The Canon HV30 is a great camcorder!

I've had the HV30 since April 1, 2008, and so far I think it's great.
I previously used the Sony TRV38, another very capable camcorder. The HV30 comes in a slick, black color and is slightly smaller than my Sony TRV38.

This camera uses miniDV tapes instead of the newer technologies of direct to DVD, hard drive, or flash memory. However, the advantage of miniDV is that it records “pure video” with no compression, so you get the highest quality image for editing. The other methods use some compression method that loses some original quality.

I actually prefer the miniDV tapes because it also stores and information like the time and date. I backup all my videos to DVD because it's easier to watch that way. I just started doing a little video editing using Sony Vegas software....and that seems to be a nice software package. The final video on the resulting DVD looks great.

Please note that if you are going to be doing high definition video editing, make sure the software you are using will support it. For example, the regular Sony Vegas Movie Studio does not support high definition video, but the more expensive Sony Vegas Movie Studio Platinum edition does support it.

I have three young kids, so I take tons of video mostly indoors. The HV30 has very good low light capability. There's some grain in the darker videos, and the shutter speed also slows (you can see the stuttering movement in the video when taking in very low light). However, you can still see faces clearly. One cool thing I like about this camera is that it has a manual controlled LED light that can add about 3 feet of light when it's too dark. Sony has that 0 lux Night Shot that works in complete darkness, but the colors change to green and black and makes the eyes look scary. I prefer the LED light feature on the HV30 over Sony's Night Shot.

You can select from 5 different shooting modes:
1. DV (regular)
2. DV (wide screen)
3. HDV (high definition - wide screen by default)
4. HDV 24P (cinema mode)
5. HDV 30P (progressive mode)

Although I don't have a high definition TV yet, the colors in every mode looked great on my regular TV. The 24P and 30P modes give the video a "movie look and feel" (thus the name cinema mode), and this is cool just to have. I look forward to shooting something all in 24P or 30P and showing the DVD to family/friends. I'm sure they'll be amazed that my home videos don't "look" like home videos.....and this is all due to the camcorder modes. These 24P and 30P modes really sold me on this camera.

You can take photos using the HV30 (saves onto mini SD card). You can use the camcorder as a stand-along digital camera (3 megapixels), and there’s even a flash on the camcorder for the digital camera. You can also take still photos while you’re recording video. I use this to take photos while recording only because it’s a nice little extra thing to have. The pictures are not all that great, and I would recommend a dedicated digital camera to take still photos.

Some minor notes about this camcorder:
There's an automatic lens cap which makes protecting the lens very convenient. No more fussing with a lens cap or having it dangle in your videos.

The package does not include a neck strap. After paying $900 for a camcorder, you would think they would throw in a strap. Sony includes it, and Nikon includes it for SLR cameras. I bought a regular Canon strap at a local shop for $18. I think this is worth to have to keep the camcorder safe.

The battery is a cheap one and keeps a charge for about an hour or less. Since a miniDV tape is 1 hour, it would be prudent to get a better battery just to be safe. Canon makes an extended battery for about $60.

I thought I would stick with Sony products, but so far I am enjoying the Canon HV30 and have no regrets.