What do you think the future of the hv20/30 is?

[d1rockwild]

i love this camera, and i love this forum, but i'm wondering what's left to tinker with with the hv20/30.

For the most part, 24p has been covered as much as its gonna get.

Dof adapters, well actually, i wonder how/when the dof adapters will improve. pray tell, anyone.

audio can be professionalized by a beachtek or juicedlink.

i dunno i guess i've just been going thru the forums lately, looking for something to get excited about to do with my hv30 and not finding too much. and i think, for me anyway, am nearing the end of what i wanna do with my rig (technically speaking).

anyway, to motivate positive responses, what are you guys excited to do with your hv20/30 next?
That whole hdmi capturing looks oh so awesome, but not very practical in comparison to costs.

[sedate]

my idea canon will stop hv20/hv30 series. new series hg20(60gb) HG21(120GB) and hf11(32 gb int mem)
but there is a but the new camcoders all have small chip(3.2''). it looks like canon following sony . sony camcoders like sr1 or sr90 lens was perfect and low light performance were good. my idea hv20 and hv30 will be best choose again(both have 2.7'' )
meanwhile hg10 is also has a big chip 2.7'' , too.
if you go past .sony weas using 5.5'' chip but last all series has 8'' lens .. some goes front some goes back.. sony lost a big change in marketing 2 years ago.
never think on it too much. some stay forever some dies quickly.
regards,

[bossmoss]

There are still three areas of interest for me:

1. If the firmware is hacked and any new features are unlocked, then the game is back on. Particularly if LordTangent's suggestion of a RAW hack can be made to happen. I know it is probably a pipe dream, but the idea that a firmware hack could turn the HV20 into a 2K camera is enough to keep me interested.

2. New developments in DOF adapters. I do not see a different design happening with regards to the basic idea of using still camera lenses to project an image on a focusing screen. But I think there are ways the adapters could be improved. One thing that intrigues me is that static adapters use this Canon EE-a screen, which has very little grain. But vibrating adapters use ground glass, which does have significant grain until vibrated. Has anyone made a vibrating adapter using the EE-a screen, though? Also, would it be possible to build an adapter using, say, medium format lenses against a larger focusing screen in order to minimize vignetting? Would it make a difference if the adapter used, say, Pentax 6x7 lenses instead of Nikon or Canon 35mm lenses? I even read one post somewhere about the idea of suspending a semi-transparent fluid between two thin glass panes as a focusing screen, so that the "grain" would flow and be less conspicuous. I really don't know about any of this, but it seems there is more to the DOF adapter story than has already been written.

3. Finally - and I don't know if this has already been done ... but has anyone shot a commercially distributed film on an HV20 yet? Not necessarily a theatrical release, but even a straight to DVD movie? I think this would be the ultimate pay-off of all this work and discussion. A commercially successful film shot on the HV20 would go a long way in proving to everyone that all this fuss has been worth it.

Just my two cents.

[net]

3. Finally - and I don't know if this has already been done ... but has anyone shot a commercially distributed film on an HV20 yet? Not necessarily a theatrical release, but even a straight to DVD movie? I think this would be the ultimate pay-off of all this work and discussion. A commercially successful film shot on the HV20 would go a long way in proving to everyone that all this fuss has been worth it.

The flash-based Canon HF10 and the XH A1 are being used to shoot "Crank 2", (which will probably be) a nationally distributed theatrical release.

http://gizmodo.com/386778/crank-2-hi...ill-ridiculous


I know it's not the "HV20/30", but the HF10 and HV30 are essentially the same camera.

This is why I don't understand why the HF10 isn't allowed in the film contests here on this forum.

[Worley]

Improvements with DoF adapters... probably not, but I'm sure someone clever could do something similar to this.

[Jennzababe]

There are still three areas of interest for me:

New developments in DOF adapters...

What needs to change? You can already build a fabulous adapter for about $100 with no vignetting, etc. I guess it would be nicer if they could be more compact, but there are physical limitations that restrict that. Following the lead of that link you posted I guess if someone developed a hack to remove the HV30 lens completly and deliver the slr image directly to the imager that would be nice, but then I'd need a 2nd camera for run and gun shooting where I need to run the stock lens with af, etc.

[CycleWriter]

Improvements with DoF adapters... probably not, but I'm sure someone clever could do something similar to this.

That is one brave DIYer. If Canon camcorders are anything like their DSLRs, they won't operate with a lens error.

[d1rockwild]

That is one brave DIYer. If Canon camcorders are anything like their DSLRs, they won't operate with a lens error.

so then the idea would be to hack the lens error? i love how easily i make that sound.

[Rumpelgeist]

> i dunno i guess i've just been going thru the forums lately,
> looking for something to get excited about to do with my hv30
> and not finding too much.

Shot any videos lately?

> the HF10 and HV30 are essentially the same camera.

Yeah, right.

> If Canon camcorders are anything like their DSLRs,
> they won't operate with a lens error.

If Canon had any brains left, it would have taken their DSLR, morphed it into a camera body, sticked AVCHD codec into it and sold for $1K. Ok, with a better lens for under $2K. On another hand, Canon might indeed have some brains left, which is why they haven't made such a camera yet, they still want to sell the A1 for $3.5K. Stupid, I think. I won't buy the A1 for $3.5K, but would buy a camera with removable lens for $1-1.5K. I am sure Canon would find more than 3 times more new clients if it were brave enough to release such a product.

