The strong point of the HV30, says the team, is that it has the HV20's excellent HD CMOS image sensor at its core, and it delivers great video quality as a result, even under low-lighting conditions. The new 30p recording feature, said by Canon to be designed for online video production, also seemed a good halfway house between full 60i and 24p recordings, and a welcome addition. Camcorderinfo also felt that despite many camcorders switching to HDD storage, the miniDV solution retained by the HV30 is OK, arguing that tape offers pros like better image compression via HDV, instant archiving and a higher drop-resistance than, say DVD. Still imagery, captured to miniSD card, looked pretty good, though like most camcorders, you wouldn't favor it over a proper still camera.

They found the camera handled extremely well under automatic control, and while the list of manual control options is good, their main gripe was that the camera design still omits a proper focus ring, and has a fiddly joystick control. Its construction felt "cheap and awkward" with viewfinder use somewhat stunted by its positioning. Saying that, Canon has improved the LCD viewing screen by widening its acceptance angle and decreasing solarization problems. Battery life, and portability were deemed good, with the battery running for one hour, fifty minutes in their test—almost identical to the HV20.

Their conclusion: the HV30 is more than just the HV20 in a new black paint job, since it offers a bunch of design improvements (like a hotshoe cover that can't fall off) and some extra features such as the 30p mode. It may even make it to Camcorder of the Year 2008. [Camcorderinfo]

Do you want to know how?

I'm not going to try to translate every little nuance of the showdown. All you really need to know going in, if you don't already, is that the Sony and the Canon record to tape, and use HDV MPEG-2 compression. The Panasonic relies strictly on AVCHD, an MPEG-4 based option, and stores video only on SD cards. The Everio records to at 60GB hard drive with both AVCHD and "a new flavor of MPEG-2".

[The Canon HV20] shares an advantage over the Panasonic HDC-SD1 and JVC GZ-HD7 because it uses tried and true HDV MPEG-2 compression, and our tests show that HDV remains the best consumer HD format. Both the Canon and Sony HDR-HC7—the other HDV camcorder in this shootout—scored higher than the others in our video performance tests. In the lab, the Canon and Sony raced to a virtual dead heat, both displaying sharper images with less noise than the Panasonic and JVC.

The crispness of the HV20's image was most notable in close-up shots of our model, where we could literally count every hair on our model's face. [Remember him?] The Sony was visibly less crisp (though still quite sharp), followed by the Panasonic. The JVC GZ-HD7 trailed the pack, with the lowest tested video resolution, and the softest images of the field. The Canon also turned in a stellar low light score, thanks to a 24p mode that more than doubles the light gathering ability of its imager. In low light, it beat out the others in the same order as above. The 24p capability in and of itself is a great extra feature on the HV20, yet another reason to consider it.

The bottom line went something like this:

The Sony HDR-HC7 was most feature-packed but absence of a focus assist feature was a liability. Cam Control multifunction dial was not as easy to use as its predecessors Cam Control rings.

The Panasonic HDC-SD1 is too specialized, though it is good for close quarters shooting, situations that demand silent operation, or a rock-solid optical image stabilizer. There's no headphone jack and no accessory shoe. It also records AVCHD video which does not yet pose a threat to HDV.

The JVC GZ-HD7 had great handling with nice prosumer traits like a focus ring and dedicated buttons for image control. lack of a headphone jack or any means of monitoring and adjusting audio levels. The biggest disappointment with the HD7, however, was video performance: again, it doesn't stand up to the quality of HDV video.

The Canon HV20 had cheap-feeling construction and an awful zoom lever, but delivered best bang for the buck.

From the sound of it, the boys are still looking for that perfect camcorder:

We'd love to see a camcorder that really brings it all together: the handling of the HD7, the functionality of the HC7, the OIS and compactness of the SD1, and the performance of the HV20. Until that happens, smart buyers would be advised to consider the strengths and weaknesses of all of these camcorders, and choose the one that is the best overall match for their shooting style and goals.

The Great HD Shoot-Out - Canon HV20, Sony HDR-HC7, Panasonic HDC-SD1, JVC GZ-HD7 [Camcorderinfo.com]

We have a much larger version of this shot, and we can point out one major problem with it immediately. Take a look at that after the jump along with the camera in its context of the so-called Japanese ad:

Although there's no marking on the camera indicating 1080p, we're also told the accompanying text mentions 1080p, which is not part of the HDV spec. Hmm.

One inconsistency you can plainly see is on the lens, where it's labeled "18x zoom 6.1 - 61mm." Let's do the math: 6.1 x 10 = 61, so that would be a 10x zoom, wouldn't it, which happens to be the same lens of the HV20?

We call bullshit. Nice Photoshop job. – Charlie White

Rumor: Canon HV50 3 CMOS Camcorder [Digital Camcorder News]

3.1-megapixel shots (it saves them to miniSD cards). Finally when you're done shooting you can hook up the HV20 to your HDTV via its HDMI output. Pricing is expected at around $1,099, though we're a little disappointed Canon chose MiniDV over a HDD. – Louis Ramirez

Product Page [Canon]

HV20 at Circuit City [Thanks Mike E.]