- HDV camcorder with 1/2.7-inch CMOS image sensor
- High-definition 10x optical zoom lens; super-range optical image stabilizer
- Advanced photo features: up to 3-megapixel stills, histogram display, built-in flash, and more
- 2.7-inch color widescreen LCD; color viewfinder
- Easy one-hand operation; ultra-compact and lightweight
Product Description
Do you have or plan to have an HDTV at home? Now it’s time to consider getting an HD camcorder. The stylish Canon HV10 gives you the ultimate in HD video and digital photo quality – in the world’s smallest HDV camcorder. Its 10x optical zoom lens and 2.96 Megapixel CMOS image sensor ensure meticulous detail and superior color reproduction. And, with its HD and Standard Definition recording modes, you can make the move to HD without making your SD equipment obsolete…. More >>
Canon HV10 3.1MP High-Definition MiniDV Camcorder with 10x Optical Zoom
{ 5 comments… read them below or add one }
Overview:
Running on the HDV MPEG-2 standard, the Canon HV10 allows many users of miniDV camcorders to continue using and playing their miniDV tapes they’ve recorded and have, while providing them with the added option of recording in either HD or regular mode onto MiniDV tapes. The HV10 has a slim, pocketable body, so it’s very easy to take with you on long trips without feeling like you have a huge rock tied behind you to slow you down.
Minuses:
* No external light/mic jacks – buy the HV20 if you want these.
* No HDMI output – buy the HV20 if you want this.
* Can’t change tapes if the camcorder is on a tripod – bottom load, again – buy the HV20 if you want this. But keep in mind that bottom load reduces the amount of dropout causing dust from falling into the tape transport bay (a good thing).
* Viewfinder is decent, but not the highest resolution viewfinder around – but I almost always use the LCD panel so it’s not a big concern.
* No manual focus/aperture rings around the lens. You can adjust manual focus using the rear menu dial, but it’s not the same as a ‘professional’ camcorder like the $5000+ Canon H1 series. (then again, almost no consumer level camcorder for < $1000 has this feature....)
* Low light, below 1 light bulb of 60w in a bedroom, will result in vertical lines appearing in the video if you do not use slow-shutter mode (which is on by default). Buy the HV20 if you want better super-low-light video. Otherwise, I’m not concerned because I don’t film travel videos outside in such dark places – do you? I find myself filming in nicely lit places indoors and out, so video quality is great.
Pluses:
* Small, light, compact. The lightest, most compact HDV camcorder available today. I’ve tried the Panasonic, Sony, Canon, etc. and this is the lightest you can get today. It’s also the only one that fits into my jacket pocket without a problem, and I can go all day long on trips using this camcorder without feeling like my arm has fallen off – it’s light enough that fatigue doesn’t settle in.
* 2MP 16:9 / 3MP 4:3 still photo mode
I love how I can push the photo snap button anytime I’m filming, and get a nice 2MP photo at the same time w/o interrupting my filming! It’s so nice and my 4×6″ prints come out looking saturated, colorful, and nice w/o much adjustment, if any. They really pop with color, and I’m very happy with the photo mode on this camcorder.
(I’m the type that looks at the individual pixels on prints, worry about the little things on digicams, but honestly, for what it is — a camcorder camera photo — I’m happy and satisfied with what I’m getting. Just keep in mind, you are not going to get the same as a 10+MP dSLR off any camcorder! For 4×6″ prints, you will get a nice print.)
You can also capture still frames off the video as it’s playing back, and make photos from these as well!
1GB MiniSD card will let you go for days on a trip and let you take 600+ photos w/o a problem. It’s so wonderful how I can just keep taking snapshot after snapshot w/o worrying about running out of space!
* MiniDV tape.
Yes, there are camcorders with hard drives, flash drives, etc. but in the end, where are you going to archive HiDef videos? Right now, nobody knows if it’s going to be HD DVD or BluRay that’ll win out, so realistically, there is no ‘standard’ optical format that you can archive HiDef videos that’ll stick around for a long time.
HD camcorders are good for those that have long filming times and will convert to DVDs later on the PC -but if you run out of room on a trip, without a PC, you’re dead in the water; flash drives are great for sports, extreme activities and locations (think super cold, super hot) – but again, are limited by the small sizes of the cards (consumer camcorder-wise. Pro-level P2 Panasonics at $5000+ can go longer, but expensive..)
