Canon HV20 HDV Camcorder Reviewby John NeelyPublished on Mar 26, 2007 5:00 PM 
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Ease of Use (7.75)
This year’s crop of HD Canon HV20 (Review, Specs, Recent News, $903), the Sony HDR-HC7 (Review, Specs, Recent News, $1128.56), and the Panasonic HDC-SD1 (Review, Specs, Recent News, $1119.99) combine potent manual image controls with consumer-oriented ease of use. The two top HDV camcorders – the HV20 and HC7 – are both quite approachable, and very similar in terms of outward appearance, but in terms of physical handling, the Sony has an edge. The Canon is a shade smaller, giving the Sony a tad more weight and stability (but a shade less portability). More importantly, the Sony’s key right hand controls – the zoom rocker, Mode Dial, and Record/Start/Stop button are better positioned. In addition the Sony’s hand strap is better padded and more comfortable. The Canon doesn’t feel quite right in your hand, and I found that operating the zoom rocker and the joystick required an awkward grip that required me to split the difference between optimal shooting and optimal control navigation. Another weak point on the Canon is the viewfinder, which has a sharp image, but is too small for comfort, and does not extend out from the body.
In other ways, working with the HV20 is a breeze. Auto mode is comparable to the better other better consumer camcorders, and the auto focus with Canon’s Instant AF is fast and generally accurate. The Recording Program modes also can make your life easier once you learn the quirks of each mode, and options like P (AE), Av, Tv, and Cine offer rapidly deployable manual control modes. The HV20 is an easy camcorder to shoot with, and the menu design, manual control implementation, and feature set has been designed to help you get your shot. Unfortunately, Canon dropped the ball when it came to the ergonomics of handling this camcorder.
Handling (5.5)
I mentioned some of the strengths and weaknesses of handling the HV20 in the Ease of Use section above, so here I’ll expand on how you can expect the camcorder to handle on an actual shoot. In a nutshell, the HV20 has been built around the needs of the videographers, whether they’re a point-and-shooter or a veteran. Despite some major compromises in the physical handling area, Canon has done an admirable job of outfitting the camcorder with a limited but well selected set of features.
Focus is a particular strong point of this camcorder, and that’s vital for shooting HD video where the any focus errors are magnified. The focus dial is just OK, on par with the Cam Control dial on Sony’s HDR-HC7. The Focus Assist and Peaking options on the HV20, however, make it the best consumer camcorder currently available for focusing manually. With the help of Focus Assist, conveniently engaged by pressing a button on the LCD frame, I found the HV20 to be the first non-prosumer HD camcorder that allowed me to adjust focus manually with confidence. Instant AF, Canon’s proprietary auto focus is also excellent. When we connected the HV20 to our HD monitor, Instant AF consistently focused quickly and crisply in low-contrast lighting that left every other camcorder’s auto focus breathing. Instant AF is one of those rare proprietary technologies that seem to be legit.
Another great inclusion on the HV20 is fast access to three key controls without entering the menu: exposure, audio levels, and end search. All three controls are frequently called upon during a shoot, and in any Recording Program mode, they are engaged by pressing in on the joystick. Zebras that can be set to 70 or 100 IRE are a valuable aid for monitoring exposure, and onscreen marker displays can be used to assist with shot framing. Making manual image adjustments is easy with the HV20 thanks to assists and control placements mentioned above, but also due to the manner in which Canon has limited manual control options. Although the lack of fully independent iris and shutter speed control may be liability in some shooting situations, Canon provides the Recording Programs that you are most likely to use on a day to day basis: Program AE, Shutter Priority (Tv), and Aperture Priority (Av) modes, as well as a solid selection of Special Scene modes. In combination with 24P, these modes offer enough control to make this camcorder a real option for professional video work on the cheap.
In weighing the benefits of Canon’s feature set against others, including the HC7 and SD1 that offer a greater range of independent controls, it is important to consider how those options are implemented on those camcorders, and thus how useful they would be on a shoot. It’s difficult to implement a robust set of manual controls on a compact camcorder like the HV20 without burying some options in the menu, or rolling them into a multifunction controller like the Cam Control dial on the HC7 or joystick on the SD1. Rather than throw in everything but the kitchen sink, Canon has supplied the HV20 with the essentials, and included some very thoughtful features and attributes that I found truly helped me to get a shot that would have been more painful on the Sony or Panasonic. For run and gun or field production, the HV20 handles like a stripped-down but very capable tool.
In the hand, the HV20 is less appealing. The Sony HDR-HC7 feels more solid, control placement is better, and the hand strap is much more comfortable. The Sony offers a stronger overall manual control suite, but many shooters will find Canon’s Focus Assist, and fast access to exposure and audio level controls a more valuable asset. If you’re thinking about buying either of these camcorders, think about how each model would serve your shooting style, and spend some quality time with each one at your favorite camcorder vendor.
