Canon HV20 3MP High Definition MiniDV Camcorder with 10x Optical Image Stabilized Zoom | 
| Brand: Canon
Buy New: $619.00
New (5) Used (3) Refurbished (6) from $499.95
Rating:  106 reviews
Sales Rank: 612
Media: Electronics
Batteries Included: No
Floppy Disk Drive: None
Optical Zoom: 10
Display Size: 2.7
Maximum Focal Length: 61
Minimum Focal Length: 6.1
Shipping Weight (lbs): 8
Dimensions (in): 0.1 x 0 x 0
Warranty: 1 year warranty
MPN: CAN-HV20
Model: HV20
UPC: 013803083200
EAN: 0013803083200
ASIN: B000MUV6BA
Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days
Shipping: Expedited shipping available
Condition: Brand New, Instock, Ships Right Away!
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| Features:
| • | HDV camcorder with 1/2.7-inch CMOS image sensor; 24p Cinema Mode | | • | High-definition 10x optical zoom lens; super-range optical image stabilizer | | • | Advanced photo features: up to 3-megapixel stills, histogram display, built-in flash, and more | | • | 2.7-inch color widescreen LCD; color viewfinder | | • | HDMI terminal; advanced accessory shoe |
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| Editorial Reviews:
Product Description
You've heard of HDTV and expect to get one if you haven't already. Here's a camcorder that lets you record your own HDTV-compatible images. The stylish Canon HV20 gives you the ultimate in HD video and digital photo quality with advanced features. Its 10x optical zoom lens, 2.96 Megapixel CMOS image sensor and Canon's advanced DIGIC DVII image processor ensures meticulous detail and superior color reproduction. 24p Cinema Mode brings Film-Look options to the HV20 owner. 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. Focal Length - f=6.1-61mm Zoom Speed - Variable/3 Fixed Zoom Speeds Max. F/Stop - f/1.8-3.0mm Filter Size - 43mm 2.7-inch Widescreen LCD Screen (Approx. 211,000 pixels) and color viewfinder High Definition miniDV (recommended) (63 minutes) or miniDV Cassette Recording Media Microphone Terminal - 3.5 mm Stereo Mini Jack HDMI USB 2.0 Full Speed Terminal for fast transfer of photos Analog-Digital Converter lets you share the precious video memories you have stored on analog videotapes Advanced Accessory Shoe Terminal - Attach extras such as a video light or directional microphone without additional wires or batteries to raise the production value of the video you shoot Dimensions - Width 3.5 x Height 3.2 x Depth 5.4 inch Weight - 1.2 pounds without lens and battery pack Canon 1 Year Parts And Labor Limited Warranty
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| Customer Reviews: Read 101 more reviews...
 Excellent value, image quality, features, manual controls December 23, 2007
L. G. CHARLOT (California, USA)
129 out of 129 found this review helpful
The HV-20 is Canon's "flagship" camcorder, and received CamcorderInfo.com's "2007 Camcorder of the Year" award. It has the best low-light image quality in it's class (in 24p mode, using 1/48th second shutter speed), and CCI says that it has the overall best image quality of all comparable models.
What I like about the HV-20:
1. High definition 1440x1080i video image, using MPEG-2 compression. The similar Canon HG-10 outputs the full 1920x1080i resolution, but since it uses the more aggressive MPEG-4 compression scheme, it's low light performance suffers. Another advantage of the HV-20 is that MPEG-2 is easier to edit than MPEG-4.
2. Manual focus control that is relatively easy to access. The focus control consists of a button and wheel placed just behind the lens on the left side. The button toggles between manual and auto focus and the wheel effects the actual focussing. A lens-mounted ring would be a lot better, but these have gone by the way side on consumer priced camcorders - you have to spend $2500 or more on a semi-pro model to get a focus ring nowadays. WHY MANUAL FOCUS IS IMPORTANT: Digital cameras in general often have trouble focusing in low light or low contrast situations, for example shooting seascapes on a foggy day where everything is shades of gray and outlines are blurry and dim. On auto focus, the camera will "hunt" back and forth trying to lock focus, or will lose lock and start hunting in the middle of a shot, ruining that take. You will get better results if you use manual focus in these conditions.
