Version: 2008
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Canon Vixia HV30
Reviewed by
Lori Grunin
on 02/25/2008
OVR TP PALM BK

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$599.95 - $1,499.99

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B&H Photo-Video $599.95
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Add to my list Product summary

The good: Generally excellent video quality; solid feature set for its class; well designed

The bad: Tape housing feels a bit flimsy; fixed eye-level viewfinder needs a better eye cup; manual focus dial a bit loose

The bottom line: An extremely minor upgrade from the HV20, the Canon Vixia HV30 remains a quality HDV camcorder with a couple of performance issues.

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CNET editors' review

  • CNET editors' rating: 4.0 stars Excellent
    Detailed editors' rating
      Design : 8.0
      Features : 8.0
      Performance : 8.0
      Image quality : 8.0
      Overall score: 8.0 (4.0 stars)
  • Reviewed by:
    Lori Grunin
  • Reviewed on: 02/25/2008
  • Released on: 03/01/2008

Don't look for any great advances here: the Canon Vixia HV30 is a very minor upgrade from the admittedly top-notch HV20. It has a sleeker-looking black body, introduces 30p progressive mode, and supports the high-capacity BP-2L24H lithium-ion battery, but otherwise remains the same as its 2007 predecessor.

Of course, that makes it a well-designed prosumer camcorder with a useful feature set, good overall performance, and excellent video quality. It's relatively big, weighing 1 pound, 5.4 ounces, though it fits into a large, loose jacket pocket. I like the black chassis more than the silver, but the tape housing feels a little flimsier than I remember; when gripped for shooting, the cover moves a bit. In all other ways the build quality seems solid, though, with tethered covers over the Advanced Accessory Shoe, HDMI/FireWire ports, and mic/headphone/component out jacks.

On the left side of the body sit a few, slightly difficult to feel, controls: backlight compensation, display, and video light, plus a manual focus toggle and somewhat loose focus dial.
On the left side of the body sit a few, slightly difficult to feel, controls: backlight compensation, display, and video light, plus a manual focus toggle and somewhat loose focus dial.

The 2.7-inch wide-screen LCD is kind of small and at 211,000-pixels not very high resolution, but it's sufficient for manually focusing. The eye-level viewfinder is relatively large, but doesn't pull out or up, and I wish it had a softer eye cup. In addition, I just had to laugh at the Catch-22 diopter control. Since it's right on the viewfinder, you have to move your head away to get your finger on the switch, which means you can't set it for your eye pressed close. The HV30 supplies both a video light and a flash for shooting stills. As always, I really like the built-in electronic lens cover.

All the frequently used shooting controls--except for manual focus and zoom--fall comfortably under your right thumb.
All the frequently used shooting controls--except for manual focus and zoom--fall comfortably under your right thumb.

The HV30's zoom switch has quite a bit of play. You can set it for variable speed or one of three fixed-speed zoom options.
The HV30's zoom switch has quite a bit of play. You can set it for variable speed or one of three fixed-speed zoom options.

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Reviews from around the WebPowered by alaTest

  • alaTest.com

    Editors' rating: 96

    Summary: alaTest has collected and analyzed 297 reviews of Canon HV30 / HV30E from international magazines and websites. Experts rate this product 82/100 and users 86/100. Comparing these reviews to 103109 other Camcorders reviews gives this product an overall alaScore™ 96/100 = Excellent.

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  • techradar.com

    Editors' rating: 90

    Summary: If you want a very good camcorder, then we recommend the Canon HV30. It has a higher quality image than the latest HDD models at the same price. Better still, shop around for last year's HV20. It is considerably discounted now but virtually identical, ...

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  • pcworld.com

    Editors' rating: 82

    Summary: Unlike tapeless AVCHD camcorders, the HV30 moves HDV content linearly via FireWire instead of USB. Though not as slick as the random-access transfers on AVCHD models, the HV30's approach works with less-robust computers and a greater number of Windows ...

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  • laptopmag.com

    Editors' rating: 80

    Summary: The Canon Vixia HV30 offers excellent video quality in a wide range of illumination, and we can't discount the proven and fully edit-suite-compatible qualities of MiniDV. The Canon is an excellent camera, and a great choice for a broad audience.

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  • macworld.com

    Editors' rating: 80

    Summary: The camcorder is well designed, for the most part. The HV30's four-directional joystick is sturdy and sensitive, making it easy to navigate through the settings menu with your thumb. A convenient plastic cover protects the HV30's Firewire and HDMI ...

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  • pcmag.com

    Editors' rating: 80

    Summary: The Canon Vixia HV30 delivers excellent video quality, though recording video to miniDV tape feels low-tech and slows down your operation.

    Read full review

Canon Vixia HV30

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