Canon VIXIA HV30 MiniDV High Definition Camcorder with 10x Optical Image Stabilized Zoom
By: Canon Average Rating: 4.5 Total Reviews: 14
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 On: 2008-06-16
I bought this camcorder specifically to record a conference I was hosting but then a buddy of mine, who is a professional videographer, offered to do it. I decided to return it even though I had not opened it. I always assume when I buy a product from Amazon that there is a 30 return policy and a full refund but to my suprise, Ace Photo & Digital, the company that sold me the camcorder through Amazon, said their return policy was only 10 days and there was a 10 percent restocking fee. They refused to budge even though I spoke to a manager and plead ignorance. So my suggestion is to make sure you check out the company you are buying your product from and read the fine print or else it will cost you a pretty penny.
 On: 2008-06-16
Canon VIXIA HV30 MiniDV High Definition Camcorder with 10x Optical Image Stabilized Zoom
Im very happy with my Canon HV30. I rate the picture quality, color quality, low-light ability, white balance all excellent. The zoom control is a little close for my fingers and I found myself holding the camera less firmly (ie with the tips of my fingers rather than my whole hand) which would be wearisome on a long shoot, but tripods are still the best way to shoot video for steady pictures. On the other hand the anti-vibration correction seems to help a lot.
The total package is good, not excellent and includes a battery with a nice contact protector that doesnt look like it will fall off (unlike the protector plate on the Elura and Optura that has to be taped on because it is so loose.) The plate keeps the battery from discharging on the keys in your pocket or bag. It also includes a charger which will also operate the camera without the battery, which is very handy. This is only good, because it wont charge the battery unless it is in the camera, so you cant charge while shooting with another battery.
The package also includes a remote control (see above) that fruwtrated me the first time I used it and seems to be of marginal utility. However, all of the minor problems with the package can be remedied with an add-on accessory. The camera is what does the work and it is excellent.
Ive had this camcorder only one week. It was a busy week with kids graduation and parties and night club rock concerts on the video agenda but I learned a lot shopping for this camera and using it all week, so maybe my story will help you.
First, why miniDV rather than flash, hard disk or dvd? I already have two mini dv cameras, a Canon Optura and an Elura. These have given me good service and images that were the envy of my Sony, Samsung, and Panasonic-owning friends. The only brand I compare to Canon is Sony (for similar consumer equipment). I rejected the flash and DVD models because the recording time is too short. DVD, in particular, is a rip-off with just 15 minutes for a $10 disk.
This kind of short recording time is OK if what you want is to capture 1 or 2 minutes of magic moments and have them immediately available to put in a player. Personally I find the tape just as good for instant replay on the built-in video screen. It takes a couple minutes longer to rewind the tape.
The hard drive models have a recording time advantage that initially attracted me, but the transfer issue is what made me decide to stay with a minidv. Ultimately all video has to be transfered to another medium to be used and archived. I have been transfering my minidv tapes to computer hard drives and dvd for years.
Transfer is a tediuos, time-eating process that has caused me to spend more upgrading my computer and software than I spent on the cameras. Yes, I can make DVDs with my video; I can make YouTube videos; and I can put my own video stuff on my iPod and Zune. But it takes a lot of time to get the results I want.
Why tape? Its cheap and convenient. Video takes a lot of disk space to store the original and then to edit and render into other formats. I buy the cheap tapes but I only record them once. I can carry 2 or 3 which give me 2 or 3 hours recording time. The real restraint is the batteries. Once I have the image on tape I dont erase it. I can play it immediately if I want to, but the ultimate goal is to transfer it to hard disk for editing and archiving. The real godsend is the recent plethora of cheap 500 GB (now 750 and soon 1TB) external USB hard drives. The transfer time is a chore; so is the indexing.
With tape I can do it on my schedule. With a hard disk, it can get full at a time that is inconvenient to transfer but I need to do some more shooting. Then I would have to consider the dreaded DELETE of something I shot. With tape I can postphone transfering and editing for months without impairing my camera readiness.
I considered the Sony HDR-HC9 and the older Canon HV20 vs. the Canon HV30. I was tempted by the 6MP in the Sony and also by the low prices on the HV20. I saw a deal on an HV20 for $520 but it was gone before I made up my mind to settle for it. Ultimately I was looking at $999 for the Sony or $771 for the Canon. The HV30 had 30p mode and a $228 budget extra batteries and other goodies.
So am I happy? Yes.
