Gadgets and Gizmos

Canon Unveils new HD camcorder HV10

Canon has launched its new HV10 HDV cam Coder. It’s Canon’s first consumer high definition camcorder and as a result it’s attracted quite a lot of buzz. And it’s no coincidence that Canon has priced it almost exactly the same as Sony’s lowest priced HD camcorder, the HDR-HC3. It certainly looks and feels like a conventional MiniDV camcorder, apart from the width, which is slightly bulkier than usual (it measures 56 x 104 x 106mm and weighs 439g).

The HV10 uses a 1/2.7-inch, 2.96-megapixel HD CMOS sensor, capturing full resolution 1920 x 1080 video. The panoramic native widescreen 1080i footage is stored on MiniDV tapes. Although its default setting is for 16:9 viewing, you can switch to Standard Definition recording easily should you feel the need to watch on a conventional 4:3 telly.

The Instant AF lived up to its billing; unless I was too close to the subject or I was moving too fast (in a cab driving through midtown), the focus rarely missed. In a few cases it focused on the wrong subject, such as the bars of a cage rather than the occupant, but focusing manually via the jog dial was quick and easy. The HV10’s still-image quality is also impressive, earning a Superior rating from our jury.

With a resolution of 3 mega pixels, the HV10 takes still images that look as crisp and clear as those taken with a typical digital camera. Additionally, the camcorder includes a built-in flash for when you need to shoot in dark settings.

The Menu Controls are placed on the back of the camera which in itself is ok, but the buttons come very close to being flush against the backing, making them hard to push. Although an inconvenience, the HV10 is perfectly at home taking beautiful pictures on automatic modes, which you can switch on and off with a lever right below the record button, minimizing the need to fumble through menu options.

The HV10 captures HD through the HDV format, so you’re still recording onto a Mini DV tape. The tape itself loads into the bottom of the camcorder, which is also where you mount the camera onto a tripod, so you have to remove the camera from the tripod to reload the tape, which is a bit annoying. Both cameras suffer from a weak wide-angle view, and neither include microphone jacks or much, but with the HV10’s list price of $1,300, and the $1,500 list-priced HC3 currently hitting $1,200 online, both cameras are quite the bargain for a tape-based HDV camcoder.