Latest reviews about Canon - HV20 HDV Digital Camcorder

jen-jen says "Best Camcorder I've had!" about Canon - HV20 HDV Digital Camcorder

jen-jen — Fri, 17 Apr 2009 21:08:18 GMT

I've had this camera for a few weeks now and I'm really enjoying it. The video I've taken with it seems to rival the quality from PBS HD, but of course I'm not a professional videographer. It sure has GREAT video quality! And I may not be no tech geek or anything but this camcorder is such an ease to use!
The size is surprisingly small. Not all huge and bulky. I don't think they will be able to make this thing any smaller in future versions. I think it would hurt the design rather than make it better.
I almost forgot about the audio problems! Within the first hour of getting the camera I noticed that I could hear the tape mechanism while taping. It was very loud and very noticeable. I was getting ready to take the camera back because of it. Fortunately it seems it was just that the camera needed to be "broken in". Once I watched some video, fast forwarded and rewound the tape a few times the sound went completely away. Now I can't be happier.

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mdaren11112 says "about average" about Canon - HV20 HDV Digital Camcorder

mdaren11112 — Sun, 16 Dec 2007 18:59:42 GMT

From afar, the right side of the HV20 has a familiar horizontal design akin to the Sony HC7, albeit with a fresh coat of silver paint. These camcorders have similar tape hatch designs. Only on the HV20, you'll find the microphone jack, AV/headphone jack, and component terminal hiding behind a rubberized port cover toward the lens end of the camcorder. Although we've blasted Canon in the past for equipping their camcorders with flimsy plastic port covers, the HV20 proudly sports a burly, flexible enclosure. Mounting both the mic and headphone jacks in one location is easy on the memory. But because Canon condensed the headphone and AV jacks into one, make sure you manually select the correct mode, or you'll be treated to a raucous surprise outlined in the Audio section....

charlesbing says "have better in the market" about Canon - HV20 HDV Digital Camcorder

charlesbing — Sun, 16 Dec 2007 18:46:34 GMT

For a consumer who needs 8mm/Hi8/digial 8 functionality, the TRV460 is an obvious choice. But for the consumer who is looking to venture into the MiniDV format (overall smaller camcorder/tape size), the GR-D33 might be a good stepping stone camcorder. The GR-D33 promises to have good video and low light performance, so the slight upgrade investment may be worth it. Making the transition has its pros and cons, the pros being, if you own an older Digital8 camcorder with a DV in/out port, you have the option of digitally copying your older tapes to the newer format. MiniDV tapes are more expensive, and this is something to consider when considering the transition. However, the cost has been lowered considerably over the years, and if last years trend is ever repeated (dropping the TRV line from 5 models to 2) Digital8 may soon be a thing of the past....

amospa says "This is a fabulous camera!" about Canon - HV20 HDV Digital Camcorder

amospa — Sun, 18 Nov 2007 04:44:44 GMT

We purchased this camera before our trip overseas. I didn't have time to read anything about it, we just put it together and tried it out. It was so easy to use! You can record in Standard Def or High Def. It's nice and compact. I highly recommend the camera case. We were in monsoon season and had the camera with us during a massive downpour. We opened the case up and there was no water whatsoever. The microphone does fine. We are thrilled with the HV20!...

gds0813 says "Avoid if you can hear the tape motor because the mic records it." about Canon - HV20 HDV Digital Camcorder

gds0813 — Sat, 17 Nov 2007 04:28:23 GMT

This was my first entry into the camcorder world. After doing a lot of research to find the camcorder with the best image (hi-def) that I could afford I was please with all of the features based on my research.

Use of the camcorder was easy. The focus was fast and accurate and the zoom was easy to use.

The problem was the audio. The built in mic recorded the whine of the tape motor. When the tape was played back it seemed like it was amplifying this sound. I couldn't play the tape without it annoying me.

In all fairness, if you record in areas where there is a significant amount of noise you will probably not hear the motor whine. I tend to record in areas where there is little noise so the motor is easily heard, such as recording wildlife or young children (when they are not going wild).

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