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• Canon HV20 MiniDV Camcorder

• Price Range

  $598.89 - $999.99
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• Overall Rating
  4 Star Review

  Reviewed by: gerrywhite

  Updated:07-19-07

  Duration of ownership:2 Months

  Strengths: HDMI output is a major plus Video under low-light levels is very good Video in daylight in HD is incredible Easy to handle once you get used to it

  Weaknesses: Zoom button is a bit small Cover for hot shoe does not have connector -- so it could be easily lost Mea culpa -- can't figure out how to adjust speaker volume

  Overall Evaluation: I already had a miniDV camcorder (Panasonic GS59) when I decided to buy this one. While my GS59 does a great job, doing video with HD was something I could not resist. Thank goodness for 2-year no-interest payment plans! This camera is easy to handle and it comes with a hi-capacity battery. Some of the accessories I had to get included: - a car-adapter charger and an extra battery - shoulder strap - cushioned camera bag My next purchases will be a wide-angle adapter (43mm) and a polarizing filter. Keep those in mind if you get this camera. The salesperson at Circuit City almost had me talked out of it when she mentioned I'd need a Blu-Ray or HD-DVD recorder to make DVDs for my friend -- none of whom have those units either. Then I realized I can create HD videos on my laptop or desktop and just put them on my website. No sweat! Overall, I am VERY impressed with the HV-20.

• Overall Rating
  5 Star Review

  Reviewed by: cb2561

  Updated:12-21-07

  Duration of ownership:

  Strengths: Image Quality in normal lighting is beyond anything I have ever seen in HDTV! Plenty of PortsUses Mini DV CassettesGood Image Stabilization24P modeImage quality is absolutely amazing!!!!!

  Weaknesses: Moderate to poor footage in low light situationsSomewhat awkward handling when using zoom.

  Overall Evaluation: This is camcorder of the year 2008 according to camcorder info. This little camera packs quite a punch. The Image quality is absolutely amazing, beyond anything I have ever seen in HDTV. The only drawback is poor to moderate low light performance < 30 lux and the zoom button feels awkward. I give it 4 1/2 stars. For this price $710 with a 4yr warranty it is by far the best deal out there.

• Overall Rating
  5 Star Review

  Reviewed by: nyc2sd

  Updated:10-19-07

  Duration of ownership:2 Weeks

  Strengths: Clarity and quality of picture is excellent; good basic functions; miniSD & miniDV formats

  Weaknesses: feels cheap, thumb menu functions difficult to use with one hand

  Overall Evaluation: I had demo different HD camcorders and this HD camcorder is a great value when compared to it's competitors. The quality was just as good if not better. The cheaper feel to the case and buttons keeps the weight down but would be doomed it is dropped. The glass lens has an automatic cover which is a nice feature to keep it clean. The various ways to export video/picture is a big plus. There is HDMI to the HD TV and minSD card, USB, HD/DV terminal to computer or printer. Even though the light source for video or flash is weak, it is better than none compared to its competitors. Overall I am very satisfied.

• Overall Rating
  4 Star Review

  Reviewed by: corkypa

  Updated:08-30-07

  Duration of ownership:

  Strengths: Good HD pictures, very easy to use.

  Weaknesses: Occasionally awkward going through the menus.I wish manual focus was easier.

  Overall Evaluation: Although bigger than the pocket camcorder I had been using, this takes excellent pictures and has generally been a pleasure to us. Pictures in low light have been pretty good, too.

• Overall Rating
  5 Star Review

  Reviewed by: mylovelyyuchen

  Updated:08-29-07

  Duration of ownership:20 Days

  Strengths: 24p, ture HD sensor, amzing image quality

  Weaknesses: tape noise

  Overall Evaluation: I love my new HV20 from Circuit City. This camera offers amazing resolution, with a sensor picking up a full 1920x1080 lines of resolution. Because it uses optical image stabilization (OIS) instead of digital manipulation, there is no degradation in picture quality when shooting hand-held. The output on my 1080i HDTV (which can be done via component or HDMI) is stunning. It?s also capable of recording in 1080p using the 24p mode. 24p has never before been available on a camcorder anywhere near this price point! For the serious user, 24p allows for a true film-like effect. For the more casual user, 24p allows for some amazing shooting in low light. The HV20 has the manual controls and features of a camera typically costing several times as much. Although the auto settings and pre-programmed scenes allow an amateur user to begin shooting great-looking footage right out of the box, you can spend months mastering the various manual controls to get the most out of this camcorder. It's a very popularcamera, so its not too hard to get a great deal - just don't spend too much timing shopping around, since that's less quality time with the HV20.

• Overall Rating
  4 Star Review

  Reviewed by: Schnabe

  Updated:08-21-07

  Duration of ownership:1 Months

  Strengths: Excellent image quality, manual controls, good color reproduction, HDMI and firewire connections.

  Weaknesses: Cheap feel. A bit pricy. Loose fitting tape door.