Tapes last a long time – most of us have VHS tapes from 10-20+ years ago that we can pop into the VCR and play today. miniDV tapes will last a long time in proper storage, and are the most ideal format for long-term archival storage of HiDef videos until some form of HiDef optical standard is decided upon.
Additionally, everyone has MiniDV tapes in all of the major travel spots – so when you’re out of tape, you can easily buy more tapes!
* MPEG-2 HDV format.
Look around people. You see Sony/Panasonic pushing their AVCHD MPEG-4 format. Great, so what’s the difference?
HDV uses the MPEG-2 format, same as on DVDs.
It records 1440x1080i format onto tapes, and uses the 1.33 aspect ratio on playback to fill a 1920×1080 HiDef monitor screen. (stretches it out slightly horizontally to fill the screen).
AVCHD uses MPEG-4 format, which is newer than MPEG-2.
It records into true 1920×1080 format, so it’s a 1:1 ratio on playback.
MPEG-4 at the same bitrate as MPEG-2 can produce better images, theoretically, but every single Japanese consumer magazine review of the current (5/2007) AVCHD camcorders vs. the HDV camcorders finds… that the Canon HV10/20 series are among the very best out there, beating everything except the very latest Panasonic AVCHD flash drive, 3CCD, 1920×1080 camcorder that just came out (which has similar image quality as the HV10/20 series).
Thus, for now, there is no advantage of the AVCHD format for consumers image wise because HDV produces similar quality.
Also, playback of MPEG-2 HDV video takes far less computer power than MPEG-4 AVCHD playback. Try playing AVCHD on a 3Ghz P4 and you’ll find it stuttering and praying it can keep up! (ie. on a computer that’s not that old at all) HDV video has no trouble at all playing on a 3Ghz P4. Thus, AVCHD forces users to buy a new dual to 8 core PC just to edit, playback, view their videos w/o stuttering full-screen! (and I’ve tested quite a bit — you can too! Download and try playing HDV vs AVCHD raw full screen videos. Nero Showtime, QuickTime, Windows Media Player, Media Player CLassic, etc. all can’t make the AVCHD play smoothly on recent, older computers; HDV plays fine.)
* Editing
Oh, thankfully, the HV10 is NOT a AVCHD MPEG-4 camcorder! Why?
Because=== not one ===major video editing program today supports AVCHD video editing! Not Final Cut Pro, not Premiere, not Vegas Video, not Avid, etc!!!!
Thankfully, all of them support HDV MPEG-2 video editing, so unlike the sorry AVCHD camcorder buyers who can’t make edits, HV10/HV20 owners can.
Videos drop right into Sony Vegas Video 7 w/o a problem, load up just like any regular DV video, and effects/edits happen just as smoothly! The workflow is identical for capture, editing and output, so it’s a very, very smooth transition over to HDV.
(Vegas Video and it’s counterparts from Sony are very nice editors to use. They’ve got lower end software for $100 that’ll work nicely.)
Also, keep in mind that HDV requires less processor power to decode/encode vs AVCHD, so doing renders of the final edited video is faster using HDV source video vs. AVCHD.
* TV Output
Stunningly crisp. Honestly can’t see why I’d even need HDMI, and composite/RCA does just fine for viewing the videos on HiDef & regular TVs. This is the stuff that you’d typically see off HiDef broadcasts, and you’ve just brought it home after buying the HV10!
* Reliable, FAAAST autofocus!
The dual AF (probably using infrared active focusing in addition to passive AF) is the best invention since swiss cheese! Beats the other camcorders on the market by far!!! Locks onto subjects in <1 second if not faster all the time, and it's really, really nice and reliable. No more annoying hunting or waiting for AF to lock like I used to worry about on my older camcorders.
Nothing is perfect, so you will still have the rare hunting/AF problem, but otherwise, I can’t find anything better on the market from Sony, Panasonic, etc. No worries for me at all here=)
* Daylight viewable LCD panel
No LCD panel will retain the 100% quality under the harshest direct outdoor summer sunlight, but this panel does a darn good job indoors and out. You can always see something on the panel, and it works good for me. I’m not squinting or turning at all to see what’s on the screen, so it’s a nice panel.
Indoors, it’s simply juicy colorful and playing back videos and photos look better than on my Sony T9 camera’s screen!
