Canon HV20 Expert Reviews

Excellent cinematic mode, plenty of different modes, great picture quality.

Finicky interface, a little bulky for our tastes.

The Canon HV20 offers an affordable introduction to high-definition video. While not particularly outstanding, it performs solidly in every area and will satisfy the majority of users.

Compared to Panasonic's sleek HDC-SD1, the Canon HV20 HD camcorder looks a bit ungainly, mostly because it has a large MiniDV tape mechanism grafted onto one side.

Since the HDV format demands less computing power than the AVCHD format does, we would steer clear of AVCHD models unless we had an extremely powerful PC. And the Canon HV20 is one of the better HDV models on the market, at a pretty good price to boot.

A lot has been packed into the HV20, but it's far from bulky

Good lens ; Strong audio ; Easy to handle ; Impressive performance

Bulky ; No lens rings

If you're looking for great value high definition without sacrificing functionality, the HV20 is a great place to start. Its comprehensive connectivity coupled with fantastic user-friendliness and superb playback quality make it the leader in its class

Canon's second HD camcorder sticks with the old-school DV tape but brings film-like 24P movie shooting to the masses

Captures in 24P. Stunning image quality. Good manual controls

Feels cheap. Ugly design

Video quality, options, 10x optical zoom

Size, limited cables in the box

When it comes to video performance the Canon HV20 is very impressive. As we start to live in a HD world this is on the very cutting edge.

Canon is targeting video shooters who own High Definition TV sets with its new HV20 camcorder, which will also appeal to many digital photographers. This compact camcorder shares many of the features of the DC51 model we reviewed in Issue 32 and even ...

We were very impressed with the test camera's video performance, particularly in the HDV mode, which produced colourful footage with little evidence of glitches or compression artefacts. Colour reproduction was natural looking and the camera was even ...

Canon's new HDV camcorder. Presented with all the "hype" of a film star. Is it an "Oscar" or a "Razzer"?

At the moment, prices are all over the place. I paid £699 at Equipment Express but was quoted £999 at Jessops. Potential buyers should also be prepared to budget for a mini SD card, leads for HDMI and computer IEEE 1394 connections and, if required, a ...

It records and plays back HDV and DV video. It has loads of inputs and outputs and accomodates a mini-SD card too. In fact, is this just about the most perfect consumer HDV camcorder out there?

Let's cut straight to the chase. This is a very, very good camcorder! There's nothing at all missing from the feature list and the comprehensive connectivity really is something to write home about. Not only is its HDV/DV recording capability a boon, ...

You don't have to rely on those big budget Hollywood studios to get your 1080p fix, because you can make high-resolution videos of your own with the all-new Canon HV20 HD camcorder...

You don't have to rely on those big budget Hollywood studios to get your 1080p fix, because you can make high-resolution videos of your own with the all-new Canon HV20 HD camcorder. Equipped with a genuine Canon CMOS image sensor, this camcorder will ...

The Canon HV20 high-definition camcorder has excellent video quality, nice features, HDMI output, and an accessory shoe

Can't change white balance while shooting ; night mode doesn't help poor low-light performance

Canon's HV20 camcorder is a great choice for HD-happy amateurs, but its low-light performance could have been better.