[Sigga]

Other than the chains like Fortress, Broadway, etc. where is a good place to buy a camcorder?

I've heard that independent shops can be much cheaper, plus I'm not greatly impressed with the range of makes and models I've seen so far.

Can anyone recommend a trustworthy, reasonably priced place? Are the computer centres likely to have anything?

Thanks a lot.

[killahbad]

I'm also looking for a cheap but reliable place to get a camcorder - been looking at the Canon HV20.

Heres an example of the quality the High Def 24p can pump out

HERE

[Jon.E.Kong]

I buy a lot of my camera gear from Wing Shing photo in Mongkok, exit E. I don't remember what their prices on video equipment are though. It's always full of locals, so you know it's not an expat-trap. They don't haggle over price either, it's posted, and that's what you pay. Everything is legit and comes with full warranty, unlike many places in TST.

[killahbad]

I've looked in loads of places for a Canon HV20 camcorder but cannot find one for love nor money.
I'm gonna continue my search but if anyone on the forum can just keep an eye out for me too it'll be much appreciated.

Oh it needs to be the PAL version too - but i can't find PAL or NTCS

[CarterTG]

Originally Posted by killahbad

I've looked in loads of places for a Canon HV20 camcorder but cannot find one for love nor money.

That's not at all surprising given the large numbers of ecstatic users it has. Even second-hand HV20s still seem to fetch higher-than-typical reselling prices on enthusiast sites like HV20.com

My best guess for any shortages of the HV20 in Hong Kong would simply be that when the Canon HV30 was announced, vendors stopped reordering stock of the HV20. Given the unrelenting demand, that would dry up inventory pretty quickly. The other issue is that HK vendors are probably pushing the flash/HDD based camcorders more to tourists and first-time HD camcorder buyers. (ie, Canon HF10) Aspiring filmmakers are attracted to the HV20/HV30's tape-based HDV format (easier to edit) and Progressive24 mode (24p/30p for the HV30). I just don't see the vendors along Nathan Rd caring about selling to this niche demographic. I would expect them all to parrot the same line about how flash/HDD camcorders are newer, so they must be better.

If you strike out in HK, take a look at B&H Photo/Video in New York City. America is NTSC territory, but B&H does sell PAL gear. As of this post, they have the PAL HV30 in stock. I've purchased my (NTSC) Canon HV10, HV20, and HV30 from them with smooth transactions every time.

Vimeo's a great site, but keep this in mind.. in their upload instructions page, filmmakers are limited to 500meg files per week at a certain datarate AND most importantly, the submitted video file is re-transcoded to 1260x720 resolution -- what I'm getting at is that the HV20/HV30 being 1080 camcorders records an image even MORE astounding than what Vimeo limits via web playback.

Good luck.

[killahbad]

Wow your post has reinforced my determination to get one of these cameras - I've seen alot of amazing stuff shot with them. I've also done alot of research into them as of late.
I can't really afford to pay the extra for the HV30 and i'm yet to see it justified as the price seems almost 30-40% more than the HV20.

It annoys me that the consumer market has quickly put this camera to the grave as they want HDD

I went on to the Canon site and found a HUGE list of retailers they have here in HK so I think i'm gonna try and give a few of them a call today - Want to take a sheet of numbers off my hands?

Something i didn't think of before but will try and do today is ask Broadway/Fortress to do a search around other stores but i'm not sure if thats posible or not - and it seems out of the 15 - 20 Broadway/Fortress stores i've been in around CWB and Mong Kok have the same stock.

My options are running low and it seems I may need to purchase online - the price is quite steep from the UK though. I seen NTSC versions on pricejapan.com for $4400 HKD which is about £280 GBP (which is a £120 difference to amazon) - not sure on shipping though.

How have you been getting on with your camcorder? Have you got any add-ons? (Wide-Angel lens, 35mm adapter)

[CarterTG]

The featurelist of differences between the HV30 and HV20 can probably be enumerated with one hand.

• HV30 adds 30p on top of 24p. For those who shoot HD for web content, 30p would maybe save a few clicks for the average editor's workflow. Many HV20 owners have reported their satisfaction with deinterlacing their 60i mode footage.
• HV30's 16:9 LCD has a slightly wider angle of view... not to say that the HV20 was shabby in any way.
• HV30's intelligent hotshoe hatch is now tethered and the zoom rocker control is enlarged. Neither of these came across as problems on my HV20.
• The black color scheme of the HV30 bodyshell makes it seem like it was intentionally designed to be the perfect B-Camera to Canon's XH-A1. However, I would point out that the HV20's silver touristy look might allow you enough "camoflage" to get into places that would otherwise stop ENG videographers at the gate.

