HV30 purchase question

[keledole]

I'm very close to jumping into the hdv arena. My old JVC VHS-C camera has served me well but its time to move on. Upon many hours scouring forums, comparing manufacturers and Steve G's book I have decided that the Canon HV30 is the camera for me. I am not in the business of video production but I do edit with PE7 and other NLE programs as a hobby and have done so for a several years.

Two questions: 1. I video my little league boys while hitting and throwing to show them what they are doing right and wrong. With my JVC I have a "sports mode" which in essence give a "shutter speed" of 1/2000. This cuts down on the blur of the ball and helps in the clarity of a frame grab. Does the HV30 have a similar capability?

2. Should I wait to buy the HV30 after the release of the HV40 in relation to any price drop. I want to buy new and would use the moderators link to buy it. I have seen the bait and switch sites and know to steer clear of those. My thoughts are that after the release of the HV40 there will be a significant decrease in price (not that the current price at around $600 isn't a good deal) but I don't want to wait only to find out that it will be unavailable. Any thoughts or opinions are greatly appreciated.

Thanks in advance!

[Chuck Engels]

Here is some interesting stuff
http://vimeo.com/898032
http://reviews.cnet.com/digital-camcord ... pi&subj=re

The HV30 has some manual adjustments that you can make including shutter speed.
I don't think it has a 'Sports' mode but I believe you can create a preset after adjusting the settings manually.
I haven't played with one in a while now, and that was an HV20.

The price and availability is always a guessing game. The current price is excellent, HV20 are going for $200 more.
One think you might want to check into is a used or refurbished HV20, you can pick them up for around $400.
Just make sure it is a reputable dealer.

[Steve Grisetti]

Glad the book was able to steer you right, keledole! Thanks for supporting it.

The HV30 is an excellent choice, and I'm sure you'll be thrilled with the results. It's probably the favorite of HDV shooters on this forum.

But we'll have to wait for them to chime in with specific recommendations.

[Chris B]

My PAL HV30 has both "Shutter priority" in which you can set the shutter speed (up to 1/2000th) and a "Sports Mode" pre-set. You can download the manual for the camera from Canon's web site.

[Felix G]

Great camera. An auto-setting allows you to just point and shoot; in Program mode you can customize practically anything: shutter speed, aperture and what not.
Just one point: you are likely to experience trouble when you want to store your movie back from computer to tape.
F

[Ken Jarstad]

The HV20 has a programmed 'Sports Mode'. It is my favorite DV camcorder. (Record in HDV, download as DV). Three years ago it would have take three times the money to get performance like this.

[keledole]

Thanks for your replies! I looked at the manual for the HV30 and the shutter speed adjustment and the "sports mode" preset exactly fits the bill for stop motion frames. Best I can tell is that the newer HV40 handles 24P without the pulldown conversion issues and as I understand it can be handled with some software magic and knowhow. I'm not really sure if I need the true 24P cinema capability or not or if it is worth the additional money to me. My goal is to be able to see a better picture on the plasma flatscreen and to create and author the best quality SD DVD's I can.

Does anyone know when the HV40 is to be released in the US?

[Chuck Engels]

Not sure, but when you decide to buy please use the B&H or Amazon link at http://www.chuckengels.com
That is as long as you are purchasing from one of those merchants

[Chuck Engels]

This report says early June
http://blog.toptenreviews.com/?p=1727

[Bob]

The last I heard, the release was expected in early June. But, rumors are that date may slip.

The most significant change with the HV40 is the 24p capability. The earlier models did not capture true 24p -- the camera always recorded in 60i interlaced mode, not progressive, and pull downs were inserted, with both interlaced fields created from the same sensor frame; That essentially provided the same information as a progressive frame, but if you needed a true progressive frame you needed to convert it. The HV40 will record in true 24p.

As a rule of thumb, if you don't know whether you need the 24p capability or not, you don't. 24p is used by people trying to achieve a film like look. There are three aspects to that, 1) simulating the shutter effect, 2) creating a film color look, and 3) depth of field and perspective of lenses. You aren't going to be able to do much about #3 with a consumer grade camcorder. Film cameras shooting at 24 frames per second are not as smooth as video cameras at 30 fps. The slower shutter rate has a jumpier strobed appearance that many people can see. Film also differs in contrast and saturation. In addition, film color is often graded", i.e. the color balance is shifted by use of filters and/or processing to create a unique "look" to complement the subject matter. The cine mode in the HV30 somewhat addresses the color and saturation issue and is favored by many for general shooting and is independent of the 24p mode.

As far as your DVD and flat panel TV, your standard definition DVDs are interlaced. Also, for video with a lot of motion, interlaced will often appear smoother than progressive since the fields are captured sequentially and you get a kind of temporal smoothing.

[Chuck Engels]

That's great information, thanks Bob

[keledole]

That was the best and clearest explanation of 24P for me to date! Thank you Bob. And as for where to buy the camera when that time comes, well Chuck, your link is the one and only place I have concidered. In fact it is the only thing that has been decided on in relation to the purchase of this new gear.

Thanks all for your input.