LOL, Taky, you don't know how many times I wanted to move these posts over to that other thread, to consolidate....some almost sounded identical.Originally Posted by Taky
LOL, Taky, you don't know how many times I wanted to move these posts over to that other thread, to consolidate....some almost sounded identical.
hehe.. you know, it's very subjective for a person to say something is beauitful or not. But to say HD video is just a bit sharper than SD video, that's just doesn't make sense.
I opened my hv20 last night. My first problem is that I over-hyped this camcorder. This is my first one...and after reading all the glowing reviews about it I multiplied them by 100 in my head. I was expecting pure gold.
My first try at recording was in my under-lit living room. It looked grainy in the LCD panel and also on our 37" HDTV. Then I realized how dark it was and that I wasn't using the light. So then I went into another room with the lights on...then outside with the flood lights. Much, much better. It was snowing ever so slightly, and seeing the snowflakes in HD was pretty cool.
All in all I was pretty satisfied with it so far. So tonight I start reading the manual and figure out how to really use it.
Light is what makes great video (or film).
The LIGHTS section is the one with the LEAST amount of threads here on hv20.com, where it should be one with the MOST (together with the SOUNDS section.)
Great video is all about lighting, and its control.
You can't get good video with an "underlit" room, no matter what cam (although some do slightly better than others).
Great video is all about great lighting, but I think I mentioned this already...
Wait...I am not quite sure what you are trying to say. Are you trying to tell me that light is very, very important?
LOL aye, exactly!
I do not have an hv20, however I saw it at Best Buy and I even got to play with it for a few minutes.
Since I have never used this camcorder, I didn't want play with the custom settings right away (not to mention I couldn't record any video anyway), but I had read about the zoom button being hard to use, and thought this to be the best time to try it out. I couldn't disagree more, as it was really easy for me to use, and I would say I have pretty big hands. I also heard that the camcorders built in mic can pick up the sound of this zoom switch, which sounds probable. Not to mention how fast it zoomed (compared to my old camcorder).
I can't really comment on the image quality, having only viewed it through the LCD screen, but I can trust the reviews.
So there is my review of a camera I don't have. I can't wait until I do have it, though.
Hi
I got my hv20 yesterday (yes the hv30 is comming to norway soon, but I realy dont see the difference in hv20/hv30)
One thing is bugging me allready, on my shots I get a lot of the sound from the tape motor (I belive it make a lot of sound, but I guess it is commom among tape based cameras)
I guss I have to invest in a external mic, will it help?
Last edited by svar; 2008 February 24th at 05:44.
Yes that shoudl help. The noise is the result of the microphone being located so close to the moving tape mechanism.
I believe others have mentioned on here before there are some editing programs that will allow you to sample the motor noise on a quiet passage and then filter it out from the whole recording.
My First Impressions on HV20 & HDV compared with PD100a
Just my 2 Cents on the HV20: I bought the HV20 to compliment my XHA1 as a "B-Camera" for a conference shoot. First observations: the HV20 is very small and my big hands do pose a challenge to operate some of the smaller controls...taking some getting used to the small zoom control. I'm getting pretty good with the "joystick" however and exposure control really isn't an issue.
Picture quality is quite good and surprisingly...cuts very well with the XHA1. Maybe more saturated color on the HV20 but it is a single-CMOS so that's not a surprise. A little adjusting in Vegas 6.0 and it all looks pretty good.
All in all, for less than $700 USD....the HV20 has a place in my video toolkit for shooting, whether a B-camera... a "run & gun" camera or just plan pocket videocamcorder.... it's an amazing little device. If you practice and get to know the limits and range of this device, the HV20 will serve you well. If you're looking at it as a "Professional Camcorder"...well...you may be disappointed with it. I'm glad I have it!
I will say this however: the XHA1 and HV20 are my first dabblings in HDV. I've been using Sony BetaCamSP and DVCAM PD100a for quite some time. So I was pretty surprised to compare my XHA1 video with my PD100a video on a project where I shot interviews using same lighting set-up and using the PD100a on one and the XHA1 on another. The XHA1 footage was very good but it didn't really jump out as being "better" than the PD100a...only "different". The PD100a footage looked very good and well...in a way...was more appealing than the XHA1 as the image just seemed to "pop" better IMHO. The XHA1 interview footage looked more film-like...more subtle coloration...a little muted in the grayscale. It looked good....it just didn't grab me as much as I thought it would...being HDV and all.
So I suppose it's that I've become accustomed to the "SD" look as opposed to "HD"? Or...maybe I can brag and say my 25+ years as a producer/photographer have helped me obtain a certain skill-set where I can pull the most out of a SD image? I won't brag but I have to admit...both images are good...with my eye leaning more towards the DVCAM footage.
again...my2cents only.
P.S. I will say that I my impressions are based on viewing both SD and HD on the same computer monitor and on SD DVD on a Sony SD TV..... that may have something to do with it. While an oversampled image, the HDV looks as good as the SD under same lighting and camera operator conditions. I'm sure if I were to view the HDV directly to an HD Monitor or TV, it should look much better than the SD counterpart. Again, I'm assuming.
Last edited by Chaz; 2008 February 29th at 15:39. Reason: Clarification of viewing environment summary
Now I have the Hv20, and I'm even more impressed than in the store. Again, I still love the fast zooming capabilities.
Another thing I like is the 24p and cine modes, obviously. I haven't gotten to test out alot of the features, but it's great to know that they're there, and I will probably learn about the features it has from the presets, and maybe eventually use the custom options.
I like the viewfinder (my old camcorder didn't have one), it's easy to use and also very useful.
The manual focus is one feature I did get to try, and it is only my first day with this camcorder, but I felt it was difficult to use the manual focus while the LCD screen is open.
This camera is by far the best I've ever owned, and I can't wait until it's gets warmer so I can see some outdoors footage.
Well, I got mine today, and was surprised how loud the tape motor noise is in a quiet environment. But, I got a bundle deal with the Rode Video mic, so...Maybe I'll get a stereo mic some day, maybe not.
-focus wheel works awesome
-harder to navigate in than my previous cam(panny gs500)
-more options than the panasonic
-good picture quality
-very true colors and not hard to set
Just ordered mine yesterday. I can't wait to get it.
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