HV20 vs A1 (side by side video comparison)

rawfa

rawfa

Veteran
Here's a video displaying footage shot by the HV20 and the A1 side by side with different settings.

http://www.camuser.co.kr/cam_vm/VID_HDV_MOV/2007/06/HV20 Red Test_720P-1.wmv

Like it should be expected from a 3ccd camera, the A1 shows better color rendering as well as better latitude. The HV20 shows a more saturated and contrasted image. But I'm pretty sure this could all be matched on post. I still think the HV20 is a very cool camera, and I'm dreaming of the day I'll have one as my B camera with the A1.
 
Thanks for that.
Very interesting, the HV20 hung in there. You can really see the saturation, and the softer image of the HV20. But that's compared to a 3-chip camera, so not too shabby.
 
Is it just me, or does the HV20 footage look awfully blurry in the res tests, but SHARPER than the A1 in the actual footage? What's that all about?
 
Great comparison!

What was with the abnormal looking movement of the people walking? It never looked smooth, is that just me?
 
Me too..

Me too..

Yep I agree that the HV20 looked softer in the rez tests but sharper in the footage shown. But we all know that the colour parameters of the A1 can be tweaked endlessly. The HV20 holds up really well and I'd add that the image quality when using a 35mm adapter is closer still. Actually the HV20 with 35mm adapter easily beats the A1 without an adapter.
 
wjm said:
Is it just me, or does the HV20 footage look awfully blurry in the res tests, but SHARPER than the A1 in the actual footage? What's that all about?
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That's exactly what i was thinking when I first seen this. How is that possible? When these tests are run, how far away from the chart are the cameras? I ask because the HV20's focus on close up objects is not that great ...for example it needing an achromat for focusing on an adapter's GG. I would think the HV20 needed to be pulled back a little further to focus properly because I can't understand why it was blurry when the test first started out. To me the blurriness stuck out on the chart and did not seem right.
 
logic108 said:
Actually the HV20 with 35mm adapter easily beats the A1 without an adapter.
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This is why I asked the questions above. How is this possible given what we seen in this test. Don't get me wrong...i agree with you but the tests seem to prove otherwise.
 
The Canon A1 reduces the amount of noise of the signal when it sharpens. So I suspect that some of the sharpness in the tests demonstrates how good Canons noise reduction is in the A1 especially in dark situations. I think that the HV20 is much softer in lowlight and that was the case with the resolution tests. The resolution charts were on a red background in indoor dim conditions. So the A1 obviously does much better in low light than the HV20. I've found however that if you light well and carefully and expose properly then the HV20 is an equal to the A1. The image sharpness issue is all about the light. In bright well-lit conditions the HV20 is superb. I mean if you had the BM intensity setup and a well-lit studio and recorded 4:2:2 from the HV20 you would see clearly that in these ideal situations the HV20 would be as sharp as the A1. Also if you check out the Brevis footage of HV20 that was shot in the snow in bright conditions and compare it to the footage captured with the A1 you can see that the HV20 is plenty sharp enough given control of the light.
The HV20 is a pretty good adapter cam when you can control the lighting. The A1 is more of a professionalish tool because it goes everywhere, can track movements really well and can be tweaked to the limit.
I love the image quality of the HV20 with a 35mm adapter and I think having the adapter helps the perceived image clarity and sharpness of the video and having a great optic in front of the HV20 does wonders for the image quality which I actually prefer to the A1 image quality straight from the cam. Obviously we are not comparing like for like but I love working with HV20 footage shot with the 35mm adapter.
If you look at the Panny DVX it did really well in low-light but add a 35mm adapter and good lenses and it went to another level. The HV20 goes to another level of image goodness with a 35mm adapter and the A1 looks great with a 35mm adapter but not 2,500 EUR better.
For my style of shooting I like to control the light and to have shots set up in advance with not so much panning or tracking. If I were to buy a new camera It would be the HVX200 mostly because I like the P2 workflow but for now the HV20 and 35mm adapter and good lights and good tripod etc is plenty good enough and it pushes me to think about lighting and exposure when I use this camera. I love getting good footage from the HV20 - it's like getting something for free.
So in summary sharpness has to do with noise reduction in the signal and this shows up more when shooting in average to low light. The A1 is better in this regard. In good to bright conditions the noise reduction of the sharpness is less of an issue. So the A1 is definitely sharper in low-light conditions.
Putting a 35mm adapter on the HV20 should be like shooting in lowlight conditions right? 35mm adapters lose light true, but the image brightness/contrast that is projected onto the focusing screen from the lens helps the HV20 and simulates the high contrast of a slightly overcast but bright day. This kind of brightness the HV20 handles really well. The HV20 test that was done over at Brevis used ND filters to control the amount of light that was getting into the camera because it was an extremely bright day. Other footage I've seen shows me that the HV20 has very little noise and therefore good sharpness when 35mm adapters are used in normal daylight or well lit conditions.
So on a subjective level I love the fact that 2000 EUR (HV20 plus 35mm adapter) gives me images that I prefer over the A1 without 35mm adapter. It's purely subjective and is down entirely to the type of shooting I do. I have the money and I could buy the A1 tomorrow but I just don't feel that it would bring me much extra and this is because of the shooting I do. I could stump up the extra for the HVX200 but I'll probaby rent one if I really need it. I just love working with 35mm adapters and seeing what lighting can do.
I also do a lot of colour correcting in post and shoot the HV20 with colour and contrast settings set to a minimum. So sharpness = low-light noise reduction ability = A1 wins. On the other hand: control of light + 35mm adapter = lovely image on HV20.
Sorry for this long post.
 
Sorry, I should have been more accurate. What are the settings for the Wolfgang custom preset? Like Knee, gain, gamma, sharpness, etc.
 
Did you like the preset? I think i'm not exagerating when I say there are hundreds of presets for the A1 - do a google search and you'll find something you like.
 
anyone with HV20 footie to check out. I'm interested in getting some HDV cams as crash cams and glovebox cameras with the hope that there might be some way that they can mix and match with my HVX..
 
Eventually we'll see really nice footage from the hv20 connected thru hdmi to a BM intensity and using a 35mm adapter that will really impress. In September this year I have a shoot planned using this setup just to see how it goes.
A lot of people are saying that the HV20 thru hdmi to the BM intensity at 4:2:2 is as good an image as you can get from a camera under 10,000 dollars.
I'm not sure about this so I'll be testing it out in September.
I would love a HVX200 - that's a fact but always end up spending money renting and planning the shoot.
With the HV20 I hope that the image quality is good enough so that I can get some nice stock footage and can get some shots that are dress rehearsals for when I use a better camera. Personally I don't think the A1 would be an exciting enough upgrade. Plus I like shooting small at first to sketch the ideas out quickly on my own and then when I have the visuals I can easily bring people into the project and redo it properly.
 
Justyn said:
anyone with HV20 footie to check out. I'm interested in getting some HDV cams as crash cams and glovebox cameras with the hope that there might be some way that they can mix and match with my HVX..
Click to expand...

Justyn,

I've got an HV20 you can try out. PM or call me.
 
The A1 looks more natural to me, more 3 dimensional. The HV looks flatter and more cartoonish. The HV does not handle contrasts as well and has less dynamic range. It's pretty impressive for a sub $1k camcorder, though. It's pretty tough to go up against the A1.
 
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