  Overall Evaluation: Overall, I am very happy with this camcorder. I love the HD output, especially when played back while the camcorder is connected to a HDTV using the HDMI output. Alot sharper than my standard def DV camcorder. There are also alot of manual settings available, which I am still learning. I also liked how I was able to use my battery from my Rebel XTi camera as an emergency backup. I am disappointed with the build quality. The camcorder looks like it is just another $400 cheapie. The design is nothing special at all, especially for the price. The tape door is loose, and if you are not careful, it will rattle, and may be picked up while recording. Even with the disappointing build quality, I don't regret purchasing this camcorder.

• Overall Rating
  5 Star Review

  Reviewed by: chuckecheez

  Updated:08-12-07

  Duration of ownership:2 Weeks

  Strengths: Fantastic image quality; great auto-focus; true 24p capture mode; HDMI out; external mic and headphone jacks; built-in 3 MP still camera

  Weaknesses: Build quality a little cheap; LCD washes out too easily in bright light

  Overall Evaluation: Have been a happy user of a very basic 8mm cam (Canon ES50) for the past few years but finally decided that it was time for an upgrade. The Canon HV10 had initially caught my attention due to a great price (under $500 refurb) on that model but after doing some research, I found too many things I did not like about it so continued looking. I really wanted a hi-def model to be more future proof and the cost of the good standard def models was only a couple of hundred less so seemed like an easy decision.After hours of research on various websites and newsgroups, I narrowed my choices down to the HV20 and a Sony hi-def model. They both received great reviews and each had strong points but the Canon got slightly better marks for image quality and the price was around $200 less so that was the final tipping point for me. Even though I got a great deal, I have never spent anywhere close to $1000 for a camcorder so this was a huge purchase but after using it for a couple of weeks, I am very happy with my decision.The video quality, in a word: AMAZING! When played back through the onboard HMDI port to a high-def TV, you will think you are watching a professional broadcast. All colors are vibrant and true to life; details in clothing and furniture, even faces, are clearly visible. I have never seen video of this quality level on any consumer camcorder.Since I am a novice user, I mostly leave the cam on auto pilot and it does a great job with focus and exposure. There are a couple of much hyped features which would come in handy if you want a little more control or aspire to capture more than family vacation moments. The 24p recording mode is supposed to give a film-like appearance and great low light performance but I have not tested it yet so cannot comment. There are also jacks for an external microphone and a set of headphones, which could come in handy even for home videos. Although I have been strictly using the built-in microphone and have no problems with the audio thus far. Everything comes across crystal clear, though voices across a room do have a slight hollowness to them; but great performance for a built-in mic.The only minor complaints I have are that the build quality does seem a little cheap for a cam in this price range. Everything is made of grey plastic and you would have a hard time distinguishing this model from a basic $300 standard def model based on exterior styling. The Sony model was actually better in this respect, with a metal barrel and much tighter fit and finish. Also, the LCD screen tends to wash out in bright sunlight or at even slight angles. You basically have to view it straight on to see anything.Some people have complained that this is a MiniDV model versus hard drive or flash card, but my research revealed that MiniDV is still the best format for image quality and you automatically get a backup copy of all your footage. Plus, you don't have to worry about running out of space in the middle of a shoot; just pop in another tape! It's a little more trouble to do editing but I thought it was worth the sacrifice.Overall, I rate this product a great purchase. It has all the features a normal user would ever want and even a few that would be useful to professionals. You can't beat the image quality without spending thousands more. If you are in the market for a new cam, do yourself a favor and check this one out.

• Overall Rating
  5 Star Review

  Reviewed by: w283145

  Updated:07-04-07

  Duration of ownership:

  Strengths: Small, Light weight, HDMI output

  Weaknesses: A bit pricey

  Overall Evaluation: This time I made a shift from Sony to Canon. When compared the two camcorders, I found Canon to have much more features (HDMI output) than the Sony equivalent.If you ignore the price, this would be the best buy for the buck.HDMI output gives HD to TV straight away.Other outputs include component and composite. A longer battery life would be better. But you can also buy them separately. The LCD screen is very cool.

• Overall Rating
  4 Star Review

  Reviewed by: rjgarnold

  Updated:07-04-07

  Duration of ownership:

  Strengths: Easy to use; beautiful videos

  Weaknesses: Takes a second to focus; a little heavy and somewhat awkward to turn on/off with one hand; should have come with memory card for still pictures (had to buy it separately)

  Overall Evaluation: I used this camcorder for a recent trip to Turkey and Greece. It was Very intuitive to shoot video and figured out still shots relatively easily. Easy to zoom. Haven't yet uploaded to CD or TV. Reasonable price for the quality.

• Overall Rating
  5 Star Review

  Reviewed by: sabor

  Updated:06-26-07

  Duration of ownership:3 Weeks

  Strengths: Image quality, low light performance, 24p mode, microphone jack

  Weaknesses: cheap body

  Overall Evaluation: I replaced my sony TRV-22 DV camcorder with this one and I am very happy with it. The HD image quality is outstanding. so is the low light performance. The best in this size and this class cameras. More than that the ability to shoot at 24p film mode is great and results are unbelievable. On the downside, the body is made of cheap plastic. The LCD had one dead pixel. But for the price and for the features it has you cannot expect more.

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Canon HV20 MiniDV Camcorder

$598.89(5 sellers) • Avg User Rating •Specs