Well this is my first post here & I guess the title says it all really.

I've been blown away by the image quality of the HV10 and if it wasn't for the impending release of the HV20 would have taken the plunge already on it.

My question is basically should I wait for the HV20 or will I not see any major differences if I just go for the HV10? I do have a HDTV but as I can use the component inputs rather than HDMI I don't think the difference will be great. The main concern is low-light performance. Without any reviews it's hard to judge how much better (if at all) the HV20 is but it is a feature I am concerned about.
I'll basically just be doing point & shoot shots of the family so a mixture of indoor & outdoor shots. 25P doesn't really matter so much but I like the idea of being able to take snapshots from a progressive video stream to make 15x10 cm prints from.

Form factor doesn't bother me at all.

Price difference is negligible - €899 HV10, €1200 HV20

I guess realistically I should wait for the HV20 but God only knows when it will ship here in Germany and patience is not one of my virtues!

Thoughts???

actually im in the same boat as you.

i just want to know how much of the difference is for low light between the hv10 and the hv20.

im most likely going to get the hv10 cause of the price. (i can get it new for less than $800 shipped.)

i can use the extra money for spare batteries.

do you need an external audio input?
do you want/need a progressive image option?
do you want enhanced low light capabilities?
do you have a preference for the HV20 form factor?

if these answer to any of the above questions is "yes," then wait. otherwise, grab an HV10, save a few dollars, and get shooting....

Add to Meryem's list, HDMI.

All future consumer TV's will have this input, and I'm certain that when you visit a friend's home and wish to show off your footage, most people would have an extra HDMI cable; the same cannot be said for an extra component or AV cable.

This feature alone makes the camera wait a no brainer, in my opinion.

Add to Meryem's list, head phones jack and cine colors.

The HV20 may also have manual controls that are easier (or more ergonomic) to operate than the HV10's small buttons and tiny dial at the back of the camera.

Cheers for the replies & advice.
I guess I'll wait & just hope that the quality of the HV20 matches up to the HV10.

Elliot

i would go for hv10 rather than big hv20..
i also find hv10 built in audio is excellent.. the camera is small and looks more luxury than hv20...

One thing to add to the list is that the HV20 is top loading and the HV10 is bottom loading I believe. This can be very important on tripods and floaters.

I recall a post the other day from someone having trouble having to remove his HV10 from his stabalizer to change tapes and then having to rebalance the outfit.

Mike

the hv20 seems to be, by all accounts, a far better camera, but it is larger, if that's a consideration to anyone.

the form factor of the cameras are so different that i'm not sure the hv20 should be classified as a true upgrade to the hv10. i think the hv10 can be a PITA to use for a host of reasons and most seem to have issues with it's form factor, but it captures gorgeous images when you have the light, AND can easily fit in your jacket pocket. as a purely consumer, auto-everything camera, i think the hv10 does it's job beautifully. and it's the first camera i've ever owned that was EASY to take out with me.