3 Comments for 'Do you reckon I should get a Canon HV30 camcorder?'

1.  
   NYC fan
   April 30, 2010 | 9:31 pm
    

   After quite a lot of research, I purchased the HV30 as a replacement for my older MiniDV camcorder, to use in places where it’s not practical to haul my much larger work camera along. I haven’t been able to use it much yet, but from what I’ve done so far, it’s a great little machine.

   First of all, the images themselves are really very nice. You get high-definition video in the HDV 1080i format (so I’m ready for when I actually get an HDTV one of these days). Its weakness (like any other camera) is low light. Things get a bit grainy. Still, that’s not too bad. That’s just expected; no matter what camera you get, you’d have that problem. Try to keep things well-lit, that’s all.

   I chose it for its use of MiniDV tape. Tape is cheap, and the standard-definition DV format, as well as the HDV format, are widely compatible with editing software. I don’t have to worry about running out of hard drive space, as you would on a hard-drive camera. The downside of using tape for HDV is that if there’s a momentary "hiccup" or "dropout" in the tape mechanism, you might lose about half a second of video. Not terrible, but it can be an annoyance. It doesn’t happen too often, though.

   As a professional videographer, I like the HV30 for the ability to manually adjust the image, including white-balance, exposure, shutter, and focus (nifty little focus dial at the front next to the lens). Sometimes, a camera that runs everything automatically will set your shot up in a way different from the way you want it to look. I always like to be able to override this automation and make adjustments. The HV30 lets me do that easily. Surely, you get better manual control in the bigger cameras with the large focus rings and multiple buttons and switches (and hundreds of dollars in higher price tags), but the HV30′s options are very good for its size and price. The controls are well-designed and easy to access.

   The photo feature is also a nice thing to have, decent resolution and a flash bulb.

   All in all, the HV30 stands out in its price range as a very good choice. You get high-definition video, and multiple options to control just how it looks. You get to use MiniDV tape, which is cheap and widely available so you don’t run out of space. There are a few drawbacks, but I don’t consider them deal-breakers. It’s a great little machine for the money, and I am very satisfied with my experiences with it so far.

   If you have any further questions, feel free to ask.

   EDIT: Very true, flash-based camcorders are a very good option. One problem that must be considered is that the SDHC format might have compatibility issues with many editing programs. You must also consider archiving, how you’re going to store the media. Buying more SDHC cards every time you run out of space is not practical. That’s why my personal preference is still with tape. That said, SDHC definitely does bring the benefits of removing the moving parts, it’s ready for edit instantly, and the file sizes are a bit smaller. It’s a personal preference thing. I still like tape.
   References :
   Video professional, owner of Canon HV30.

2.  
   Max Forest
   April 30, 2010 | 9:49 pm
    

   The Canon HV30 is a great little unit, no doubt about it but for me, I’m moving away from tapes and going to the flash memory ones like the Canon VIXIA HF100 (High Def) or the Canon FS100 (Standard Def).

   With SDHC cards so cheap these days I just find it’s a little easier than tapes. You can get a 16gb SDHC card for about $30 and it will do about 2 hours of full HD 1920×1080 on the HF100. You get about 3 hours 4 minutes out of a 16gb card with the FS100 in XP mode (9Mbps).

   Flash memory doesn’t use as much power and has no moving parts so it starts recording almost instantly.

   The camcorders themselves are only about the size of can of soda and are lighter than the HV30.

   Don’t get me wrong, the HV30 is definitely one of the better HDV tape based camcorders on the market, but for me, SDHC flash memory based camcorders are the way to go.

   Hope this helps…
   References :
   http://canon-vixia-hf100.com
   http://canon-fs100.com

3.  
   Conan
   April 30, 2010 | 10:30 pm
    

   yes i do
   References :

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