Canon Vixia HV30
Manufacturer: Canon USA Part number: 2680B001
- More product information:
- Editors' review
- User reviews
- Specifications
- Manufacturer info
- Bottom Line:
- An extremely minor upgrade from the HV20, the Canon Vixia HV30 remains a quality HDV camcorder with a couple of performance issues.
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CNET editors' review
Canon Vixia HV30 price range: $499.99 - $2,499.95
- Reviewed by: Lori Grunin
- Reviewed on: 02/25/2008
- Released on: 03/01/2008
The good: Generally excellent video quality; solid feature set for its class; well designed
The bad: Tape housing feels a bit flimsy; fixed eye-level viewfinder needs a better eye cup; manual focus dial a bit loose
The bottom line: An extremely minor upgrade from the HV20, the Canon Vixia HV30 remains a quality HDV camcorder with a couple of performance issues.
Don't look for any great advances here: the Canon Vixia HV30 is a very minor upgrade from the admittedly top-notch HV20. It has a sleeker-looking black body, introduces 30p progressive mode, and supports the high-capacity BP-2L24H lithium-ion battery, but otherwise remains the same as its 2007 predecessor.
Of course, that makes it a well-designed prosumer camcorder with a useful feature set, good overall performance, and excellent video quality. It's relatively big, weighing 1 pound, 5.4 ounces, though it fits into a large, loose jacket pocket. I like the black chassis more than the silver, but the tape housing feels a little flimsier than I remember; when gripped for shooting, the cover moves a bit. In all other ways the build quality seems solid, though, with tethered covers over the Advanced Accessory Shoe, HDMI/FireWire ports, and mic/headphone/component out jacks.
The 2.7-inch wide-screen LCD is kind of small and at 211,000-pixels not very high resolution, but it's sufficient for manually focusing. The eye-level viewfinder is relatively large, but doesn't pull out or up, and I wish it had a softer eye cup. In addition, I just had to laugh at the Catch-22 diopter control. Since it's right on the viewfinder, you have to move your head away to get your finger on the switch, which means you can't set it for your eye pressed close. The HV30 supplies both a video light and a flash for shooting stills. As always, I really like the built-in electronic lens cover.
Shooting with the HV30 feels easy and natural. Canon places the most frequently used options--notably exposure compensation and microphone level--under the control of the set button/joystick. Other shooting options--program, shutter- and aperture-priority, cine, and scene modes, white balance, image effects, and still-image mode--get called up via the function button and navigated with the joystick. Since your thumb controls all of the activity, it's pretty straightforward and fluid to use.
The HV30 uses the same 1/2.7-inch 3-megapixel CMOS sensor as the HV20, capturing 1,440x1,080 (1080i) HD or wide-screen SD video (despite Canon listing 1,920x1,080 resolution in its specs, HDV does not support 1920-pixel horizontal resolution). For SD, it downconverts to fit MiniDV 720x480 format. The camcorder also incorporates the same f/1.8 10X zoom lens, which uses the company's Super-Range Optical Image Stabilization, a technology that tweaks the results based on feedback from its image processor. As long as you use the eye-level viewfinder instead of the LCD, which lets you better brace the camcorder, the stabilization works very well zoomed to its maximum. Since it's harder to keep the camcorder steady when held out in front of you, the stabilization will likely be less effective.
In retrospect, I think the HV30's video quality deserves a better rating than we gave the HV20 at the time. In good light, the video rivals that of the Sony HDR-HC7, its primary competitor, delivering excellent color, sharpness, and exposure for its class. Low-light video quality, while not spectacular, is still above average; it's a bit noisy, but as long as you don't use the Night Mode preset the shutter speed doesn't drop so low as to be unusable, and the camcorder seems to have sufficient dynamic range to record in fairly dim conditions. Focus performance in low light is just OK. It's not terribly slow at finding and locking on still subjects, but if you're zoomed in, the focus can continue to pulse gently even when locked.
As of this writing, the Vixia HV20 is still widely available and costs significantly less than the Canon Vixia HV30, making it an excellent deal. Both are usually cheaper than the competing Sony HDR-HC7--and without the annoying touch screen--making either one a necessary addition to your short list of HDV camcorders.
