HV30 stabilisation problems part 2

Following on from my previous video about wobble and shake issues with my HV30, here is a semi-scientific side-by-side comparison between the Canon HV30, a Sony HC3, and a Panasonic NV-DS30.

To perform these tests I built a dolly out of MDF and odds & ends around the house. It has been specifically designed to have no suspension in order to transmit short, sharp judders up the tripod and into the camera, such as would happen while filming track-side.

As can be seen, the HV30 does an appalling job at handling these vibrations, while none of the other cameras I tested even come close! Test #1 was conducted in my back yard and was between the HV30 and the DS30, while test #2 was conducted at Merivale Photo & Video and was between the HV30, Sony HC3. We also tested late model Panasonic and Sony AVCHD cameras; all had excellent stabilisation characteristics, far beyond that of the HV30. Note that the HC3 is of similar age to my HV30 and is also an HDV camera, so the problems aren't inherent to format or sensor type (the DS30 was the only CCD, non-HD camera tested).

The conclusion of this is that I have begun the process of getting a refund for my HV30. While I have got a few awesome shots out of it, the hassles have been too much to make it worthwhile.

Category:

Science & Technology

Tags:

• HV30
• HV20
• HC3
• DS30
• canon
• panasonic
• sony
• wobble
• shake
• jitter
• rollingshutter
• rolling shutter