Customer Reviews
Amazing Image Quality, Full HD and Great price!!! 
2008-05-13
I had this Camera when it first came out, and so far I am very pleased... Camcorder looks and feels as a regular Camcorders however the wild factor is the Image Quality, its stunning in clarity and contrast... This is a great Camcorder for those who are looking to capture their best memories in HD mode... Under $1000, this is the best HD camcorder one can bargain for...
One disappointment with this Camcorder is that the video editing software is not included... It comes with software however it is only for editing Still Images (Photos)... With that said, you need to buy your own Video editing software if you want to create DVD's on your Laptop or Desktop... Please also beware that there are very few robust software's in the market that can convert your video files into DVD's... This is where mini tapes lacks improvement, you can watch your video through your camcorder in full HD with stunning clarity however you can't convert your files into Full HD DVD... There is software that can do the job (Vegas Pro 8) however with a price tag of $500; it won't be an option for many buyers...
Great image quality- good value. 2008-05-09
I've spent the weekend shooting and editing with my Canon HV30, and overall, I'm very pleased with it. The image quality and color reproduction (when you switch "vivid" on in the settings) is superb. It's small, lightweight and the controls make sense. In a couple of hours I was able to put the manual away and know what I was doing. Low light performance is pretty good, with just a bit of noise all the way at iso 1600 (outside at night). It shoots very well indoors in normal lights and the auto white balance works perfectly as well.
It isn't all perfect, however. The manual focus control is inaccessible and sloppy. Thankfully the autofocus is very accurate and doesn't do a lot of hunting for what to focus on. The other problem is the zoom control. It is WAY too sensitive. You can set it for variable speed, but the slightest tremble in your finger causes a bump in the speed. I think I can learn to handle it. I'll just have to be very aware of keeping a light touch. I don't think I'll be able to work with the manual focus.
The camera doesn't come with a firewire or USB2 cable to connect to a computer. You need to buy that separately. But I was able to download hidef video effortlessly to iMovieHD using a Mac without any other installed software.
The built in microphone sucks. Definitely get Canon's optional shotgun mike Directional Microphone DM-50. That will handle just about any sound situation you run into. Also count on getting an extra battery pack or two. The included battery won't shoot long enough to fill an hour long tape. There are different sizes of batteries. Get the biggest one you can afford, along with the outboard charger, so you can be charging up the next battery while you are shooting. Also get at least four blank DV tapes to work with. You don't want to switch framerates, resolutions and aspect ratios on the same tape if you can help it.
Your whole kit, including all the accessories will fit in a very small camera bag. Pretty slick. And the quality of the movies you'll shoot will amaze you. Played back on a hidef screen, this camera is capable of producing very professional looking video.
Great camera, high quality video, low built in sound 
2008-05-09
Great camera! There's a great website hv20 dot com that show how to get the most out of this camera and answer questions that are vague in the manual. This camera doesn't need more help but there's a lot more you can do than what comes out of the box. The video quality is superb, but the sacrifice is that you might want to buy an add on mic. I got the canon boom mic for another $150 to get a great whole package.
About the best out there for under $1000 2008-05-09
I have owned the Canon HV30 for a little over a month. I have used it strictly for wildlife video in combination with the Canon TL-43 1.7x tele-converter and the DM50 directional microphone.
The picture quality is fantastic for a camcorder at this price. I shoot in HD 30p with Cinema Mode enabled. I also enable peaking and use focus assist magnification for better manual focus.
[..] there is not a full manual mode for adjusting exposure. Also the manual focus wheel is a little small.
The following url address is a two minute video shot entirely with the Canon HV30. While my skill level with camera is at a novice level, I think you will agree the picture quality is very good.
[..]
What I Consider A Deal-Breaker Issue. 
2008-04-26
Everything you read about this camera is true. I owned one for a couple of days and the picture was extraordinary... the camera was a breeze to use...
And then I turned up the audio. Whoa. What's that humming?!
Now, I had seen plenty of reviews (even on the older HV20) warning of a little tape noise in the audio. I own two other Mini DV cameras, and you do hear a little bit of the mechnism working. But this is different. It's disruptive. And I'm not alone in my thinking here. Do some digging and you'll find a few other reviews cropping up online with this complaint now.
If audio's not a big deal to you, or you plan on using extrenal mics, I'd say this is still an insanely great camera for you. But if you're getting it to grab baby's precious moments or anything like that, I have to strongly warn against getting this due to the tape noise in the audio. I consider it a deal-breaker.