User reviews
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Best sub $1000 HD camcorder
by johnpainter on May 21, 2008
Pros: Sharp HD images, ease of use, 24p + Cine Mode = looks like a movie, cost
Cons: Rolling shutter when panning fast, ok on-board mic
Summary: The HV30 which is basically last years HV20 but with a black exterior and with 30p recording, is one sweet camera.
I've been using it for a couple weeks ...Summary: The HV30 which is basically last years HV20 but with a black exterior and with 30p recording, is one sweet camera.
I've been using it for a couple weeks now and have found it to have a quick learning curve though it definitely has a lot of settings you need to learn to get the most out of it. But a little time put into learning can give you this http://www.vimeo.com/1032356 which is excellent video for dedicated family point and shoot stuff or entry level prosumer video.
The onboard mic is like most onboard mic's so I got a Rode videomic and the two give you excellent video and excellent audio.
I'm certain with time learning how to use the cameras settings and learning FCE my video skills will improve.
The biggest issue with the HV30 is the rolling shutter, which is the term used to describe a wobble effect you can some times see in an image when the camera is panned quickly and not mounted to a tripod. This issue is not unique to the HV30, each of the high end consumer HD video cameras have some sort of similar issue, e.g. the JVC GZHD7 which I also use clearly has OIS problems when shooting off hand on telephoto. The solution is to mount it to a good tripod and even distant shots are excellent. However the HD7 is almost two times the cost of the HV30. And though the HD7 works fine with a Mac, it is not as seamless as the HV30.
Overall the HV30 is an excellent value if you're looking to get into HD video.8 out of 8 users found this user opinion helpful.
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This is the One!!!
by bubbaseal12 on September 18, 2008
Pros: Amazing HD quality, 24p, great preprogramed scene settings, small, light, sturdy, great ergonomics
Cons: The manual focus is a bit small and in a bad spot and the viewfinder could use some work but who really cares when you have such a nice lcd screen!
Summary: You really have to hand it to Canon. They took the HV20, the 2007 camcorder of the year, and only one year later made it even better in the form ...
Summary: You really have to hand it to Canon. They took the HV20, the 2007 camcorder of the year, and only one year later made it even better in the form of the HV30.
When looking for a new camcorder I did two things first. I turned away from all the other non mini-dv devices such as the hard drive models or the flash drive ones and decided to stay with the hd mini-dv tapes. The second thing I did was turn to the most reputable camera company on the market, Canon!
The reason I don't like the hard drive models or flash drive models is due to archiving. With the tapes, when you are finished filming and editing you can label it and store it forever. With a hard drive you have to spend some serious money to store all your footage, and even if money is not the question, look at the reliability of hard drives. Do you really want your priceless footage to be lost because of a computer or hard drive crash?
So here is the part you really want. What is this camera like... If I could describe it in one word it would be Awesome! My main camera is the Canon XL H1S, hands down the best prosumer camera available. This HV30 is one of the nicest, easy to use, high quality cameras that I have ever seen... and remember that you can find this for well under $1,000.00.
When I first took it out of the box I was very impressed by the way it looks. A combination of matte and glossy black looks very professional which is always a plus when you are filming. It is rather light, although it does not feel at all cheap. It is very well built. The LCD screen is crystal clear and its quality really makes up for the fact that the viewfinder is horrible to use! Equiped with a hide-away accessory shoe on top, it is ready for your professional lights or mics, out of the box. It also has a very nice automic lense cover which is perfect for those of us who lose lense covers.
When you power this beauty up you will appreciate it easy to navigate menu as much as its easy to use toggle joystick which is under your right thumb while holding it. I have only filmed a few hours of video with this so far, however it has provided me with some of the clearest, most professional film I have seen, especially for something in this size and price range.
The instant auto focus works laser fast, infact when you move the camera around you rarely see the camera trying to focus, it just already is. It has amazing low light capability and even has an LED lamp in the front for basic illumination.
