Canon HV20 3MP High Definition MiniDV Camcorder with 10x Optical Image Stabilized Zoom Reviews

• Excellent value, image quality, features, manual controls

  
  By A3BACUOZV1M0WM on 2007-12-23
  The HV-20 is Canon's "flagship" camcorder, and received CamcorderInfo.com's "2007 Camcorder of the Year" award. It has the best low-light image quality in it's 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, it's 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-20's 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 don't 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 camera's 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 (that's 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 Canon's own HG-10. What a shame that the HV-20 doesn't share this zoom rocker with the HG-10! Sony's 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 don't have access to any power source other than the camera's battery? Thankfully, the HV-20 doesn't 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 Canon's over a Sony, Panasonic, or JVC high-def camcorder. The primary benefit of 24P seems to be that it substantially improves the camera's low light capability, generally this is because 24p uses 1/48 second shutter speed instead of 1/60th second. In CamcorderInfo.com's 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 it's 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 don't like about the HV-20:
  1. Poor zoom rocker - it doesn't stick up out of the camera body enough to offer a really good "grip" to your finger. It's still useable, but could be a lot better, like the HG-10's 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 camera's hand strap.
  3. The joystick that you use to access the camera's menu system feels loose and wobbly, like it isn't the best quality. Joysticks on other digital cameras I've used feel more "solid". I guess for $700, I shouldn't 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 doesn't extend or swivel. This could be a problem if you use an aftermarket high capacity battery that sticks out from the camera's body (the BP-2L13 and BP2L14 batteries that I got for the camera don't stick out, but there might be some brands of aftermarket batteries that do?). Otherwise, the viewfinder's 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 specific's (keep in mind that the Canon HV-20 uses MiniDV tape):
  
  ADVANTAGES OF MINI-DV TAPE: It's cheap and widely available, costing about $3.00 per one hour of video storage capacity. It's 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 DVD's to hold the video from one Mini-DV tape if you want to use DVD's 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 computer's CPU, data bus, or hard drive can't accept the data stream at the rate it's 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 camera's 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 camera's built in microphones (same problem really with HDD and DVD cameras). The HV-20 is no exception, it's 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 don't need to install a firewire port if your PC doesn't have one already. Transferring an hour's 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, it's 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 that's 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 don't know for sure what the blank discs would cost, but you can bet they're way more expensive than regular 8cm DVD-RW's (Standard size blank BlueRay discs at Fry's cost $20 PER UNIT (December 2007))!
  
  DISADVANTAGES OF DVD CAMCORDERS: Expensive media in terms of cost-per-minute of shooting time. The small, 8cm DVD's 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.
  
  
  

• Failed Camera, Failed Customer Service

  
  By AK4A0DBOK6XTA 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. Canon's policy is 7-10 business days to ship the unit back, however in my case they "were very busy" and didn't 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.
  
  What's 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. Canon's 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. I'm 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.
  
  

• My Canon HV20 WOW Moments!

  
  By A35T9EFTAM3XRF on 2007-04-09
  You can't beat the HD picture quality from the HV20 based on actual user reviews and comparisons with all of the latest models. While this is a single CMOS sensor, it is a true 1920 x 1080 HD sensor of the same quality found in the award winning Canon Digital SLR cameras. Don't be fooled by a 3CCD camcorder that uses smaller sensor sizes and must use "pixel shifting".
  
  I had already hooked up the HV20 to my 720p projector, and it did look great even at my typical 120". But I do know that my projector probably isn't calibrated very well to be honest.
  
  So, my first WOW moment came when I decided to capture some of my best outdoor footage from my Canon Elura stock and compare it to some HV20 footage shot of my kids over the weekend at an Easter egg hunt. WOW, the difference in quality was even more pronounced than I realized. I guess that the resolution difference is what it is, but this is definitely serious HD quality.
  
  The real defining WOW moment that has me "selling" all of my family and friends on this camcorder came last night when I hooked it up at my brother-in-law's house to his Sony Wega CRT HDTV display that does 1080i and is calibrated to perfection. You won't find a higher quality HD display than his set IMO, and my jaw dropped when my video first came up on his display That was the first time when I was truly able to see what my source footage was capable of in terms of its full resolution and AMAZING colors. We switched to Discovery HD on his set, and other than obvious production value aspects you honestly couldn't really say that it looked any more HD than the footage of my kids playing.
  
  This is way more exciting to me than when I first saw broadcast HD and watched Monday Night Football because it is hard to describe how cool it is to see your kids on video in beautiful HD for a $1,000 price point. I can hardly wait to get out there and shoot some more footage.
  
  

• HV20 REVIEW

  
  By A1VJ0V58N0698J on 2007-05-31
  I am going to give it a 4 star rating because even though the image quality surpassed my expectations, you still need to buy an external microphone which defeats the portability of the camera. Here is a quick review:
  Pros:
  1) The image is as sharp as they say it is if not better.
  2) Awesome White Balance, never seen anything better.
  3) Amazing latitude.
  4) Color rendition comparable to more expensive 3CCD cameras.
  5) The optical stabilizer is the best one I have seen in my entire life as a professional cameraman, you won't believe your eyes.
  6) More sensitive in low light than advertised!
  7) Audio line-in for external mike.
  8) Canon HD footage is universally compatible unlike Sony's proprietary compression. Avoid Sony HD cameras, you won't be able to edit easily with Sony.
  
