Canon HV20 3MP High Definition MiniDV Camcorder with 10x Optical Image Stabilized Zoom by Canon
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Digital camera reviews of Canon HV20 3MP High Definition MiniDV Camcorder with 10x Optical Image Stabilized Zoom
Digital camera Review: Amazing camera for the price
Summary: 5 Stars
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.Digital camera Review: Amazing video, but the AUDIO IS MISERABLE!!!
Summary: 4 Stars
I recently bought a refurbished Canon HV20. I went on vacation with it without testing it, and when I got home, I realized how poor the audio really was. I had read here that the built-in mic captured the sound of the tape winding in the camera, but I did NOT think it could possibly be as loud as it was!!! Also, often I'd be talking to someone literally two feet in front of the camera, and found people ten feet behind the camera were louder! Anyway, I realized that an external mic was absolutely necessary.
I just bought the "Azden ECZ-990 Super-Cardioid Shotgun Microphone" after considering some more expensive mics. The point is, if you are going to buy this camera (or even the HV30), YOU MUST BUY A MICROPHONE! Don't make the mistake I did and doubt the reviews people have already written about how poor the internal mic is, you will be very disappointed with what you get.
Otherwise, this camera takes great images. Low lighting can be a little tricky though...
Digital camera Review: Awesome camcorder with some quirks
Summary: 4 Stars
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 wasn't going to do it for me, and I kept hearing amazing things about this Canon HV20. So I just went for it.
So, I'm going to review the HV20 drawing contrast against the Panasonic GS80. I realize these cameras are not in the same league, but you'll see why as the review goes on.
The picture really is awesome. I've been using Cinemode 24p pretty much exclusively and I love how it's been turning out. But you've all heard about the awesome quality this little cam delivers, so I'll move on to the quirkiness, and also misc things that I like.
The zoom rocker... you've 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, I've 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 doesn't protrude a hair out of the cavity, so it's 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 can't Canon with their higher end consumer model?
The manual focus control... firstly, I'm thankful to have any kind of manual focus that's 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 can't see myself using this on the fly during a take, it's 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 can't 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 it's 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 I'm not too thrilled about doing that to my new camera.
Ergonomics... I've also read some about the ergonomics of this cam being bad. And it's really not that bad. I'm sure there are better ones, but once I get my hand comfortable in the right place, I'm good. The strap isn't 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... it's pretty bright and looks pretty darn good to me. I've seen bad reviews of the LCD screen and I just don't see how that's justified. As LCDs go, this one is pretty good.
Battery Life... this one is different in that I've heard battery life is pretty good with the stock battery, but I find it to be pretty bad. I'll be messing with the camera for 5-10 minutes and I already lose one bar. Haven't really tried to shoot till dead, so I can't 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.
I'll 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 I'd actually see on Television, especially the Manhattan stuff which btw was taken at night.
I'm 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.
Digital camera Review: Awesome camcorder...couple flaws
Summary: 4 Stars
This camera definitely lives up to the hype. I researched it a great deal before buying mine and I was not disappointed for the most part. I am a professional shooter and am used to pro grade cameras such as the Sony D30's or D50's. Also the Ikegamis and Grass Valley/Thompson HD cams (which are all closer to the 100k price range than 1k.) This is my second consumer camera, the first being a mini=VHS. The image is fantastic. I watch playback off my Mac external harddrive or straight off the camera via hdmi cable. It looks just like the Discovery channel HD when watching it on my 100" screen/Mitsubishi HD1000 High Def projector or equally amazing on my 42" Sharp Aquos.
Dumping footage to my Macbook was frighteningly simple. Just opened iMovieHD, plugged in the cam, and one click later it captured everything. Great job Canon and great job Apple!
My initial hang-ups are:
My hands are way to big to handle this camera easily, but that is most camcorders these days. The manual focus is in an awkward position that is best controlled with my left thumb while shooting. Also, the manual focus wheel is heard quite audibly in playback, and you can also see the image movement with every stroke of the manual focus unless you stroke it as gently as humanly possible. I also find the zoom control too jerky and limiting, and would have found a two finger, front to back see-saw type much better as opposed to the current left right stick which I can barely reach with my long fingers.
My major hang-up:
I purchased this camera with the intent of filming my vacation to Jamaica a couple weeks ago. At first I was happy on day one of the trip. Day two, however, was a HUGE disappointment. I left the room to go shoot some of the gardens and was shocked to see a "moisture detected, eject tape" warning shortly after shooting my first couple minutes. It would not allow me to shoot at all while the warning message was on and it would not go away. This was clearly due to the humidity which was high but not terribly high. So I ejected the tape and left the gate open for a while. After powering off and on again it would still not allow me to shoot and gave me the same error message. I tried all combinations of restarting the camera, ejecting, reinserting, and waited HOURS....still the same error. I finally gave up and missed an entire day of shooting which included a missed opportunity to shoot a hummingbird that I was close enough to touch and DID! The wild bird actually let me touch its wings while in flight as it was busy eating the flower juice. I can now only revisit this moment in my mind, as the brand new HD camcorder I had IN HAND would not FUNCTION!! Huge let down. The next day the camera was fine, and worked for the remainder of the trip but this was certainly a huge upset. I would still buy this same camera again though if I had the decision to make over again.
I would also like to add that I haven't added any after-market accessories with an exception of a BP-2L18 battery. This is the biggest battery you can buy for it and it is frikkin awesome. I could shoot all day with this battery and not even worry about recharging or swapping. I want to say about 4 hours of operation. Got it off of BestBatt dot com for an awesome price of like thirty five bucks. A must have for any owner of this cam. It is not Canon brand but it worked well beyond my expectations. I also was annoyed by the rattling of either battery while attached to the cam. I did as others have done and applied a felt pad sticker. I put mine on the underbelly of the battery housing on the camera. I had to shave it down with a razor to get just the right fit but now it is perfect.
In conclusion, this camera is still the best in its class....
Digital camera Review: Awesome camera for the price!
Summary: 5 Stars
I ordered the camera standard shipping, and Amazon told me it would take 10 days to get the camera. But I emailed the seller, and my camera came in roughly 3 days! Awesome experience, and awesome seller! I've been very happy with the camera.