The HV-20 is Canon's "flagship" camcorder, and received "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 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.
UPDATE: June 2010
The camcorder took a fall on a vacation last month when a strong wind gust blew the whole tripod over. The impact was on the unit's left side, on a wood deck, and the LCD screen became cracked. About 1/4 of the screen is now permanently blacked out, but the camera still records and plays, so I can still use it, albeit only with the viewfinder.
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.
Buy Canon HV20 3MP High Definition MiniDV Camcorder with 10x Optical Image Stabilized Zoom Now
Hi Everyone,We got this camera to use on a 7 week tour we just completed across Europe. We're big Canon fans and own a Canon XL2 which we use to video a lot of live music events in the work we do. Because of the length of the tour and flying, we had to get a smaller camera and this seemed like a good choice. We are not pro's nor are we videophiles. We're just average users who shoot a lot of interesting places and footage. We do it to archive places and people and events. I doubt most average users shoot as much footage as we do, so perhaps this will be of help to others since we faced a wide variety of real world situations.
Ruggedness: It gets a surprising 10 out of 10. We had this thing in all sorts of bad weather conditions including a solid week of heavy downpours across Belgium and Germany. We used it in the rain (with efforts to shield it a bit in the heaviest storms) and it chugged along with no problem. We took it in and out of pockets (it fits in sweatshirt and jacket pockets pretty easily.. I even got it to fit in my jeans pocket in a pinch (I am a big guy with big pockets) and I was worried that it would break with all the wear and tear. But it held up perfectly. (Which is more than I can say for my Canon G7 digital camera which completely fell apart or the Canon 30 D which had all sorts of dirt on the mirror problems during the same trip). We recorded over 30 hours of footage in the 7 weeks and it worked just as well at the end as the start. The camera feels very light and flimsy and I was sure it would break in some way. But it held up like a champ.
Battery Life: It gets an average 7 out of 10. We started and stopped the camera constantly and left it in pause mode lot. The battery far surpassed our expectations. We had a back up battery but rarely ever had to use. (I think 1 time we drained the battery completely in one day's shooting of about 2 hours of footage). I think it would be very rare for a normal user (family, vacations, holidays) to need more than 2 batteries (we had extended life batteries, not the small one it comes with). Each night we usually just pulled the batter out of the camera and recharged it and put it back in. I do recall the back up battery draining down a bit faster after a few days of non use, so if you have a critical shoot coming up, check the power on the charged back up to make sure it's holding it's charge. Also, we did have 1 bad battery that we had to replace. (It was a name brand canon). But that's not the fault of the camera itself. For practical purposes, having 2 batteries should cover well over 3 hours of use. Not fantastic, but acceptable.
Low Light Picture Quality: This gets a 7 out of 10. We shot at night and in a lot of really dark places. It doesn't have a "night shot" infrared feature (you know, that weird green lit footage you see on the Travel Channel ghost show?), but it does have a tiny built in light. And guess what? That little light actually works surprising well. It won't light up a room by any stretch but it will light up an item or subject pretty well. We used it for short commentary (we described a lot of places we visited travel channel style to help us remember who we met, what we did and what we saw for later) and even in pitch dark, you could light up the person enough for an interview. We even used it one night as a flash light at Pompeii when we stayed until after sundown and there were no lights in a building we visited. As for the video footage itself, in low light conditions it was shockingly good. It got grainy of course, but you could make out what was going on very clearly in every dark scene we shot. We didn't really expect it to do so well but it surpassed our hopes.
Good Light Footage: It gets a 9 out of 10. We got really excellent footage all over Europe. The colors are vibrant. It even handled backlit situations well with the back light feature. (Not perfect.. but much better than without the feature). It didn't transition well from low light to bright light and back.. but overall it did correct itself acceptably fast to the light/shade conditions in daylight/bright light shooting.
Focus: It gets an 8 out of 10. Focus was sometimes hit or miss. We found if we weren't closely monitoring what was being recorded, it would occasionally go out of focus and get hopelessly lost until we adjusted the zoom manually. So this was a bit less than we expected/hoped for as we aren't always able to monitor live action footage closely.