This camera has a lot of pre programed settings, for example one for fireworks, beach, snow, etc.. but you also have a lot of options to control everything manually and even in auto mode you get amazing picture! The 24p is amazing, especially compared to similar cameras I have tried. Teamed up with Cine mode you will acheive very "movie" like films.
It can hold a 2g mini sd card for still pictures, which it takes with amazing clarity. The coolest feature has to be that you can take a still picture while filming a video, which is pretty unique.
All in all, this camera really lives up to the Canon name. I have used many cameras and I would have to say that this one is the most fun I have used and for a very reasonable price. I truly believe that this camera does the job of cameras 3 times its price and size.
I would say this camera is perfect for anyone from making home movies all the way to professional documentaries.5 out of 5 users found this user opinion helpful.
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Very nice, but a little on the pricey side
by grf1222 on May 1, 2008
Pros: Great picture, iMovie HD compatible
Cons: Cumbersome controls
Summary: I have had this camera for about one week. I bought it largely based on the CNET review and because I wanted an MiniDV camera that would be fully compatable ...
Summary: I have had this camera for about one week. I bought it largely based on the CNET review and because I wanted an MiniDV camera that would be fully compatable with iMovie HD. As expected, this camera works flawlessly with iMovie HD. I am really impressed with the picture quality. Some of the features are a little cumbersome to use. For example, there is no dedicated fader button, so you have to use the joystiq to navigate an on-screen menu. This isn't difficult, it just takes a little experience to get fully comfortable. Although the camera is a bit on the pricey side, I am happy with my purchase and would recommend this camera to others.
5 out of 5 users found this user opinion helpful.
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Great camcorder but needs HD software
by stingray469 on March 20, 2008
Pros: Excellent HD video
Cons: No HD Video software
Summary: Terrific HD Video but hit a wall trying to get the video out of the camera and onto my computer...to edit the video. If you just want to play ...
Summary: Terrific HD Video but hit a wall trying to get the video out of the camera and onto my computer...to edit the video. If you just want to play it on your HD TV get an hdmi cable and its easy. But disappointed Canon didn't include editing software for video (HD). Also beware of online camera stores with low prices....went through 4 before I could buy one. Take the 3 or 4 lowest priced stores and don't even both talking to them. Most are rude and obnoxious.
CNET should to a feature on these jerks.4 out of 4 users found this user opinion helpful.
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Best Camera for movie images but.........
by George*W*Bush on June 9, 2008
Pros: Good image quality, nice black design
Cons: The Focus ring is annoying
Summary: The camera does what a $3,000 cameras do with ease. The only annoying thing about it is the design. I bought it in Mar 2008 when it first came ...
Summary: The camera does what a $3,000 cameras do with ease. The only annoying thing about it is the design. I bought it in Mar 2008 when it first came out, never had any problems. I use Adobe PPro CS3 to import footages, i cant stand Vegas .
The design is horrible, the LCD screen doesnt even flip all the way, doesnt reverse when flipped. The Focus ring is annoying should've been bigger and placed around the main lens, kinda like the JVC GZ-HD73 out of 4 users found this user opinion helpful.
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Great camera, maybe a little overrated.
by prohobbyist on March 8, 2009
Pros: Good video qualtiy, feature laden, nice lens, easy editing for people who can't handle AVCHD yet, and good manual controls.
Cons: Cheap feel, poor low light quality, tapes.
Summary: The sharp HD video of this camera make up for the cheap plastic feel of the body. The manual controls including 24p mode and mic input make this camera well ...
Summary: The sharp HD video of this camera make up for the cheap plastic feel of the body. The manual controls including 24p mode and mic input make this camera well suited for -very- low budget film makers. Unfortunately the quality suffers in low quality as grain goes through the roof but if you know what you're doing the manual controls can alleviate much of this.
Regarding the tapes; I know these have been a favorite of professionals for years but lets face it, they are obsolete. Archiving video files from SD cards is not as hard as some might think and the advantages of fast transfer and high capacity totally outweigh any percieved drawbacks. So why get an HV30 and deal with tapes when you could get something like an HF100 or the newer HF200 and save $150 in the process?1 out of 1 users found this user opinion helpful.
