HV-20 to compliment my XH-A1?
 

Hi guys and giggles,

Your detailed conversations on this forum are just fantastic....you have all helped me a great deal! Now a little direct advice s'il vous plait....

I recently purchased an XH-A1 as my main camcorder for its HD and manual controls and I planned to sell my XM2 (GL2) which was my main cam. However, I am in two minds. Although the XM2 is SD only, I just love it as prosumer camcorder. But would it not be more sensible too own a second cam which would better compliment the XH-A1 (more mobile, use it as a tape deck etc). My question therefore is: is it better to sell my XM2 (keeping the Canon vid. light and ext. microphone etc) and put the money towards HV-20 which, from all accounts on this forum, seems a great little (portable) cam?

I too have enjoyed these discussions and after everything I have read I have ordered the Canon HV20 and the A1. I just sold my Sony A1U and will be replacing my trusty Panasonic DVX100 with these two cameras.

I'll use the A1 for primary and the HV20 for a back up and deck.

Best of luck to you.

My new toys will be here by the end of he week!

Oh Chris, what a dilema? We could debate this for hours. How much have you used the XH-A1? How often have you wished for a second HDV cam or a smaller, easier one? When was the last time you used the XM2? If you only had the XH-A1 and had an immediate need for a B-cam, then the HV20 would be top of the list of recommendations.

For myself, I have decided to keep my XM1. I have one definite use for it: copying old cine film, which it has been very good at. In truth, it's not a brilliant B-cam for the XH-A1, being 4:3 only, but it is such a nice camera. I think the XM2 can record 16:9, so is a rather better match.

When you need a (second) camera, get the most useful one you can find. Until you need one, put off making the decision because everything will have changed in a few months - except that by Sod's Law, the camera you really want will be launched immediately after you make your purchase!.

Sell
 

Sell your XM2 while the used market is good. If you keep it for 6 months, it will depreciate in value. Sell it now and it will pay for the HV20.

Chris, for what it's worth, I recently used the A1 as primary camera on a gig and used the HV20 as b camera, for a few, quick inserts. Footage from the HV20 cut together nicely with the A1.

Is it true that the HV20 adds pulldown into a 60i stream on 24p footage? I read this somewhere... maybe on the HV20 forum. I'm curious if it would also do this on tapes of f-mode footage with an A1.

I toyed around with this little cam in a local Best Buy electronics store today. The thing is so tiny! I'd sure like to buy one someday as a deck and a b-roll cam to compliment my A1... but the pulldown thing concerns me.

Brian Brown

I, too, have the A1 and recently got the HV20 for B-roll and a deck. I've had a few issues with batch capture in FCP ("unable to locate timecode") which is discussed in the HV10/HV20 forum, but the footage is beautiful and an excellent compliment to the A1.

The 24p on the HV20 is recorded in a 60i stream, so you'll need to do a pulldown (see the HV forum), but it does not change what's shot with the A1.

Bill Doyle

Thanks much for the reply, Bill. Looks like I'll need to budget for the HV20 soon.

Brian

HV20 or New HR10
 

Hi,

I've decided to sell my old camera and get a complimentary recorder for my A1.

The HV20 had dropped $130 on Amazon since last week which made me check Canon's web site. I found a new deck the HR10.

The Canon compare option doesn't show much difference.

Does anyone know what is is and if it is worth waiting for? Or just get the HV20 at $866.

Thanks,
Howard

The HR10 is dvd, not tape.

The price adjustment on the HV20 is just dealers lowering it down to regular margins after initial demand wore off. My work purchased them at that price when they first came out.

Thanks, that's a bigger difference than I wanted. I'll get the HV20.

Howard