Audio: It gets a miserable 1 out of 10. Sadly.. the Achilles heal on this camera is the audio. It's terrible on pretty much every level. The camera has an incredibly loud whine in the motor and the mic picks it up loudly. A pro might be able to go into the editing room and cut some of it out, but the average user is simply out of luck. In addition to the built in noise that can't be avoided, (tape mechanism and zoom are BOTH horribly loud) the mic is very sensitive and just amplifies the sound even more. If you are taping in a quiet setting, it's awful. If you're in a noisy place, it's better simply because the noise can drown a lot of it out (but it's still there). To make matters worse, if you're outside, it's almost impossible to record someone talking if there's the slightest breeze. If it's windy, forget it. The wind noise drowns out even loud and direct audio. (We couldn't even hear live music outside blasting if the wind was blowing at all). A little tip in desperation is to simply find the best angle to point the camera to avoid some of the brutal wind noise. But it's useless if you want to do anything with the tape beyond capture a video memory. We also purchased the Canon External Zoom Mic and guess what? It lessens the tape mechanism noise a little, but it makes the zoom noise even worse. So that purchase solved nothing at all. This little camera might have been the best on the market.. but the miserable audio capabilities just make it a nightmare if you hope to use the footage for anything other than video. (i.e. you'll need a non mounted external mic if you want to capture decent audio directly onto the tape... most pro's use external audio recordings, but most normal users don't). You can (and should) monitor the audio in real time when possible. The external mic jack can give you a scare if you haven't read the manual. You need to go into the settings and change the audio jack to headphones setting otherwise you'll get a horrible buzz when you put on the phones. It's several menus deep and a bad design. In addition, it kept resetting back to default (i.e. the buzzing came back) each time you shut it off, so you'd have to go back into the menu again (even though the little headphone icon would stay lit.. you still had to reset it manually via the menus). That was really annoying and time consuming if you wanted to get a quick spontaneous shot. Usually we went without monitoring the audio because of that and after the fact realized that was a grave mistake. If you care about the audio that will be on the tape, you have to monitor and adjust in real time as best you can. Also keep in mind even minimal directional changes vastly changes the sounds you'll pick up even without a directional mic attached. If you pan away from someone talking to show something over their shoulder for example, expect their audio level to lower dramatically. Again, Pro's will know this and handle it. Average users will find out when it's too late.
Canon External Mic: 6 out of 10. As mentioned above, it didn't solve the mechanical noise problem. But it does cut back on the wind noise and it does cause the audio to be more directional than the built in mic. It didn't seem to boost the levels much though and if anything it was actually less sensitive than the built in mic. Sadly, I am not aware of any other solution if you want to keep the camera in one piece.
Viewfinder: 8 out of 10. The LCD viewer is wide screen and looks great. It's quite easy to flip around in different angles and all the way around so you can tape yourself and view that you're on screen. It's got most of the controls on it at the bottom and seemed pretty rugged as we twisted and turned it all different ways for 7 weeks and had no problem with it. The only downside is that the manual viewfinder (i.e. not the LCD screen) is pretty bad and pretty useless to use much. It's always going out of focus and often when it was damp out it fogged up and was unusable. For most folks, you'll be using the LCD 95% of the time.
Playback on the camera: This gets an 8 out of 10. It was pretty easy to view your shots back and the little built in speaker works surprisingly well to see what you got. You can turn the viewscreen all the way around and view it on the side of the camera. Unfortunately there's no rewind/play/forward buttons on the body of the camera. You can only find those functions on the viewscreen or access them via the little remote control. I suggest keeping that handy as it's a lot easier to do it that way. With the large viewscreen it was great to play back stuff throughout the trip and remember what we had done.
Playback into something else: This doesn't get a rating but we have some comments. The camera has an HDMI output which allows for High Def video and audio to go directly into your HD TV without additional cables/cords. That's great. We can't rate it because we don't have a TV or device to hook it into so we don't know how well it works. We do have Component inputs and the camera comes with a cable for that purpose. The video doesn't look a good as I am sure it would look via an HDMI cable into a HD TV or computer but we can't fault the camera for that. Keep in mind to view this stuff you're going to need more gear at home.
Working with HD On the Computer: Again, not rating here, but just a reminder that most video editing software and most computers in the average home won't deal with HD video. You probably already know that if you're looking at an HD Camera.. but some folks don't realize it. We're looking at getting a high end Mac or Windows machine that can handle HD Video with the software that supports HD. That's another big investment you'll likely have to make if you haven't already. Otherwise you'll have to be happy just playing stuff back using the camera as a VCR and your Hi Def TV as your viewer.
Ergonomics: 6 out of 10. This camera doesn't feel great in your hand. The zoom slider is awkward and not easy to reach with your fingers (no matter what size your hand is.. my wife had trouble with a small hand, I had trouble with a large hand). We did get used to it during the trip and once we were, we didn't have too many problems.. but I wonder if anyone at Canon actually held this thing before it went to market. It's surprisingly non-ergonomic. We also couldn't ever find a setting on the hand strap that was good for both of us to use so we'd have to either grasp it awkwardly or change the velcro setting before each shot which also hurt spontaneous shooting.
