[MacDV] Canon HV30

[Gordon Alley]

I got mine about 2 weeks ago. 1080/60i, 30p, 24p, SD (4:3 and 16:9).
The video quality is excellent, IMHO. Accepts the same tapes,
batteries, AC adapter, and hot shoe DM50 microphone as my old Canon
Elura 65. HDMI, component video, external mic, headphones, and
composite video connections (the composite video and headphones share
the same jack, like my older Canon SD cameras, so you can't use both
at once). Good quality still photos (uses a mini SD card for those -
they seem a little hard to find, so I got a micro SD with an adapter).
Audio recording level control (there's a db meter that you can display
onscreen). Zebra display mode to highlight overexposed areas in the
viewfinder (can be set for 70% or 100%). Metal threaded tripod socket
(not plastic like the Elura). Size is not much bigger than my old
Elura (the lens barrel is fatter).

The manual says I can take photos while recording to tape, and copy
frames from tape to the SD card as photos, but I haven't tried these
features yet.

Online reviews I looked at say its video quality is as good as cameras
twice its price (be sure to shop around - Amazon has them for about
$769 the last time I looked - the list price is $999).

The only complaint I have about it is the eyepiece viewfinder is not
moveable or extendable (the diopter adjustment is hard to get to while
viewing). But it's still usable, even with glasses.

You might want to check out the forums at http://www.hv20.com, which
also covers the HV30.

-Gordon

On Tue, Sep 9, 2008 at 9:01 AM, CFlatow <cflatow at optonline.net> wrote:
>
> Hi,
>
> Has anyone been using the Canon HV30 camera?
> I'm interested in opinions of its specifications and video quality.
>
> Carl

--
Gordon B. Alley
http://www.gordonalley.com