I'm trying to decide between these cameras.. money aside (though it appears this site has the HC3 for $725 http://www.zoommania.com/hdrhc3.html , not sure how reliable they are though, makes the HC3 seem more attractive money wise).

How do the digital photos compare on these 3.. From specs it would seem the HC7 or the HV20 would have the best digital photo quality on non-interpolated type pictures, when not shooting video at same time. (I'm comparing to my 3+ MP Fuji S602 camera). It would be nice to have an all in one solution for a change.

I noticed the Hc7 has "landscape" mode on stills, is this like panorama mode? I also notice that it says it has wideangle ability without the lens.. is this just true for the HC7 or do all 3 have it (ie: 16:9 = wideangle?)

Low light.. specs wise you would think the HC7 or the HV20 would be better than the HC3 and about the same side by side. By low light here, I mean say lighting in a room with a few 60 watt bulbs (comparing quality on my old TRV310 sony).
I know the low light may not be as good as my SD camcorder, but Ill take the bad with the good :) It appears the HV20 also has a built in light too... but the HC3 and HC7 support a hotshoe (would my existing hotshoe light for my TRV310 work with the Sony hotshoes?)


Shutter speed.. it appears the HV20 has a much wider range.. is this a plus over the HC3 or HC7? It also appears the HV20 has 200x digital zoom, though I rarely ever use digital zoom on my existing SD camcorder.. as it goes to about 20x optical (the one thing I will miss is the optical zoom being much higher).

Either way I have no choice on a new camcorder, as I keep getting the cursed "infolithium error" on any battery, new or old, that I pop in my TRV310, though occassionally I'll get lucky and I wont need the AC adapter attached.. I dont want to get another SD, would rather go the HD route now, though for now I would be recording to DVD (non HD mode).. I'm also guessing as some have said, that its better to record in HD mode on the tape then use software to downconvert to SD quality.

If doing HD on a disc.. how many minutes can fit on a DVD Dual layer disc?
If doing HD on a tape.. is it 60 minutes per tape.. does SD still yield 60 minutes on a tape as well?

Even though I have some Sony accessories, I'm sorta leaning towards the Canon HV20 right now (price aside)...

Sorry for the mass questions :)

Appreciate any answers too.

Cheers

That's a lot of questions!

Your best bet is to go to camcorderinfo.com, have a look at the reviews and the specs on the cams in question... THEN comeback after you've narrowed the field of questions a little! :)

I actually have already been there and cnet etc.. I couldnt find a few of these specifics though :)

I just finished downloading a bunch of m2t HC7 clips. I put them in my editing program and then spit them back out to tape for display on my 50" Fujitsu plasma. I was surprised to see how sharp the HC7's picture was. I'd say it was very close to the HV20's sharpness. I was also pleasantly surprised to see less edge enhancement on the HC7 than on previous small Sony cams....even less than my FX7! However I would still say the Canon HV20's picture is still a bit more noise-free.

However my big disappointment was in the area of color. As a couple of reviews I'd read said, the color is just too hyped and IMO too blue. The color green is a major victim of this overly-hyped color. In addition, the color of green just looks unnatural. I've seen this same strange shade in some other Sony cams I've owned....not just HD, but some SD cams.

Whereas the HC3's colors were also somewhat hyped, the overall rendition of the HC3 was warmer and most colors were also dialed up a bit, not just green. For me, this would have been a deal killer. In actuality, I think the HC1 had more accurate color than the HC7. The HV20's colors are far more natural. But I will say the HC7 is sharp and nicely detailed.

I just finished downloading a bunch of m2t HC7 clips. I put them in my editing program and then spit them back out to tape for display on my 50" Fujitsu plasma. I was surprised to see how sharp the HC7's picture was. I'd say it was very close to the HV20's sharpness. I was also pleasantly surprised to see less edge enhancement on the HC7 than on previous small Sony cams....even less than my FX7! However I would still say the Canon HV20's picture is still a bit more noise-free.

However my big disappointment was in the area of color. As a couple of reviews I'd read said, the color is just too hyped and IMO too blue. The color green is a major victim of this overly-hyped color. In addition, the color of green just looks unnatural. I've seen this same strange shade in some other Sony cams I've owned....not just HD, but some SD cams.

Whereas the HC3's colors were also somewhat hyped, the overall rendition of the HC3 was warmer and most colors were also dialed up a bit, not just green. For me, this would have been a deal killer. In actuality, I think the HC1 had more accurate color than the HC7. The HV20's colors are far more natural. But I will say the HC7 is sharp and nicely detailed.

Nice notes.. How bout in normal room low light type situations.. any thoughts on which of the 3 is best? (IE: hv20 with slightly tweaked settings?).. Do the HC7 and HV20 outshine the HC3 enough to justify the price difference (though not that great)? By low light I mean a living room with say one lamp on.

It sounds like sharpness wise the HV20 still wins, as well as color, followed by the HC3 on color from what you have noted...

Cheerio

I found the hv20 online for $820.. this site seems to have decent reviews.. anyone used them?

http://www.zoommania.com/2059b001.html

Price seems too good to be true.. average elsewhere is around $1050

markm75, here's some low light frame grabs from actual HV20 footage.

http://farm1.static.flickr.com/198/441384770_1529cef401.jpg

http://farm1.static.flickr.com/168/441295682_ef03b06ec9.jpg

http://farm1.static.flickr.com/189/440341317_ffdd10d4f0.jpg

That is beautiful!!!