Start Up Time: 7 out of 10: This thing starts reasonably fast and you can usually start shooting video within a few seconds. Certainly not anywhere close to instant on like our 30D digital cam, but reasonably fast so you can get shots within about 5-6 seconds if you're quick at the trigger.
Size: 10 out of 10: This camera is the right size. Though it's not ergonomic, you can definitely carry it in any coat pocket and even front jeans pants pockets if they/you are large. That was handy if I need to quickly set the camera down to switch to the digital camera. Sliding it into my jeans pocket was a great safe temporary place to put it when I didn't have a coat on.
In summary, Canon got everything right on this camera except the audio. If you need to be able to hear what's going on without hum or whine or buzz, you're going to have issues with this camera. If you're a pro and have a separate audio recording on an external device, then this camera will be fantastic for quick and easy shots using a handheld. If you're just doing family stuff (Holidays etc..) and the audio is less important than the visuals, then you may still be happy. If you shoot stuff like kids sports games etc.. the wind noise is going to be a serious problem if you want ot hear anything. Getting the external mic will be helpful in that case. (Not sure that I've seen a wind screen solution for this camera anywhere). I don't know what's on the immediate horizon, but you may want to wait and see if there's another generation of Canon cameras coming and then hope they've solved some of these issues for the average user who wants acceptable built in sound.
But dang.. the video quality is stunning!
Good luck and happy videotaping!
Brian
Brian Austin Whitney
Founder
Just Plain Folks Music OrganizationI 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 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!!I purchased this camcorder almost 6 months ago, for both personal and professional uses. I made my decision because of the overwhelmingly positive professional reviews. You cannot go wrong with either a Canon HV20 or a Sony HC7, they have very similar characteristics. One thing that the Canon has is the true 24p mode which is important for indy filmmakers and also improves low light performance indoors and out.
I can attest to the durability of this unit as I put it through a limited torture test over 6 months. Its been to Hawaii which actually has many different environments. Dry, hot, wet, humid, and rain. Yes, there were shots that I had to get of waterfalls that got the camcorder sprinkled with a light mist. The camcorder performed perfectly. I quickly wiped off any moisture after I got the shot. Its been on a boat and down hiking trails.
The video in good lighting is spectacular. Lighting is the most important aspect of good video making. Even the best camcorder will perform poorly if the lighting is not good. The best time to video for the most spectacular results is either overcast days or where the sun is not visible. A sunny day is not the best for video, since you get extremes in contrast. Of course a dark environment is also not the best for video making. Canon's 24p mode is a great addition to help in the low light department, but I recommend a strong video light for very dark areas. The HV20 is the cheapest true 24p camcorder.
I also had the opportunity to take video in standard definition (this camcorder will do both High Def, and standard. I needed to take some video of a professional sports team, and interview. The requirements were standard definition. The outdoor shot were the best I have ever seen from a camcorder in standard definition. I put it on a standard DVD and played it in the home player and it was excellent. So you can shoot either way. Standard def can be put directly to regular DVD today.
Sound is very good, but I recommend that you get a wireless microphone for any interviews. I bought the Audio Technica wireless lavelier microphone. It can go up to 100 feet away and sounded very good.
Still pictures were good. Its nice to have if you don't want to lug around a still camera. But as with any camcorder, you will get your best shots from a dedicated still camera.
Overall this is a great camcorder. If you are doing editing, your best bet is to use a tape based HDV camcorder. They are less compressed (better quality) video than Hard Disk or memory card based camcorders. At least for now.
Some more tips for this camcorder: use the sony high definition tapes (available here at amazon), if you want, you can get a wide angle adapter lens, get a good case that can hold your camcorder and accessories and get at least 1 extra battery. I also recommend that you get a clear filter and lens cap if you are going to be in conditions where the lens could get dust, dirt or water. Its much easier to clean the filter than to clean the primary lens. This camcorder does have an automatic lens cover, but since I was in rainy conditions I found the filter to be very useful.
When in a car, you will many times see a reflection from the dash on the windshield. If you have ever worn polarized sunglasses you know that that will get rid of that glare. The same is true for the camcorder. Get a polarized lens if you plan to do filming in a car during the day, or are going to be outdoors in bright light, especially near the glare that comes off the ocean.
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