Canon HV-10 HDV Camcorder (2.96MP, 10x Opt, 200x Dig, 2.7" LCD)

User Reviews for Canon HV-10 HDV Camcorder (2.96MP, 10x Opt, 200x Dig, 2.7" LCD)

• Reviewed by: sanrafa

  Duration of ownership:

  Strengths: Hi-definition video, small size, price, features, picture quality

  Weaknesses: Have to adapt to new way of holding camera. Picture quality in low light.

  Overall Evaluation: This camera is great. The picture quality in hi-def in sunlight compares to hi-def programming on TV. You have to adapt to holding the camera with your fingers in a different way, but once you get used to it, then it becomes easy to handle. The first few days I was concerned, but now I love it. There's no better hi-def camera in the market in my opinion. I like the small size, the small buttons don't bother me like others, and the price of $649 in Amazon is unbeatable. Go for it, you won't regret it.
• Reviewed by: kgivens

  Duration of ownership:

  Strengths: Hi-def in the palm of your hand! More features than you can possibly need. Outstanding image quality on hi-def playback.

  Weaknesses: Probably too expensive for the casual user. Pitiful battery life. Definite learing curve if you expect to master this thing. May be too small for some, buttons are close together

  Overall Evaluation: Got forced into upgrading the family camcorder when my son started an ambitious science fair project that involves capturing video of red blood cells moving through vessels on the surface of the human eye (no lie). We needed a way to capture the image to tape, and hi-def seemed like a good idea at the time. Was amazed at the tiny size of this camcorder when it arrived. Weight will not be a problem if you are travelling with it. The main flaw is simply the density of buttons, jacks and switches on the tiny camera body, and the incredible font of features they represent. Took me about an hour of reading the manual and experimenting to figure out how to capture a video stream into the camera. Read many reviews that commented on the short battery life, all of which said you will probably want to upgrade to a longer-life battery. I didn't run out of juice during any or our trials, but constantly worried about it. At the end of the day, we were very impressed with the video quality, at least for our geeky science videos. Now I'm looking for an opportunity to film our kids with it!