just got my hv40 today at DVinfo.net

Chris Pena · December 21st, 2009, 03:38 PM

hello everyone, iv'e been reading everything i can on here about canon vixia and i watched everything i could on utube about the hv30 and 40 as well. i'm new to this hole camcorder deal. i thought i never really needed one but i finally decided it was time. i just didn't want to run out and buy a cheap o so i researched and the vixia models came out on top so i bought the hv40 .

i have a couple question maybe you can help me out.
do you use a uv lens on yours?
i see that you use fire wire to down load. is there anything special i need to use fire wire on my computer, i have windows xp on my home computer and vista on my laptop.

i'm sure i will come up more questions as i try it it and work with it. but for now thanks for all your info that you posted on this forum it helps new guys like a lot when were trying to decide on what to get.
Chris

Mike Dulay · December 21st, 2009, 05:26 PM

Hi Chris,
Welcome to DVInfo and the gaggle of HV10/20/30/40 users.

I use a UV Filter on mine mostly to protect the main lens against the elements. The places I used the camera tend to have projectiles (game fields) and liquids (beaches and rivers) flying about. If you buy one, a multicoated (some brands would say HMC, MRC, etc) filter is best so you don't take away from the quality of the HD lens.

If your PC had a firewire port and a cable you're all set hardware wise. To extract the video you need a capture program like HDVSplit or the built in capture software. XP's built in editor can't do HD as far as I know. But Vista's Media Center/Movie Maker should be able to do basic extraction and editing. It's going to be about 13GB of data per hour of video you extract.

When you outgrow Movie Maker can should look into something like Sony Vegas (there's the consumer Studio version and the aptly named Pro). There are other NLEs out there but this one is the most affordable with good functions.

Hope that helps you.

Phil Murray · December 21st, 2009, 06:50 PM

Hi Chris,

You are going to love your HV40. I have the earlier model, the HV20, and, even though I have a much more powerful camera, I still go back to the HV20 - especially when traveling --- and I am constantly amazed at what I can do with it.

Take the time to learn everything you can about it. The folks here on DVInfo are truly wonderful and they can help you with just about any question that might come up, but if you spend time -- and there is a LOT to learn -- reading through the thousands of posts on this forum you'll be amazed, too, at what you're HV40 will produde for you.

I always keep a filter of some kind covering the lens. For the past year I've kept an 81A warming filter on which gives shots a slight warm (more "golden" like the lighting you get at the end of the day). I wouldn't imagine keeping the lens uncovered. You can break a filter and replace it easily and quickly, but breaking the lens is pretty serious.

Looking back, probably the first thing I would do -- besides studying the manual backwards and forwards -- is make sure I had a good audio source. I have used a couple of decent microphones. My favorite is a Semnnheiser lavalier micrpohone system which is a little pricy, but I also keep a Sennheiser MKE300 on it most of the time which works quite well for a lot of situations.

Mike's suggestion about moving to Sony Vegas is a good one. I have the higher end version, but always find myself going back to Pinnacle studio when I am doing most editing. (I am probably best described as a very advanced amateur.) I spend a lot of time experimenting with mny cameras and the software -- trying new things and lerning what does and doesn't work. If you look on YouTube or Video (which you'll learn is what is probably the most popular video-sharing site among the folks on here), you see a lot ofo people doing just that.

Good luck with yourt new camera. I'm sure you're going to have a great time with it.

Phil

Chris Pena · December 21st, 2009, 09:55 PM

thanks for all the welcomes. yea i just found out i dont have firewire on either my pc or laptop.
they seem pretty easy to put in, has anybody done there own?
i'm just gonna buy one and install it on my pc for now.
is besides the uv lens do you guys use those polarized ones as well?
i'm gonna head down to my local electronics store tomorrow to get what i need. do i need high end stuff or are they pretty much the same?
thanks again for the help. now its time to go back and read all the old posts on here.
Chris

Tom Hardwick · December 22nd, 2009, 02:16 AM

OK Chris, I'm going to disagree with those here and say avoid using filters if at all possible. Mike's a special case is because he works in adverse conditions, and the polariser is hard to replicate in post so you might want one of those and accept the fact that you must fight the continuity problems later.

This 'filter or not to filter' has been discussed lots on this forum so search and you shall find. Filters add nothing; they only take away.

tom.

Mike Dulay · December 22nd, 2009, 06:56 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Chris Pena

thanks for all the welcomes. yea i just found out i dont have firewire on either my pc or laptop.
they seem pretty easy to put in, has anybody done there own?
i'm just gonna buy one and install it on my pc for now.
is besides the uv lens do you guys use those polarized ones as well?
i'm gonna head down to my local electronics store tomorrow to get what i need. do i need high end stuff or are they pretty much the same?
thanks again for the help. now its time to go back and read all the old posts on here.
Chris

I did mine myself. If you've put in cards before it's not so hard. If you haven't the trick is to apply even force when pressing down. Also making sure the tab on the bracket is aligned with hole on the casing. After that, Windows will autodetect it. As for brands, firewire 400 cards and cables are pretty much the same nowadays.

About Tom's statement, he's right about there being much debate over whether a filter should be kept on at all times. You have to decide it for yourself if its the way you want to go. Just to give you a hint, every element of glass you add will take away some light and add reflections. Both sides have arguments over the merits of filter coatings, protection vs image quality, etc.