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Easily the best HD camera available for picture quality
Pros: Unbeatable Picture quality, Mic input & headphones jack, Standard sized HDMI ouput, Fantastic low light performance particularly when used in Cinema mode, .Has hot shoe for attaching a light or mic.
Cons: Records to tape not hard drive - but is easier to edit than AVCHD HHD camcorders. Tape door feels flimsy. The built in camera light isn't very good. Camera Audio is ok, but tape machine noise is audible. (use exteranal mic for for pro sound).
Summary: You'd have to spend A LOT more money to beat the picture quality of a HV20 or HV30. So if you can put up with the tape format, its ...
Summary: You'd have to spend A LOT more money to beat the picture quality of a HV20 or HV30. So if you can put up with the tape format, its money well spent.
I use two of these cameras in conjunction with an external mic (Rode Video Mic) and external Sony light to film weddings. I've shown my finished DVD's to pro camera users who usually find it hard to believe that my footage was taken with a prosumer camera. Just google HV20 and you'll see that the world is raving about this camera.
Also check out www.hv20.com1 out of 1 users found this user opinion helpful.
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Fantastic image quality and operation
by casperson.4 on March 19, 2008
Pros: Picture quality, sound reproduction, accessory shoe, minidv w/hd
Cons: size is a little small if you have large hands
Summary: This is my first hd camcorder and I am glad I waited for this one. I am normally a Sony fanatic, and was either going to buy this or the ...
Summary: This is my first hd camcorder and I am glad I waited for this one. I am normally a Sony fanatic, and was either going to buy this or the sony hdr-hc9. I went with the Canon due to the previous version HV20 being so highly regarded. The HV30 is only minorly upgraded but is carries over all the great qualities from the prior version. The black look is terrific. Overall, the quality of the picture is phenominal. You can record in multiple hd modes to suit your style. I am just starting to get into editing the video and can't wait to blow away my family with gorgeous video. Spectacular camcorder for both point and shoot and those wanting to be more hands on with the settings. You owe it to yourself to try this HDV camcorder.
1 out of 1 users found this user opinion helpful.
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Powerful little camcorder.
by kurt450 on August 12, 2009
Pros: The low light performance of this camcorder exceeded my expectations. The 24PF mode is great a creating a cinematic look, and the Cine mode gives you plenty of room for color grading. The miniDV format is also good for archiving your footage.
Cons: Flimsy tape door (but can be fixed), manual focus is a little bit annoying to use.
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Terrific Camera
by bayguy13 on July 29, 2009
Pros: Quality of picture. Ease of use.
Cons: Battery life, built in microphone
Summary: I bought this last year, but really didn't get a lot of use with it until I went to class reunion. The HD pictures are really incredible. I taped ...
Summary: I bought this last year, but really didn't get a lot of use with it until I went to class reunion. The HD pictures are really incredible. I taped the reunion under florescent lighting after sunset, without any optional lighting and the results were fantastic. My only problem is that to get the best results at a gather of this sort, you really need a directional microphone, otherwise you get a lot of ambient noise.
Specifications
- Manufacturer: Canon USA
- Part number: 2680B001
- Description: The HV30 inherits the HV20's Canon HD Camera System - the unique combination of a genuine Canon HD Video Lens, a 2.96MP Full HD CMOS sensor and the DIGIC DV II processor. Designed and manufactured by Canon, these components integrate seamlessly to deliver superb HDV1080i (High Definition Video) images, recorded to tape. Focusing in HD can be difficult, since even slight errors are noticeable. The HV30 employs a unique hybrid system called Instant AF for extremely fast, accurate auto focusing - making it easier to capture pin sharp HD pictures. The HV30 features Canon's advanced 2.7? Multiangle Vivid LCD screen. Making it easier to monitor recording when shooting from particularly high or low angles, it has a wide 135-degree viewing angle. HCAR surface treatment ensures sharp images, a wider range of vibrant colors and reduced screen reflection.
