Canon HV30

The basics

HDV (1080/60i) camcorder with 10x Canon optically stabilised zoom lens, 2.7-inch LCD, 25p Cinema mode plus a flash and video light for low light action. Measures 88x82x138 mm and weighs 535g.

The good

Like the warm sound of a vinyl LP, HDV videotape still sets the gold standard for High Def shooting. There isn’t a trace of jerkiness or digital artefact in the HV30’s rich, natural video, and detail is particularly precise through the gleaming Canon optics. The folding LCD has a great viewing angle – and is probably better a bet than the welcome (but rather cramped) electronic viewfinder. As HDV tapes are basically MiniDV tapes with the price doubled, you can play back your old analogue home movies to revisit crazy 1996 haircuts and pre-millennium fashion crimes.

The bad

The HV30 looks like a wallowing whale compared to today’s porpoise-thin digital rivals, and tape will always be slower to start and stop than Flash technology. It’s louder, too: a fair bit of running noise intrudes on quieter recordings. You’ll also want a second battery, as the one supplied last just 45 minutes at a stretch.

The bottom line

With one foot in the past, one in the future and one in the grave, the HV30 has at least 50 percent more feet than most people will need. But if you want an impressive High Def camera that can also handle yesterday’s movies, it’s a safe, heavyweight choice.