Canon VIXIA HV40 HD HDV Camcorder with 10x

Brand

: Canon

Model

: HV40

Lowest Price

: 785.36

Reviewer: J. Harley| Date:2009-06-28

The Canon HV40 is basically a slightly improved Canon HV30 (which itself was a slightly improved HV20), with a few extra features. The HV line has been very popular the past few years and has a devoted following of fans and enthusiasts. There are even web sites devoted to the HV line. So if you wish to research the HV line in-depth, the resources are definitely there. Moving on to the HV40 in specific, the biggest new feature is 24P recording which offers footage more comparable to real film. To be honest, I doubt this feature will matter or make a difference to the average consumer, but for film students, enthusiasts, and professional videographers, it offers more creative control and that true "cinema" effect. There are plenty of sample videos posted on the web demonstrating the effect of 24P (and the HV40 itself). The HV40 maintains the Canon HV line reputation of being the cream of the crop among consumer HDV cameras. However, with AVCHD significantly closing the gap, both in image quality and compatibility, with HDV this past year, the HDV format is disappearing rapidly from the consumer market. The excellent image quality of the latest ACVHD cameras now surpasses HDV. Coupled with the speed and convenience of tape less recording, this makes AVCHD an almost irresistible choice if you are currently shopping for a video camera. Although I agree AVCHD is the more future-proof choice, there are several compelling arguments to consider the HV40. First, and most importantly, is its backward compatibility with HDV or SD mini-DV. If you have a library of mini-DV tapes, you can play them and capture to PC with this camera. Your existing video editing software (if any) is also more likely to be compatible with the HDV format, even if it's a few years old. Also, as I mentioned earlier, although ACVHD has made great progress, it's still not the most system friendly format. This can be a major hurdle if you have an underpowered or older PC. On a single core or budget CPU system, AVCHD may likely give you significant headaches. In fact, if your system is really old or underpowered enough, you may have to add a system or video card upgrade into the budget if you wish to use AVCHD files beyond basic capture. If you're simply looking for a high-definition video camera that you can use with your existing software and system, yet still capture amazing footage, the HV40 is a good choice, especially if you already use mini-DV. Another consideration is storage. HDV is self-contained. You can capture, edit, burn a DVD, and delete the footage from your system to preserve disk space, yet still have a backup of your footage on a cassette. With AVCHD, you have to allocate permanent storage space on a hard drive or burn your captured files to optical disk as backup, the latter being very inefficient with current 4.7GB DVD's. Of course, the downside with HDV is that you have to purchase tapes, but they are pretty cheap these days, especially for multi-packs. You can use regular mini-DV tapes. There is no requirement or need to purchase more expensive HDV specific tapes. This is strictly a personal choice. Frankly, I've tried both and see no difference between the two. And although AVCHD does not require tapes, you do have to buy SDHC cards for card-only models and/or an additional hard drive (internal or external) to efficiently back up your footage, especially with hard drive or solid state drive models. So the costs even out in the long run. Although the Canon HV line may no longer be king of the consumer video hill, The HV40 can easily hold its own in video quality against all but the best consumer AVCHD cameras. I have captured footage from both under similar shooting conditions on both PC and Mac. The HV40 performed admirably against AVCHD. This brings me to my final point of comparison, watching and sharing video. After the footage is shot, if all you wish to do is connect the camera directly to your high-def television and play the footage through the camera, AVCHD might be the hands-down winner. However, most people want to burn their memories to DVD. In this case, unless you have a drive capable of burning blu-ray disks, your footage will be encoded into a standard definition DVD anyhow. Footage from the HV40 will perform this type encoding quicker and more efficiently. Honestly, until high-definition blu-ray burners become more affordable, much of the high definition performance for either format is wasted unless you encode video files for viewing on computer or, as I said earlier, plan to simply playback footage through the camera. The form factor and dimensions of the HV40 are identical to the HV30. One complaint that I, and many others, had with the HV30 was the awkward feeling in your hand. For some reason the HV40 did not feel quite as awkward. They appear identical, so maybe I just got accustomed to the feel of the HV30. The only visible difference (besides the new name), is the change in name of the button on the lens barrel, from "BLC" to "Custom". The newly named button offers additional exposure and focus assist options in addition to the back light compensation of the former "BLC" button. Otherwise, the HV40 is virtually identical to the HV30.

Performance is great, as expected. Video is very clear, with crisp colors and razor sharpness. Performance definitely on par with its predecessors, the HV20 and HV30.I have not personally tried the 24P mode, however, as I mentioned earlier, there are several examples of this feature readily available on the web. Bright light recordings were sharp, vivid, and clear. Low light capability was pretty good with minimal noise unless the light was really dim. I've achieved okay footage by candle light, although it definitely starts to show limitations under such extreme dim light conditions. Auto focusing was fast and spot-on, especially the instant AF which quickly switches focusing from one object to another as you switch perspectives or angles. There is a choice to use manual focus which sometimes comes in handy with difficult focusing situations such as zooming in on objects at a certain distance or objects without enough contrast for the auto focus. Once again, there is plenty of test footage of the HV line readily available on the web. Sound was good, especially for a tape camera. There was no noticeable noise from the tape transfer mechanism unless you were recording in near silent conditions. Even then, it was minimal. The HV40 also has 3.1 still picture capabilities with a few customizable features such as different metering and exposure options. Still pictures are adequate quality and comparable to low-end digicams. You will need to purchase a mini-SD card to capture pictures. Battery life was average.