[net]

the HF10 and HV30 are essentially the same camera.

Yeah, right.

uh-huh... but you can elaborate.

[filmmakingjoe]

The HV20/30 world is a short lived one I am afraid. I say this because its a common trend the manufacturers set forth at the consumer level of anything and everything.

Panasonic is by far the worst when it comes to killing their babies but Canon is a little smarter. But they wouldnt be smart if they left such a great cam on the market too long. I dont see them continuing such a great cam for much longer. This is why I have my eye on the HV30 and slowly becoming an ex-Pana user.

[kenkyusha]

I'm still working to find a perfect balance between a rig for doing event/documentary work (pretty straight camera w/a wide-angle lens, some audio gear & an external monitor) and possible 'creative' shorts (using the 35 mm adapter).

At this point, I've only shot 25 - 30 hours of stuff w/the camera since acquiring it, so it is still a brave new world to me .

Be well,
Jigme

[elantric]

I feel the HV30 has 6 months of production left - then no more consumer Canon HDV tape based cameras. If you want a new one with a warranty, better budget to get it this year - or be stuck with sourcing your HV30 from the refurb/ used channel.

[Rumpelgeist]

I feel the HV30 has 6 months of production left - then no more consumer Canon HDV tape based cameras. If you want a new one with a warranty, better budget to get it this year - or be stuck with sourcing your HV30 from the refurb/ used channel.

Tape sucks (I should put it into my sig)

[elantric]

>Tape sucks (I should put it into my sig)

Not as much as 2 year old DVD-R's or SD cards with valuable footage that suddenly go bad and refuse to be read by any OS - I have a few discs that UV sunlight has made unreadable. Now that really sucks. I have a pile of hard drives with valuable data that I trust will function years longer than most of the DVD's I burn at home. But there's a shelf life with all microelectronics - the surface mount capacitors tend to fail after 10 years- that will spell doom to getting data off an old hard drive. BTW - its also why I never keep a camcorder longer than 8 years. The repair bill to replace the failed SMD capacitors on a 10 year old camcorder is never money well spent.

Yet I also have over 100 miniDV's dating back to 1997 that still function beautifully. Same with my Hi-8 tape collection, VHS, and Betamax.

IMHO - For backing up data and provided the storage media is kept in a controlled environment (no excess heat / or high humidity) and no nearby magnets/ AC motor flux fields ( vacuum cleaners, etc) - i trust Tapes over any other storage media.

[d1rockwild]

> i dunno i guess i've just been going thru the forums lately,
> looking for something to get excited about to do with my hv30
> and not finding too much.

Shot any videos lately?

no see i said i was going thru the forums, looking for something to get excited about. i'm always excited using the camera.

[Ian-T]

uh-huh... but you can elaborate.

I think he was kidding...or being sarcastic.....(same thing)...

[Kyleman]

Tape sucks (I should put it into my sig)

Not really. It's a good reliable way to have a backup of your media. The only thing I hate about tape is having tapes stored everywhere. But I'd rather have that than a HDD fail on me with all of my backups.


-Kyle

[Netguru]

>Yet I also have over 100 miniDV's dating back to 1997 that still function beautifully. Same with my Hi-8 tape collection, VHS, and Betamax.

IMHO - For backing up data and provided the storage media is kept in a controlled environment (no excess heat / or high humidity) and no nearby magnets/ AC motor flux fields ( vacuum cleaners, etc) - i trust Tapes over any other storage media.

I couldn't agree more!

I have an archive of 20+ years worth of 8mm tapes that are in great condition. I am using the A/D converter in my new HV30 to make DVDs of the tapes, but I will still keep the original tapes.

Michael

[nigel101]

i think the future is HV40.

[elantric]

>i think the future is HV40.

It will arrive with the tooth fairy and US national healthcare.

[Rumpelgeist]

IMHO - For backing up data and provided the storage media is kept in a controlled environment (no excess heat / or high humidity) and no nearby magnets/ AC motor flux fields ( vacuum cleaners, etc) - i trust Tapes over any other storage media.

Ok, let me rephrase: tape sucks as acquisition medium.

[Rumpelgeist]

uh-huh... but you can elaborate.

Different sensor and different optics are two major differences. Also different features (viewfinder, focus wheel), different codec. They may have common parts in the OIS, or may have common image processing before it gets encoded into MPEG-2/AVC, but overall these are different cameras. If the HF had a focus wheel and a flip-out viewfinder it would have been the best camcorder ever. But it does not have these things. Which is why I sold the HF100 and bought the used Sony HC1. Tape sucks, but what I can do, I just love the look and feel of the thing. The HV30 cannot even come close in look and feel, no siree. The best Canon could do with the HV40 is to repackage HV30 into the body from the HC1.

[mattias]

Ok, let me rephrase: tape sucks as acquisition medium.

in many ways yes, but the thing is that it's already archived when you've shot it. take the tape out and you have an archival copy that will last many years, without the extra step of downloading it to somewhere else and copying it around, and you never have to delete your original to shoot again, something that has made me insane on the gigs i've done on p2. and you pretty much need a second ac shooting to cards, while changing tapes doesn't even require a first.

/matt

[Tuluws]

i think the future is HV40.

It won't be the HV40... it will be the HV50 (if we ever see it). The number 4 is not a good number in Asian cultures. The same thing happened with Canon "Sx" series of digital cameras. They had the S1, S2, S3 and then they skipped the S4 and came out with the S5.