Canon HV30 - Initial impressions

We have been experimenting with this remarkable little camera over the past two weeks, including using it at a wedding. First, this is not a "pro" camera. The HV30 is an HDV camcorder for the consumer market. Is is small, light, and lacks the some of the controllability that we expect in a professional camera. It also uses a single image sensor rather than the three that a pro camcorder would have. The major downside of this is that the HV30 doesn't perform well in low light, relative to a three chip camera. However it's low light performance is better than most single chip camcorders.

While the HV30 doesn't have the controllability of a camera like the XH-A1 that we use, it still as a lot of control available. You can set shutter speed and focus manually. There is also manual exposure control, although you can't easily set a specific f stop. There are zebras (70 and 100%), as well as magnification and peaking to assist in manual focusing. You can also shoot in 24p (24 fps progressive scan) mode for a more film-like look.

The best part is that in good light the image from an HV30 rivals that of the XH-A1. Last week I used it at a wedding as a balcony camera. It was no problem intercutting the footage from the HV30 with the XH-A1. After a little balancing of levels you would be hard pressed to tell which camera shot what. Considering that the HV30 coast only $750 while the XH-A1 is $3400, this is remarkable.

I also shot some action footage at a local horse show a couple of days ago. The camera was hand held the entire time, and looked great due to the excellent optical image stabilizer.

Among consumer camcorders, the HV30 is top-notch. You can't get anything better for the price. You will be able to get professional quality images from the HV30 in many situations. Just make sure that you learn how to use it and know it's limitations. And excellent resource for the camera is the HV20/HV30 User Forum.