3. Stereo Microphone jack, mounted on the side instead of the front. If you buy any MiniDV camcorder, you will eventually want to use an external shotgun or lavalier microphone. The built-in mic on almost any MiniDV tape drive camcorder is going to pick up the whine from the tape drive and lens zoom motors; an external mic will eliminate this problem. NOTE: The HV-20's mic jack is a stereo input, so that you can use two separate mics with a y-cable, or a single mic with a Mono-to-Stereo adapter. Radio Shack sells a suitable one for $3.00, their part number is 274-374. I use it with the ATR-55 shotgun and ATR-35 lavalier mics I bought for use with the HV-20. If you don't use this type of adapter, a mono microphone will only give a signal to the left audio channel on the HV-20 camcorder, leaving the right channel silent. The adapter will split the signal from the mic equally to both channels, which sounds better. Canon sells a shotgun mic for this camera that is stereo, and uses the camera's hot shoe, but at $150 it was three time the price of the ATR-55 shotgun, so I passed on it.
4. Ability to do "pass-through" Analog-to-digital transcoding. For example, if you have old family videos shot on VHS or 8mm analog videotape, you can use the "pass-through" capability of the HV-20 to convert the analog video to 720x480i digital video that can then be edited on a computer. You connect a VCR or your old Hi-8 camcorder to the HV-20 with component video cables (that's the red, white, and yellow cables that come with the HV-20), then connect the HV-20 to your computer with a firewire cable. Start the capture software on the computer, then play the analog tape - the HV-20 will transcode the analog video to digital video and pass it to the computer. You can then perform whatever type of image clean-up your video software supports, and output your old wedding or baby videos to DVD! Not every camcorder supports this, so it was a bonus feature that drew me to the HV-20.
5. Decent ergonomics. The camera feels pretty good in the hand and the controls are pretty good, with a few exceptions, most notably the zoom rocker, which is very poor compared to the EXCELLENT zoom rocker on Canon's own HG-10. What a shame that the HV-20 doesn't share this zoom rocker with the HG-10! Sony's camcorders generally have better "feel" in the hand than the HV-20, but I wanted the best image quality possible, so ergonomics was secondary in my priorities.
6. Well thought out layout of controls and I/O jacks. Some camcorders place I/O jacks UNDER THE BATTERY, requiring you to remove the battery to use them, meaning that you MUST power the camera with the AC adapter to use these jacks. STUPID! What if you are in the field, and don't have access to any power source other than the camera's battery? Thankfully, the HV-20 doesn't seem to suffer from any bone-head design bloopers like that. I also liked the fact that the HV-20 is fully self-contained, compared to a certain Sony model that does not have a firewire jack on the camera itself: you have to use a "docking station" to download this camera to a computer (another dumb design IMO).
7. 24P shooting mode: This is one of the "key" features on the Canon HV-20 and HG-10, and is really one of the primary features that would lead someone to choose one of these Canon's over a Sony, Panasonic, or JVC high-def camcorder. The primary benefit of 24P seems to be that it substantially improves the camera's low light capability, generally this is because 24p uses 1/48 second shutter speed instead of 1/60th second. In CamcorderInfo.com's 4-way "shootout" between the 4 top brands of High def camcorders, the HV-20 won the low-light image quality test hands-down. The HG-10 happens to use the same sensor, lens, and DIVIC processing chip as the HV-20, but it's low light capability suffers from compression noise caused by the MPEG-4 (AVCHD) compression algorithm. If the best possible low-light image quality is something you will need from your camcorder, avoid any model using AVCHD compression - this includes all current (2007) high-def camcorders that store to DVD, Hard disc, and Flash memory cards.
8. Audio (microphone) input level can be manually controlled. This feature is not available on many other camcorders. However, at highly boosted gain levels, the audio recorded from this camera gets pretty "noisy" - use a low impedance (600 ohm) microphone to get best results.
What I don't like about the HV-20:
1. Poor zoom rocker - it doesn't stick up out of the camera body enough to offer a really good "grip" to your finger. It's still useable, but could be a lot better, like the HG-10's zoom rocker.
2. The cover over the accessory hot shoe is not attached in any way to the camera, making it inevitable that you will lose it eventually. I will fix this issue by drilling a small hole in the cover and making a lanyard for it out of heavy nylon thread which can then be tied to the camera's hand strap.
3. The joystick that you use to access the camera's menu system feels loose and wobbly, like it isn't the best quality. Joysticks on other digital cameras I've used feel more "solid". I guess for $700, I shouldn't expect the same components that you get on a $8000 professional video camera, but this joystick could have been a little better.
