Home > Consumer Reviews > Canon HV30 High Definition Camcorder (10 x Optical Zoom With 2.7 inch Widescreen Multi-Angle Vivid LCD)

After buying a Sony HD camcorder which uses AVHCD, which hd material cannot be recorded on to convention dvd, I decided to go back to Canon and DV tape. Yes, as good as Sony regarding the HD picture but slower to start up from cold (the Sony had a 80 gb hard disc). Going back to dv tape means I can also play my old dv tapes from my previous Canon. Very good still pics even if only 3mp.

Dave Brown

Bought this camera last month, as I'm starting my own video business. Simply stunning pictures, played back through my HD TV. I have transferred the footage in HDV via a firewire cable, edited the footage and burnt the project to a Blu-ray disc. I can't see any difference between the raw camera footage and the edited Blu-ray vers. Amazing!
Even if you don't have a Blu-ray drive, the standard def results are pretty sharp too. I went for the HDV vers. rather than AVCHD as It's older but proven tech.
It's good buy it!!

I have had this camera for a good few months now so I am in a position to write a review on it, first of all the picture, it is a beautiful fine and richly detailed realistic picture when viewed on a plasma/LCD HD TV,even in low light set to cinemode the picture quality is more than acceptable. Sound from the built in mic is OK, but you should really be using an external mic. As for stills this is a video camera if you want stills buy a Digital SLR. If you are editing the footage I find that Pinnacle Studio 12 does a very good job of handling HDV footage, but the best way to capture it is to use HDV split free software on the net, it has scene splitting capabilities so it is just a case of connecting your camera, start the software press record and all of the footage will be captured. I would recommend a decent PC for video editing I have a dual core 3.0 GHz with 4 GB ram and this is more than capable of handling HDV, I have been video editing for quite some time now and I always use Gigabyte motherboards with Intel chipsets, I read an article years ago on the subject and the Intel chipset was always recommended. The main purpose of a video camera is to record good sound and vision, that is exactly what this machine does. HDV on tape is by no means dead, AVCHD is very difficult to edit and you need a very high spec machine to handle it, this camera handles well, the LCD screen works well outside, there are a host of manual controls including zebra patterning, all in all a very good machine, it does however have a niggle or two but really these are minor compared to all the positives this camera has to offer. 10/10

I agree with what most other reviewers have said. This camcorder produces video of fantastic quality, especially when played through an HDTV. The lens is very impressive, producing good results whether at 10x zoom or in extreme close up. Unlike some other people, I've had very good results in low light too. The only criticism I have of the camera itself is that it has to be held at a rather awkward angle which produces a cramped wrist after prolonged use. Turning to the package, and given its price, I would have expected Canon to have supplied at least one tape cassette and the micro SD card in the box, to allow you to use the camcorder straight away. Although it isn't all that clear from the advertising blurb, Mac users have to buy a Firewire cable as the supplied USB cable isn't compatible. The inclusion of a component video lead in the box, but not an HDMI cable, seems odd too. In summary, an excellent product, but Canon need should look at what purchasers actually need in order to use it straight out of the box.

I bought this camera on recommendation after spending a considerable amount of time reading reviews. My main concern was spending so much on a tape based camera when the market is moving towards solid state. I am delighted I opted for the HV30. The quality is absolutely stunning. I intend to keep all the HDV recorded material archived on tape.

Currently I connect our camera to a Panasonic DMREX78 HDD recorder and transfer from there to DVD. Whilst obviously this is a standard definition transfer, it's so painless - no time consuming format conversion/editing required. Plus the original content is still on tape anyway in full high definition. You will need a Firewire cable for this or indeed for transfer to a PC. None is provided with the camera. Eventually I will purchase a similar HDD BluRay recorder and will repeat the transfer from tape in HDV.

I agree with previous reviewer I am delighted the HV30 still bucks the trend and relies on tried and tested tape technology. I would order an additional battery; you get about an hour or so out of a single charge.

In automatic mode, the camera is so simple to use. The vast majority of people will probably never need to explore the huge range of features. My wife uses the camera very easily. We are more interested in just capturing the moment than spending hours post recording in editing suites. By very modern standards it does have a fair size footprint, but feels comfortable in the hand. I love this camera, one of the best purchases I have ever made.