The bundled software is a joke. It is literally useless for video. They bundle the same still-photo application that is included with their digital cameras but nothing for capturing or editing video. Fortunately, the HV40 is compatible with most editing software from the past few years. Export options include firewire and USB 2. I prefer and use firewire on both Mac and PC. There are also component and HDMI outputs for connecting to a high definition TV. Thankfully, the HDMI connector is standard size, so you can use an existing HDMI cable if you have one, rather than buying the specialized one most cameras require. As usual, component cables are included but no HDMI cable. They also include a remote.

All in all, the HV40 improves on a time tested and proven model. Going back to the HV20, the HV line has consistently offered top quality, features, and performance. The HV40 is the latest in that outstanding line and offers a very compelling option for some not to jump on the AVCHD bandwagon just yet.

Review from Review from Amazon

Reviewer: Jesse D. Walker| Date:2009-06-25

This camera definitely comes fully loaded. Far more options than the typical video camera, includine microphone input, component output, and lots more. The menus aren't difficult to navigate, and the video is superb! I really like the miniDV tape format, so the ability use those to archive as much video as I want was very appealing.

Review from Review from Amazon

Reviewer: Lon J. Seidman| Date:2009-06-25

Over ten years ago I bought Sony's legendary TRV-900. It was a consumer camera so good and so ahead of its time that it remained on the market for four years - an eternity in the consumer electronics industry.

Canon has a similar product in their HV series HDV camcorders. They released such an outstanding camera two years ago with the HV20 that the two new models since (the HV30 and now the HV40) are really just small refinements of a mature and well designed product.

**NEW FEATURES**
So let's get one thing out of the way up front: There really isn't much of a difference between this camera and last year's HV30 (which was a small upgrade on the superb HV20). As an HV20 owner, I felt right at home when this arrived and I powered it up. Video quality is about the same, they look pretty much the same, and overall performance is the same too.

What is different is the addition of true 24P recording which offers a more film-like frame rate over the standard 30 frames per second. It should be noted that prior versions of this camera (as well as Canon's AVCHD models) also shoot 24P but that mode requires additional software to get to "true" 24P video when editing. You'll want to check to ensure that your editing software supports true 24P footage as it's not a configuration that is on many consumer cameras.

**AVCHD OR HDV?***
If you're reading this it's likely that you're in the market for a new camcorder. It's also likely that you're confused over the multitude of different formats currently available: hard disk, flash memory, tape, etc. etc.

Despite the many recording mediums, the current crop of consumer cameras can be delineated into two camps: AVCHD (the hard disk and flash based cameras) and HDV (tape based).

HDV cameras have two advantages over their AVCHD counterparts. The first, while not as compelling a reason as a year ago, is compatibility. HDV was the first consumer HD format and is almost universally supported by just about every video editing software package released over the last three to four years. In addition the HV40 can also shoot in the older standard definition DV format, a format so old that even software and hardware from ten years ago can work with the footage.

Another factor to consider is the firewire port. Want to record directly to your PC or Mac? Or perhaps do a live broadcast to UStream or Stickam? HDV cameras like the HV40 stream compressed video in realtime over Firewire, something the AVCHD cameras don't do.

Still, Canon's AVCHD cameras are now recording at a higher bitrate and with a more advanced video compression algorithm that makes for better image quality. Canon's flash based cameras, like the outstanding VIXIA HFS100, are mostly solid state and lack the complex (and delicate) machinery of a tape-based camcorder like the HV40.

**CONCLUSION**
Canon's HV20 was a very mature product right at launch and that maturity continues in this iteration. Still, there's nothing so compelling in the HV40 that makes it a necessary upgrade for HV30 or HV20 owners. For first time buyers, if you're able to pick up an older model at a lower price you won't be making much of a sacrifice in terms of features. It's a great camera, just not any greater than the prior versions!

For most consumers HDV cameras are old technology. In fact I wouldn't be surprised if the HV40 is the last tape-based camcorder Canon releases to market. AVCHD has matured to the point that I am now recommending that to friends over HDV based cameras. AVCHD's lack of moving parts combined with the very low cost of flash memory makes it tough to recommend the bulkier mechanical alternatives like the HV40.

If, however, you're using an older computer or need to stream video live the HV40 is one of the best (if not the best) HDV consumer cameras on the market.

Review from Review from Amazon

Reviewer: Kimbery E. Striebel| Date:2009-06-17

The hv40 is a wonderful camera. The ability to shoot in true 24p is what got my attention and since I never owned an hv20 or hv30 I knew it was a good choice. Also, the camera seems to offer a lot in manual control if you research the tricks to use. It would to helpful to research the cellphone and the exposure lock tricks. In the end this camera is a perfect partner for a 35mm adapter or someone looking for a high end prosumer camera.

Review from Review from Amazon

Reviewer: Bob| Date:2009-05-30

This is a great camera. Similar to the HV30, but supports 24p native mode. You just need to make sure that your editing software and computer can handle the additional processing power needed for native 24p mode.

Review from Review from Amazon