HV30 for Christmas

[VernonRobinson]

Looking to pull the trigger on the HV30. Even in tough economic conditions, Santa still loves me . I have four immediate questions.

1. One of the comments mentioned that to get true 1920X1080 capture it has to be done via the HDMI port. That the tape records at ???? x 1080 and then expands it back to 1920 x 1080. They noted that it causes a little loss of sharpness in the horizontal direction. First is this true? Second, does it make any difference in the real world? I do not have a HiDef television, but was looking to improve the quality of my captures for the future and also to possibly improve over my current Sony TRV-27 in regular Standard Definition television. I have heard people indicate that the SD performance was pretty good.

2. There seems to be a general complaint about the onboard microphone picking up motor noise and generally poor performance. I was looking at the Canon DM50 or possibly the Rode VideoMic. Anyone with experience with either of the two? The Canon has the advantage of integration, but I wonder if Rode has the benefit of experience?

3. There were a few comments about build quality on the HV30. In particular, a small tab that holds the battery in place. Seems it might be a bit flimsy and ultimately may break away.

4. Lots of complaints about Battery life. What has been your experience? Anyone with the extended battery? How well does it work?

Thanks for the feedback.

Regards,
-Vernon

[Paul LS]

1. The 1440x1080 has a pixel aspect ratio of 1.333, so the pixels are not square as are native 1920x1080 pixels. However, as you note this 1440x1080 resolution makes no noticeable difference to picture quality in the real world... especially if you are used to standard definition. HDV picture quality is far superior to standard definition. And as far as overal picture quality the Canon HV20 and HV30 models have always been voted best overall quality in reviews and comparisions that I have read.

2. I dont have the HV30 so cant comment on the motor noise, however all internal mics suffer this to some degree, and can be noticeable in very quiet environments. However, in normal environemets with ambient noise you probably woudn't notice. I have the Rode VideoMic and it is a great microphone for the price, the rubber suspension totally eliminates any cam handling/motor noise. Note you will probably need an adaptor to mount it on the Canon hot shoe... I have one for my Sony.

3. I have heard of complaints of the seemingly flimsy buit of the Canons, not just the HV30 but also the HV20 and HV10.

4. Again, can't comment specifically on the HV30 but most supplied batteries are smaller capacity types, I have purchased larger capacity batteries for my Sony and they really make an impact on the time you can record. You will probably need a spare battery anyway... just buy a higher capacity one.

[Bobby]

I do have the HV30 and like it very much. Takes great video, IMHO.

It does feel a bit flimsy, but not actually built poorly. I have had no mechanical problems. The comment about the battery latch is probably valid, but again no issues here.

I have noticed no problem on battery life, but I did buy two accessory batteries. I tend to change batteries when I change tapes, so a battery only has to last an hour.

All I can say is that the HV30 has been at the top of the rating charts for a long time - nothing is perfect. And you should be able to get a great price now.

[George Tyndall]

2. There seems to be a general complaint about the onboard microphone picking up motor noise and generally poor performance. I was looking at the Canon DM50 or possibly the Rode VideoMic. Anyone with experience with either of the two?

I have the Canon DM50 and I am VERY happy with it:

1) It runs off the camera battery
2) It has 3 settings: a shotgun plus 2 stereo settings.

To get the most out of it, be sure to use also a set of headphones. As I wrote elsewhere, the sensitivity this way is so good that it has helped me find interesting scenes when roaming out of doors.

The DM50, as can be seen from the link, scored very highly in customer reviews on B&H.

With regard to your question about batteries, I also got from B&H 2 Impact batteries AND an Impact charger--for not much more than the cost of just one extra Canon battery. The charger will charge both batteries simultaneously and EACH battery will give you 3 hours or more of service--even when doing lots of zooming AND keeping the camera and microphone CONTINUOUSLY on AND using only the LCD screen exclusively (NBL22 batteries). (I don't see the batteries and charger on the B&H site at the present time.)

http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/5 ... order.html
http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/2 ... phone.html

[Ken Jarstad]

1. Record in Hi-def and import as DV. It'll be the best DV you have ever seen - unless you are used to using pro camcorders. Reading the HV20 forum, a lot of pros have picked up a Canon HV20/30 for personal use or as a camcorder to use in places they would never expose an expensive cam. They say the cam always performs better than expected.

2. I record our monthly church ladies meetings and always have to use the built-in mic. The PA system is unusable as an audio source and I am too poor to buy the accessory mic. Besides, the audio sounds pretty darn good after filtering out the "boominess" those folks seem to like in the PA system. Motor noise is perceptible only in perfectly quiet shooting sequences and most of the time is never noticed.

3. I, too, read the complaints about cheap and plastic feeling. I don't have that impression at all. The only problems I have with such a small unit is running the zoom smoothly and forgetting to keep my fingers away from the microphone when hand-held.

4. I just finished one of the women's meetings and found that my larger, after market BP2L14 battery was indicating 1/2 on the meter when I shut down after 1 hour and 35 minutes. And I used the swing-out screen for the last 70 minutes or so. HTH

[VernonRobinson]

Thanks Paul, Bob, George and Ken. OK, so I am locked in on the camcorder. The question now becomes the mike. I think I will just try the camera and possibly pick up the mike later. I use it mostly to record the kids sports. So there is typically a lot of ambient noise anyway. I like the convenience of the DM50, but I do not want to put convenience ahead of performance (with price being equal).

Thanks again for confirmation.

Regards,
-Vernon

[jackfalbey]

Can't comment on the Rode, but the DM50 provides some really great audio on my HV20. And I definitely recommend a few Impact 2L22 batteries; they are reliable and last about 3 hours, give or take. Another great accessory is the Raynox 6600 wide-angle adapter. Any model of 6600 will do; the glass is the same across the model line (I use the 58mm model with a 43-58mm step-up ring because I can also use it on my Sony PD150 & Canon Rebel XSi). It is invaluable when shooting indoors or in close company.

[VernonRobinson]

Jack,
Thanks for the feedback on the DM50. It sounds like it is hard to make a bad decision between it and the Rode. (Pun intended). I think I will proceed with the camera and wait a bit on the mike. In the venues where I use it, there is quite a bit of background noise. So I have never heard the tape mechanism or zoom mechanism on my Sony. But maybe it is just ultra quiet.

Regards,
-Vernon

[Bobby]

Just a comment on the DM-50 that I bought about a month ago.

I finally got to use it at a piano recital for my granddaughter. The setting was far from optimum - in the teachers home with lots of echo and generally bad acoustics. The mic did very well and seemed to cut out a lot of the side echo. In general I was pleased with the audio quality although I did boost the bass up a bit in post processing.

[VernonRobinson]

Bob,
Great to hear. I have not moved on the mic yet. I need to get more time with it. As usual, life is getting in the way. I will use it a bit more as swim season gets ready to start up for the summer. But the mic is not useful in that environment.

Regards,
-Vernon