4. The viewfinder is physically fixed, and doesn't extend or swivel. This could be a problem if you use an aftermarket high capacity battery that sticks out from the camera's body (the BP-2L13 and BP2L14 batteries that I got for the camera don't stick out, but there might be some brands of aftermarket batteries that do?). Otherwise, the viewfinder's image quality is okay, and seems to be about the same as those of comparable Sony and Panasonic models.
OTHER ISSUES TO CONSIDER AS YOU RESEARCH A CAMCORDER PURCHASE:
1. Storage media: Currently, High Def camcorders are available that record to one or more of these four media: MiniDV tape, built-in Hard disk drive, MiniDVD-R/RW discs, and SD or MemoryStick (Sony) flash cards. The primary differences here are cost, time capacity and compression algorithm used. MiniDV tapes cost about $3.00 each and hold one hour of HD video at 25 megabits per second, and use HDV (MPEG-2) compression. Hard drive, DVD, and Flash card cameras all use AVCHD (MPEG-4) compression at 15 megabits per second; AVCHD is a much more aggressive type of compression than HDV, and most cameras using it have somewhat poorer image quality in low-light situations. AVCHD is also more difficult and processor intensive to edit, requiring a computer with more power than is needed to edit HDV video. Following are some specific's (keep in mind that the Canon HV-20 uses MiniDV tape):
ADVANTAGES OF MINI-DV TAPE: It's cheap and widely available, costing about $3.00 per one hour of video storage capacity. It's easier to edit HDV video than AVCHD video, and HDV offers better image quality in low light. The tape itself is your archival media, and should last at least 10~15 years if you store it in a suitable container that protects it from moisture, dust, and temperature extremes. NOTE: It takes 3 single-sided DVD's to hold the video from one Mini-DV tape if you want to use DVD's as your back-up archival media.
DISADVANTAGES OF MINI-DV TAPE: Real-time video transfer via Firewire; if you have a full 60 minute tape, it takes 60 minutes of real time to download your video to your computer. Also, the 25 megabit per second bandwidth may be too much for many older computers: even if you already have a Firewire card installed, if your computer's CPU, data bus, or hard drive can't accept the data stream at the rate it's being transmitted by the camera, you will at least lose frames and at worst, the whole captured video file could be trashed and unplayable. Tape drive cameras are more sensitive to humidity than the other types; condensation inside the camera's tape compartment will shut it down, requiring you to bring it indoors to an air-conditioned space to dry out. Motor noise from the tape drive can be picked up by the camera's built in microphones (same problem really with HDD and DVD cameras). The HV-20 is no exception, it's motor noise is clearly audible on the recorded video. Use an external mic (600 ohm for best results) to alleviate this problem. Keep in mind that you can remove unwanted noise from the audio track in post production with relatively inexpensive software
2. ADVANTAGES OF HARD DRIVE CAMERAS (Canon HG-10 especially): Stores the full 1920 x 1080i high def video; MiniDV tape cameras using HDV compression actually record only 1440 x 1080i (non-square pixels), requiring a resampling of the video in post-production to get 1920 x 1080i. Lots of storage capacity: Up to 5 hours on the 40 megabyte drive in the Canon HG-10. Fast and easy video transfer to your computer via USB; you don't need to install a firewire port if your PC doesn't have one already. Transferring an hour's worth of video from an HG-10 to a computer takes a lot less time than the same transfer on an HV-20. Less motor "whine" in the audio track than you have with tape drive cameras. Less sensitivity to environmental problems like dust and moisture.
DIDADVANTAGES OF HARD DRIVE CAMERAS: A little more expensive purchase price, about $100 more for the Canon HG-10 compared to the HV-20. The big disadvantage currently is the AVCHD compression: compared to HDV compression used in MiniDV tape cameras, it's harder to edit in post-processing software, and requires a more powerful computer. AVCHD video shows a LOT more noise and compression artifacts in low-light shots than you get with HDV video.
ADVANTAGES OF DVD CAMCORDERS: Only one really, and that's the ability to put the disc into a DVD player and view it, or transfer it to computer. Transfer of video to computer same as HDD (via USB) so faster than Tape drive. Hitachi recently came out with a high def camcorder that stores to Mini-BlueRay discs. I don't know for sure what the blank discs would cost, but you can bet they're way more expensive than regular 8cm DVD-RW's (Standard size blank BlueRay discs at Fry's cost $20 PER UNIT (December 2007))!
