Have CanonHV20 - Quality difference vs. current line?

[quote=BJBBJB;21965761]Greetings,
I am pretty up to speed on most home theatre and photography equipment and video editing software. However, I am not that current on the camcorder market other than in general of course knowing it has moved mostly to memory-card based product from DV tape.

I currently have an HV20 which supports up to 1080i/60 on DV tape. I shoot video of mostly family and vacation and I do my own HD editing with Premiere Pro and produce Blu-Ray discs. But I am trying to decide whether to upgrade now to a new camcorder or wait for a DSLR solution that fits my needs.

I have been eyeing (and used) the Sony translucent mirror technology on their DSLR's and am tempted. But I have Nikon photo equipment and am not ready to jump ship just to get good/quick-focusing video on my DSLR for an all-in-one solution. I can make beautiful depth-of-field brief shot videos on my Nikon, however it does not work for fast-paced family action. Focus pull may be great for a short video but not for quick and varied family shots.

Although I love the manual flexibility and creativity of my DSLR for photos, for my video camera I need good, quick automatic focusing, and a good auto mode. I am not the only one shooting video.

So....I would probably be leaning towards a Canon comparable model current camcorder. I know I would get 1080P vs. 1080i that I have now which would be a benefit of some measure. I would also switch from a tape-based DV medium to a flash-based card. I assume I would also be going to an AVCHD format? This would require a little more horsepower to edit it but my rig should be able to handle it.

Well i still have a HV30 also a GH2 anf FZ150,so i cant compare the HV with a modern cam but the 2 cameras are fair comparison.
The HV has always been my favorite camcorder,good color rendition and HDV resolution is not bad,
Compared to my FZ150 the HV has sharper video,the GH2 has more resolution
of course and exept for wildlife i do all filming with it now.
The HV is only used as another storage medium now,but how i wish editing rendering etc AVCHD is as easy as HDV for me.

Had an HV20 and loved it. It was a huge step up from my old Canon Optura. Now have a Canon T2i with Technicolor Cinestyle and Marvel's Cinema picture styles installed. It smoked the HV20 so I sold it asap. Has noticeably more dynamic range and much better low light, plus the cinematic dof ability.

Canon camcorders do not support 1080p60. They do support 24p just like your HV20. They do support 30PsF, which you can simulate by shooting interlaced and dropping every other field. Unless you have an itch, there is no significant reason to upgrade one small-sensor camcorder to another. You already have made a leap by switching to HD. Now wait for 4K.

Learn how to manual focus well. I have a Shoulder rig, matte box and follow focus setup also that I use sometimes. If you practice focusing enough you start to get a feel for it. Also, if you use Rokinon or Samyang video lenses manual focusing is easier because they are designed for video use.

I am doing filmmaking, so I tend to plan my shots, but I've had to use it in unplanned situations as well so learning how to focus helps.

If you want deeper DOF user higher F-stops. Deeper DOF is easier to focus. I also have Magic Lantern firmware installed so I get extra focusing aids such as focus peaking and a zoom feature to see a close up of an area.

My GH2 is a different class to the 550D[T2i] I had before,my HV had more resolution,it was only with a fast lens in low light that the 550D was better.

I have an HV40 and loved the combo of good pq, features and the archival of HDV tapes so I have saw no reason to replace it.
I am now looking into getting a 3d camera, probably a Panny 3d1, to supplement it. My reason is obvious- i want to get into 3d, would like my family videos to have it.
In another year or two, I'll spring the big bucks for a more featured, better performing 3d camcorder.
Just suggesting another option to consider.