As for polarizers, I have them for my Canon 7D but haven't used them for the HV20. Mostly because I tend to use the WD-H43 (Wide Angle) lens with it. This add on lens has no filter ring and adapters tend to cause it to vignette. So to match my footage (with and without wide angle) I don't use a CPL and live with it. A CPL can be used to make the sky bluer (more saturated) by restricting the direction of light entering your main lens. It can also remove reflections from water. It's only useful for certain conditions. There are circular polarizers and linear polarizers. You should read up on them before committing to buy. CPLs can be expensive depending on the maker. That's another thing you will run into, the quality of filters (brands vs individual filters).

Some good things to read:
UV filters test - Introduction - Lenstip.com
Polarizing filters test - Introduction - Lenstip.com

Buying accessories for your camera should be dictated by the conditions you plan to shoot in. If your goal is to take nice vacation videos you shouldn't need so much kit. If you're planning to shoot a decades in the making epic, that's a different concern. Try to take it slow and have fun!

December 21st, 2009, 03:38 PM	#1
Chris Pena Tourist Join Date: Dec 2009 Location: riverside, ca Posts: 2	just got my hv40 today hello everyone, iv'e been reading everything i can on here about canon vixia and i watched everything i could on utube about the hv30 and 40 as well. i'm new to this hole camcorder deal. i thought i never really needed one but i finally decided it was time. i just didn't want to run out and buy a cheap o so i researched and the vixia models came out on top so i bought the hv40 . i have a couple question maybe you can help me out. do you use a uv lens on yours? i see that you use fire wire to down load. is there anything special i need to use fire wire on my computer, i have windows xp on my home computer and vista on my laptop. i'm sure i will come up more questions as i try it it and work with it. but for now thanks for all your info that you posted on this forum it helps new guys like a lot when were trying to decide on what to get. Chris

December 21st, 2009, 05:26 PM	#2
Mike Dulay Major Player Join Date: Mar 2007 Location: Somerville, NJ Posts: 304	Hi Chris, Welcome to DVInfo and the gaggle of HV10/20/30/40 users. I use a UV Filter on mine mostly to protect the main lens against the elements. The places I used the camera tend to have projectiles (game fields) and liquids (beaches and rivers) flying about. If you buy one, a multicoated (some brands would say HMC, MRC, etc) filter is best so you don't take away from the quality of the HD lens. If your PC had a firewire port and a cable you're all set hardware wise. To extract the video you need a capture program like HDVSplit or the built in capture software. XP's built in editor can't do HD as far as I know. But Vista's Media Center/Movie Maker should be able to do basic extraction and editing. It's going to be about 13GB of data per hour of video you extract. When you outgrow Movie Maker can should look into something like Sony Vegas (there's the consumer Studio version and the aptly named Pro). There are other NLEs out there but this one is the most affordable with good functions. Hope that helps you. __________________ DIY, 35mm, HV20: http://www.primitivebuteffective.net

December 21st, 2009, 06:50 PM	#3
Phil Murray Major Player Join Date: Jul 2008 Location: Cusco, Peru Posts: 375	Hi Chris, You are going to love your HV40. I have the earlier model, the HV20, and, even though I have a much more powerful camera, I still go back to the HV20 - especially when traveling --- and I am constantly amazed at what I can do with it. Take the time to learn everything you can about it. The folks here on DVInfo are truly wonderful and they can help you with just about any question that might come up, but if you spend time -- and there is a LOT to learn -- reading through the thousands of posts on this forum you'll be amazed, too, at what you're HV40 will produde for you. I always keep a filter of some kind covering the lens. For the past year I've kept an 81A warming filter on which gives shots a slight warm (more "golden" like the lighting you get at the end of the day). I wouldn't imagine keeping the lens uncovered. You can break a filter and replace it easily and quickly, but breaking the lens is pretty serious. Looking back, probably the first thing I would do -- besides studying the manual backwards and forwards -- is make sure I had a good audio source. I have used a couple of decent microphones. My favorite is a Semnnheiser lavalier micrpohone system which is a little pricy, but I also keep a Sennheiser MKE300 on it most of the time which works quite well for a lot of situations. Mike's suggestion about moving to Sony Vegas is a good one. I have the higher end version, but always find myself going back to Pinnacle studio when I am doing most editing. (I am probably best described as a very advanced amateur.) I spend a lot of time experimenting with mny cameras and the software -- trying new things and lerning what does and doesn't work. If you look on YouTube or Video (which you'll learn is what is probably the most popular video-sharing site among the folks on here), you see a lot ofo people doing just that. Good luck with yourt new camera. I'm sure you're going to have a great time with it. Phil

December 21st, 2009, 09:55 PM	#4
Chris Pena Tourist Join Date: Dec 2009 Location: riverside, ca Posts: 2	thanks for all the welcomes. yea i just found out i dont have firewire on either my pc or laptop. they seem pretty easy to put in, has anybody done there own? i'm just gonna buy one and install it on my pc for now. is besides the uv lens do you guys use those polarized ones as well? i'm gonna head down to my local electronics store tomorrow to get what i need. do i need high end stuff or are they pretty much the same? thanks again for the help. now its time to go back and read all the old posts on here. Chris

December 22nd, 2009, 02:16 AM	#5
Tom Hardwick Inner Circle Join Date: Mar 2003 Location: Billericay, England UK Posts: 4,711	OK Chris, I'm going to disagree with those here and say avoid using filters if at all possible. Mike's a special case is because he works in adverse conditions, and the polariser is hard to replicate in post so you might want one of those and accept the fact that you must fight the continuity problems later. This 'filter or not to filter' has been discussed lots on this forum so search and you shall find. Filters add nothing; they only take away. tom.