The Canon HV20
With the HV20, Canon still sees HDV as a valuable format. The camcorder is priced at approximately $1000 which makes for a great bargain because of its many features although a bit heavyweight at 18ounces. This is Canon’s second tape- based high-definition camcorder.
The picture quality has sharp and brilliant colors while offering a wider spectrum of subdued color giving it an overall more professional touch.
The HV20 has super detail HDV which takes 1920-by-1080-pixel footage. It records to MiniDV tapes in high-definition or standard-definition footage. There are 8 scene modes as well as the normal auto and manual and the image effects include Vivid, Neutral, Low Sharpening, Soft Skin as well as a custom option.
When using the footage from the Canon HV20, even highly compressed web video looks sharper as compared to video from a standard-definition camcorder. However, more time is needed to render for the reason that editing high - definition footage needs a substantially powerful computer.
The separate button for backlight compensation and the integrated video light are neat bonuses. The camcorder doesn’t include a manual focus ring but instead uses a small wheel next to the lens which is quite easy to use.
The lens cover is motorized and is neatly embedded in the body sliding open and shut automatically when you power up or power down. This an added bonus as you avoid a lens cap intruding into you shot or accidentally getting yanked out.
The still-image shots and sound quality deserve high ranking marks and the battery lasts almost two hours which is an additional bonus for the Canon HV20.
