Canon HV20 vs Canon HV30

The HV20 is a much celebrated digital camera from Canon and it has garnered multiple awards. Because of this, Canon has smartly decided not to mess with the working formula with its successor, the HV30, and just work on the minor flaws and quirks that users complained on.

In terms of new features there really isn’t much on the HV30 aside from the addition of the 30p shooting mode added to the 24p and 60i modes already on the HV20. The primary motivation for adding 30p is for Internet video production as it is much simpler to convert down to 15fps, which is the norm for on-line videos due to bandwidth considerations. Converting from 24p or 60i would usually result in a lower quality video than from 30p.

Although new features are quite lacking, the list of improvements is quite a long one. The first one that new owners would probably appreciate is the hot shoe cover being tethered to the body. Many users have lost the covers of their HV20 simply because it is untethered and gets misplaced. The second improvement is the switch to a full zoom toggle switch in the HV30, greatly improving the handling of the HV30 over the plastic strip found on the HV20. Lastly, Canon decided to add a solarizing resistant LCD screen on the HV30. While it may be identical to the screen that you would find on the HV20, the HV30’s screen would not wash out as easily under direct sunlight. This is great if you like shooting outdoors where it may be difficult to see on-screen the subject that you are shooting. It is not really very important or consequential but it is worth mentioning that the HV30 is colored black while the HV20 is colored silver. The black paint adds a touch of class to the HV30.

For a new purchase, the HV30 clearly wins out over the HV20 in terms of design changes. The addition of 30p is also a huge plus if you primarily shoot videos to post online. If you are upgrading from the HV20, it may not be worth the money considering that the HV20 can do most of what the HV30 can.

Summary:

1. The HV30 is the successor to the HV20
2. The HV30 add 30p shooting mode that is absent in the HV20
3. The HV30 hot shoe cover is now attached while the HV20’s isn’t
4. The HV30 has an improved zoom toggle over the HV20
5. The HV30 is equipped with a solarizing resistant LCD that you would not find in the HV20
6. The HV30 is colored black while the HV20 is silver

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