Anybody have the Canon HV30 Camcorder? Do you like it?

Question

I think I am going to buy it. I just wanted a few opinions on it

Answer 1

I don't think you could have made a better choice :)

I used the Canon HV20 (similar to the HV30) in a beginning video production course and loved it. It was actually my first taste of HD, and I gotta say, the resolution was very very good, but what really impressed me was it's excellent color saturation.  

It also has a 24p mode, which was perfect for me on a short film I did. You don't see 24p on many camcorders, especially consumer cameras. If I'm not mistaken, the HV30 is the cheapest 24p camcorder. In a short overview, 24p simulates the look of 24fps, like that on a traditional celluloid film camera, making your digital video look like it was shot on film....that's a good thing, but it can be a bit difficult to edit with

Overall, the HV30 is a nice, compact and easy to use camera. It's not overwhelming whatsoever, even as an HD camera.

The HV30 also has 3.5mm stereo microphone jack, which is very useful. Granted, it's not the best choice; XLR jacks are better for more professional mics, but for a $780 camera, a stereo-mini is excellent. It'll allow you to connect any external mini-stereo microphone (like a shotgun, lavalier, or handheld) to the camera, because honestly, the HV30's on-board mic isn't too impressive....Don't worry though--ALL cameras have crappy built-in mics, which is why an external mic jack is super important.

One thing that bugs me about the HV30 is it's manual controls. They suck. This would frustrate a lot of serious filmmakers, but if you are more the point-and-shooter, it'll be fine. On the contrary, the HV30 would be great, considering it has THE fastest and best autofocus I have ever seen. It's automatic mode is soo great, and it's manual controls are sooo bad that I tend to leave it in auto mode and am perfectly fine.

Another thing to consider is the requirements of an HD workflow. Yeah....well... it kinda sucks. HD takes up a lot of space and if you have a bad computer, the lag will drive you crazy. Of course, you could always shoot in standard definition mode, which is easy enough to change at the click of a button in the menu. I shot in standard def DV mode once, and it looked good on my 50" TV.

But don't let me discourage you from using HD though. It can be a lot of fun, and really cool. Just get a nice external hard drive (like a 500GB Firewire drive is good) and your computer will be happy :)

So in conclusion: yes, I like it.

Good luck!