  Cons:
  1) Built-in mike is too sensitive to camera noise and it is completely useless in windy conditions.
  2) The Canon battery included will record about one hour of High Definition. The BP-2l14 (not included) may last two hours.
  3) Playback buttons are difficult to find and press in dark environments or at night.
  4) Audio monitoring is not automatic, playing back recorded audio on headphones is a real pain requiring extra steps.
  5) Editing canon footage is easier than editing Sony footage but it is still costly and cumbersome.
  
  Conclusion: This camera is not for the novice, don't buy it unless you are willing to spend extra money on a High-Definition LCD Monitor, an external microphone ($100-$150) and a third-party battery (min $50).
  Turn on the sound attenuator if you are under windy conditions. Despite what you may have heard, even the cheapest miniDV tape will work perfectly, do not buy expensive miniDV tapes, it makes absolutely no difference. I like TDK better than SONY.
  Do not buy a MiniDV Cleaner Tape, they are useless, take your camera to a repair shop in the unlikely event that you experience glitches, they know how to clean the camera heads best.
  If you plan to edit the footage avoid using the 24 frames per second mode. It is best to shoot at regular video speeds and create the "film look" later, in post. Leave the 24-fps for the amateur film-makers.
  
  **THIRD PARTY BATTERY WARNING**
  
  Bigger batteries do not necessarily last longer, it depends. Lots of third party "replacement" batteries are available on the Internet, they are a lot cheaper, sometimes 1/3 less BUT BEWARE, these companies use deceptive advertisement, their batteries claims are almost always untrue. Any company claiming that they make a battery that last longer than two hours (or over 1500mAh) is lying to you, also, some third party batteries (like Impact) are too big for the HV20, they stick out over one inch from the back of the HV20, so much so that you may not be able to place your eye on the viewfinder while you record. It is probably safer to buy Canon batteries.
  
  

• Indie Film maker's dream... with a catch

  
  By A1L0FXN72L6768 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 it's 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 isn't much of a problem if you're going to dvd, because you'll never notice this while the video plays. It'll be great footage regardless. But if you're like me, and you have a need to use the direct 24 progressive images (in my case it's 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. It's free. And there's 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.
  
  You'll need LARGE hard drives. I'd 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 I've talked to. Vegas movie studio is only $120 or so. Apple's 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. They've been a huge help to me, and I know they will help you too.
  
  Good luck!!
  
  
• HD CLEAR!!!
  By AFIR57I2Y901O on 2007-04-06
  I received the HV20 yesterday and after charging the battery I hit the woods. I wanted to see how well it worked on a cloudy day in the outdoors. It surpassed what I expected the picture quality to be. I also tried it in a dark basement corner and under normal lighting inside. The dark corner needs an additional light on the HV20.
  With a 100 watt bulb turned on it really surprised me. The detail was far better than what I expected.
  The reason I gave it a 4star rating was the power switch and the cap for the HDMI plug. Both are not very well thought out in my opinion. From my point the quality of HD is outstanding and when I played the film back I heard birds singing that I had not notice in the woods.The sound was outstanding!!
  I agree with one other review about the power switch hard to operate.
  In retrospect if you want an excellent quality HD picture I would recommend the Canon HV20. After all it has a excellent picture and reasonable price for a High Definition camcorder. And I would think, that is what most people want from a consumer camcorder.
  I viewed the film on my 42" and 50" plasma tv's (sharp as a tack)
  04/12/07 I used my HV20 over the Easter holiday and was more impressed. In my outdoor shots it is better that any camcorder I have had. Inside it took outstanding video with no external video light attached. The still photos I took were as good as one of the first 3 mega pixel digital camera I use to have. I purchased it for video alone,but it is nice to have a quality still photo too.
  09/04/2007 I have read some reviews of motor noise on this camcorder and either they have very good hearing or mine is bad. So far I have not notice any noise on mine!
  
  
• Real World Test: 7 Weeks Across Europe with the Canon HV20
  By A2O59NOQR4H9Q5 on 2007-12-05
  Hi Everyone,
  
  We got this camera to use on a 7 week tour we just completed across Europe. We're 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 pro's nor are we videophiles. We're 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 day's 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 it's holding it's charge. Also, we did have 1 bad battery that we had to replace. (It was a name brand canon). But that's 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 doesn't 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 won't 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 didn't 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 didn't 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 weren't 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 aren't 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. It's 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 can't 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, it's awful. If you're in a noisy place, it's better simply because the noise can drown a lot of it out (but it's still there). To make matters worse, if you're outside, it's almost impossible to record someone talking if there's the slightest breeze. If it's windy, forget it. The wind noise drowns out even loud and direct audio. (We couldn't 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 it's 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. you'll need a non mounted external mic if you want to capture decent audio directly onto the tape... most pro's use external audio recordings, but most normal users don't). You can (and should) monitor the audio in real time when possible. The external mic jack can give you a scare if you haven't read the manual. You need to go into the settings and change the audio jack to headphones setting otherwise you'll get a horrible buzz when you put on the phones. It's 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 you'd 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 you'll 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, Pro's will know this and handle it. Average users will find out when it's too late.
  