DISADVANTAGES OF DVD CAMCORDERS: Expensive media in terms of cost-per-minute of shooting time. The small, 8cm DVD's used in these camcorders have very limited capacity, only about 15~20 minutes at the highest image quality. DVD cameras tend to be bulkier, since the 80mm diameter disc takes up a lot of space compared to a 64mm wide x 45mm tall MiniDV tape. AVCHD Compression; same issues as for HDD cams in terms of loss of image quality and difficulty to edit in post-processing.
ADVANTAGES OF FLASH CARD CAMCORDERS: No moving parts in the storage media. This should mean longer service life and greater reliability. If flash memory continues to grow in capacity while dropping in cost, this type of camcorder could eventually bury Tape, HDD, and DVD. Easy transfer of video to PC over USB bus.
DISADVANTAGES OF FLASH CARD CAMCORDERS: Currently (2007) Most Expensive storage media: $140.00 for a 16 gigabyte SD card, compared to $3.00 for a 13 gigabyte MiniDV tape. Uses AVCHD compression; same issues as for HDD and DVD cams in terms of loss of image quality and difficulty to edit in post-processing.
 Failed Camera, Failed Customer Service October 13, 2007
J. Klopp
125 out of 152 found this review helpful
I bought the Canon HV20 4 months ago. The video quality is great, as many other reviews testify. But I have had major hardware problems.
One day my camera would not power up. I called Canon Tech Support and they told me I would need to send it in. This cost me $40 and 4 weeks. Canon's policy is 7-10 business days to ship the unit back, however in my case they "were very busy" and didn't open the box for a week, then took the full 10 days to process and repair my camera, then ground shipping. 4 WEEKS until I had my camera back! This down-time was made especially aggravating because I am currently on a year-long trip around North America.
What's worse than a new camera that fails? Answer: A new camera that fails twice.
After having my camera back for less than a month, the same problem reoccurred. The HV20 will not power up under any circumstance. I call Canon, they tell me I need to ship it in again. The only consolation is that they will cover the shipping cost this time. Canon's policy is "repair, not replacement", the nice customer service man told me. His name was Sean.
As a consumer, I am quite understanding of product failures, especially when the product is new to market. I accept some extra risk as an early adopter. But when a product fails twice, I want it replaced. I want Canon to ship me a new unit. I'm not willing to go without my new camera another 4 weeks of my trip. But this is all Canon is offering.
Beware the HV20 and Beware the Canon Repair Policy.
My Canon HV20 WOW Moments! April 9, 2007
C. Williams (Morgantown, WV)
109 out of 116 found this review helpful
You can't beat the HD picture quality from the HV20 based on actual user reviews and comparisons with all of the latest models. While this is a single CMOS sensor, it is a true 1920 x 1080 HD sensor of the same quality found in the award winning Canon Digital SLR cameras. Don't be fooled by a 3CCD camcorder that uses smaller sensor sizes and must use "pixel shifting".
I had already hooked up the HV20 to my 720p projector, and it did look great even at my typical 120". But I do know that my projector probably isn't calibrated very well to be honest.
So, my first WOW moment came when I decided to capture some of my best outdoor footage from my Canon Elura stock and compare it to some HV20 footage shot of my kids over the weekend at an Easter egg hunt. WOW, the difference in quality was even more pronounced than I realized. I guess that the resolution difference is what it is, but this is definitely serious HD quality.
The real defining WOW moment that has me "selling" all of my family and friends on this camcorder came last night when I hooked it up at my brother-in-law's house to his Sony Wega CRT HDTV display that does 1080i and is calibrated to perfection. You won't find a higher quality HD display than his set IMO, and my jaw dropped when my video first came up on his display That was the first time when I was truly able to see what my source footage was capable of in terms of its full resolution and AMAZING colors. We switched to Discovery HD on his set, and other than obvious production value aspects you honestly couldn't really say that it looked any more HD than the footage of my kids playing.
This is way more exciting to me than when I first saw broadcast HD and watched Monday Night Football because it is hard to describe how cool it is to see your kids on video in beautiful HD for a $1,000 price point. I can hardly wait to get out there and shoot some more footage.
HV20 REVIEW May 31, 2007
Angel_Pen
91 out of 92 found this review helpful
I am going to give it a 4 star rating because even though the image quality surpassed my expectations, you still need to buy an external microphone which defeats the portability of the camera. Here is a quick review:
Pros:
1) The image is as sharp as they say it is if not better.
2) Awesome White Balance, never seen anything better.
3) Amazing latitude.
4) Color rendition comparable to more expensive 3CCD cameras.
5) The optical stabilizer is the best one I have seen in my entire life as a professional cameraman, you won't believe your eyes.
