THE GOOD:
Video Quality
The video quality on the HV30 is amazing. I took the HV30 to the inside of a winery for a shoot and also for a shoot outside in a park. I was very impressed with how crisp and clear the colors were of the video I recorded even in low light situations.
Ease of Use
The HV30 is very easy to use. If someone had no knowledge of how to use a camcorder they should be able to pick up the HV30 and record a reasonably good-looking video without reading the instruction manual. That said, there are quite a few manual options available on the HV30 so advanced users will be able to manipulate their picture. The manual options also make it an easy camcorder for a beginning user to "grow into" over time.
External Microphone Jack
The HV30 has an external microphone jack, a feature reserved lately for mostly high-end camcorders. I did an interview in the winery and was able to hook up my wireless microphone to the camcorder and get good sound quality.
Still Camera
If you're looking for a good digital camcorder with a great built-in digital camera then the HV30 is an excellent choice. The camcorder takes pictures at a resolution of 3.1 megapixels. While the resolution isn't as high as some of their competition the camcorder offers many of the manual features you would find in a digital camera including settings for different lighting conditions, shutter priority, and continuous high-speed shooting.
THE BAD:
Size
The HV30 is small, but half of it's size is the area where the tape goes in which makes the camcorder look bulky. I like that the tape side of the camcorder gives you something to hold onto when your recording something handheld, but it also makes it harder to carry the camcorder around. You will definitely need a separate camcorder bag for the HV30, where as with some other similar models you could probably fit in your purse of other bag.
Video Light
I would never recommend using the video light built into a camcorder, in a low light situation you should compensate either in the camcorders controls, or by simply turning on more lights. The video light on the HV30 sets off a blueish hue, and while better than most video lights I found its to make the video look awkward rather than better.
Tape
With MiniDV camcorders your video recording time is limited to the length or your tape. If you want to record an event longer than an hour you're going to have to carry along additional tapes, and switch them out mid-event which can make you miss important moments. Tapes are also more prone to malfunctions than hard disk or flash, and can easily be lost if you're recording an event on a few different tapes.