  Canon External Mic: 6 out of 10. As mentioned above, it didn't 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 didn't 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. It's quite easy to flip around in different angles and all the way around so you can tape yourself and view that you're on screen. It's 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. It's always going out of focus and often when it was damp out it fogged up and was unusable. For most folks, you'll 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 there's 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 it's 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 doesn't 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. That's great. We can't rate it because we don't have a TV or device to hook it into so we don't know how well it works. We do have Component inputs and the camera comes with a cable for that purpose. The video doesn't look a good as I am sure it would look via an HDMI cable into a HD TV or computer but we can't fault the camera for that. Keep in mind to view this stuff you're 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 won't deal with HD video. You probably already know that if you're looking at an HD Camera.. but some folks don't realize it. We're looking at getting a high end Mac or Windows machine that can handle HD Video with the software that supports HD. That's another big investment you'll likely have to make if you haven't already. Otherwise you'll 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 doesn't 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 didn't have too many problems.. but I wonder if anyone at Canon actually held this thing before it went to market. It's surprisingly non-ergonomic. We also couldn't ever find a setting on the hand strap that was good for both of us to use so we'd 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 you're quick at the trigger.
  
  Size: 10 out of 10: This camera is the right size. Though it's 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 didn't have a coat on.
  
  In summary, Canon got everything right on this camera except the audio. If you need to be able to hear what's going on without hum or whine or buzz, you're going to have issues with this camera. If you're 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 you're 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 I've seen a wind screen solution for this camera anywhere). I don't know what's on the immediate horizon, but you may want to wait and see if there's another generation of Canon cameras coming and then hope they've 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
  
  
• Spectacular High Definition Camcorder
  By A2FMDQ8XS2R61Y 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. Canon's 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 don't 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.
  
  
  
  
  
• BEST HDV CAMERA FOR UNDER $1100
  By A2HYIAM6OOOKVI on 2007-03-27
  I work at a local camera shop, and we just ordered a few of these cameras in. I've had the chance to test it out over the past few days, and I am quite impressed. I've worked with many different video cameras over the years, including a few high-end cameras such as the Canon XL2 and Panasonic DVX-100 and I think it's safe to say that the HV20 is the best video camera you can buy for under $1100. It's comparable to other HD cameras from other brands such as Sony and Panasonic, but there are a few more professional features that enable it to rise above the rest. The main feature that it has that got me so interested in the camera is its ability to shoot in 24 fps progressive. Normally, this feature could only be found on cameras starting at about $4000 and above. This is a very cool feature, as it lets you shoot feature movies that look like film, and achieve quite a few effects that can only be done in 24fps. Another feature that I found quite useful was the ability to switch between variable and fixed zoom speed. This will let you zoom at a set speed, no matter how hard you push down the zoom button. There are countless other features that this camera has, but I suggest you just try it out for yourself. Without further ado, I think I'll get back to admiring this wonderful camera.
  
  
• Quite simply amazing!
  By A21M1SHXG8WAFS on 2007-04-30
  I've had 3 camcorders. My first was a Ricoh 8mm and I loved it for years. My second was a Sony PC110 mini DV, which is a wonderful camera but I recently upgraded my television to a 46" widescreen Sony LCD and found the picture from the camcorder somewhat lacking. I've had 3 Canon Digital Elphs and recently got a Canon Digital Rebel XTi SLR camera and I really enjoy the results from them all. So, I thought that I'd try the Canon HV20 and I'm extremely impressed with it! It is small enough but large enough to control. Once it straps on your hand, all of the buttons are well placed and easily accessed. My ONLY compaint is that you have to slide a button to turn on the still camera if you want to shoot in 3.1MP resolution. A very small complaint. The visuals produced by this camera are stunning. The color is just superb. Sound is superb (stereo but not 5.1). All the resolution that you would ever want. It almost looks better than real life. Auto focus works well and the zoom is adjustable as to its speed. It is fully automatic or you can use it fully manually. I've just started to explore all that it is capable of. Battery life is just okay, but with the optional BP-2L14 (It sits flush with the viewfinder and adds very little to the overall weight), It will provide all the power that you would probably ever need. It's reasonably price and also available from Amazon. I've also got a mini SD card (as opposed to a micro SD card) and the photos (blown up to 5 by 7) are as good as any 3.1 camera can produce. With a 2GB mini SD card (available from Amazon and not expensive) on full resolution, you get almost 1,000 photos! Amazing. Use the high definition DV tapes for best results, which are available from Amazon. It comes with all the hookup cables but not a HDMI or composite cable (YES it has an optional firewire hookup! It has an HDMI output but just not the cable). It also packs with a hand strap but not a neck strap, but there ARE hooks for a neckstrap (unlike my Sony PC-110, which was extremely annoying to me). You can read about all the bells and whistles that this camera provides but just let me say that you'll be totally knocked out by the image quality on your High Definition television. It's like watching the Discovery channel in High Def. Really, it's just that good! To be able to fit all of this quality into such a small package is simply amazing. A few years ago, this would be the stuff of dreams. You simply will not be sorry...
  