6) More sensitive in low light than advertised!
7) Audio line-in for external mike.
8) Canon HD footage is universally compatible unlike Sony's proprietary compression. Avoid Sony HD cameras, you won't be able to edit easily with Sony.
Cons:
1) Built-in mike is too sensitive to camera noise and it is completely useless in windy conditions.
2) The Canon battery included will record about one hour of High Definition. The BP-2l14 (not included) may last two hours.
3) Playback buttons are difficult to find and press in dark environments or at night.
4) Audio monitoring is not automatic, playing back recorded audio on headphones is a real pain requiring extra steps.
5) Editing canon footage is easier than editing Sony footage but it is still costly and cumbersome.
Conclusion: This camera is not for the novice, don't buy it unless you are willing to spend extra money on a High-Definition LCD Monitor, an external microphone ($100-$150) and a third-party battery (min $50).
Turn on the sound attenuator if you are under windy conditions. Despite what you may have heard, even the cheapest miniDV tape will work perfectly, do not buy expensive miniDV tapes, it makes absolutely no difference. I like TDK better than SONY.
Do not buy a MiniDV Cleaner Tape, they are useless, take your camera to a repair shop in the unlikely event that you experience glitches, they know how to clean the camera heads best.
If you plan to edit the footage avoid using the 24 frames per second mode. It is best to shoot at regular video speeds and create the "film look" later, in post. Leave the 24-fps for the amateur film-makers.
**THIRD PARTY BATTERY WARNING**
Bigger batteries do not necessarily last longer, it depends. Lots of third party "replacement" batteries are available on the Internet, they are a lot cheaper, sometimes 1/3 less BUT BEWARE, these companies use deceptive advertisement, their batteries claims are almost always untrue. Any company claiming that they make a battery that last longer than two hours (or over 1500mAh) is lying to you, also, some third party batteries (like Impact) are too big for the HV20, they stick out over one inch from the back of the HV20, so much so that you may not be able to place your eye on the viewfinder while you record. It is probably safer to buy Canon batteries.
Indie Film maker's dream... with a catch August 9, 2007
David Cooley (Virginia Beach, Va USA)
70 out of 71 found this review helpful
I did a lot of researching on HDV cameras. I looked high and low for a camera that could do the pro features on a not-pro budget. For most people who want a great HD camcorder for home movies, i would recommend it without hesitation. For serious film students who want the look of 24p (film style) read on...
There is a small catch that people need to be aware of if they need the raw 24 progressive frames.
The HV20 DOES capture 24p, but in what is known as 1080pA. The 1080pA means it's really recording at standard 60i and when you capture it onto your computer, the footage is not technically in 24 frames per second (yet). It is in 30. There are (5) progressive frames and then one interlaced frame. What you will need to do is called 2:3:3:2 pull down. The reverse technique of putting film onto video. And as of right now, no editing software can do this pulldown method for the HV20. Sony Vegas can do it for the Sony HDV camera with 1080pA. But Canon did not include a "tag" on the video to tell the few editing softwares out there how to get the 24 frames out without messing with the footage. It seems because this is a "consumer grade" camera, they never thought it important.
This isn't much of a problem if you're going to dvd, because you'll never notice this while the video plays. It'll be great footage regardless. But if you're like me, and you have a need to use the direct 24 progressive images (in my case it's to put graphics and animation on top of the video) you need to be aware that as of right now, there are few solutions out there to get the footage.
The best way has been solved by some folks on www.hv20.com forum. All discussions for this camera. These brilliant folks have come up with a way to use a few free shareware programs to do the work for you. It's free. And there's lots of people there to help you out. I was able to get it up and running in just a few minutes after reading the great directions available.
Other thoughts:
Dark shooting - Cinemode works great. Took it to SeaWorld and Shamu night show was awesome!! Fireworks also looked great.
You'll need LARGE hard drives. I'd recommend an external Firewire or USB 2 drive. I have a Lacie 1 terabyte drive for all of my work. They work very well and are not that expensive considering.
Sony Vegas seems to be the software of choice from most of the users I've talked to. Vegas movie studio is only $120 or so. Apple's Final Cut software is also a favorite among mac users. But be sure you get a good HD editing program. The HV20 does not come with any software other than a disk to let you get the still images off the camera.
HD is heavy duty files on a computer. Be sure your computer is fast enough to handle capturing footage, editing video, and playing back HD video.
If you buy this camera, be sure to join the HV20.com folks. They've been a huge help to me, and I know they will help you too.
Good luck!!
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