My wife used it at my kids graduation. Perfect color and detail, oohs and ahs from everybody. My wife just uses automatic mode with the lcd screen hanging out. I took some mobile shots in my car, one-handed through the windshield. The anti-vibration mode works great, as does the autofocus. During this shoot there were times when the camera was looking almost directly into the sun. The meter responded quickly and closed down the aperture, but the resulting scene was a little dark (not too bad, actually). There is a back-light compensation button that could have helped but I didnt think about until later.
Then it was off to a night club. I took a recharged battery, not totally topped off because of numerous replays of some of the recent shooting. The lighting was typical dim night club ambiance with flashing disco lights on the dance floor and stage. My plan is to film the whole show.
I have plenty of tape but just the BP-2L13 that came with the camera, which the manual rates at 75 minutes using the viewfinder, or 70 minutes using the LCD. I also know that new Li-on batteries need to be recharged a few times before they reach their full capacity.
47 minutes of continuous filming is what I got, using the viewfinder. The image in the viewfinder was bright and easy to see. I wear bifocals but I was able to hold the camera several inches from my face and still see the edges of the viewfinder screen enough to frame the picture I wanted. My Optura and Elura both had decent viewfinders, but many was the time when I just pointed the camera and hoped my framing was ok because the image was so dim. The HV30 is really a huge step up.
I havent had enough experience with this camera to fiddle with the focus and white balance while shooting so I left it on automatic. The colors of the spotlights were changing very quickly and I was panning the stage and the crowd, zooming in and out. After the battery died I took it off and held in my hand to warm it so after the show it gave me a few more seconds of shooting. Considering it wasnt topped off on the charger and it was only the first time it had been cycled I wasnt that disappointed. I just ordered a BP-L24H rated at 145 minutes recording time on the viewfinder from Amazon for $99 with some of the money I saved over buying the Sony.
The images were fantastic. Ive shot in light like this with my Optura and ELura and there were always dark shadows with almost no detail. The Vixia showed great detail in the shadows. The automatic white balance reacted in a pleasant way to the red, orange and blue spotlights. Occasionally, on a wide shot of the band, while I was panning, the lead singer would be washed out from the bright spot on him while the rest of the band was in shadow but the overall affect made him look rather god-like which was cool. When I zoomed in the aperture closed down and I got excellent skin color and detail on his face. The anti-vibration did a great job because most of the images were rock-steady even though I was handholding and the crowd was bumping me often.
The sound was the only detail that keeps this from being perfect. The sound started out OK for the first few numbers, but as the night went on and the playing got louder, there was a lot of distortion because of the overloading. The band used big Marshall amps and I was standing 3 feet in front of an eight-foot high stack of speakers so it is to be expected. For a more acoustic or quieter show the automatic limiter would have been fine. Next time I wont stand in front of the speakers.
At home I hooked it up to the HDTV with the HDMA cable, tuned to the HDMA input with the TV remote and fired up the camera with the included remote control. The remote is a little skinny thing that doest provide any feedback when you select a function. My bedroom is less than 15 feet long so it couldnt have been more than ten feet to the camera. I had to get up and check the display in the camera to make sure the tape was rewound. This would be strictly an experimental item in a shooting situation.
On batteries: I have bought the "compatible" batteries and been burned many times. On my Canon sure-shot the compatible batteries would be charged (Charger light is green) but the battery would run the camera no more than 5 minutes. Same problem on my phones. For my Optura, I bought three "compatible" batteries and they worked fine. YMMV.
For editing, Ive been using Ulead Visual Studio 11. The HV30 doesnt come with any software for movie editing or even transfering to disk. The included CD has software to transfer still pictures to a computer, but you dont need it. I verified that the HV30 is recognized automatically as a digital camera when you plug in the USB cable to the computer running XP.
I didnt install the Canon software, but I did install a miniSD chip (not included) and take some pictures. There is a different button to snap still pictures which I missed the first time I took a picture. Even if you have the switch on the still position, it starts the video tape recording if you press the camera start button. The three megapixels doesnt maake for a great picture but it may come in handy. This isnt one of the feaatures that attracted me to the camera but it may come in handy.
It copied my video from the camera and I edited it into a DVD. I have VS version 11.5 which edits and burns AVCHD, but I havnt installed it yet. I havent got a player that will read AVCHD anyway. Im waiting for the Blue Ray burners to come out at reasonable cost. Then Ill probably get some software that burns those. My computer is a quad-core Pentium with 4GB RAM.
