Canon HV30?

[Unprocessed1]

I'm pretty new to camcorders, but I was interested in getting the Canon HV30. I heard the HDV is MUCH easier to use on a Mac or in general in comparison to the new flash camcorders like the HF10/HF20/HF200, however I must admit I do like the form factor of the HF series a lot more.

If anyone has the HV30, can you give me a general guide of how easy/difficult it is to get the pics on your mac, and edit them with imovie 09 or other software?

Also, should I be concerned about importing movies from the HF series if I decide to go that route?

Would just like some general guidance and advice on what I should expect or be looking for.

 

[matteusclement]

First, you should search "HV30" in these forums... but that being said.

I have a HV30 and using an intel iMac 2ghz & 4 gigs ram, I was able to edit the HDV footage with ease, but the rendering was a bit of a wait. Capture it as pro res 422 for the best of both worlds. (great quality and smaller size)

I edit using FCP 6. It was a breeze getting it on my imac. Using compressor's reverse telecine gives you the true 24p.

Depending on what you are looking for, I always argue that tape it better. Tapes don't crash. Tapes don't "fail". Tapes are cheap.
Hard drive and flash files are a disaster waiting to happen at any point.

my $0.02

 

[LethalWolfe]

OP, the HV30 is a great little camera.

I have a HV30 and using an intel iMac 2ghz & 4 gigs ram, I was able to edit the HDV footage with ease, but the rendering was a bit of a wait. Capture it as pro res 422 for the best of both worlds. (great quality and smaller size)
2

It sounds like the OP is going to be using iMovie or FCE so he'll use AIC instead of ProRes though both codecs are larger than editing HDV natively. Native HDV is the same size as DV so about 13gigs per hour. The HV30 shoots 1080i60 so in AIC that is around 40gigs per hour and in ProRes it's around 60gigs an hour.


Lethal

 

[mbell75]

I used the HV30 for years with imovie just fine. I now have an AVCHD based video camera and it works the same in imovie 09. No difference at all really, so get which ever one you like. Just keep in mind they are starting to phase the tape based players out, so finding things for them is getting a bit more difficult. A few months ago before I switched, I had to drive to 3 different stores just to find HD miniDV tapes and I live in a huge tourist area right by Disneyland too. Stores just dont seem to be stocking the tape based stuff as often these days.

 

[INNOVA]

Hv30 Best Settings For Recording Underwater??? (pool)

I Have A Canon Vixia Hv30 And The Ikelite Housing. I Am Going To Do Alot Of Underwater Recordings. What Settings For Best Quality Does Anyone Recommend ???


Luis

 

[Nostromo]

Check out the HV40. Has improvements in available recording frame rates.

It's not only easier on the Mac, but also on PCs.

Reason: the older HDV codec is easier to read than the newer, higher compressed codecs of the modern flash drive camcorders.

Video from a dslr is equally highly compressed, and has to be transferred onto a different, editable format.

It's a great camera, but consider buying a dslr with video. Not much more expensive, but better image quality and versatility. Check out the Canon Rebels. Might even have the same price.

But if you need a video camcorder, the handling of the hv30/40 should be better than one of the lower end dslrs. Check out the handling in a store.

 

[INNOVA]

Canon Rebel Dslr Video Vs Hv30 Better??????

so your telling me that the canon rebel with hd video has better quality then a canon vixia hv30????

 

[iCheddar]

I've used all three of the HV cameras. The 20, the 30, and 40.

Both the 30 and 40 are very good. With the right amount of ingenuity, you can get alot of manuallish controls out the HV cameras.

I usually edit in Premiere, but occasionally in FCP, as long as you're using a decent machine, you'll have no problem throwing HDV video around, at least, a slightly easier time than an AVCHD based system.

Also, I would recommend getting yourself a different NLE than iMovie, Final Cut Express is a fantastic and cheap option, only $199. FCE will allow you to cut video a bit better, and (in my experience) will do a significantly better job deinterlacing the 1080i video generated by the HV cameras.

I'd go and check out the forums on HV20.com, there is TONS of information about this camera, and the little sub-culture around it.