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Canon VIXIA HV30 High Definition Camcorder
based on 297 reviews
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- “Best cam under 1k and 1call has it…” – Pete!!!!
- “The perfect cam for the 1fst movie!” – Carlos Faria
- “Unbelievable” – Jim in GA
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Review Face-Off
Most helpful positive review
[2 of 2 customers found this review helpful]
Most helpful negative review
[6 of 6 customers found this review helpful]
Best cam under 1k and 1call has it 4less
"This camera is terrific, HD quality, awesome resolution and tons of features you can mess around with, all easy to learn and is in the manual. There is a cult following on the Canon HV series because they are just so good, just check out[@] see what users have done with their HV series cameras, they are out performing similar consumer to pro-consumer thousand dollar camcorders. The best thing about the camera be..." Read Full Review »
Aug 30, 2008 by Pete!!!!
See more positive Canon VIXIA HV30 High Definition Camcorder reviews
Mostly Satisfied
"I've been using this camera for about two months now. It leaves my old DV camera in the dust for quality. It does a nice job of readjusting exposure for high contrast situations like bright sky, dark foreground, white snow on dark mountains etc. The picture quality is great, but I'm no expert on the higher end cameras. I bought mine for [$], so its hard to complain. It feels pretty good in the hand, minus the pl..." Read Full Review »
May 31, 2009 by Antinet
See more negative Canon VIXIA HV30 High Definition Camcorder reviews
Product Reviews
Canon VIXIA HV30 High Definition Camcorder Reviews
pros
cons
- Poor audio (52)
- Flimsy (38)
- Short battery life (32)
- Uncomfortable (26)
- Complicated (11)
- Poor in low light (7)
- Inadequate features (7)
Best Uses
- Travel (171)
- Movies/short films (141)
- Home movies (120)
- Hd shooting (116)
- Family (78)
- Documentaries (67)
- Outdoor events / games (64)
- Editing (54)
Average Customer Rating:
Ratings Distribution
| 5 star |
|
182 |
| 4 star |
|
100 |
| 3 star |
|
8 |
| 2 star |
|
3 |
| 1 star |
|
4 |
Displaying 1 - 5 of 297 Reviews
[2 of 2 customers found this review helpful]
Canon VIXIA HV30 High Definition Camcorder Review
Best cam under 1k and 1call has it 4less
- Comfortable to operate
- Durable
- Great features
- Great picture quality
- Simple controls
- Versatile
Pros
- Poor audio
Cons
- Family
- Movies/short films
- Outdoor events / games
- Sports
- Travel
Best Uses
"This camera is terrific, HD quality, awesome resolution and tons of features you can mess around with, all easy to learn and is in the manual. There is a cult following on the Canon HV series because they are just so good, just check out[@] see what users have done with their HV series cameras, they are out performing similar consumer to pro-consumer thousand dollar camcorders. The best thing about the camera besides that its HD, is its compact size and the upgrades you can add to this machine. The only thing I can recommend is getting an external mic, because w/o it you can hear some motor noise in the audio. I bought this camera when onecall had the summer sale, just like everything else onecall sells, I got it at an awesome price, thanks Brian! thanks onecall!!!"
Look what I did to mine, love it!
- Using Product
- Picture of Product
- Semi-Professional
[3 of 4 customers found this review helpful]
Canon VIXIA HV30 High Definition Camcorder Review
The perfect cam for the 1fst movie!
- Comfortable to operate
- Durable
- Good audio
- Great features
- Great picture quality
- Simple controls
- Versatile
Pros
Cons
- Documentaries
- Editing
- Hd shooting
- Movies/short films
- Travel
Best Uses
"After see this [@]you will Know what I'm talking about. This camera is great! Until now I can't beleave what can be done with it. I use it for short films.It has a great quality image to do pro filmaking.The thing that's not so great is that I can't buy another one right now..."
White Red Panic. It was shot whith this cam...
- Pro Videographer
[11 of 11 customers found this review helpful]
Canon VIXIA HV30 High Definition Camcorder Review
Unbelievable
- Great features
- Great picture quality
- Versatile
Pros
- Awkward ergonomics
Cons
- Documentaries
- Hd shooting
- Home movies
- Movies/short films
- Travel
Best Uses
"I bought this camera as a stopgap measure to upgrade economically to HDV in my event videography business. Forget stopgaps: I want a bunch more of these things!
First off, calling this a "consumer" camera is probably a bit of a misnomer. Sure, it'll go full auto and get a novice up and running in an incredibly short time. The DVD that comes with it is actually pretty informative and gives some very useful tips, so first-timers can buy confidently. But the camera will also go manual enough to be used for production, too: focus, white balance, shutter, aperture, microphone levels, and exposure can all be manually manipulated. The tape loads from the top so you can leave it on the tripod for tape changes. I have an independant filmmaker friend who is salivating over the HV30; there are some limitations that the consumer design imposes but only for very advanced photography techniques like long focus pulls combined with a zoom pull. No matte boxes either, but there are plenty of threaded filters available. Bottom line: whatever you want it to do, there's a way to do it.