If you read all the way to the end you are really a glutton for detail like me. I dont really care if you buy this camera or not. You should buy the camera that is right for you and your budget. If I felt I could afford it, Id get a 3CCD profesional model with interchangeable lenses. Id hire a grip to carry my equipment and set up and hold the boom mikes. Id get some professional grade editing equipment too, like Avid. Id get one of those business disk duplicators that print the labels and burn the disks while I sleep. OK, Ill stop.
On: 2008-06-03
While it does not have three chips like more expensive cameras, it is PERFECT for shooting lower budget shots.
After getting a rig for it to allow for manual focus... were off and running!
On: 2008-05-29
I bought this camcorder for a recent trip to Europe, and the results are spectacular. Im very pleased with the quality of the video and the vibrancy of the colors (almost *too* saturated). The image stabilization is good, and the zoom is great. I havent really played with any of the other features, but I recorded 8 hours of video from my trip, and all of it looks wonderfully sharp on my Plasma TV.
Battery life was better than I expected (unlike some of the other reviewers, I was able to fill a one-hour tape on a single battery charge), but I do recommend buying a second battery. If you do so, also invest in a battery charger, as the kit only allows you to charge a battery when it is attached to the camera (it wouldve been nice to have one battery charging while I was using the other).
My minor complaints are as follows:
- As other reviewers have noted, the record button is not intuitively placed, nor is it easy to tell when youre recording, especially in bright sunlight when one is wearing sunglasses and the screen is washed out. As a result Ive got about 15 minutes of video of my pants leg instead of the desired content.
- The wide angle simply wasnt wide enough to capture some of the views I wanted. I wish I had spent more time using the camera prior to the trip, as I likely would have invested in the available wide-angle lens extender.
- Low-light performance is quite grainy -- but understandable given the circumstances. The included light doesnt help all that much.
- The manual focus dial is basically useless.
- The internal microphone picks up everything - including camera hum, wind noise, etc. In especially windy conditions, this resulted in very poor audio quality.
I bought 2 of the expensive "HD" tapes, but also used 6 standard mini-DV tapes. I see no quality difference between the two. I dont know if a difference would show up with multiple recordings on the same tape, but for now, Im more than satisfied with how standard tapes work.
Bottom line: This is an excellent consumer HD camcorder for those who want to watch high-quality home movies on their high-definition TV.
 On: 2008-05-23
Ive used higher-end ProSumer camcorders for a while and virtually every other generation of video camcorder since 1980. I recently used a Sony HC3 HDV handheld but gave that to my daughter when I got this HV30.
The HV30 has a great picture and all that. So I think Ill focus on whats either really cool, or a bit off-putting for a buyer.
Really Cool:
Video quality is the best you can find on todays one-chip HDV camera. Some 3-chip cameras have a better color depth but many 3-chip cameras actually have a worse picture. They did a great job.
It plays other Canon HDV tape. I own and use a XH A1 3-CCD canon HDV camera and the HV30 plays its tapes even better than the XHA1 seems to. Thats great because I can save the A1s guts for a few more years.
It has virtually every output port you could wish for (today). HDMI, Component (yes Component!), Composite, USB and Firewire. Its very complete.
It worked with Apple FinalCut Pro without any trouble. I cant even get he XHA1 to work with it without screwing around with it for a while.
It has a mic input jack which Podcasters love, but I and other have been having trouble with it. I believe Canon didnt make a simple mic jack but some kind of phantom powered mic this or that, which hobbyist would not really use. So to make it work, and this is the tip, you have to go into the menu and turn on an option, then go into a different menu and adjust the gain and/or volume. Oops, maybe this should be a "not so cool" item.
The Not so Cool.
The ergonomics are poor. My hand doesnt feel comfortable holding it no matter how I adjust the hand strap. Ive never had this issue with any other camera.
The Record start/stop button is in the wrong location. They put their goofy "joy stick" right where a persons thumb falls while holding the camera, so youre instinctively pushing on the joystick instead of the start/stop button while filming. The worse part, the Joystick is really crap as an interface element.
Noisy camera. The camera makes noise when you move it (shake it) it makes noise when you zoom and it makes a ton of noise when you insert or eject a tape.
Poor image when filming motion. If youre filming a scene and you move the camera, you are going to get streaking of the image. Why? I believe/assume its because unlike Canons great D-SLR cameras in low light, their video equipment doesnt have the lower ISO (low light) capability that Sonys or everyone else has. Not sure why, but it seems to be a consistent theme with Canon. Fortunately it has a built-in light useful for those birthday parties but not much else.
The Bottom Line
For the under $800 it costs, its worth it if youre filming your vacations, holidays, birthdays and whatnot.