I paid close to list price ($1100usd!) for my HV20 when it came out and its proven itself to be worth every cent. The last time I checked, it had been selling around $699-$750usd. Connected via HDMI to a 1080 display, the level of detail is simply mind-blowing. Beyond granting many of the features videographers have been screaming for like Mic-in and 24 progressive, some of the more esoteric details fit my own needs perfectly...

• The HV20/HV30's battery interface is the same as that used for the Canon EOS300/350/450 dSLRs. This means I can just pack the dSLR's folding CB-2LT travel charger for use with the HV20 and in a pinch, can also use the NB2LH batteries as back-up. I love happy coincidences like that.
• The HV20/HV30 has a top-loading tape mechanism where my HV10 was bottom-loading. This normally is NOT an issue, but one of my prized accessories works best with top-loading.

...got any add-ons?

To date, I've not felt the need to shoot with a greater depth of field beyond what I've already been able to achieve in-camera so a 35mm adapter (brevis, letus, etc) is nowhere on my want list. Every camcorder I've owned has had a protective filter added within the first few seconds of emerging from the box. I've also added a lens hood partly for stray light hitting the filter and moreso as I've found it effective in keeping fingers from accidentally poking around the lens. The only caveat is that if you intend to use the HV20 for still photos, a lens hood would absolutely block the flash.

Back when I shot SD on a Canon GL-2 (XM-2) and XL-1, I occasionally employed a wide-angle lens on each. I had no issues with the XL-1's interchangeable lens system, but found I didn't like the hassle of the screw-on type for the GL-2. I've since preferred to improvise with different shooting angles/techniques/distances rather than lug around a heavy wide angle glass for the HDV models.

The tiny 3-watt VL-3 fill-light for the GL-2's Advanced Accessory Shoe was migrated over to my HV20, but I haven't found much reason nor occasion to use it.

The only remaining significant accessory in the arsenal is my Steadicam Merlin.



I had previously hand-built one of the stabilizers found on DIY sites like HomeBuiltStabilizers. Did it work? Mostly. Did it operate anywhere close to the level of grace and adjustability of the Merlin? No way. Was it worth the $100 in materials and time? The experience in learning the physics behind stabilizers was worthwhile.. the final product? Not so much. The Merlin is simply one of those worth-every-penny acquisitions.

I've flown nearly all the Canons on it; GL2, HV10, HV20, HV30, & XHA1. For sake of this thread, the HV20 works well with the Merlin (top-loading cassette) but the overall balanced rig is a bit underweight. This is desirable for lengthy endurance shots, but at a cost of being susceptible to outdoor wind gusts. Permanently adding a heavier accessory like a wireless mic receiver and corresponding counterweights will help that issue.

[jaykay]

Great video link for the HV20 above! Been looking around myself, seems that on the Canon HK site it lists the HV20 as discontinued however there is no mention of the HV30. What else would be equivalent?

[CarterTG]

Back to the OP's question of where to buy a camcorder...

I whisked past the small electronics counter at Mong Kok's DSC and I'm pretty sure the corner of my eye caught a smattering of camcorders... approximately the same or more than their website seems to list.

In past meanderings I've noticed a few other unexpected places where vendors would have a few camcorder models on the shelves... One or two Sony/Canon vendors tucked into the upper floors of the cellphone megaplex (Sin Dat?) in Mong Kok sported their respective camcorders du jour.

Over at Golden Computer Centre in ShamShuiPo, there's a decent sized Canon/Nikon photography shop, but I don't recall if they might have some video gear. At least two other shops on that block accessible from the groundlevel streets may have a limited selection of camcorders. (The vendor booths inside GCC are all computer/console specific)

While you're in that vicinity, head over to Apliu Street. Not for the street vendors.. but the brick&mortar stores behind that are often obscured by the vendors. A good chunk of them are primarily cellphone vendors, but I think I saw other electronic gadgets on the periphery shelves.

I certainly hope you've at least narrowed down your candidate models rather than risking a local salesdroid to sweettalk you into something that might not be entirely right for you.

[killahbad]

Don't worry about me - I know what I camera i'm getting!
Really don't seem to be worth the extra 30+% for the HV30 unless you really want that 30p for internet stuff etc.
If you like that video (which uses no fancy equipment or even DOF adapter) try looking through the HV Channel on Vimeo which should convince you to look closer at the HV series

I can by the way you talk about the camera alone that you dont regret buying it one bit!

I found the HV20 on the Canon site but it just has a massive list of generic vendors rather than stockists.

I think i'll use the list to phone up the stores and see if they have the camcorder in or not, not speaking canto is a problem.
UNLESS any of you have a maid that speaks a little canto and you'll let phone around for me for 15mins to see if they can locate one?

Also if you don't mind me asking Carter what time of stuff do you use your cam for as you don't often have a need for a steadycam while shooting tourists shots of the Star Ferry.
I'm a Multimedia Graduate so i want a camera that i can be creative with, without having to carry around a semi-pro camera which is more than 5 times the cost.