Menu (7.0)
The Canon HV20 menu epitomizes refined user interface design, and it offers some real speed advantages over other camcorder menus. Part of the advantage stems from what Canon has kept out of the menu. While shooting in any Recording Program mode, both focus and exposure are quickly accessible while the Sony requires toggling the Cam Control dial from one setting to another. In either Tv or Av mode, shutter speed and iris respectively are also one-touch adjustable, by tapping up or down on the joystick. White balance is located at the top level of the menu, as are Program Recording modes and Image Effects, so changing any of these settings can be done in a matter of seconds versus tens of seconds on the HC7. Panasonic’s joystick-based interface is equally quick, but less intuitive than Canon’s, which displays many menu options in an L-shaped list, running down the left side of the screen and along its base upon pressing the Function button.
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The Function Menu |
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At the lower left corner of the screen is the Function Menu icon, and selecting this option brings up a screen listing the following submenus: Camera Setup (Auto Slow Shutter, AF Mode, Digital Zoom, Zoom Speed, Image Stabilization and Self Timer); Rec/In Setup (HD Standard, DV Rec Mode, DV Audio, Wind Screen, Mic Att, AV-DV, and File Nos.); Card Operations (Print Ord.All Erase, Trans.Ord.All Erase, Erase All Images, and Initialize); Play/Out Setup (Playback Std., TV Type, Output Ch, Audio Out, Mix Balance, AV/Phones, Phones Vol., Comp.Out, and DV Output); Display Setup (Brightness, Markers, Assist Func., Audio Level, TV Screen, 6Sec.Date, Data Code, Language, and Demo Mode); System Setup (WL. Remote, Beep, Power Save, and Firmware); and Date/Time Setup (T.Zone/DST, Date/Time, and Date Format). Navigating through these Function Menu options is quick and easy thanks to the joystick controller allowing you to move in the four cardinal directions. Pressing in on the center of the joystick selects a given menu option.
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The admin menu |
A closer look at the Camera Setup |
Portability (5.5)
The HV20 measures 88 x 80 x 138mm (3.5” x 3.2” x 5.4”) and weighs in at 535g (1.2 lbs.) without lens and battery pack. This is no pocket-sized HV10 (Review, Specs, Recent News, $814), but it will give you 24P in the palm of your hand. Since the HV20’s viewfinder is immobile and shorter than a sleuth’s snub-nosed pistol, it will remain out of harm’s way, as opposed to a retractable viewfinder. The automatic lens cover will aid those who are cursed with flighty memory, but you still have to remember to turn the camcorder off in order for it to close. The LCD screen is cheap, so make sure it is closed at all times during transport.
You won’t be able to fit the HV20 into a pocket comfortably, but a small camcorder bag will do the trick. It won’t weigh you down throughout the day, and the necessities (power adapter, cables, extra tapes) will fit snugly in the bag’s compartments. We recommend a backup battery for the HV20, seeing as how you’ll only get about 40 minutes of recording time off of a full charge. In fact, go for two. You can find them relatively cheap online, and you’ll salvage a good chunk of your short film budget.
LCD and Viewfinder (6.0)
Like the HC7, the HV20 has a 2.7” wide 16:9 LCD screen with a resolution of approximately 211,000 pixels. The screen extends to a 90-degree angle in relation to the body and can be rotated vertically 270 degrees. With both camcorders in full auto mode, the HV20’s LCD image is brighter than the HC7’s and has more fine detail, but displays more noise. In addition, the HC7 retains its picture when viewing the LCD at a sharp angle, whereas the HV20’s LCD morphs into a sea of solarization, given the slightest turn.
Now on to the viewfinder, or lack thereof. As mentioned earlier in the tour, Canon is really slacking here. The 0.27” inch wide 123,000 resolution hard plastic box does not extend, does not have a rubberized eyecup, and is way to short. This is a sorry excuse for a viewfinder. Good luck adding a bigger battery. To make matters even worse, the tiny dioptric adjuster is embedded in the plastic frame, making it exceedingly frustrating to slide without long nails.
The playback buttons on the LCD panel are flattened like the HC7’s but are easier to handle due to their horizontal layout. The HV20’s LCD hinge is just as weak and breakable as one of Canon’s ZR models, so tread lightly in the handling department. Also, when using the LCD screen, keep in mind that what you are viewing is cropped. Playback on a widescreen 16:9 monitor adds 9mm on each horizontal side and 20mm on each vertical side. At least you’ll be more likely to get the shot you wanted—unless it’s a strict close-up.
Battery Life (11.3)
The Canon HV20 includes a BP-2L13 battery pack, which slides into an open slot on the back of the camcorder. The open battery slot allows for the use of an optional longer life battery, like the BP-2L14 (good for a reported 155 minutes of continuous HDV recording).
We tested the life of the included BP-2L13 battery pack for continuous HDV recording, in AE mode with the LCD open and set to Normal brightness and OIS set to off. The battery on our HV20 lasted 113 minutes and 22 seconds (1 hour, 53 minutes, and 22 seconds). In comparison, the battery on the Canon HV10 lasted for 71 minutes and the Sony HDR-HC7 lasted for 98 minutes. Canon also lists both continuous, and "typical" recording time for its batteries. In the case of the BP-2L13, the Continuous time reported is 135 minutes, while the typical recording time is 75 minutes, and takes into account zooms, pauses, and adjustments.