  
• great hd video,good low light, fun 24p
  By A35KF4JT9ZWKXX on 2007-04-04
  I have a sony FX1 since 2 years and then I had bought a sony HC1 which I had to return due to unacceptable video noise in low light conditions. When you have used sony FX1 you know how the low light videos are supposed to look, so I had something good to compare the hv20 to. I got this hv20 camera and I have played with it checking its potential outdoor and indoors. I switched between 24p and 1080i for same shot with same lighting conditions and see that the 24p does really make the video cleaner in low light, it was way better than the sony HC1 which I had bought. Of course the sony FX1 low light footage is much better than hv20, but using 24p in low light does make the hv20 acceptable. I could not really make out the difference of FX! and HV20 in bright daytime videos other than that the hv20 has more color saturation.
  My fears were laid to rest and I like the hv20 low light and daylight videos.
  For 1/3rd the price of sony fx1 this camera is a keeper.
  24p is something which some people will like some wont. Action or movement of objects will appear a little jerky in 24p which is as expected, but it does look different from 1080i. Non moving shots with 24p looks great.If you pan the camera in 24p mode the video stutter is pretty apparent.
  TO give you a idea what 24p looks like imagine watching a video on a monitor which has low refresh rate you see a ghost object follow the object after it moves. I took the camera and drove around in the night to see how it handles the nightlights... 24p mode is not something you would use in that situation as whenever you pan the camera the blurring effect becomes very pronounced due to the lights. But still the video was pretty good. 24p mode with cinema effect added makes it little bit better. 1080i mode looks pretty good without the 24p motion blur while I took the drive.
  I connected the hv20 to my 42inch 1080p lcd TV through HDMI and it looks really good. I was surprised. Outdoor videos are very sharp and colorful. Indoor videos are also pretty good. More saturated colors than sony fx1 but very nice to look at. It is difficult to get steady shots with the camera as it is lighter. If you can keep you hand steady during the shots the footage is as good as in hd channels. But it is great to take it to disney or vacations without having to carry the sony fx1 bulk.
  It has a neat little timer which displays for 10secs when you start to record so that you do not make a shot too short or too abrupt.
  Battery life is little more than an hour with the lcd open so I bought an extra bp-2L14 battery.
  Hopefully they will come out with the great FX1 low light performance in such a small package soon.
  overall this was a very good buy. You will love playing with the 24p mode.
  conclusions ..very light , pretty fast auto focusing,small form factor, 24p mode video, good low light videos,really great daytime videos and the wife loves this camera as it is much smaller than FX1!!
  
  
• Best of class camcorder
  By AGNONQK81OII on 2007-06-15
  This is an incredible little performer of a camcorder. I have my share of camcorders, Canon hi8 ES4000, Canon Optura Pi, Sony PD 150 (VX2000 pro version) Canon XH A1 and the Canon HV20. What sets the HV20 apart from other camcorders is that its image quality is as good as any sub $10,000 camcorder with adaquate light. I've used my HV20 beside my XH A1 and cut the footage together! It's that good. With the various settings, it is easy to get fabulous video every time. The Sony PD150/170 (VX2000-2100) is still considered the king of low-light video and still used by professional wedding videographers and news agencies around the world. The HV20 hasn't stolen the low-light crown but for a small camcorder, it is the best I have ever seen. The 10x optical image stabilized zoom is the best in the business. Canon is known for their image stabilization systems.
  
  There are other features that make the HV20 a "must buy" camcorder. Manual overrides. I paid as much for my hi8 cam and Optura Pi but didn't get the flexibility the HV20 has to offer. You can override the automatic settings to dial in just what you want, from shutter speed, focus and exposure to manual white balance, manual audio gain and 24 fps. Going to Europe this summer? Better use 24 fps or you will see strange video patterns from fluorescent lights because they flicker slower than in the U.S. (50hz instead of 60hz) (Issue only with CMOS sensors and not CCDs). The manual white balance is a must have for families. Ever go see the kids at an activity in the school gym with orange lighs? The manual white balance corrects for the orange lights so the kids look human again! Most camcorders don't have full manual white balance. Do not settle for anything less.
  
  The Canon HV20 is able to extend its functionality like no other small camcorder. It has an accesory shoe for flashes, video lights and microphones. Some would say the on-board mic on the HV20 is too sensitive and picks up motor noise. Unfortunately for those with good hearing, all camcorders have bad built-in mics. Unlike many camcorders, the HV20 has an external microphone input so you can mount a better mic on the shoe mount. Therefore, I can't lower the rating based on a poor internal mic. Other essentials include a headphone jack, composite video, component video, HDMI and IEEE1394 (Firewire or iLink).
  
  Finally, the HV20 is easy to use and hold in your hand. If you mount it to a tripod or monopod while traveling, the tape door opens on top for easy access. There aren't a bunch of buttons hiding behind the LCD door when it is closed. The design engineers did it right! Another awesome feature is that the record head will spin down when the cam has been left on while waiting to record. I have only seen this feature on professional camcorders in the past and will save the record drum head from needless wear and extend the life of the camcorder.
  
  The only negatives on this cam are minor. There isn't an IR port on the rear of the cam for using the remote control from behind. It also lacks LanC support, which is a first for the high end Canon consumer camcorder. My other Canon camcorder have LanC support.
  
  What camcorder would you take on a big trip? I'm going to Europe next week with my Canon HV20 instead of my Canon XH A1. The HV20 has what it takes to shoot incredible video.
  
  
• Outstanding little Camera will change the game
  By AZA6WSUIPSDPB on 2007-04-15
  This is the first 5 star rating I have ever given on Amazon!
  