If youre a podcaster and want something with every connection known to man, its more than worth it for the HDMI and mic jacks alone.
If you wish you could afford the Canon XH A1 or better and want nearly as good a picture, this is the camera for you.
If you simply want a tape drive for your XH A1, this is actually cheaper than a commercial CANON HDV tape drive.
The bottom, bottom line is Sony had lost its way and CANONs HV30 is the current champ in the hand-held HDV camcorder race. I like sony better, but I dont like getting nickeled and dimed to death. You buy the Canon HV30 and youll be happy with the results.
 On: 2008-05-13
I had this Camera when it first came out, and so far I am very pleased... Camcorder looks and feels as a regular Camcorders however the wild factor is the Image Quality, its stunning in clarity and contrast... This is a great Camcorder for those who are looking to capture their best memories in HD mode... Under $1000, this is the best HD camcorder one can bargain for...
One disappointment with this Camcorder is that the video editing software is not included... It comes with software however it is only for editing Still Images (Photos)... With that said, you need to buy your own Video editing software if you want to create DVDs on your Laptop or Desktop... Please also beware that there are very few robust softwares in the market that can convert your video files into DVDs... This is where mini tapes lacks improvement, you can watch your video through your camcorder in full HD with stunning clarity however you cant convert your files into Full HD DVD... There is software that can do the job (Vegas Pro 8) however with a price tag of $500; it wont be an option for many buyers...
On: 2008-05-09
Ive spent the weekend shooting and editing with my Canon HV30, and overall, Im very pleased with it. The image quality and color reproduction (when you switch "vivid" on in the settings) is superb. Its small, lightweight and the controls make sense. In a couple of hours I was able to put the manual away and know what I was doing. Low light performance is pretty good, with just a bit of noise all the way at iso 1600 (outside at night). It shoots very well indoors in normal lights and the auto white balance works perfectly as well.
It isnt all perfect, however. The manual focus control is inaccessible and sloppy. Thankfully the autofocus is very accurate and doesnt do a lot of hunting for what to focus on. The other problem is the zoom control. It is WAY too sensitive. You can set it for variable speed, but the slightest tremble in your finger causes a bump in the speed. I think I can learn to handle it. Ill just have to be very aware of keeping a light touch. I dont think Ill be able to work with the manual focus.
The camera doesnt come with a firewire or USB2 cable to connect to a computer. You need to buy that separately. But I was able to download hidef video effortlessly to iMovieHD using a Mac without any other installed software.
The built in microphone sucks. Definitely get Canons optional shotgun mike Directional Microphone DM-50. That will handle just about any sound situation you run into. Also count on getting an extra battery pack or two. The included battery wont shoot long enough to fill an hour long tape. There are different sizes of batteries. Get the biggest one you can afford, along with the outboard charger, so you can be charging up the next battery while you are shooting. Also get at least four blank DV tapes to work with. You dont want to switch framerates, resolutions and aspect ratios on the same tape if you can help it.
Your whole kit, including all the accessories will fit in a very small camera bag. Pretty slick. And the quality of the movies youll shoot will amaze you. Played back on a hidef screen, this camera is capable of producing very professional looking video.
On: 2008-05-09
Great camera! Theres a great website hv20 dot com that show how to get the most out of this camera and answer questions that are vague in the manual. This camera doesnt need more help but theres a lot more you can do than what comes out of the box. The video quality is superb, but the sacrifice is that you might want to buy an add on mic. I got the canon boom mic for another $150 to get a great whole package.
On: 2008-05-09
I have owned the Canon HV30 for a little over a month. I have used it strictly for wildlife video in combination with the Canon TL-43 1.7x tele-converter and the DM50 directional microphone.
The picture quality is fantastic for a camcorder at this price. I shoot in HD 30p with Cinema Mode enabled. I also enable peaking and use focus assist magnification for better manual focus.
[..] there is not a full manual mode for adjusting exposure. Also the manual focus wheel is a little small.
The following url address is a two minute video shot entirely with the Canon HV30. While my skill level with camera is at a novice level, I think you will agree the picture quality is very good.
[..]
On: 2008-04-26
Everything you read about this camera is true. I owned one for a couple of days and the picture was extraordinary... the camera was a breeze to use...
And then I turned up the audio. Whoa. Whats that humming?!
Now, I had seen plenty of reviews (even on the older HV20) warning of a little tape noise in the audio. I own two other Mini DV cameras, and you do hear a little bit of the mechnism working. But this is different. Its disruptive. And Im not alone in my thinking here. Do some digging and youll find a few other reviews cropping up online with this complaint now.
