After 2 Years with HV20 : I Switched to the HG21 at DVinfo.net

Guy McLoughlin · February 26th, 2009, 10:47 AM

...After two years of shooting corporate/medical videos with a Canon HV20,
I switched to the HG21, and could not be happier!

MAJOR DIFFERENCES BETWEEN THE HV20 AND HG21

- HG21 is almost silent. On camera mics have always been a problem with the HV20
because of the noisy tape transport.

- HG21 LCD display has a much wider viewing angle, making it much easier to judge
manual exposure when your view is not dead-on to the display.

- HG21 power-saving stand-by mode is very handy. Just close the LCD display and
the camera goes in to stand-by mode, which can be set to last up to 30 minutes.
To start shooting again, just open the LCD display and you are ready to go.

- I've grown to like having the push-button/joy-stick control on the LCD monitor,
because I can adjust the camera when I am standing in front of it, which was not
possible with the HV20.

- I am getting much better low-light color accuracy and low-noise with the HG21
compared to the HV20. I switch to 1/30 sec TV mode with the frame rate set to
30P, then manually adjust the gain to get a good exposure.

- Using a BeachTek DXA-2S XLR adapter, I am getting much better audio from the
HG21 than I ever got from the HV20. Better dynamic range, much quieter noise
levels from LINE feeds or directly from my SoundDevices MixPre mixer.

- About the only drawback to the HG21 is the cost of the BP-827 batteries, which
run about $120 at B&H Photo, and last about 4.5 hours when recording. I bought
three batteries and two CG-800 wall chargers, so I can shoot all day without having
to worry about power.

*** Update ***

At the HV20 website, someone posted a link at BestBatt.com for generic BP-827
batteries for $67. I bought 3 Best Batt batteries for my HV20 and have been totally
happy with them, so I would expect these batteries to be just as good.

http://www.bestbatt.com/Canon_BP_827..._p/bbbp827.htm

Brian Boyko · February 26th, 2009, 01:30 PM

Got an HG20 instead of a 21 (really don't need the viewfinder) and I have to agree with you 100 percent. I had to get two HV20s to make sure that I didn't drop a frame and not get it on camera; with the HG20, I don't have to worry about dropped frames anymore!

February 26th, 2009, 10:47 AM	#1
Guy McLoughlin Major Player Join Date: May 2007 Location: Toronto, Ontario, Canada Posts: 287	After 2 Years with HV20 : I Switched to the HG21 ...After two years of shooting corporate/medical videos with a Canon HV20, I switched to the HG21, and could not be happier! MAJOR DIFFERENCES BETWEEN THE HV20 AND HG21 - HG21 is almost silent. On camera mics have always been a problem with the HV20 because of the noisy tape transport. - HG21 LCD display has a much wider viewing angle, making it much easier to judge manual exposure when your view is not dead-on to the display. - HG21 power-saving stand-by mode is very handy. Just close the LCD display and the camera goes in to stand-by mode, which can be set to last up to 30 minutes. To start shooting again, just open the LCD display and you are ready to go. - I've grown to like having the push-button/joy-stick control on the LCD monitor, because I can adjust the camera when I am standing in front of it, which was not possible with the HV20. - I am getting much better low-light color accuracy and low-noise with the HG21 compared to the HV20. I switch to 1/30 sec TV mode with the frame rate set to 30P, then manually adjust the gain to get a good exposure. - Using a BeachTek DXA-2S XLR adapter, I am getting much better audio from the HG21 than I ever got from the HV20. Better dynamic range, much quieter noise levels from LINE feeds or directly from my SoundDevices MixPre mixer. - About the only drawback to the HG21 is the cost of the BP-827 batteries, which run about $120 at B&H Photo, and last about 4.5 hours when recording. I bought three batteries and two CG-800 wall chargers, so I can shoot all day without having to worry about power. * Update * At the HV20 website, someone posted a link at BestBatt.com for generic BP-827 batteries for $67. I bought 3 Best Batt batteries for my HV20 and have been totally happy with them, so I would expect these batteries to be just as good. http://www.bestbatt.com/Canon_BP_827..._p/bbbp827.htm Last edited by Guy McLoughlin; February 26th, 2009 at 03:02 PM.

February 26th, 2009, 01:30 PM	#2
Brian Boyko Major Player Join Date: Dec 2006 Location: Austin, TX Posts: 773	Got an HG20 instead of a 21 (really don't need the viewfinder) and I have to agree with you 100 percent. I had to get two HV20s to make sure that I didn't drop a frame and not get it on camera; with the HG20, I don't have to worry about dropped frames anymore! __________________ Equip: Panny GH1, Canon HG20, Juicedlink, AT897, Sennh. EW/GW100, Zoom H2, Vegas 8.1