On the upside, I'd like to note that I got a great deal on this camera using one of Amazon's partners on here, Butterfly Photo, and they were prompt, courteous, and easy to deal with when I returned the camera. Recommended. I'll likely be using them again to order my new camera (gonna give the HF100 a try instead... possibly an ever-so-slightly less perfect picture quality, but most reviewers are saying no moving parts = prestine audio and for me that makes it a far better overall final product.)
A great camcorder 2008-04-15
records and plays back both high-definition (1080i resolution) and standard-definition video on Mini DV tapes * 2.96-megapixel CMOS image sensor * effective video megapixels: 2.07 in 16:9 mode, 2.76 in 4:3 * high-definition video lens with 10X optical zoom (digital zoom to 200X) * RGB primary color filter for accurate color reproduction *
Great camcorder! 2008-04-02
I've had the HV30 for about 1 week now, and so far I think it's great.
I previously used the Sony TRV38, another very capable camcorder. The HV30 comes in a slick, black color and is slightly smaller than my Sony TRV38.
I have three young kids, so I take tons of video mostly indoors. The HV30 has very good low light capability. There's some grain in the darker videos, and the shutter speed also slows (you can see the stuttering movement in the video when taking in very low light). However, you can still see faces clearly. One cool thing I like about this camera is that it has a manual controlled LED light that can add about 3 feet of light when it's too dark. Sony has that 0 lux Night Shot that works in complete darkness, but the colors change to green and black and makes the eyes look scary. I prefer the LED light feature on the HV30 over Sony's Night Shot.
You can select from 5 different shooting modes:
1. DV (regular)
2. DV (wide screen)
3. HDV (high definition - wide screen by default)
4. HDV 24P (cinema mode)
5. HDV 30P (progressive mode)
Although I don't have a high definition TV yet, the colors in every mode looked great on my regular TV. The 24P and 30P modes give the video a "movie look and feel" (thus the name cinema mode), and this is cool just to have. I look forward to shooting something all in 24P or 30P and showing the DVD to family/friends. I'm sure they'll be amazed that my home videos don't "look" like home videos.....and this is all due to the camcorder modes.
You can take photos using the HV30 (saves onto mini SD card). You can use the camcorder as a stand-along digital camera (3 megapixels), and there's even a flash on the camcorder for the digital camera. You can also take still photos while you're recording video. I use this to take photos while recording only because it's a nice little extra thing to have. The pictures are not all that great but not bad either. It's definitely a bonus that both video and still pictures are built into this one camera. I would still recommend a dedicated digital camera to take better quality still photos.
I backup all my videos to DVD because it's easier to watch that way. I prefer the miniDV tapes because it stores "pure" video and information like the time and date. I just started doing a little video editing using Sony Vegas software....and that seems to be a nice software package. The final video on the resulting DVD looks great.
I thought I would stick with Sony products, but so far I am enjoying the Canon HV30 and have no regrets.
I will probably be adding more to this review as I use the camera more.
Update April 7, 2008
Still liking the camcorder because of the 24P and 30P modes. You can really see that difference in the images compared to regular mode. Your video editing software must support HDV (high definition video) in order for you to edit any high definition stuff. Sony Vegas Movie Studio doesn't have it, but the Vegas Movie Studio Platinum edition DOES have it. Make sure to buy the right software if you're going to do editing.
I noticed that the sound is a little soft. Maybe there's a setting for this, but another possible reason is that the Canon's HV30's microphones are on the top of the camcorder facing up compared the my Sony TRV38's microphones on the front facing forward. This does not bother me too much.
There's an automatic lens cap which makes protecting the lens very convenient. No more fussing with a lens cap or having it dangle in your videos.
The package does not include a neck strap...you would think Canon would throw in a strap for a $900 camcorder. I bought a regular Canon strap at a local shop for $18. I think this is worth to have to keep the camcorder secure.
The battery is a cheap one and keeps a charge for about an hour or less. Since a miniDV tape is 1 hour, it would be prudent to get a better battery just to be safe. Canon makes an extended battery for about $60.
Covers all the bases 2008-03-23
I did extensive research before making this purchase about a month ago. Bought it at a Best Buy location for $999 and probably paid a bit too much. Now that I have it, I'm very pleased. Given all of its features and flexibility, its fairly simple to use and the film quality looks great on my HDTV - even for a rookie like me. Just a quick note to Mac users - I haven't been able to download footage to my Mac thus far. Pretty sure I need to get a specific Firewire cable for Mac, vs the USB cable that came with the camera.
Looks great!! Great video!! Great value!! 2008-03-05
First impression: Great looking video camera. If the HV20 was the Mercedes of the Canon line, this is a Bentley.
Video quality: Simply the best. Forget AVCHD. If you are looking for superb High Def. video, you just found it.
Value: For under a grand, no one else comes close.
Move over HV20...
