HV20 vs AG-HSC1U

[Shane Jackson]

Ok so I sold my DVX and was looking for something smaller but with very good picture quality. I bought a HV20 from costco (90 day return policy...) to replace the DVX???

I know others may disagree but I do not think it has no where near the same picture quality as the DVX.

What I am wondering is how would it compair to a AG-HSC1U??

Or rather, how does the 1U compair to the DVX???

[maarek]

Hmm, HV20 has a very good image quality, way better than the dvx100. What seems to be the problem?

[Shane Jackson]

Under normal lighting it seemed very grainy....

[DivotDan]

I do not own this camera, but I have been researching it a lot and I'm considering getting it.

One thing I have read over and over is that the very first thing you should do...is go into the menu and turn off the auto gain, then set the gain to about -3. From what I have read, this clears up about 90% of peoples picture issues.

[Barry_Green]

Under normal lighting it seemed very grainy....
The HV20 has automatic video gain that goes up as high as 27dB, and yes in those circumstances it is a total snowstorm of grain. An HV20 is about three stops less sensitive than a DVX, so you need a lot more light for the HV20. Under adequate light (for it) it delivers very nice images.

[Barry_Green]

One thing I have read over and over is that the very first thing you should do...is go into the menu and turn off the auto gain, then set the gain to about -3. From what I have read, this clears up about 90% of peoples picture issues.
That's for the XHA1, not the HV20. On the HV20 you can't disable auto gain, nor can you set it to -3.

[DivotDan]

Ah, I've been reading a lot about both and it's starting to get blurry! Thanks for the info!

[Ian-T]

Under normal lighting it seemed very grainy....
There is however a trick to overcome that.

[Barry_Green]

Well, there's a way to avoid gain, yes. But then the picture will likely be unacceptably dark; the camera puts gain in when the image is too dark.

Back to the original question, HV20 vs. HSC1U -- the big question is whether you need 24P. The HSC1U is interlaced only, so if you need 24P there's no comparison.

[Michael Anthony Horrigan]

I used the HV20 for my Hallows Fest entry, it seemed to hold up well in the dark. As did my avatar. That's me in the closet with my daughters toy flashlight.

:)

Great little camera for the price, but a professional camera will give you a lot more control.

Cheers,

Mike

[Shane Jackson]

I have done some tests and the HV20 does look very good when there is plenty of light. The thing I wonder is how it will do at weddings..... I shot a wedding with my DVX and used my brothers cheap sony DV (cant remember the model but it was a $400 cam) as a #2 cam and the DVX footage looked awsome and the sony looked like $hit!!! It was done outside under 2 trees and the lighting was good (not as bad as your usual church lighting...)

I just hope the HV20 has similar results as the DVX as opposed to the sony!!

[vsansal]

I have done some tests and the HV20 does look very good when there is plenty of light. The thing I wonder is how it will do at weddings..... I shot a wedding with my DVX and used my brothers cheap sony DV (cant remember the model but it was a $400 cam) as a #2 cam and the DVX footage looked awsome and the sony looked like $hit!!! It was done outside under 2 trees and the lighting was good (not as bad as your usual church lighting...)

I just hope the HV20 has similar results as the DVX as opposed to the sony!!

Are you using the 60i mode or 24p mode because 24p mode is much more better in lowlight.

[Shane Jackson]

60i

I really dont shoot 24p......

[Barry_Green]

To get a basic idea of what the HV20 is going to look like as compared to the DVX, picture using your DVX with ND1 enabled. That's about the level of brightness an HV20 delivers.

[vsansal]

If you look at the charts (http://www.camcorderinfo.com/content/Canon-HV20-Camcorder-Review-Complete-Color-Charts.htm) you can see the difference between two modes.

[strancali]

I have done some tests and the HV20 does look very good when there is plenty of light. The thing I wonder is how it will do at weddings..... I shot a wedding with my DVX and used my brothers cheap sony DV (cant remember the model but it was a $400 cam) as a #2 cam and the DVX footage looked awsome and the sony looked like $hit!!! It was done outside under 2 trees and the lighting was good (not as bad as your usual church lighting...)

I just hope the HV20 has similar results as the DVX as opposed to the sony!!

Take a look at some footages here, that should answer some of your questions regarding the look of the HV20. I just purchased one and waiting for my Letus. It's the little camera that could.

http://www.vimeo.com/hv20

[Shane Jackson]

http://www.vimeo.com/hv20

That video made me sick.... too jerky. I hope that is what they were going for..... to me it looked like crap!

[strancali]

That video made me sick.... too jerky. I hope that is what they were going for..... to me it looked like crap!

There are like 3 pages of footage in that link. So all of them made you sick? You wanted to see the quality of the HV20 so I linked it to you. I think you are better off buying a more expensive camera. We're talking about an $800 CONSUMER camera and I personally think it's better than most cameras that cost twice as much.

[Michael Anthony Horrigan]

Yup, way too jerky. Obviously hand-held without the image stabilizer on.
Or he just has the shakes. :)

There is a ton of great HV20 footage out there....

[strancali]

Kyser, didn't you shoot your film FEAR with an HV20?

[Michael Anthony Horrigan]

Yup, but I'm new at this.... there are much better HV20 movies out there.
Although my new movie for Hallows Fest was also shot on the HV20.

And it looks much better than FEAR. I had a lot of overexposed shots in FEAR, I learned a lot from that one.

No adapters used, just the camera.

I really need a Brevis. :)

Mike

[strancali]

Yup, but I'm new at this.... there are much better HV20 movies out there.
Although my new movie for Hallows Fest was also shot on the HV20.

And it looks much better than FEAR. I had a lot of overexposed shots in FEAR, I learned a lot from that one.

No adapters used, just the camera.

I really need a Brevis. :)

Mike

I think you did a good job with FEAR. A Brevis or a Letus Extreme :D. I want to see your movie for the Hallows Fest.

[Shane Jackson]

There are like 3 pages of footage in that link. So all of them made you sick? You wanted to see the quality of the HV20 so I linked it to you. I think you are better off buying a more expensive camera. We're talking about an $800 CONSUMER camera and I personally think it's better than most cameras that cost twice as much.

I just watched the bike one. Picture quality was good, camera op was no good.

[Ian-T]

That video made me sick.... too jerky. I hope that is what they were going for..... to me it looked like crap!
That was just a time lapse video....it seems the videographer just didn't cut out the camera shift scenes. Other than that i thought it was clean looking video....nice and sharp.