And the lens! I have never, ever found a consumer camcorder that doesn't have insane depth of field, especially at short focal lengths. Until now. It may be small, but that lens looks pro enough on tape. Whatever Bayer filtering and Digic processing they have done in the optical path works amazingly well too: it really does look a lot like a 3-chip camera.
Drawbacks include awkward placement of controls when shooting handheld, and having to fish through menus to get to various functions, which is what distinguishes this camera from a pro camcorder. And anybody who thinks this thing is flimsy should compare it to some of the more expensive ENG cameras out there; the HV30 is pretty solid for its size.
All in all, it's an awesome camera with features and performance that can't be touched at this price point from any other manufacturer. If you're looking for an economical way into HD, this is it."
[8 of 8 customers found this review helpful]
Canon VIXIA HV30 High Definition Camcorder Review
Best HDV Image Quality in its Class.
- Comfortable to operate
- Durable
- Great features
- Great picture quality
- Versatile
Pros
- No lanc jack
Cons
- Family
- Movies/short films
- Outdoor events / games
- Sports
- Travel
Best Uses
"I gave this a 5/5 because I feel image quality doesn't get any better than this from what's available today in in this price range and class.
For home: This camera does a really good job in average low-light (not darkness) with nice color and little noise. The colors are beautiful when there is sufficient light, and outdoors or in the studio under abundant light, it is almost impossible to tell the difference in footage between this cam and my Canon XHA1, and a nicer image than from my Sony HDR-FX1. The focus is fast and very accurate. And the image is sharp and clean. The camera feels solid and sturdy and it fits comfortably in my hand and the controls are easy to reach while shooting.
I like that I can either shoot under normal mode which gives me a lushly saturated image, right out of the box, nothing more to do, especially nice for travel and scenery or under the Cine-Mode (slightly softer colors and skin-tones, less contrasty) which gives a nicer more professional look to people and skin-tones, and holds up real well to tweak and customize in post. My wife usually doesn't let me bring the bigger cameras when we go places to do things as a family, but with this camera, I don't feel like I'm making a compromise with the image quality.
For work:
I have been active with corporate and event videography for 18 years, and while I wouldn't head out on a paying job with only this camera, I hardly ever leave it behind. The footage is so nice with this camera, I have been able to use the footage professionally on many occasions, cutting it with footage from my two Canon XHA1's, and using this camera as a 3rd camera. (Mostly due to the Cine-Mode "gamma" option and the new 30P).
Reference...
I currently own the Canon XHA1 and Sony PMW-EX1. I used to own the Sony HDR-FX1 and the HC1, HC3, HC7, in the HD arena. As well as numerous countless Standard Definition cameras over the years.
As an upgrade...
I previously owned the Canon HV10 and HV20 and also feel this is a worthwhile upgrade from either of those versions. I know the 24P is popular among those who make movies and documentaries, but because my usage is either personal or corporate, the addition of 30P to this Vixia HV30 was worth upgrading from the HV20, and of course the 24P is still there if you want it. The LCD screen has been improved and provides a wider viewing angle, it is much easier to see outdoors and the image looks closer to what it actually is. And it is the nicest looking of the three."
[9 of 11 customers found this review helpful]
Canon VIXIA HV30 High Definition Camcorder Review
BROADCAST QUALITY AT A TENTH THE PRICE!
- Comfortable to operate
- Durable
- Good audio
- Great features
- Great picture quality
- High quality
- Simple controls
- Versatile
Pros
Cons
- Commercial video producti
- Event videography
- Movies/short films
Best Uses
"This camera is just unbelievable! I actually now own three of them. I am a Commercial Television Producer and also produce Corporate and Marketing video projects for a very wide range of clients. Up until a year ago I was shooting on a much, much more expensive Ikegami BetaSP TV Camera. I was looking for a replacement and wanted to take advantage of the lower cost HD camcorders that had recently come out on the market. I was planning on spending more than the cost of an HV30 but I had heard so many people talking about the HV30 I had to check it out! Well, I bought one. Honestly, I am simply blown away at the quality right out of the box. My first real-world test of the HV30 was shooting an Automotive Dealer TV commercial. Shot in standard definition 16:9 - No adjustments - point and shoot and it was just about picture perfect. Easy to understand controls make adjustments a breeze. Audio level and Iris are both controlled with out having to go into the menu. of course, the menu gives you more options for fine tuning the camera's features. The second project for the HV30 was one of the most difficult situations to shoot - A speaker on a stage speaking in front of a projected power point presentation. The backlight of the projection is always too harsh against the speaker but the HV30 handled it like a champ! Much better than any 3 chip broadcast camera I had ever shot with. AND the HV30 did it automatically with the Auto-iris, adjusting itself to make the screen easy to read and then brighting back up to see the speaker in the correct light. Audio was sourced from the house mixer feed and level adjustment was easy - a switchable A/V or headphone output make monitoring simple.
I have now bought two more and completely replaced the old three camera system I used for multi-camera projects. I even occasionally use the HV30 camera as a feeder deck for my Avid editing system. Firewire & HDMI outputs enable flexibility in the post-production side. I am also now looking at adding a Depth-of-Field adapter to my HV30 to enhance the 24p film-look mode of the camera.
The bottom line? The Canon HV30 is a professional level camera for a consumer level price. It is one of the best equipment investments I have ever made in 23 years of the Video production business."
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