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Camcorder Review:
Canon HV10 HDV (page 2)

Still Picture

The Canon HV10 also has a still picture feature, allowing you to take photographs with up to 3.1 mega pixels. That comes out to a picture with a resolution of 2048x1536. Despite the great quality it captures in movie mode, the still pictures seemed a bit off. Test after test under different lighting conditions, the HV10 showed that it seems to lack natural color reproduction--the image is tad too red. This problem is noticeable and the camera shouldn't be thought of as an ideal still photo replacement. Though to Canon's credit, the images captured were very detailed and exhibited very little to no noise.

Conclusion

Our overall impression is that this camcorder is perfect for those who want the high quality of HD video with little to no effort. Whether it is a trip, a graduation, or family event, this camera is aimed at the point and shoot consumer who desires an ease of portability and the high quality of HD. Some design flaws and missing components won't make it ideal for prosumer or Indie filmmakers, but for the rest of us it delivers the basic needs of video capture.

TECH SPECS


Format: HDV
Number of image sensor: 1 (CMOS)
Size of sensors: 1/2.7"
Pixels on sensor: 2,960,000
Video Effective Pixels: 2,070,00 in HDV
Focus: M/AF/Instant AF
Maximum Shutter Speed: 1/2000
Minimum Shutter Speed: 1/8
Lens f-stop: F1.8- F8.0
Program exposure modes: Portrait, Sports, Night, Snow, Beach, Sunset, Spotlight, Fireworks
Optical Zoom: 10X
Focal Length: 6.1mm-61mm
Image Stabilization: Super Range, Optical
Manual White Balance: Yes
Viewfinder: .27" With 123K Pixel Resolution
LCD Monitor: 2.7" with 210K Pixel
Resolution
Progressive Scan: None
HD Modes: 1080/60i
Video Connections: AV Minijack, Component, FireWire, USB
Mono/Stereo: Stereo
Microphone: n
Manual Audio Level Controls: no
Headphone Jack: yes
Speakers: yes
Still shot Media: mini SD card, Memory Card Included
Wireless Remote: Yes
External Battery Charger Provided: no
Battery Type: Li-ion
Tape Loading Configuration: Bottom
Onboard Video Light: yes
Accessory Shoe: None

STRENGTHS
  • Great image quality
  • Compact and portable
  • Sleek and sexy
WEAKNESSES
  • Slightly awkward design
  • Poor low light and still photo image quality
SUMMARY

The Canon HV10 is a very small, portable camera that captures a great image with high detail and color balance.

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