—
So that said, the HV10 is well worth the $800 or so it’s going for today (5/2007), and money well spent for anyone looking to buy the best available compact HiDef camcorder today. Other camcorders may have marginally better image quality (that Panasonic 3CCD 1920x1080p camcorder that just came out), but they certainly don’t produce more than 1/2 a star on any Japnese consumer ranking, nor do they have the compact size and shape (and the Panasonic’s LCD screen, AF reliability, and weight are just horrible vs. the Canon HV10). I had time to sit and play with all of the latest and greatest this week in Akihabara, and I still couldn’t find anything better in a compact HiDef camcorder than my HV10 released last year. That’s how good it is!
The only thing that’ll beat a HV10? It’s replacement, which I suspect will be out closer to Christmas this year (since most makers are on a twice-yearly or once a year release schedule for camcorders).
Rating: 5 / 5
Positives:
Works fast — power off-on time, record start, autofocus are all very fast. Great white balance in daylight/well-lit situations — better than the Sony FX1 and HC3. Excellent resolution and contrast. Unbelievably small size makes traveling easy — you will end up taking the video camera everywhere with you instead of leaving it behind. Allows Contrast, Sharpness, Brightness, and Color Saturation picture adjustments to suit your style of video that is not available on the Sony HC3 (closest competing model that I compared with). Great automatic mode that will decrease the shutter speed to 1/30th of a second in order to improve low light video (great feature because it saves the user from having to go into semi-manual mode in order to get decent low-light footage). The Super Optical Stabilization works better than in most cameras, considering the small size/vertical orientation of the camcorder. Built-in light definitely improves picture quality when filming casual footage of friends/family — without it, you would not see anything.
Negatives:
Slightly difficult to hold for those with large hands. Buttons are too small. Very Low light video is not just grainy and noisy, but has vertical bands in it also. Colors may appear more muted than on a 3CCD camcorder if the subject is not well-lit. White balance in low-light is poor, video quality improves significantly if manual white balance is used in those situations.
I also own a Sony HDR-FX1 HDV Video Camera and used that as a reasonable basis of comparison.
Rating: 4 / 5
My place looks like a video store …
I own several Sony HDV camcorders including the HC1 and the FX1 which are both excellent products. For photography I have however switched some time ago to Canon because of the color quality and use a EOS1 and Rebel XTI. When the HV10 came out I decided to give Canon a swirl on HD video. I was not disappointed. Canon has the edge (potentially a subtle one) on color reality on Sony. The resolution of the HV10 is actually higher.
I prefer the HV10 in terms of picture quality to the Sony HC1. Both cant match the FX1 in low light conditions because of the 3 CCDs. The HV10 is substantially smaller and easier to use. If the use of a wide-angle converter also produces the annoying darkened corners as on the HC1 I will still have to see. I recommend the use of the larger battery pack as the cute small one does not last one hour. Sony is much better there and always was.
PC editing hints for HD:
Dont forget that HD needs a dual-core processor for editing and enormous disk space. Get a few external USB 2.0 disks rather than storing to DVDs. Rather than big disks with extra power supplies I only use several USB bus powered disks. Reading from the one and editing to another disk gives you better performance.
Rating: 5 / 5
I’m a film student and I absolutely love this camera. It’s great for just regular consumer functions (filming family events, etc.) and guerrilla film making (for those times when you need to get footage but a large pro camera is just too conspicuous). I’ve used the Canon Optura in the past and it was wonderful…this camera far surpasses it.
For those people complaining about the lack of accessories and software, Canon is not the company to hold you hand on this, people. First of all, if you want the good batteries, you’re gonna have to pay for them…that’s true of most of Canon’s (and really, any) quality cameras (consumer and professional alike). Get over it because it’s worth the money if you take care of them, they last FOREVER. I haven’t had to replace a battery in 5 years.
Second, this camera takes excellent footage for what it is…a consumer based camera. And for a consumer camera, you can’t beat it. It’s great in bright and low light and the only way you would get better footage is if you bought a $6,000 to $10,000 professional camera.
