Canon Vixia HV40 Camcorder Review

Playback & Connectivity Summary
• Playing back videos is simple—just like using a VCR. • The VCR playback buttons are difficult to push due to their "membrane button" design. • Photo playback is just like other camcorders; images are arranged as thumbnails and you can cycle through them. • The camcorder has a FireWire port and can perform AV to DV conversion using it and the AV terminal. • The port cover on the back side of the camcorder doesn't stay in place built poorly.
	Handling & Use	(Page 10 of 17)	Audio & Other Features

Playback (6.25)

The Playback mode switch

Playback for tape-based camcorders is simpler to understand than non-linear media playback, but it is not nearly as convenient. With the HV40 you actually have to fast forward and rewind to get to a specific scene in your footage—how 20th century! There's no thumbnail display of clips that can be individually accessed and organized like you'd see on the Canon HF S100 or any flash memory or hard drive camcorder. No, with the HV40 all the footage exists linearally on the MiniDV tape. So, if you've ever used a VCR before, then you'll be comfortable with the playback controls on the HV40. You just switch the camcorder into playback mode, cue the tape to a specific spot, and play your footage.

A few extra options are available when you press the Function Button in playback mode.		The Function Button also brings up options in Card Mode.

With the HV40 you can capture still photos from recorded video, digitally zoom in on videos during playback (using the zoom toggle), and add digital effects to your videos in playback mode. There are also a variety of dubbing options that allow you to select specific audio channels for output. Because the HV40 has a FireWire output it has the capability of digitizing analog video as well. We cover this AV-DV conversion feature more thoroughly in our Connectivity section.

The Playback Menu in Tape Mode		The Playback Menu in Card mode

In card mode (photos only) playback is exactly like other non-tape camcorders. Photos are arranged as thumbnails that you can select and view as full-screen images. When you do so, a histogram and a variety of shooting information is displayed about each photo. Photo images can also be displayed as a slide show and set with print order options.

Connectivity (8.38)

The Canon HV40 has a few connectivity features that aren't found on most flash-memory camcorders. The most obvious is the presence of a FireWire port that is capable of both input and output of digital video. This is the terminal that is used to connect the HV40 to a computer in order to capture footage from a tape. The FireWire port on the HV40 can also be used to convert video from analog to digital. If you connect an analog video source to the HV40's AV-input, turn on the camcorder's AV-DV conversion setting, and connect the FireWire port to a computer, you can digitize analog video footage. When you consider that most AV-DV converters cost over $150, this is quite a valuable feature for the HV40 to include.

The port cover on the FireWire and HDMI terminals isn't very good.		From top to bottom: external mic jack, AV/headphone port, Component-out

But enough about the analog-digital conversion feature; the HV40 has plenty of other connectivity features to talk about. Below the FireWire port on the back of the camcorder is a regular-sized HDMI terminal. Most consumer camcorders have mini-HDMI ports to save space, but Canon opted for a full-sized one here (there's no difference in quality, just the type of cable required). The port cover that protects these two terminals doesn't snap into place very well and always seems a bit loose—it isn't well-designed. Beneath these ports is an unprotected DC-input... why didn't Canon put this port under a cover as well?

The USB port and MiniSD card slot are located inside the LCD cavity.		The DC-input is not protected by a port cover.

Near the front of the camcorder, on the right side, are a 3.5mm microphone jack, the AV-in/out port, and a Component output. Here, the cover does a better job protecting the ports and it fits into the HV40's body rather snugly. Inside the LCD cavity (where the LCD panel closes) are the USB port and the MiniSD card slot. The USB port has no covering, which is a shame, but it is protected by the LCD when it is closed. The MiniSD slot probably has the best port cover on the entire camcorder. It is comprised of slightly flexible plastic that snaps shut to create an excellent seal over the port. The use of MiniSD for the camcorder's car slot is somewhat unusual, as MiniSD cards are not very common. We would have liked to see Canon use a regular SD/SDHC card slot here instead. Still, the camcorder is only capable of storing still photos on MiniSD, so it's not like you'll need to purchase multiple cards (one will probably suffice, even if you take a lot of photos).

The HV40 can only capture photos to MiniSD cards (not video).		Video is recorded to MiniDV tape on the HV40.

The HV40 is one of the few consumer camcorders from Canon that doesn't use the mini accessory shoe design. The camcorder has a regularly-sized shoe, which means most accessories can be attached to the shoe. The shoe is powered, but only items that are compatible with Canon's advanced accessory shoe design will be able to connect to the powered part of the shoe terminal.

The accessory shoe is standard size and can power any products compatible with Canon's Advanced Accessory fit.

Canon HV40 Comparisons
Canon HF S100	Panasonic HDC-TM300	Sony HDR-XR520V