  I chose the HV20 in preparation for a week long shoot in North and South India. I was ready to purchase the new Panasonic HVX200 (for approximately $5,000); but the $1,100 HV20 camera actually has some major advantages that convinced me it was a better choice for my project.
  
  The biggest factor in my choice of the HV20 is editing capability. The HV20's HDV format is compatible with editing packages like Adobe Premier Pro, whereas the formats recorded (i.e. AVHCD or HD50) by other products from Panasonic and Sony are not very compatible with editing packages and may be impossible or require extra steps for post processing.
  
  Regarding image quality, the camera earns a WOW! I think this camera is currently the very best option for a solo shoot on the go. Other reviews say it all regarding image quality, color, etc. External and hot shoe audio are also a big deal for high quality shooting. The LCD screen is sharp and the feature to impose a horizontal line or grid on the screen (but not recorded) is very handy to maintain level shots.
  
  The camera is not tiny, but is small enough to be slipped into a very large trouser pocket; this allowed access to more spontaneous shooting opportunities than larger HD camera options. With a large fanny pack, I kept the camera (with extra tapes, batteries, monopod, and DM50 microphone) with me at all times and was ready for anything. This portability factor transcends price point.
  
  Regarding storage, the HV20 records HDV directly to DV tape. The much more expensive HVX200 will record HD50 format (which is an equivalent or possibly superior format) but will only record SD (not HD) to tape; with the HXV200, proprietary P2 cards are required for HD recording (and an 8GB P2 card costs approximately $1,100). I bought this camera for the price of one 8GB P2 card!
  
  Recording to tape seemed like a disadvantage at first, but the advantage in India was huge - I did not need to transfer anything to my PC or need a PC) until I was good and ready (so I could maximize shooting time on site and deal with all post production later); in addition, archival is handled up front with less compression and no spaces constraints - that more tapes could not solve; after shooting 10 tapes, I realized this is also a significant advantage. I also took over 1,000 3.1 Megapixel still shots with the camera on a 2GB card.
  
  The camera layout is quite good. The tape and battery can be swapped out without removing from tripod or monopod mount. In unplanned situations, this was a major advantage.
  
  A few ways the camera could be improved:
  1) the lens width varies when switching between video and still modes, so I expect editing stills into my video will take extra time
  2) with an after market wide angle lens, a wide shot shows the black edges of the lens, a settable zoom stop would help when zooming back to wide.
  3) the manual focus is not intuitive, more feedback on the dial would help
  4) switching from auto to programmable mode would be better if some auto functions could set to stay on
  5) an auto backlight feature would be handy
  6) the miniSD card was a strange and inconvenient choice for still photo storage, since I could not reuse SD cards I already own (note that no memory card is included with the camera)
  7) video input (like the Samsung product), so that I could keep the camera in my pocket and shoot with a lipstick cam when necessary (to avoid looking like the typical American tourist or for action/sports applications)
  8) battery life was shorter than expected, I got 1 hour from each battery.
  
  Net net, this camera is fantastic and I believe the video quality is sufficent to qualify my project for my first film festival submission.
  
  
• great camcorder
  By A1YTKMALNFE35O on 2007-04-20
  I mainly use the camcorder for recording my kids.
  
  I bought this camcorder a couple of weeks ago. I had the sony hc-7 before for a couple of weeks which I returned and bought the canon camcorder.
  
  The brightlight performance of both camcorders are excellent. With the sony camcorder, I felt that the best color performance can be achieved by reducing the color intensity. The low light performance when recording 1080i is similar for the two camcorders but much better with canon when recording in 24p format. This is the main reason that I prefer the canon. The 24p recording is more sensitive to motion which can be a problem if recording motion.
  
  The still images from canon are lower resolution but to me they looked better than sony. This is especially true when taking flash pictures.
  The sony seems a little better built. The hdmi cover on canon is poorly built.
  
  I liked the controls on canon better than sony.
  The auto focus and automatic white balance worked better in canon than in sony. The auto white balance in sony worked poorly in indoor light.
  
  Sony has supershot infrared recording and canon does not.
  
  Sony has more manual controls than canon.
  
  If you see average reviews at certain sites for low light performance of this camera, it is because they did not not look at 24p low light performance.
  
  [...]
  
  
• HV20 - relatively perfect
  By A1QX6NJKZOF4MZ on 2007-11-09
  At the end, much of quality perception is relative (to what you're 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 didn't 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 didn't look so good.
  
  I tried a Panasonic SX5 (AVCHD) briefly and the outdoor images, at highest bit rate, blew away my 950. They didn't 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 I've 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. I'm less of an audio fanatic (at least for my home videos), so I haven't 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, I'm relatively pleased.
  
  Conclusion - if you're coming from a world of SD consumer camcorders and integrated microphones - you'll be blown away by the video and relatively satisfied with the audio. If you're already "conditioned" by very high end gear, you may not.
  
  
• Excellent for a consumer camera
  By ATYQBGM6Q5UMD on 2007-03-30
  Considering what most people will buy this for, including myself, it's a great little camera. Not too large, not too small as to be unusable. The quality when hooked up to an HD monitor is quite amazing. I switched between footage shot during the day from the cam and our local HD Pbs channel. I could not tell a difference. This was in 1080i through the component connection, not HDMI. I can only imagine what the hdmi looks like. I also like the tape vs hard drive. If you go on a 3 week vacation somewhere, you can buy tapes or bring extras instead of portable hard drive storage. And from what I understand there is less compression on tapes. The tapes actually get you better quality.
  