Third, why are all these people thinking this camera comes with software and firewire. For one thing, if you have Windows (anything later than 98), it comes with video software pre-installed (crappy though it may be) and all you have to do is hook it up. Plug and play right into the program. If you have Win 98, you don’t have any business trying to edit video on that old thing anyway. If you have a Mac…it’s even easier because of iMovie. Besides, the only good video editing software costs anywhere from $600 to $1500 and whatever crummy software they would include would be the same quality (or less quality if you have a mac) than what is already pre-installed on you system anyway. As far was the firewire issue, I know my new laptop didn’t come with a firewire port installed, I had to buy one and install it myself. The people who actually use firewire (and knew about it BEFORE getting this camera) typically already own at least a couple of them. And really, how hard is it to by a firewire cable? It’s like 10 bucks at any store that sells electronics…it’s hardly the ordeal people are making it out to be. What’s more important is making sure your computer can even support the firewire in the first place (which, if you’re doing video…you need firewire because it’s faster and better quality than USB-2).
All in all, it’s a great camera and don’t let the people that are too lazy to do a little leg work (getting the firewire and actually looking at their systems to know they already own the software) dissuade you from buying this camera, because it’s totally worth it. And yes, the battery is extra…but think of how much you’re saving in the long run (since they last forever!)
Rating: 5 / 5
I have to admit that I probably would not have purchased the HV10 when it first came out — for the full product price. But many people did because it was (and is) an excellent High Definition camcorder. It is now selling for about half the price it originally listed for and this makes it a baragin, as well.
The HV10 has an excellent video picture — in daylight it has as good a picture as any of the non-professional HDV camcorders. Many have knocked it for its low-light performance, but so far I have found it to be comparable to many of the camcorders I owned in the past. (Certainly not as good as in bright light, but definitely worth watching.)
Add to this the fact that (for a camcorder) it takes quite passable still photos, with many of the options for still photography that are usually only available on a dedicated still digital video camera. I would not buy the HV10 if still photography is your primary interest, but it takes 3.2 Megapixel images that look good as long as you don’t try to print them much larger than 5×7 or so.
The form factor of the camera is definitely a matter of personal taste. I happen to like the small upright design that the HV10 shares with the Canon Optura line and many Sony camcorders. (In fact, I previously owned two Sony camcorders with this form factor). It may help that I have fairly small hands. Before purchasing it, my wife and I compared it to the newer Canon HV20 and the Sony HC-7. We preferred the look and feel of the HV10.
It does lack several features that may affect your desire to purchase it — as many have said, it lacks any means to add an external microphone or headphones. The sound from the built-in Mic, however, is fine for my videotaping needs. (I own a directional mic for one of my Sony camcorders, and it does improve sound, but I find that I rarely use it.) Others have complained about the lack of an HDMI connector. I don’t mind its omission (although it would have been a nice addition) because the componet output (using the provided cable) is similar in quality. I use the iLink connection (also known as Firewire) to connect it directly to my Sony HDTV — which not only transfers video and sound, but allows me to control the camcorder with the Sony’s remote. The iLink/Firewire connection also provides for video connection to a Mac or PC.
The HV10 weighs less than 1 pound and feels solid. It is handsome with ebony and silver design. (In comparison, I was unimpressed with the look and feel of the newer HV20 — it feels too “plastic” and not as well made.)
I consider the fact that it records in HDV on miniDV tapes one of its advantages. AVCHD camcorders that record on miniDVDs or Hard Disk do not (currently at least) generate video that is easy to edit with most of today’s video editing software.
The HV10 is my first purchase of a Canon camcorder (most of my previous camcorders were made by Sony), so I was not sure what to expect, but the quality is excellent. I miss the touch screen found on current Sony models (many people don’t like the touch screen, but I do), and it is a bit harder to find Canon accessories than Sony accessories, but other wise I am quite satisfied. You probably will want to invest in another battery (the larger Canon BP-315 batteryCanon BP-315 Battery Pack for Optura 600 & HV10 Camcorders will last approximately twice as long as the supplied battery), and at some point you may want to purchase a wide-angle accessory lensCanon WD-H37C, Wide Angle Converter Lens for DC40, Optura 10 and Optura 20 Camcorders, 37mm Mounting Threads. (Like most consumer camcorders, the 10X zoom is somewhat lacking on the wide-angle side.)
As a Mac user, I am pleased to report that it works with with iMovie HD and iPhoto right out of the box with no need for additional software.
The HV10 is apparently being phased out for the newer (but larger) HV20. This means that you can pick up the HV10 for a bargain price while they are still available. In my case, that’s worth the fifth star in the rating.
Rating: 5 / 5