Canon HV30...

quick question.

Which Canon camer performs better in low light than the HV20. My father is looking for a camera that performs well in low-light. Budget is up to $1000.

maxse wrote in post #6800697
quick question.

Which Canon camer performs better in low light than the HV20. My father is looking for a camera that performs well in low-light. Budget is up to $1000.

You are going to have to pay more than the $1K for a camera that is going to be good in low light. As far as the HV30 being a POS well, based on just about all the reviews, it can't be beat especially for the price.

Are there better cameras especially for low light? Yes, but expect to pay twice as much.

savagedrifter wrote in post #6419211
I don't know if this part of the forum just deals with video from dslr's, but here's a small test clip from my Canon hv30. It's a clip of a skateboarding trick that I tried to slow down. If you have any questions, feel free to ask...

HV30 Slow motion test

I have been researching these camcorders and decided on the HV30. I have been trying to find one for a good price that also includes a reputable extended warranty service. Your video has confirmed by decision.

Hmmm I see thanks. Would mounting a light on top of the HV30 make it able to shoot in "low-light." Also what is the next camera in terms of a step up in low-light?

And lastly, How does the HV30 compare to say an HG21? Are these things exactly the same just different recording medium? Any suggestions?

All the SD camcorders on the market 2 years ago do better in Low Light than the HV models, I had an HV20 for a while but quickly ditched the POS, it was pretty much worthless in what is sometimes even hard to consider Low Light. I changed to a Sony, which was a little better, but still not good. IMO its really not worth having HD unless you can spend 3000 or more, otherwise all you end up with is High Def noise. For 1000 your still better off forgetting about HD and opting for a prosumer SD like a Sony VX2100 or equivalent...

Any thoughts on the HF100?

maxse wrote in post #6814063
Any thoughts on the HF100?

Here is a quote from one of the reviews:

"Though the HF100 incorporates a smaller, 1/3.2-inch 3.3-megapixel CMOS sensor than the HV30 and the CX7, the video still looks quite good: properly exposed, nicely saturated, and sharp. As expected, in low light the video displays more noise and a somewhat compressed tonal range, but retains a significant amount of detail and fares above average compared with the rest of its class."

statsman wrote in post #6705885
High school basketball is the primary reason why I am getting a camcorder, with the HV30 the leading candidate. I just couldn't deal with taking photos and watching the games at the same time. If I were doing this for a living, that would be a different story. But this is for personal interest and maybe that of some of the other parents. Good to hear that the HV30 will do well under the lights of a typical HS basketball gym.

you don't want a tape-based camera for shooting sports, because all of the pausing is hard on the tape mechanism, specifically, there is too much head wear... been there, done that.

the hf11/hg20 is better than the hv30, but you'll need at least a core2duo to edit the files with... preferably a quad-core computer.