Going to get a Canon Vixia HV40 this week after watching vids for the cam posted on some sites.

Ive noticed, however, that the site post was created january of this year. I am wondering if there is a better choice of cam at the price range at this point of the year. Any better suggestions than HV40? Thanks for reading mates. Cheers


Also, what are your takes on hv40 vs hf200?

Check out hv20.com for more info. The HV 30 is discontinued and some have been able to find factory refurbs for $400. The current model is the HV40, which goes for around $800. I got one last month to replace my ailing Soy HC3 and the pq is stunning. I have a feeling that the HV40 will be the last consumer HV cam (Sony stopped making them) so if you want to get into HV high def, this is it.
For a variety of reasons (archiving and cost of media) I think HV is better than avchd. Give it a couple of years for more 24bps avchd cams and cheaper media to send HV into the closet, for now, HV still makes sense. I have used the avchd "lite" (720p, 17bps) that came with my panny lumix35 and although footage looks good, it is not as good as the HV.

Check out hv20.com for more info. The HV 30 is discontinued and some have been able to find factory refurbs for $400. The current model is the HV40, which goes for around $800. I got one last month to replace my ailing Soy HC3 and the pq is stunning. I have a feeling that the HV40 will be the last consumer HV cam (Sony stopped making them) so if you want to get into HV high def, this is it.
For a variety of reasons (archiving and cost of media) I think HV is better than avchd. Give it a couple of years for more 24bps avchd cams and cheaper media to send HV into the closet, for now, HV still makes sense. I have used the avchd "lite" (720p, 17bps) that came with my panny lumix35 and although footage looks good, it is not as good as the HV.

Just read about the HV40. I will go with the hv40 instead of the hv30, of course.

What do you think of hv40 vs. hf200? The advantage of hf200 is the SD card over the tapes but i hear hv40 has a significantly better picture quality. What is your take on this?

I haven't used one, so I can't say. My guess would be that the HV would look better than the hf200 on 17bps mode, but that the hf200 on 24bps would look better than the HV40. In theory, it should look much better as it would only be 1bps less than the 25bps rate of HV, but uses more efficient codec.
There are other things to consider too, like the fact that the hf200 lacks a viewfinder.
HV tapes are nice to hang onto for archiving. Also, if you go with the HF200, you don't want to wuz out and use 17bps (to save $ on memory), budget a few hundred for some high quality (not crap like Transcend brand) memory chips.You'll need a handful if you go on long vacations and shoot lots of hours like me;). Of course, with the HV40, ten hours of tape will cost you around $25.
Also, the photo quality of HV40 is pretty mediocre. I think the HF200 might be better.

I have used the avchd "lite" (720p, 17bps) that came with my panny lumix35 and although footage looks good, it is not as good as the HV.
That is not a fair comparison.
The biggest reason is because the chip outputs 30p while it gets recorded as 60p. In other words, every two frames looks equal. That's why it's called AVCHD Lite. It looks terrible compared to standard AVCHD.

Check out hv20.com for more info. The HV 30 is discontinued and some have been able to find factory refurbs for $400. The current model is the HV40, which goes for around $800. I got one last month to replace my ailing Soy HC3 and the pq is stunning. I have a feeling that the HV40 will be the last consumer HV cam (Sony stopped making them) so if you want to get into HV high def, this is it.
For a variety of reasons (archiving and cost of media) I think HV is better than avchd. Give it a couple of years for more 24bps avchd cams and cheaper media to send HV into the closet, for now, HV still makes sense. I have used the avchd "lite" (720p, 17bps) that came with my panny lumix35 and although footage looks good, it is not as good as the HV.

Have to agree with you stunning PQ for a consumer cam, the worst thing i find with my HV30 is the sound, the tape hum from the motor is picked up in quiet recordings by my RS and any othe mic i have tried but i am willing to put up with this as i love everything else.

Tape-based cams ...

- much slower random access.
- cannot selectively delete and add new videos
- downloading the video to PC / MAC is 1:1 timewise. 60min video takes 60min.
- tape-based has lot more moving parts ... that are subject to wear and tear
- tapes have to kept away from strong magnetic sources

In short ... if the only reason you are buying this is for the quality ... you should wait for a few more months ... until they catch up - case in point - each iteration of the HF series has come closer to the HV series and will subsequently outrun it. Heck in the next few months, you may be able to get a reasonably priced DSLR-based 1080/30p cam that will make the HV-series units look like a kids toy.

Just my 2 cents.

Tape-based cams ...

- much slower random access.

I'd rather have top quality pq than the ability to hunt and pick different scenes.

[/QUOTE]- cannot selectively delete and add new videos[/QUOTE]

With tape selling for $2 for 63 minutes, this is irrelevent.

- [/QUOTE]downloading the video to PC / MAC is 1:1 timewise. 60min video takes 60min.[/QUOTE]
So connect it to the computet and walk away, go do some chores. Fact is most people rarely video much outside of kid stuff and vacation travel.

[/QUOTE]- tape-based has lot more moving parts ... that are subject to wear and tear[/QUOTE]

I have never, ever had a tape fail due to wear, this goes back to my days using hi8. As for the tape mechanisms, I have tape based machines with tape mechanisms that still work fine. In fact, the camcorders in my mothball area of my closet all work ('92 Sony 101 Hi8 cam,'03 Panasonic PV200 DV cam, '05 Sony HC3 HDV cam). These cams were replaced not because they wore out but because of something better around the corner. I could pick up that old Sony 101, charge up the nicad batteries and tape in Hi8 right now if I chose to, no problems. I also have box upon box of magnetic tapes that archive and they still look great, even the ones of my daughter born 16 years ago. I don't live near a mri (magnetic resonance imagining machine) or anything else that puts out large quantities of magnetism, so I don't have to worry about that.With memory, you either preserve it by keeping it on the memory (best, but $$$), or burn it on to DVD (risky as they can deteriorate after 10 years) or leave it on a hard drive (risky as they eventually fail). I have my tapes, always will have my tapes and in the future, will still have my tapes to fall back on.
- tapes have to kept away from strong magnetic sources

I.[/QUOTE]

question about tapes. How do you transfer the data to your computer? Do i need to buy a separate equipment that will convert it to data file or something like that?

question about tapes. How do you transfer the data to your computer? Do i need to buy a separate equipment that will convert it to data file or something like that?

PDF manual page 81
http://gdlp01.c-wss.com/gds/0/0300002190/01/hv40-nim-en.pdf

Relative to a SD or HDD based transfer ... this one is going to be inexorably slow. And don't even think about using your PC during that firewire transfer process ... 60min tape will take 60min.

This is going to be a legacy very very soon ... SDHC R/W speeds are increasing dramatically. Just a matter of time before HV quality can be found on SD-based units ... and at reduced costs too due to less # of parts.

Thanks mates, i will be buying the hv 40 now :). Any specific suggestions on an electronic store (i live i southern cali) or website to get my hv40 for cheap?