So last year I was at a crux. I needed a new camera and a friend was selling his DVX100B for $1,000 but I also wanted to get into HD/HDV. When the prices dropped on the Canon HV20 to under $600 at B&H PHoto it became a no brainer and I went with the Canon HV20 HDV.
I've been using it for nearly a year and it's an absolutely amazing little camera. It does 24P at 1920x1080 with the cinegamma color for the alleged "film" look (It doesn't look like film to me, but it is a more aesthetically pleasing image).
I have since bought a JAG35 35mm film lens adapter for it for Depth of Field effects and also a Beachtek XLR mic input for it, plus a poor man's steady-cam rig. I have a cool little indie package for that shoots HDV. My primary use for the camera is shooting behind the scenes of other shoots, but it has also been a great little "B" camera for alternate shots and angles in high speed or heavy action scenes.
For post production I use the CINEFORM ASPECT HD/PROSPECT HD software/codec. It allows me to extract the true 24P from the 60i tape, plus it removes the heavy compression of MPEG2/M2T files standard in HDV editing. Also, it has settings and plugs directly into Adobe Premiere Pro CS3-CS4.
For beginners looking to get into filmmaking and making movies, this is an incredible starter camera. It has 24P, the look everyone is going for, plus it's 1920x1080, and even has an HDMI port for connecting to newer capture cards and monitoring on HDTV's.
For people looking to get into HDV on the cheap and want to learn the basics, this is the perfect starter camera in my opinion.
For several examples, go to www.vimeo.com and search out the keywords HV20 or HV30 and prepare to get blown away by the results and see them in HD online.
- Peter John Ross
sonnyboo.com
I've been using it for nearly a year and it's an absolutely amazing little camera. It does 24P at 1920x1080 with the cinegamma color for the alleged "film" look (It doesn't look like film to me, but it is a more aesthetically pleasing image).
I have since bought a JAG35 35mm film lens adapter for it for Depth of Field effects and also a Beachtek XLR mic input for it, plus a poor man's steady-cam rig. I have a cool little indie package for that shoots HDV. My primary use for the camera is shooting behind the scenes of other shoots, but it has also been a great little "B" camera for alternate shots and angles in high speed or heavy action scenes.
For post production I use the CINEFORM ASPECT HD/PROSPECT HD software/codec. It allows me to extract the true 24P from the 60i tape, plus it removes the heavy compression of MPEG2/M2T files standard in HDV editing. Also, it has settings and plugs directly into Adobe Premiere Pro CS3-CS4.
For beginners looking to get into filmmaking and making movies, this is an incredible starter camera. It has 24P, the look everyone is going for, plus it's 1920x1080, and even has an HDMI port for connecting to newer capture cards and monitoring on HDTV's.
For people looking to get into HDV on the cheap and want to learn the basics, this is the perfect starter camera in my opinion.
For several examples, go to www.vimeo.com and search out the keywords HV20 or HV30 and prepare to get blown away by the results and see them in HD online.
- Peter John Ross
sonnyboo.com
Sorry, that's vague - just wondering if we're describing the same two modes and I'm just too new to get it.