General
- Product Type Camcorder - 1080i
- Digital Zoom 200 x
- Optical Sensor Size 1/2.7"
- Optical Sensor Type CMOS
- Min Illumination 0.2 lux
- Special Effects Art, Sepia, Vivid, Neutral, Skin Detail, Black & White, Low Sharpening
- Image Stabilizer Optical (SuperRange)
- Digital Scene Transition Wipe fader
- Min Shutter Speed 1/2 sec
- Max Shutter Speed 1/2000 sec
- Shooting Modes Digital photo mode
- Shooting Programs Snow, Beach, Sunset, Fireworks, Spotlight, Night mode, Sports mode, Portrait mode
- White Balance Presets, Automatic
- White Balance Presets Shade, Cloudy, Daylight, Tungsten light, Fluorescent light (cool white), Fluorescent light (warm white)
- Exposure Modes Program, Automatic, Shutter-priority, Aperture-priority
- Camera Flash Built-in flash
- Widescreen Video Capture Yes
Main Features
- Camcorder Sensor Resolution 2.96 megapixels
- Camcorder Effective Video Resolution 2.07 megapixels
- Camcorder Effective Still Resolution 2.76 megapixels
- Color Support Color
- Still Image Format JPEG
- Remote Control Camcorder remote control - Infrared
- TV Tuner None
Memory / Storage
- Floppy Drive None
- Image Storage JPEG 1920 x 1080, JPEG 2048 x 1536, JPEG 1440 x 1080, JPEG 848 x 480, JPEG 640 x 480
- Media Type Mini DV (HDV)
- Recording Speed LP, SP
Lens System
- Type Zoom lens - 6.1 mm - 61 mm - F/1.8-3.0
- Focal Length 6.1 mm - 61 mm
- Lens Aperture F/1.8-3.0
- Optical Zoom 10 x
- Lens system type Zoom lens
- Min focal length 6.1 mm
- Max focal length 61 mm
- Auto Focus TTL contrast detection
- Filter Size 43 mm
- Focus Adjustment Manual, Automatic
- Min Focus Range 0.4 in
- Zoom Adjustment Motorized drive
Additional Features
- DV input Yes
- Self Timer Yes
- Self Timer Delay 2 sec, 10 sec
- Low Lux / Night Mode Yes
- Digital Still Camera Function Yes
- Search Modes Date search
- Built-in Light Yes
- Additional Features Contrast control, Histogram display, Sharpness control, Brightness control, Saturation control, Accessories hot shoe, Progressive scanning, USB 2.0 compatibility, Backlight compensation, RGB primary color filter, Display brightness control, Takes photos while movie recording, Analog to digital conversion with pass through
- Remote control Camcorder remote control - Infrared
- Software Drivers & Utilities
Viewfinder
- Viewfinder Type LCD
- Viewfinder Diagonal Size 0.27 in
- Viewfinder Resolution 123,000 pixels
Display
- Type LCD display - TFT active matrix - 2.7 in - Color
Digital Player (Recorder)
- Type None
Microphone
- Type Microphone - Built-in
Connections
- Connector Type 1 x Headphones, 1 x Microphone, 1 x USB, 1 x IEEE 1394 (FireWire/i.LINK), 1 x Composite video/audio (input/output), 1 x Component video output, 1 x HDMI, 1 x DC power input
- Expansion Slot(s) 1 x miniSD
Audio Input
- Audio input type Microphone
- Microphone type Built-in
Miscellaneous
- Microsoft Certifications Certified for Windows Vista
- Cables Included USB cable
Battery
- Supported Battery Canon BP-2L13
- Supported Battery 1 x Canon BP-2L13 Li-ion rechargeable battery ( Included ), 1 x Canon BP-2L24H Li-ion rechargeable battery ( Optional )
Viewfinder / Display
- Display Form Factor Rotating
- Display Format 211,000 pixels
- Viewfinder Color Support Color
Physical Characteristics
- Width 3.5 in
- Depth 5.4 in
- Height 3.2 in
- Weight 1.2 lbs
Manufacturer info
- Canon USA
- Manufacturer profile
- Browse Canon USA products on Shopper.com
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- Website: http://estore.usa.canon.com/
- Address:
One Canon Plaza, Lake Success, NY 11042 - Phone: 516-328-5000
- Email: mediacontact@cusa.canon.com