  I also use pro cameras for videography and do miss the ability to have a constant shutter speed and aperture. When pointing up at my daughter against a blue sky, it adjusts for the bright sky and my daughter's face gets dark. There's a backlight button which will probably do the trick, but an instant exposure dial would be great. Another con, the zoom rocker is TINY. Even my little fingers have a hard time zooming smoothly.
  
  I also noticed when editing, it takes more CPU to even preview the footage due to the compression. If you have an older machine and are wanting to edit, just be aware it may be a tad slower.
  
  Other than a few nitpicks, the quality for price is a bargain. I've been waiting for a consumer 24p HD cam for vacations for a long time. It has arrived and for relatively cheap.
  
  
• Great video!! Absolutely horrible sound!!
  By A2YKXZG6IN9LE9 on 2007-05-16
  No doubt about it, the Canon HV20 has a great picture. The ability to shoot in HDV and 24p is amazing considering the cost of this camera (right around $1000). Unfortunately, nobody mentioned the subpar sound. The microphone picks up the noise from the motor and tape. I'm sure I could find a way to take out the hiss/whirr sounds in post production, but good grief, nobody wants that headache. I haven't seen it mentioned here on Amazon, but many other boards/forms have many other users who have experienced the same problem. The only solution I have seen is to buy an external microphone ($150-$500), but that still doesn't eliminate the noise from this camera. If there is a fix for this, let me know as I would rather keep the camera than give it back.
  
  
• 10 Stars
  By A2YUHV4E26NN1S on 2007-05-14
  My fiance and I took this camera to Tokyo, Japan, and filmed our trip and wedding ceremony in the inner garden of the Meiji Shrine. I purchased a pair of high-capacity batteries, but shooting only about 1 hour's worth of footage each day, I only needed a single one.
  
  This camera uses widely available standard mini DV tapes. This is a huge plus in my opinion, since the video didn't need to be off-loaded each day to free up disc space on an internal drive.
  
  Form factor is good for a camcorder of this small size and weight. It's comfortable, smaller than my last camcorder, and lighter than it looks.
  
  Outdoor footage under natural light looks stunning. Every bit as good as the hi-def television channels. While footage shot under standard indoor lighting is a bit grainy, it's still watchable and better than any consumer standard-def camcorder. External lighting will help a lot for indoor shots.
  
  Editing 4 hours of footage down to a 1 hour movie was easily accomplished with Apple's iMovie HD on my dual G5 Macintosh. iMovie HD handles the 1080i video fine, although it's a bit slower with rendering effects, but hey, what do you expect? There are a lot more pixels involved with HD video.
  
  So now we've got widescreen DVD's of our wedding ceremony and trip, built with Apple's iDVD. The DVD's are down-converted to 480P, but they still look great. Best of all, I've still got the tapes, which I'll re-edit when HD DVD (or Blu-ray) DVD burners become more available. Our precious memories are future-proofed.
  
  This camera will also accept a mini SD card for 3.1 mega-pixel still photos. Very convenient.
  
  Essential accessories are a decent tripod, at least one high-capacity battery, a neck strap, and some kind of padded bag. If you want to take still photos, get a mini SD card. A 2 GB card will hold 1000 photos. If you'll be shooting a lot indoors, the canon video light works with the hot shoe on the camera, is plenty bright and works much better than the bluish built-in LED light.
  
  Everyone who's seen our DVD has commented on the excellent video quality.
  
  This camcorder is a fantastic piece of technology. My wife and I are super-pleased with our wedding DVD, and our friends and relatives that weren't there get to experience the best parts of our trip in life-like detail.
  
  There are cheaper options for HD camcorders, and much cheaper options for standard-def camcorders. But after seeing this video project through from beginning to end, I couldn't imagine doing it with a different camcorder.
  
  10 Stars!
  
  
• Awesome camcorder...couple flaws
  By A3DTJVZNRYTVHC on 2007-06-13
  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....
  
  
• Incredible Camcorder, Incredible Value!!!!!!
  By A34U4RXKVLEIKQ on 2007-05-04
  My only real "wow" moments in regard to electronics have been the following: the first time I saw the 3D game Doom, first seeing eWorld and the "web" back in 1995, and the first time I watched a movie on DVD. And now I've added the HV20 to the list. When I first played back some footage (on a non-HD Sony Wega TV, too), I was blown away. I had read at camcorderinfo that the HV20 is a $1,000 revelation, but experiencing the imagery for myself was thrilling.
  
  The past couple camcorders I have owned have been, oh, upper mid-level consumer models ($600 - $800), and none have achieved image quality anywhere close to the type of imagery which comes from the HV20. When I'm out taping, I find that the CMOS sensor in the HV20 captures elements I just assumed that it would not, like incredible detail ("I didn't even NOTICE that there was a spider web there.") and the most subtle ambiances: like a very fine still camera, the HV20 will accurately capture the *mood* which makes a moment worth photographing in the first place.
  
