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Canon Vixia HV20 High Definition MiniDV Camcorder
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Bizrate User Review.

Product Rating: 4 star(s) Once-in-a-while value!

, Oct. 5, 2008
Comments:
Great "B-roll" or back-up when used with my GL-2. The 10X zoom limits use for sports. In low lighting the picture becomes somewhat grainy, but color remains excellent. For most uses in good lighting it delivers a phenomenal picture. I can use the DV output to make a DVD with a stand-alone recorder while simultaneously recording to mini DV. I bought this as a Canon factory "refurb" at an excellent price, and added a two-year warranty. Outstanding deal.

QuickTake:

Pros: Great picture, good input-output options (mic, headphone, DV, HDTV); Hot shoe; good choice of manual options
Cons: Viewfinder does not extend, 10X optical zoom limits possibilities, Zoom control is too small. Poor microphone placement is not very directional and likely to pick up handling noise. Hot-shoe cover not attached to camera.
Bizrate User Review.

Product Rating: 4 star(s) Overall a good buy

, Aug. 5, 2008
Comments:
dc 330 is a fine choice because it comes with software that is needed for this type of media. That is, if your going to use a dvd, then software is a must...or skip this for another type of camera ie Hard drive. The dc30 is better for taking film in a lighted area.

QuickTake:

Pros: Easy to use.
Cons: I do not know when it is recording.
Bizrate User Review.

Product Rating: 4 star(s) Some issues, but can't beat the footage for the price

, Jun. 26, 2008
Comments:
Well, of course the hype would have you believe that this is the best camcorder on the market right now -- they are right! You can't beat the specifications -- native 24p being the hallmark. But the camera lacks controls necessary to be a great working camera i.e. in cinemode (the one everyone would be using) the camera cranks up gain all the way up 32, making the image grainy and pure ugly and you can't adjust or lock that. That's really my only issue with it so far. Get a wide angle lens and if you want to build yourself a 35mm adapter and you're set to go.

QuickTake:

Pros: 24P! What more do you need from a $600 cam?
Cons: Grainy in low light.
zdnet.com Professional Review.

Product Rating: 3.85 star(s) Canon HV20 Mini DV/HDV Camcorder

Comments:
When Canon first showed us the HV10, we were surprised that the company chose a vertical form for its first compact HD camcorder. In our review, we found that the vertical design brought with it some irksome ergonomic issues. Canon's follow-up, the HV20,

Review Verdict: Canon's HV20 camcorder is a great choice for HD-happy amateurs, but its low-light performance could have been better.

Read full review at zdnet.com

QuickTake:

Pros: The Canon HV20 high-definition camcorder has excellent video quality, nice features, HDMI output, and an accessory shoe.
Cons: Can't change white balance while shooting; night mode doesn't help poor low-light performance.
zdnetindia.com Professional Review.

Product Rating: 3.85 star(s) Canon HV20 Mini DV/HDV Camcorder

Comments:

Review Verdict: Canon's HV20 camcorder is a great choice for HD-happy amateurs, but its low-light performance could have been better.

QuickTake:

Pros: The Canon HV20 high-definition camcorder has excellent video quality, nice features, HDMI output, and an accessory shoe.
Cons: Can't change white balance while shooting; night mode doesn't help poor low-light performance.
pcworld.com Professional Review.

Product Rating: 4.25 star(s) HV20 Mini DV HD DVD Camcorder

Comments:
This high-definition camcorder is a bit heavy and bulky, but it's a good performer with lots of features.

Review Verdict: Since the HDV format demands less computing power than the AVCHD format does, I would steer clear of AVCHD models unless I had an extremely powerful PC. And the HV20 one of the better HDV models on the market, at a pretty good price to boot

Read full review at pcworld.com

QuickTake:

Pros: Many features, including accessory shoe, Very good battery life
Cons: Some tiny controls, A bit bulky and heavy
digitaltrends.com Professional Review.

Product Rating: 4.25 star(s) Canon HV20

Comments:
The Canon HV20 is the company's second HDV model, following on the heels of the HV10. Note: the HR10, the company's first AVCHD camcorder using mini DVDs, will be introduced...

Read full review at digitaltrends.com

QuickTake:

Pros: Excellent HDV video, OIS, nice form factor
Cons: Bulky tape-based format; editing software is not included
goodgearguide.com.au Professional Review.

Product Rating: 3.5 star(s) Canon HV20

Comments:

Review Verdict: The Canon HV20 offers an affordable introduction to high-definition video. While not particularly outstanding, it performs solidly in every area and will satisfy the majority of users.

Read full review at goodgearguide.com.au

QuickTake:

Pros: Excellent cinematic mode, plenty of different modes, great picture quality.
Cons: Finicky interface, a little bulky for our tastes.
trustedreviews.com Professional Review.

Product Rating: 4.5 star(s) Canon HV20 - HDV Camcorder

Comments:
After a slow start with HDV, Canon is back on form with this prosumer offering.

Review Verdict: After a slow start with HDV, Canon is back on the form it had when the market was predominated by DV. Not only does the company now produce the best professional HDV camcorder currently available, the HX-A1, it has the most successfully realised HDV model

Read full review at trustedreviews.com

pcadvisor.co.uk Professional Review.

Canon HV20 HD camcorder

Comments:
Compared to Panasonic's sleek HDC-SD1, the Canon HV20 HD camcorder looks a bit ungainly, mostly because it has a large MiniDV tape mechanism grafted onto one side.

Review Verdict: Since the HDV format demands less computing power than the AVCHD format does, we would steer clear of AVCHD models unless we had an extremely powerful PC. And the Canon HV20 is one of the better HDV models on the market, at a pretty good price to boot.

Read full review at pcadvisor.co.uk

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Overall Rating: 9.1
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