Canon HV20 DV Camcorder

Behind the lens, Canon places a 3-megapixel, 1/2.7-inch CMOS sensor that captures 1,920 horizontal and 1,080 vertical pixels for either 1080i high-definition or wide-screen standard-definition video.

The good: The Canon HV20 high-definition camcorder has excellent video quality, nice features, HDMI output, and an accessory shoe.

The name Canon has always meant photographic and broadcast television cameras with optical excellence, advanced image processing, superb performance, and the latest in technological advancements.

You can fit the HV20 into a jacket pocket, but it might be a tight fit depending on the jacket.

The bottom line: Canon’s HV20 camcorder is a great choice for HD-happy amateurs, but its low-light performance could have been better.

Canon’s new High Definition video camcorders are no exception.

Granted, you won’t need to switch these while shooting, but they’d be easier to deal with if placed on the left side.

Still, the graininess in low light was considerably better than you’d see in a camcorder with a smaller sensor, though in extremely dim conditions, color fidelity and overall dynamic range drop precipitously, leaving largely monochrome video with very little shadow detail.

Instant Auto Focus, which employs a helper sensor on the front of the tape compartment to measure the distance to your subject, proved very fast indeed.

Unfortunately, Canon doesn’t let you change white balance while shooting, so if you move from one type of lighting to another, you’re forced either to stop then restart shooting or to accept the resulting color cast.

Of course, this will take a bite out of your battery life.

We wouldn’t be surprised if it’s among the top-selling nonbudget camcorders this year, especially if retailers drop the price to less than $1,000.

Add to that our Canon ExclusivesCanon has long been a leader in bringing advanced features to its products, taking advantage of our superiority in optics and image processing.

Atop the lens, Canon places its Advanced Accessory Shoe.

In our review, we found that the vertical design brought with it some irksome ergonomic issues.

The stylish Canon HV20 gives you the ultimate in HD video and digital photo quality with advanced features for the knowledgeable and demanding videographer.

This is surprising given that Canon tries to appeal to a more-advanced level of user with this model’s 24p shooting mode.

In its more-accurate “typical recording time” spec, Canon clocks battery life at 65 minutes in HDV mode with the LCD set to bright, when using the included 1,200 mAh BP-2L13 battery.

Unlike standard optical image stabilization, this version incorporates feedback from the processor to fine-tune its shake-fighting adjustments.

Actual prices are determined by individual dealers and may vary.

Part of the reason for its size is the HV20’s nice, big, 10x optical, f/1.8 to f/3 zoom lens, which includes the company’s Super-Range Optical Image Stabilization.

Canon’s horizontal design solves certain problems, but also made for a larger camcorder.

More exclusives are, SuperRange Optical Image Stabilization and Instant Auto Focus.

When Canon first showed us the HV10, we were surprised that the company chose a vertical form for its first compact HD camcorder.

Duplication in whole or in part without permission is prohibited.

Speaking of footage, we were very impressed with the video we shot with the HV20.

With the Genuine Canon 10x HD video zoom lens and a host of other advanced features the HV20 is the right choice in High Definition camcorders.

For still images, the camera captures 2.76 megapixels in 4:3 mode and 2.07 megapixels in 16:9 mode.

The bad: Can’t change white balance while shooting; night mode doesn’t help poor low-light performance.

In our field tests, it proved effective well past the typical 75 percent of the room range, but still couldn’t perfectly steady our handheld shots when zoomed out to the 10x maximum.