  I have no gripes whatsoever about any of the controls. If this were a much larger, professional camcorder, I might mention that the manual focus wheel on the side of the camera is not as handy as a large ring out by the lens, and that the buttons on the HV20 can generally be referred to as "small." Naturally on such a small, consumer-level camcorder all of your favorite, go-to buttons cannot be within reach of the one hand which holds the camera. At any rate, if you like playing with manual controls like focus, you will be using both hands, and with two hands, the manual controls on the HV20 are simple to operate. And for a consumer camcorder, it has most every manual control you can imagine (other than Gain, which is generally only of interest to professionals).
  
  Alas, the HV20 is not the greatest motion picture camera in the world: like all camcorders ever made, it will be difficult to get everything you want in a dark setting. That's it though. I cannot think of anything else which would prevent me from saying that this has to be the best camcorder ever made at this price point.
  
  
• Excelent image but recording randomly freeze
  By AW9E937ACE1XU 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 wasn't.
  
  I don't know if anyone else has the same problem.
  
  
• Great VideoCam, but Canon shortchanges buyers...
  By A3LYL4D9BCNWSL 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 won't do as much as the higher end cam, but at less than 20% of the cost, it's amazing.
  
  It's so good, that I'm 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 can't 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 it's really cheap of Canon not to include at least a 256mb or 512mb SD card with the camera.
  
  So... if you're 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, you'll be set to GO as soon as your camera arrives, and you've charged the battery.
  
  
  
• Superb Camera, LOTS of other Issues
  By A1T0TPLLHG3J4T on 2008-01-12
  First and foremost, this camera takes superb, effortless video. If you're 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 there's 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) It's all plastic, and feels quite cheap. A camcorder in this price range should feel 'tight'; this doesn't.
  
  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 you'd 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. I'm 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 aren't 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. You're on your own.
  
  6) Excited about trying out your new camera? Keep your enthusiasm in check, because there's not even one tape. Want to take some still photos? Can't! You'll 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, you're good to go... once you figure out which additional cable(s) you have to purchase on your own!
  
  
• Not very happy
  By A1EIY6UDP3LHUD 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 I'm 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 won't 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.
  
  
• Windows Vista Certified
  By A25JIR59O590XE on 2007-05-21
  This is my fourth camcorder and the second digital one. My first one, a Panasonic in 1981 weighed 20 kg including its charger - my entire baggage allowance when I bought it in Singapore, only to find, upon arrival in India, that it was faulty.
  
  Like most palm-sized cameras, the Canon HV20 is light-weight and, thankfully, assisted with a super-range optical image stabiliser (OIS). "Super range" means it also compensates for the small tremors caused by breathing and swaying hands.
  
  For future-proofing, I now look for the "Certified for Windows Vista" logo on anything that could be associated with my computers. The shipping carton mentions Windows XP, so I had to ask around to be sure - yes, the HV20 is well and truly Vista-certified.
  
  Vista users can transfer, edit and publish high-definition video without the need for special software - Windows Movie Maker (WMM) works fine for the home user. My unit shipped with a pre-Vista version of Canon's ZoomBrowser EX software, so I had to get the Vista updater (5.8b at the time of writing).
  
  Windows Movie Maker makes it easy to edit video from the Canon HV20. The supplied Canon Zoombrowser EX software enables further modification to the video and many other features that apply to Canon's still cameras.
  
  You can shoot in high definition Cinema Mode with 24 fps progressive (24p) or just HDV 16:9 widescreen mode. You can also shoot in standard definition, 16:9 or 4:3 modes. If you are stuck with your last tape, you can use Long Play and get an extra 50% recording capacity.
  
  You can take still photos at 3.1 MP, which is fine for small prints, or at 2 MP while shooting video. A built-in flash helps in poor light. The accessory shoe suits external microphones or lighting to be mounted there and powered through the battery (or charger).
  
  Belkin F3N401-06-ICE IEEE 1394 4-Pin/6-Pin 400 Mbps FireWire Cable (6 Feet)
  
  You will need to buy a FireWire cable to transfer video to your PC. I like to use the viewfinder more than the LCD panel (which is incredibly sharp), so the dioptic adjustment was appreciated. The LCD also does the usual job of displaying various settings or acting as the viewfinder. I also like the fact that it uses DV tape and not a hard drive, which would need to be emptied once it filled up. That would entail carrying a laptop computer, or one of those storage devices made for that purpose when away from home.
  
  When my children were born (1988/1991), I had analogue camcorders and so those early taped memories are as fuzzy as the 8 mm home movies of my parents' generation. My first digital camera gave me the power to edit my family travels on my PC and they are quite sharp when they aren't shaky. We have a high-definition home theatre setup and digital TV/satellite TV, so the home-made videos look shocking on a 9-foot screen.
  
  The Canon DV20 now solves that problem. The kids are still at home and our next family videos will capture their memories in high definition. I am very pleased with this camera, which will get fully exercised on a round-the-world trip I am making shortly.
  
  
• Requires Firewire for to transfer from MiniDV
  By A2IY383UW7991O 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 don't 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 doesn't even say that video from the MiniDV cassette can not be transferred over USB.
  
  Oh, and no video editing software? For $1000, Canon couldn't put something on the DVD. Sure, I can use Microsoft Movie Maker, but I can't say that I like it.
  
