5
out of 5
Exceptional Quality
Written By
TMac, St. Paul, MN on Tuesday, February 19, 2008
Having owned the HV20 for (nearly) a year since its release, I would encourage anyone looking for an HD (1080i) vidcam to consider this one, especially in light of the recent announcement of the HDD-based HG20. There is great value to be gained in the HV20 should one be able to "tolerate" the cost and inconvenience of MicroDV.
This is a wonderful vidcam, and I've captured some incredible family memories with it. The lens, build and ease-of-use quality are typical Canon. Unless you're looking for high-quality glass and CCD, this purchase is a no-brainer.
1 out of 1 people found this helpful
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5
out of 5
Exceptional Picture Quality
Written By
Daniel, Greater Chicago Area on Tuesday, June 05, 2007
The HV20 camera is exceptional in terms of picture quality, price, and features.
Picture quality is outstanding and hard to believe. Family and friends made comments like, “it’s clearer than real life”, “that’s incredible”, “I can’t believe it”, “that little camera did that?”. I videotaped my son’s play from the last row in the auditorium and the picture from my HV20 is MUCH more clear and crisp then the large “professional” production camera (sorry I didn’t catch the model number). Ease of use is good. I had to look up a couple things, but out of the box I was able to shoot video and download it on to my Mac for editing with iMovie. The viewfinder screen is bright and you can turn info on or off easily.
Price. It’s more camera for less. I was willing to spend $1200 to $1800 and I looked at Panasonic’s 3CCD HD, at JVC’s 3CCD HD, and Sony’s HD and none of them can match the overall picture quality of the Cannon HV20. Looking at the specs you would think that 3CCDs would be better, and maybe the raw image is, but I think that the compression kills the quality. I was told that “the professional quality comes from Cannon’s optics and the fact that the image is stored on tape. Features & fun. The HV20 has all of the inputs I wanted. I connected an external shotgun mic for incredible sound, even from the back of the auditorium. The HDMI output is great for quick playback. The different light settings are fun to play with also. There are tons of menu options. So far the battery life is very good, over an hour. Lastly, I like that it is s
24 out of 27 people found this helpful
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5
out of 5
The Best HD Consumer Camcorder
Written By
Gerard, Monroe, Louisiana on Wednesday, May 02, 2007
I recently sold my Sony HC3 because of its poor low-light capabilities. The HV20 is clearly a superior camera in low-light. In normal light, the advantage over the HC3 is also better - less harsh, I think the HC3 used an edge enhancement to sharpen the image.
The HV20 also has 24P (24 frames/sec progressive)- similar to the frame rate of movies (excuse the simplified explanation). There is also a Cine mode that adjusts color/contrast to mimic film.
Reviews place the HV20 at the top of the list compared to the Sony HC7, the JVC GZ-HD7, and the Sony SD1.
Probably the only cons on the HV20 is the flimsy zoom toggle and the plastic-looking exterior.
11 out of 12 people found this helpful
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4
out of 5
Not bad for an enthusiast
Written By
Michael, Los Altos, CA on Saturday, April 21, 2007
I just got this camcorder and I have a few early comments.
I bought this camcorder because it has external mic capability.
My #1 complaint is that the viewfinder is horrible. It's far too small, and it's not adjustable (doesn't extend or swivel). Even my cheap Canon ZR-80 has a much better veiwfinder. If you always use the LCD when recording, then this may not be a problem.
I bought a HDMI cable in order to connect it to my HDTV (cable not included). The video is stunning with direct playback. It blows any standard definition video away.
The biggest problem is not really a problem with this camcorder, but the HD production process is simply not ready yet. My PC does not quite meet the minimum spec for editing HD (requires 3 GHz processor). But even worse is that there is no media to burn HDTV onto. Blu-ray burners are just hitting the market and they are really expensive as are Blu-ray players. You can't even find a HD-DVD burner yet.
117 out of 149 people found this helpful
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