and looking forward to using it again.
Canon HV20 3MP High Definition MiniDV Camcorder with 10x Optical Image Stabilized Zoom
On: 2007-08-23
I purchased the Canon HV20 a week before taking a family trip to Ireland. I shot about an hour of video during the trip. I regret not spending more time with the camera. The camera is easy to operate. I did not use the still camera option. I only shot 1920x1080i video. The payback onto my 46" 1080 Samsung LCD is incredible! The image quality and the color are great. I am in the process of downloading the video onto my iMac. Like all "home movies" a little editing will go a long way but my mistakes cant be blamed on the camera.
I like the Canon HV20 a lot. I have used the Canon HV10 and found the zoom on the HV20 to be a lot better. I would suggest getting a wide angle lens adaptor for inside shots. I am very happy with my purchase and looking forward to using it again.
Canon HV20 3MP High Definition MiniDV Camcorder with 10x Optical Image Stabilized Zoom
On: 2007-08-10
This great little camera has many of the features found on the most expensive professional HD cameras, plus it fits in your purse or shoulder bag. The back end of downloading and editing hasnt quite caught up with the camera so I suggest taking part in a Users group if you buy it. The manual is very klunky. I love it, and Im never going back to HD.
On: 2007-08-09
I did a lot of researching on HDV cameras. I looked high and low for a camera that could do the pro features on a not-pro budget. For most people who want a great HD camcorder for home movies, i would recommend it without hesitation. For serious film students who want the look of 24p (film style) read on...
There is a small catch that people need to be aware of if they need the raw 24 progressive frames.
The HV20 DOES capture 24p, but in what is known as 1080pA. The 1080pA means its really recording at standard 60i and when you capture it onto your computer, the footage is not technically in 24 frames per second (yet). It is in 30. There are (5) progressive frames and then one interlaced frame. What you will need to do is called 2:3:3:2 pull down. The reverse technique of putting film onto video. And as of right now, no editing software can do this pulldown method for the HV20. Sony Vegas can do it for the Sony HDV camera with 1080pA. But Canon did not include a "tag" on the video to tell the few editing softwares out there how to get the 24 frames out without messing with the footage. It seems because this is a "consumer grade" camera, they never thought it important.
This isnt much of a problem if youre going to dvd, because youll never notice this while the video plays. Itll be great footage regardless. But if youre like me, and you have a need to use the direct 24 progressive images (in my case its to put graphics and animation on top of the video) you need to be aware that as of right now, there are few solutions out there to get the footage.
The best way has been solved by some folks on www.hv20.com forum. All discussions for this camera. These brilliant folks have come up with a way to use a few free shareware programs to do the work for you. Its free. And theres lots of people there to help you out. I was able to get it up and running in just a few minutes after reading the great directions available.
Other thoughts:
Dark shooting - Cinemode works great. Took it to SeaWorld and Shamu night show was awesome!! Fireworks also looked great.
Youll need LARGE hard drives. Id recommend an external Firewire or USB 2 drive. I have a Lacie 1 terabyte drive for all of my work. They work very well and are not that expensive considering.
Sony Vegas seems to be the software of choice from most of the users Ive talked to. Vegas movie studio is only $120 or so. Apples Final Cut software is also a favorite among mac users. But be sure you get a good HD editing program. The HV20 does not come with any software other than a disk to let you get the still images off the camera.
HD is heavy duty files on a computer. Be sure your computer is fast enough to handle capturing footage, editing video, and playing back HD video.
If you buy this camera, be sure to join the HV20.com folks. Theyve been a huge help to me, and I know they will help you too.
Good luck!!
On: 2007-08-06
The best picture your consumer dollars can buy as of August 2007. In low light, the picture is not as grainy as the | | |
