Customer Reviews
Fantastic Image Quality, But 24P Is Tough To Post-Process 
2008-06-25
I used to own a Canon GL2 (prosumer SD 3CCD camera with Canon L lens) but got tired of carrying it around to take travel video which I rarely ended up editing. So I sold it and purchased this, looking forward to HD quality and 24P framerates.
The HD quality does not disappoint in any way whatsoever. Hook this up to a 1080i/p HDTV via HDMI and the quality of the image will be indistinguishable from what you see on any of the HD channels. I was blown away.
Build quality wise, it seems a little cheap, the tape loading door on my has a little play in it. It's extremely light, which makes it hard to hold steady; however, the optical image stabilization is surprisingly good. Attempting to hold the camera steady at full zoom results in nearly shake free video.
The only reason I didn't give this 5 stars (and it may not matter to you) is that recording in 24p mode, doesn't actually record 24 progressive frames per second. Instead it records 18 progressive frames and 12 interlaced ones in succession, inside of a 60i stream. There are also no markers embedded in the video to signal to applications e.g. Adobe Premiere, Sony Vegas, etc. the correct way to process the stream. In order to get a real 24p video you need to perform a pulldown. There are various ways to do this, but none of them are trivial (search the Internet for "Canon HV20 24p Pulldown").
All in all, though, this is an amazing little device. The video I recently took of Upper Yosemite Falls looks better on my TV than I remember it. How often does that happen to you?!
PAL or NTSC 
2008-06-06
Actually I'm looking for this Canon HV-20 Camcorder with PAL recording system. Please help.
Superb camera at an unbeatable price 2008-05-27
This is the best camera I have ever owned. The picture is flawless and my home videos taken in 24p truly look like they were made for television movies. I love it!
My HV20 failed after 4 months 
2008-05-18
I bought this camcorder four months ago. I was really happy with the image quality of my recordings. However, last week I needed to use the camera (after not having used it for about three weeks) and tried to turn it on only to find out that it wouldn't. Thinking the battery had run out, I left it to charge overnight. The next day and for a couple of days afterwards I tried a combination of things to try and get the camera to power-up, but nothing worked. Finally, I gave up and called Canon tech support. Tech support told me that I had to send the camera in for repair. I sent the camera in for repair paying $42 out of my own pocket to do so. Hopefully, it will be repaired and come back soon. Another person wrote of a similar problem with this model and I'm beginning to wonder if this model might be prone to such problems.
I'd Buy One 2008-05-07
I've shot for a few hours with this camera and plan to buy one as a backup for documentary work. It's extremely easy to use and the single chip works much better in low light than my high end 3 chip HD camera. There are compression artifacts that show up where there's a lot of motion in the frame, but it's a great deal for the price and there's a lot to be said for traveling with a camera this small. The only problem I've seen with it has been some RF interference with a low-end radio mic.
Great Buy! Great Video! 2008-04-17
The name Canon has always meant photographic and broadcast television cameras with optical excellence, advanced image processing, superb performance, and the latest in technological advancements. Canon's High Definition video camcorders are no exception.The stylish Canon HV20 gives you the ultimate in HD video and digital photo quality with advanced features for the knowledgeable and demanding videographer. Its 10x optical zoom lens, 2.96 Megapixel CMOS image sensor and Canon's advanced DIGIC DV II image processor ensures meticulous detail and superior color reproduction. 24p Cinema Mode brings "film-look" options to the HV20 owner - as never before in this class. And, with its HD and Standard Definition recording modes, you can make the move to HD without making your SD equipment obsolete.The HV20 is easy to use and delivers the high level of performance you've come to expect from Canon. It's the premium quality High Definition camcorder that sophisticated and discerning videographers have been waiting for.
Excellent camera at a good price 2008-04-16
I am truly impressed with the quality of video I get with this camera. It's small and easy to use, and at an affordable price. However, the battery that comes with it doesn't have much capacity, even though larger/extra batteries are readily available. The "ho-hum-quality" still-photo feature is a waste to me and seems inconsistent with an HD video camera (if HD is important to someone, so would be hi-res stills that they would probably rely on getting from a second good quality still camera). I would much rather they included the accessory light and an inexpensive carrying case with a strap instead of the snapshot feature, even if it were a little more money. I can't imagine anyone not wanting the accessory light and a way to protect the camera, so I gave it four stars instead of five.
Canon HV20 High Def. Camera 2008-04-10
This camera seems to be quite good in its picture quality. The zoom isn't that easy to use, but overall its a nice compact camera with good optics.
This camera is sick (that's a good thing) 2008-04-09
I absolutely love this camera. The picture quality is amazing, and the amount of control you have over your shots is unbelievable. I have access to broadcast quality shoulder mount Sony DVCAM DSR 250's, and find myself using my HV-20 more and more.
I'm not even close to realizing it's full potential. Some of the gripes you see on CNET or camcorderinfo, are really a non-issue for me personally. I don't find the hand-strap to be that bad, for example, and although I wish the viewfinder had a rubber cup and pivot like everyone else, it serves my purposes as is.
Instant auto-focus works pretty well, and the camera just has all the features you could want. If you are a point and shooter for backyard barbecues, you'll love the HD picture quality. If you're an amateur videographer who wants to know exactly what the footage looks like before anything gets captured, you'll love all the control.
For the price, it fits into the price ranges of either, and I simply can't recommend this camera more highly at this point in time. I expected a lot and it delivered.
Quality Camcorder 2008-04-09
Canon leads the way with this camcorder. Would be better if it included the firwire.