  
• My review for Canon HV20
  By A6M3NJK8YJJ07 on 2007-04-06
  I got my Canon HV20 yesterday. Just post several problems after testing it.
  1. Handling. The handling is quite awkward. My hand feel very uncomfortable when holding it, it alway slips. I have to use the other hand to adjust it from time to time. Also it is quite hard to switch on the camcorder when using only single hand.
  
  2. Building: This camcorder is not that sexy as the previous one. It is not cute, and it is not professional. But given its excellent video quality, this is OK.
  
  3. Noise: I shoot some video indoor with a 300W light bulb, I should say the light is fairly enough, but when I play it back using my 30 inch LCD monitor, I can still find quite a bit of noise although their grain size are not that big. I tried "neat video" plug in and sony vegas to reduce the noise, it seems to work pretty well.
  
  4. Manual control. The manual control part is the part really disappoints me. Because I used to do a lot of photography. The manual control of this camcorder is far from a SLR camera. Especially the manual exposure
  it is funny. Say when I shoot video in bright place, I set exposure to -1, then I moved to a dark place, then the video will be very very dark. This means when you adjust the exposure, you adjust its "absolute value" while not the relative value. It doesn't mean that you can get less exposure all the time.
  In a SLR camera, if you adjust exposure to -1, it means no matter where, the camera will measure the light and then decease the light coming in relatively -1 to its measured value.
  
  5. Another thing I recommend is when you use this camcorder, try to adjust the contrast to lower level, brightness to lower level, no sharpening. This will definitely give you a lot of flexibilities for the post editing.
  
  
• Excellent video quality, but that's about it
  By A3XC5LX8DO7AB on 2007-06-13
  I just received this camera yesterday. Everything the reviewers below said is true, however, there are a couple gripes I have which is forcing me to return it.
  First of all, I will confess that I am no videographer/videophile, etc. I have never even owned a camcorder so this is coming from a truly 'consumer' perspective. These complaints go from most annoying to least annoying.
  1. Internal Mic picks up motor noise. The first video I made was from recording inside my house, and when I showed my wife she asked "what's that noise?" It's the mic picking up the motor. This would not be too big of a deal except that Canon's HM50 is ~$150. Also, with the external mic it isn't as portable which would be a big minus for me.
  2. Feels cheap. It just doesn't feel like something that costs $1000. Even the strap that you put your hand through feels cheap. The battery wobbles if you shake the camera slightly. The ergonomics aren't great for someone with larger than average size hands. I have fairly large hands and I have to say even from 20 minutes of recording I feel like I'm getting arthritis in my hands. This could come from holding it incorrectly, but I doubt it. The zoom lever seems to be right between my index finger and my middle finger, so it's a bit awkward. The record button isn't the easiest to press either. There's no tactile feedback on the button.
  
  Enough with the bitching. Overall I would say if you don't mind dishing out some dough for an external mic, and don't mind having to use an external mic I would say this is a definite buy (as long as you have average size hands). The things that made me buy this over another brand is the virtually nil support for AVCHD format AND the 24p.
  
  Update: 6/26/07
  While shooting some footage this weekend indoors with tungsten lighting, I noticed something odd. My shot was composed of a person in front of a white wall. The white-balance was set to Tungsten. The back wall was flickering and changing color, almost as if the white balance was reverting back to auto, then back to tungsten repeatedly. E-mail me if you want to see this clip, it is very annoying. I was in P mode with the Auto-Exposure set to P (this allows the camera to control Aperture and Shutter Speed). The subject is remaining properly exposed though.
  
  Update: 6/28/2007
  I returned this camera for an exchange. I noticed a very pronounced rattle when I shook the camera slightly. It was a very gentle shake, nothing violent or anything. I even noticed it when I was simply tilting the camera to the left and to the right slowly. It sounds like something is loose inside and clunking. I returned for an exchange, and hopefully the new one doesn't have that. If it does, I might return for good.
  
  Update: 7/9/2007
  Ok, I received the replacement. So far it seems better with regard to the rattling. It still rattles when the camera is off (which is fine, as the manual states). But no rattling when it's actually on. I haven't tested the white-balance issue yet. So perhaps it was simply a damaged product (it got shipped from New York to California).
  
  
• Excellent HD
  By APB8B4AQR683U on 2007-04-23
  This camera delivers excellent video quality.
  
  I use it with the hot-shoe attachable microphone and the audio is quite good.
  
  I've plugged this into my HD television and the quality is excellent. I have also had the Optura Xi from Canon and while the build quality of the HV20 is not quite as good as that of the Optura Xi, the video quality is nothing short of stunning.
  
  This is a very good deal for $1000. You won't be disappointed.
  
  
• Professional quality at a consumer price!
  By A8ZWK8ZE06KA9 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. Don't 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.
  
  

• Adobe Premiere Elements 7
• Sony Vegas Movie Studio 9 Platinum Pro Pack
• Sony Vegas Movie Studio Platinum 9
• Pinnacle Studio Ultimate Version 12

• Sony High Definition Minidv Videocassette (2-Pack)
• Canon BP-2L14 Battery for Canon HG, HV, ZR, Optura, and Elura Camcorders
• Sony DVC-60 PR/5 Premium Minidv Videocassette (5-Pack)
• Canon Directional Stereo Mic (DM 50) for Camcorders with the Advanced Access Shoe
• Canon CB-2LW Battery Charger for NB-2L and NB2LH Batteries