Vegas 8 & Canon VIXIA HV30 HDV Camcorder

Xavion Kron wrote on 5/20/2008, 7:17 AM

Are these small HD camcorders under $1000 worth buying, do I really need to spend 2-3 grand on a Camcorder?

I just bought a Fujitsu N6470 lifebook with Blu-Ray burner, 500GB HD, 3GB RAM, High-Definition Multimedia Interface (HDMI) Port, ATI Mobility™ Radeon® HD 2600 graphics with 512 MB HyperMemory™ (256 MB dedicated and 256 MB shared memory).

Upgraded to Vegas 8. What else do I need to record to Blu-Ray Disc?

Comments

UlfLaursen wrote on 5/20/2008, 7:36 AM

I have the HV20, which is more or less the same thing. I like it a lot and I think you get a lot good value for your money.

/Ulf

Sherif wrote on 5/20/2008, 7:44 AM

Depends what your final output is - if its to web then probably not a huge amount, but go onto vimeo and search under the following: phil bloom, sony v1, canon xha1, and canon hv20 and you can compare directly whether you think the bigger/expensive cameras are worth it when compressed to web.

if dvd - well is it for family, weddings, corporate? if family, the cheaper ones will be perfect - but say you want to make a corporate dvd then i would say no - the sony z1, v1, ex1 just have better manual controls and lenses (or the equivalent panny and canon)

if blue-ray - well yes you could tell difference between a HV30 and say a Sony Z7 at 1080i.

personally i have a hv20 for family use, and a Sony V1 for corporate use.

hope that helps.

busterkeaton wrote on 5/20/2008, 7:50 AM

If your budget for a camera is $1000, then the HV30 is pretty highly regarded. It all depends on what work you are trying to do. If you're not doing pro work, (or your paid work is bringing in top pro prices), then you don't need a more expensive camera.

The more expensive cameras have more features (more manual control over the image and audio) and better image sensors, but the low-end cameras are delivering some great images these days. If you are asking this question, you may not be in the position to take advantages of the high-end features.

Zelkien69 wrote on 5/20/2008, 8:41 AM

I own both Canon XH-A1's and HV30's. At it's simplest comparison they are both great camcorders. On the finer end of things the XH-A1 is far superior in most areas. I use three XH-A1's for wedding and event video services and compliment those with b-roll footage from the HV30's. The XH-A1's have far better color and contrast than the HV30 plus the extra control you get from the A1 is priceless if you are doing anything professionally (getting paid). I mix in the HV30's to put them in places we can't man a camera (think at the end of an isle or nestled in an arragement of flowers) and typically leave them running to fill gaps with the other cameras. The footage does cut in well.
I can sum this up by saying as a personal or b-roll camera it's great. Your main go to camera in a professional setting - never. The quality, while good, is not good enough to cut from an XH-A1 to the HV30 equally. The A1 would look so good that the HV30 would seem poor in comparison.

CClub wrote on 5/20/2008, 4:36 PM

I often use a Canon HV20 as a 2nd camera to the V1U during interviews... with lighting set up perfect (and strong for HD!), they actually match up pretty well. But I recently did a concert for a friend, and the HV20 footage was embarrassing. It couldn't even come close to the V1U in lower lighting.

I'm doing a concert at the end of this month, and I had planned to rent a 2nd V1U and use my HV20 for occasional shots from the 3rd angle. Not now. I'm going to be renting a 3rd V1U. The lower cost HDV cameras have their place, and if you use them for that, they can shoot some amazingly beautiful footage. But I wouldn't stray from those limited options. And don't walk in to a professional shoot where you're being paid a good amount of money and the first thing you do is pull out a puny little camcorder; trust me, I made that mistake accidentally.