Digital Trends

Canon HV20

June 4th, 2007 | by David Elrich

Setup and Use

While I had complaints about the HV10—mostly its upright shape and lack of HDMI output that have been rectified here—there was never an issue with video performance. The HV10 delivered the goods and the HV20 does so as well. I shot video of vibrant late spring flowers, family gatherings indoors and out as well as some beach scenes. The camcorder not only records HDV and SD video, it also has a 24p Cinema mode, the Holy Grail for camcorder enthusiasts. This is the same frame rate as motion picture film and as such gives a film-like recording compared to “harsher” home video.

This camcorder has a 10x optical zoom and it moves through the range very quickly. There were very few problems with auto focus—other than in very dark scenes when it hunted to lock in focus. There are a number of manual options such as focus to help in those situations. It also offers quick access to manual focus—you hit a dedicated key and turn a scroll dial. You can also adjust aperture and shutter speed with the joy stick. When recording at very slow shutter speeds, you really see the benefits of optical image stabilization. The OIS here is among the best I’ve seen and it’s one of the real pluses of this model.

When played back through component inputs on my Toshiba HDTV, picture quality was a joy to watch (the same can’t be said for my efforts as a Hollywood cinematographer!). Footage shot outdoors was as realistic as can be particularly swimming pool blues and shrubbery’s deep greens. Even skin tones were lifelike. Material shot indoors was decent but there was a bit of noise especially in very low light scenes. The built-in enhancement light helped a bit but it still looked more like surveillance videos on Cops than something you’d want to show the family.

Image Courtesy of Canon

The HV20 also takes 3.1-megapixel stills and records them to miniSD cards. Canon used its photo know-how to ensure good quality—there’s a built-in flash--but they are still only 1920 x 1440 pixels compared to today’s basic 7MP digicams (3072 x 2304 pixels). You can get a solid 4x6 print, however.

Conclusion

It seems Canon took the complaints about the HV10 to heart and solved most of them—including the shape and lack of an HDMI out. They still need to beef up the editing component of the CD ROM, however. Video performance of this new HDV camcorder is top notch and I have no problems recommending it. Realize it is tape-based so forget about instant access to scenes like competing formats and there’s always the dreaded possibility of recording over precious memories. But if you follow some precautions, the Canon HV20 is a memory maker of the first rank.

Pros:

• Much improved ergonomics
• Gorgeous 1080i video
• OIS, 2.7-inch widescreen LCD
• HDMI out

Cons:

• Menu system could be more intuitive
• Uses bulky tapes
• No editing software