If audios not a big deal to you, or you plan on using extrenal mics, Id say this is still an insanely great camera for you. But if youre getting it to grab babys precious moments or anything like that, I have to strongly warn against getting this due to the tape noise in the audio. I consider it a deal-breaker.
On the upside, Id like to note that I got a great deal on this camera using one of Amazons partners on here, Butterfly Photo, and they were prompt, courteous, and easy to deal with when I returned the camera. Recommended. Ill likely be using them again to order my new camera (gonna give the HF100 a try instead... possibly an ever-so-slightly less perfect picture quality, but most reviewers are saying no moving parts = prestine audio and for me that makes it a far better overall final product.)
On: 2008-04-15
This is a great camcorder. Im filming in 30p mode to upload video online, and Im extrememly happy with the results. Im using Final Cut Express 4 with no setup or capture problems - great compatibility with my Mac Pro. I attached a Canon VL-10Li II on-camera video light (its a big light) and a good-quality, sturdy plastic lens hood I bought on e-bay. The hot-shoe cover is attached to the camera and is not detachable. Many owners complained about losing the cover with the HV20, but the cover gets in the way of my video light, so Im thinking about cutting the attachment. The camcorder has all the ease and variety of functions for an intermediate videographer like me. My favorite functions: quick white balance setting; grid lines on the display; great instant auto-focus; allows for attachments like an on-camera light or microphone and filter lenses; manual focus option. Im very, very happy with this camcorder after shopping and comparing different ones during the last few months.
On: 2008-04-02
Ive had the HV30 for about 1 week now, and so far I think its great.
I previously used the Sony TRV38, another very capable camcorder. The HV30 comes in a slick, black color and is slightly smaller than my Sony TRV38.
I have three young kids, so I take tons of video mostly indoors. The HV30 has very good low light capability. Theres some grain in the darker videos, and the shutter speed also slows (you can see the stuttering movement in the video when taking in very low light). However, you can still see faces clearly. One cool think I like about this camera is that it has a manual controlled LED light that can add about 3 feet of light when its too dark. Sony has that 0 lux Night Shot that works in complete darkness, but the colors change to green and black and makes the eyes look scary. I prefer the LED light feature on the HV30 over Sonys Night Shot.
You can select from 5 different shooting modes:
1. DV (regular)
2. DV (wide screen)
3. HDV (high definition - wide screen by default)
4. HDV 24P (cinema mode)
5. HDV 30P (progressive mode)
Although I dont have a high definition TV yet, the colors in every mode looked great on my regular TV. The 24P and 30P modes give the video a "movie look and feel" (thus the name cinema mode), and this is cool just to have. I look forward to shooting something all in 24P or 30P and showing the DVD to family/friends. Im sure theyll be amazed that my home videos dont "look" like home videos.....and this is all due to the camcorder modes.
You can take photos using the HV30 (saves onto mini SD card), but I havent done that yet.
I backup all my videos to DVD because its easier to watch that way. I prefer the miniDV tapes because it stores "pure" video and information like the time and date. I just started doing a little video editing using Sony Vegas software....and that seems to be a nice software package. The final video on the resulting DVD looks great.
I thought I would stick with Sony products, but so far I am enjoying the Canon HV30 and have no regrets.
I will probably be adding more to this review as I use the camera more.
On: 2008-03-23
I did extensive research before making this purchase about a month ago. Bought it at a Best Buy location for $999 and probably paid a bit too much. Now that I have it, Im very pleased. Given all of its features and flexibility, its fairly simple to use and the film quality looks great on my HDTV - even for a rookie like me. Just a quick note to Mac users - I havent been able to download footage to my Mac thus far. Pretty sure I need to get a specific Firewire cable for Mac, vs the USB cable that came with the camera.
On: 2008-03-05
stay away from this product.save your money.picture quality not worth the 900.00 price.colors are not accurate.meter fooled by backlite.noisy motor.
my 5yr old sony trv900 is 10x better.viewfinder is hard to see in daylight.screen is worse.save your money.i fell for the reviews.Canon VIXIA HV30 MiniDV High Definition Camcorder with 10x Optical Image Stabilized Zoom
On: 2008-03-05
First impression: Great looking video camera. If the HV20 was the Mercedes of the Canon line, this is a Bentley.
Video quality: Simply the best. Forget AVCHD. If you are looking for superb High Def. video, you just found it.
Value: For under a grand, no one else comes close.
Move over HV20...
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