I can't wait for the 4/25 delivery of my HV20

markm75, here's some low light frame grabs from actual HV20 footage.


Does anyone post their settings that they are using with their lowlight frame grabs?

Does anyone post their settings that they are using with their lowlight frame grabs?
Here is his SITE (http://www.vasher.com/v4/v4_more.php?id=98_0_3_0_M4).

He does give some information on what settings he used for some of the footage.
Example... "HV20 Frame grab lamp. F-8.0, Exposure -7"

Kyser

Wow.. those are some amazing images indeed.. I'm sold... Zoommania is out of stock.. I'll wait though :)

No more Sony's for me for now.

Wow.. those are some amazing images indeed.. I'm sold... Zoommania is out of stock.. I'll wait though :)

No more Sony's for me for now.

Sony makes a good camera, my main reason for purchasing the HV20 was for filming in 24p which also allows for some nice low-light capture.

Saving a few bucks also allows me to pick up some lens attachments.

Kyser

Went to local BB yesteday and picked up one of the four HV20 camcorders they had just gotten in. Mentioned that CC had a 10% off deal and the manager said he would match it. The cashier took 10% off the BB 1049.99 sale price, so the camera cost under $950 plus tax. Also ended up with a $20 Rewards credit. Not a bad deal, since I needed the little cam for an Alaska trip coming up very soon and was will to pay list price.

Counter to some on this list, I really like the light weight and small size of the HV20, along with its best in class image quality. This comes from someone who hauls around a 600mm and a 300mm 2.8 Canon lens and two dslr bodies for still nature photography.

I went to get some Panasonic AMQ series tapes from my local pro video purveyor. He saw the HV20 and said that he has sold a number of them to pros, for the same reason I purchased. It was nice to be among the $30,000 plus cameras and have my choice reaffirmed.

Now to really learn this thing before I head North. Then back to learn Vegas 7 on my return.

I love it!!!! :)

Anyone know what Canon recommends using miniDV tape wise in this unit.. IE: will generic tapes work just as well or is there some holy grail miniDV type/brand that gives best picture, fewest dropouts (Canon brand?).

Cheers

Anyone know what Canon recommends using miniDV tape wise in this unit.. IE: will generic tapes work just as well or is there some holy grail miniDV type/brand that gives best picture, fewest dropouts (Canon brand?).

Cheers
I'm using Sony and Panasonic tapes with similar results. No dropouts yet.

Kyser

Nice notes.. How bout in normal room low light type situations.. any thoughts on which of the 3 is best? (IE: hv20 with slightly tweaked settings?).. Do the HC7 and HV20 outshine the HC3 enough to justify the price difference (though not that great)? By low light I mean a living room with say one lamp on.

It sounds like sharpness wise the HV20 still wins, as well as color, followed by the HC3 on color from what you have noted...

Cheerio

Markm75, if your only purchasing decision is based on low light, I'm really not sure there is enough justification for the purchase of any new HDV cam out there. But if your purchasing decision is based on overall picture quality (sharpness, noise, color, detail etc.) then yes, the HV20 would well justify such a purchase IMO.

I have not had the HC7 to perform any A/Bs with as far as low light is concerned, but reviews are conflicting as to what is the best performer. If you read CCI's reviews, they say the HV20 is the best low light, if you read CNET, they'll tell you the HC7. But the important thing to keep in mind is that none of these HD cams are great in low light. I've got a Sony VX2000 & VX2100 and both blow the doors off of any of these HD cams in low light. With that said, I think you can get very good video from the HV20 in realistically low light. Unlike some of the Sony HDV cams, the HV20 retains its sharpness in low light.

I went to get some Panasonic AMQ series tapes from my local pro video purveyor. He saw the HV20 and said that he has sold a number of them to pros, for the same reason I purchased. It was nice to be among the $30,000 plus cameras and have my choice reaffirmed.

:)

Yup! I don't think any other HDV cam is held in such high esteem by pros and semi-pros. There's a reason for that.

Markm75, if your only purchasing decision is based on low light, I'm really not sure there is enough justification for the purchase of any new HDV cam out there. But if your purchasing decision is based on overall picture quality (sharpness, noise, color, detail etc.) then yes, the HV20 would well justify such a purchase IMO.

I have not had the HC7 to perform any A/Bs with as far as low light is concerned, but reviews are conflicting as to what is the best performer. If you read CCI's reviews, they say the HV20 is the best low light, if you read CNET, they'll tell you the HC7. But the important thing to keep in mind is that none of these HD cams are great in low light. I've got a Sony VX2000 & VX2100 and both blow the doors off of any of these HD cams in low light. With that said, I think you can get very good video from the HV20 in realistically low light. Unlike some of the Sony HDV cams, the HV20 retains its sharpness in low light.

I also think alot of these sites, when they test these in low light, they really take the light down to levels that most home users like myself probably wont be recording under. I am guessing that for typical living room lit, nighttime shots, it will be fine.. and since most recordings are in the daylight, this camera should blow the socks of my trv310 camera as well.

Thanks for the vote of confidence on the hv20's abilities though.. I feel pretty confident on this unit now. Now I think I'll wait a few months for a price drop :)

Now if only these HD's could do 5.1 surround sound too.. But I guess only the HDD type cams are capable of that right?