updated 02 Aug 2006

 

Canon HV10 Compact HDV Camcorder Overview
an article by Chris Hurd

$1300 HDV camcorder supports four-channel audio
and 24F and 30F Frame Modes on playback.

Canon's new little single-CMOS High Definition camcorder, the HV10, might get some attention from owners of its big brother, the Canon XL H1, and from those interested in the recently announced Canon XH G1 and A1 High Definition camcorders as well. In addition to being the smallest and lightest 1080 HDV camcorder on the market, the top five primary features of the Canon HV10 are:

• 2.96 mp Canon CMOS 1/2.7-inch Sensor, native 1920x1080


• Next generation "Instant AF" autofocus system


• RGB color and DIGIC DV II digital signal processor


• 10x HD Lens w/ Super Range Optical Image Stabilisation


• Playback for 24F & 30F Frame Mode and four-channel audio

The Optura 600 (left) seems to be the basis for the HV10 design (right).

Apparently based on the Optura 600 chassis, the Canon HV10 is a small, upright "vertical" form factor design which is billed as the world's smallest and lightest HDV camcorder currently available (as of August 2006). Measuring 2.2 x 4.1 x 4.4 inches and weighing just under a pound, the HV10 can easily fit in a coat or cargo pocket. And like the Optura 300 through 600 series camcorders that came before it, the HV10 not much more than the bare elements a tape transport mechanism, lens and viewfinder, flip-out LCD display and battery pack all joined together in a basic and uncomplicated fashion.

2.96mp Canon CMOS 1/2.7-inch Sensor, native 1920x1080
At the heart of the HV10 is some interesting new image sensor technology from Canon: a 2.96 megapixel CMOS chip with a native video resolution of 1920 x 1080 pixels, measuring a little larger than one-third inch. In the past, Canon camcorders have used CCD (Charge Coupled Device) image sensors in all of its video camcorders. These CCDs are always outsourced from other suppliers, as Canon is not in the CCD manufacturing business. However Canon does produce CMOS (Complementary Metal-Oxide Semiconductor) image sensors for its extensive line of Digital SLR still photo cameras, from the Rebel XT up to the EOS 1DS Mark II. For those who have been looking for Canon to integrate its CMOS technology into its own video camcorder product line, that wait is over.

The 2.96 megapixel array (total; 2.07 megapixels are used for HD and 16:9 SD video recording) allows for a native target area matrix of 1920 x 1080 pixels for video recording in the 1080i HDV2 specification. Previously in Canon 1080i HDV camcorders, CCD sensors using anamorphic pixels in a 1440 x 1080 array were employed for image creation. The CMOS chip in the HV10 is the first image sensor for camcorders in this format to produce a native 1920 x 1080 pixel matrix that does not rely on anamorphic pixel shapes or a pixel-shift process to create 1080i High Definition video.

Imagine a possible application of this CMOS sensor in the near future. What if Canon were to produce a successor to their flagship XL H1 with three of these CMOS chips at its core? Give it embedded audio and Time Code with uncompressed High Definition video in its SDI output jack, an XL-mount lens equipped with Instant AF, and custom function and display settings, and you'd have quite an HDV camcorder.

Playback for 24F & 30F Frame Mode and four-channel audio
Of significant interest to Canon XL H1 owners, the HV10 when used as a VCR will play back tapes recorded in Canon's 24F and 30F Frame modes from the XL H1 and the forthcoming XH G1 and A1. The HV10 supports four-channel audio playback as well (four-channel audio recording is a feature of the XL H1). Owners of XL H1, XH G1 and XH A1 camcorders who don't want to add more wear and tear on such expensive equipment can turn instead to the relatively affordable HV10 and use it as a playback deck. Although the HV10 doesn't offer 24F or 30F Frame modes nor four-channel audio while shooting, at least these capabilities were wisely added to the VCR mode of the HV10, and undoubtedly some XL H1 owners will probably buy an HV10 just for these specific playback features.

Written and thrown together by Chris Hurd.