Canon VIXIA HV30 MiniDV High Definition Camcorder with 10x Optical Image Stabilized Zoom

They sold me a defective product. A HV30 camcorder. The shoe does not work. Come on people, how hard is it to check and see if the shoe works before sending it out of the factory? And the desk top recharger worked for a few days and then died. I of course contacted customer service and they told me to bit it. Sure, send it in and someday you might get it back. But I bought it to use now, on the campaign trail, I told them. And they said, that's your problem.

Time to start looking elsewhere, people.

Stewart Nusbaumer

I bought this camera as a replacement for a Canon HV20 which had been dropped and broken. The cameras are nearly identical in function and feel. The videos are very high quailty as are the still images. I use this mostly for family videos, football, baseball, etc... Great picture when viewed on a 1080p capable flat screen through the HDMI cable. Overall very pleased with my purchase.

I love this camera, some reviewers say it can get complex to use especially with 24p. If you are not familiar with HD and you want to get the best results and quality you will have to do some research to learn how to use it correctly. It is worth it! Go to [...] and search for HV30 and you will see what people do with this camera, you will be amazed.
Video quality is really good and handling of the camera is also really good.
I use Adobe Premiere CS3 to edit and it runs smooth, I have a dual core with 2GB of RAM.
I haven't notice any noise coming from the camera when you are recording.

I'm really happy with my purchase.

Remember amazon has a 30-day price protection so be sure to check if the camera goes down in price. I bought mine for $748 and one week later (sept 28, 2008) it was at $688. Called amazon and they gave the difference back to my card. Today (sept 29, 2008) the price went up again. Just check for the next 30 days after purchase. :)

A rare consumer-grade camera that has a lot of pro features. Can shoot in 24p HDV... what every film student has been dreaming of!

Also the camera can go fully manual and has fantastic image quality for a camera of this size and cost. Crisp and good colors.

Get a beachtek XLR adaptor and a good tripod and you are in business!

I really like this camcorder. I researched camcorders of all formats, on the internet, in mags, word of mouth before deciding to purchase this Canon.

I had previously owned a camcorder (JVC) with a hard drive, and while the convenience of not having to buy tapes was very nice, running out of room on the hard drive was not. Video files are huge, and so when I transfered videos from my old camcorder to my computer to clear out my camcorder, the computer became overburdened with video files. Sure I could have burned them to a DVD and removed them from my computer, but that takes time, and the energy to want to do it. I like the fact that when I want to record something new, I can just pop a new tape in, and if I am on vacation, and run out of tape, I can run to the nearest Target and buy another one - I am not chained to the computer. Also the editing part of it can be done when I am ready to do it.

Anyway - I tape my family events, my daughter's basketball games, son's gymanastics. I have never had a problem with blurring. The picture is crystal clear, and the color is wonderful. I am taping inside a gym most times. My last camcorder had a yellowish cast on everything, so I was very excited at the picture quality. I have not noticed a problem with noise or rattling on the camcorder - of course I am mostly taping noisy events so it could just be drowned out by the background stuff going on.

The buttons are in a little awkward positions. The first time I used the camcorder, I kept pressing the little toggle button, and wondering why my camera wouldn't turn on! (haha) When you get used to the placement, its really no big deal.

As far as playback, just plug in a cable into one of the numerous ports available, plug the other end to your tv, and its all set to go. The picture is amazing on my Sony 46" tv. Canon does not provide a battery with the remote - which I thought was pretty cheap considering how much I paid for it. You need a 2025.

The hand grip is not the greatest either. Its not like its going to fall out of your hand, but it does not feel very natural. Not sure if the handle is too low on my hand or what. I have tried tightening, and loosening, but still have not found the "perfect" spot.

Those are very minor nitpicky stuff. The camera is very easy to operate, takes great videos, having the camera feature is very nice also. Not into night shooting, so do not know about that. Transfer is very easy also.

You won't regret buying this camera!