Of the camcorders we've recently reviewed, there is only one whose image quality can rival our Editors' Choice Sony HDR-SR11 Handycam, and it's the Canon Vixia HV30 ($899 direct). So why doesn't Canon merit our coveted award? Operating a tape-based camcorder like the HV30 is a bit of a drag—it's sort of like using a VCR instead of a DVD player. You lose the ease of chapter menus for navigating through footage, and making backups to your hard drive occurs in real time—in other words, it's slow. Even so, if you're into tape recording, the HV30 is comfortable to hold and offers some unique features, among them optical image stabilization and 24-frames-per-second recording to create a film-like effect.

All in all, the HV30 is well-built camcorder; everything from its body to the placement of controls gives the impression of having been expertly thought out. Though distinctly larger than the svelte, 1-pound Samsung SC-HMX20C, the HV30's 3.2-by-3.5-by-5.4-inch (HWD), 1.3-pound frame feels very comfortable in your hand and is easy to manipulate. The bulk of its shooting controls (most importantly zoom and start/stop) are located on the back of the camera, near the grip, for easy access with either your thumb or forefinger. The controls sit on a rectangular grip situated on the right-hand rear of the camera that fits snugly in your hand for a firm grasp—far and away more comfortable than the rounded grip on the Samsung, whose oval shape feels a bit strange in the hand. The HV30 has both an optical viewfinder and a 2.7-inch LCD, which folds out of the camcorder's left-hand side and is bright enough to see in sunlight and at most viewing angles. The lens offers a 10X optical zoom with a focal length of 6.1mm to 61mm—pretty much the standard for camcorders in this price range, though Sony's HD-SR11 bumps the zoom to 12X. The camcorder works with a CMOS sensor that records video to miniDV tape and captures 3.1-megapixel stills to miniSD (not included).

The HV30's user interface is similar to that of Canon point-and-shoot cameras like the PowerShot SD790 IS: It's flat, uses big block text, and has only four colors. The menus are drab compared with those of the Sony and Samsung camcorders, which are projected over images on colorful touch screens in a way that gives them a 3D feeling. . What's worse, the HV30, unlike the hard drive–based Sony or JVC Everio GZ-HD10, can bog you down with its in-video navigation: You can't jump through recorded video via DVD-style chapter menus, but instead need to fast-forward and rewind manually to get to the spot you're looking for on the miniDV tape.

For some people, though, tape-based recording is preferable. If you're the kind of person who will rarely have your camcorder cross paths with your computer, then the miniDV format of the HV30 isn't a major drawback. MiniDV requires much less maintenance than drive-based camcorders do: When you run out of room on a tape (each one holds 60 to 120 minutes of video, depending on quality), you just slap in a new one in and you're good to go. Once the memory on, say, the Sony HD-SR11 is full, you have transfer the video to your computer before you can shoot more.

Image quality in video produced by the HV30 was terrific. The only flaw was that, like the Samsung SC-HMZ20C and JVC Everio GZ-HD10, the HV30 produced images that showed a trace amount of purple fringing in high-contrast areas (where ceiling lights meet dark ceilings, for example), but the fringing was not as pronounced as with the other two models. (Sony's HDR-SR11, on the other hand, showed no fringing whatsoever.) When moving from indoor to outdoor lighting, the HV30 had no trouble auto-adjusting white balance, so colors always looked accurate. Even though it doesn't feature face detection, as the Samsung and the Sony do, the camcorder was still quick to autofocus on faces. Images were sharp, too: 0.75-inch text was legible on screen in footage that was shot from more than 10 feet away.

The HV30 has some interesting recording options. It can capture 1,920-by-1,080 high-def video in three different modes: 60 fps interlaced, 30 fps progressive, and 24 fps progressive. Thirty fps, the speed at which many TV shows are shot, is great for extracting frames from the video to use as still images. The 24-fps option simulates motion captured on film—a very cool effect. In test video shot at 24 fps, the on-camera motion did look noticeably different than in comparable 60-fps video.

Video-editing software isn't included. Canon's bundled "Digital Video Solutions Disc" is misleadingly titled at best. The software doesn't capture video, only still images. The camcorder's HDV video format, though, is compatible with many third-party video-editing programs. Mac users can rely on Apple's iMovie '08 (included on newer Macs running Leopard), and PC users should turn to Microsoft's Movie Maker 6 (part of Windows Vista). I was able to transfer video via FireWire to Windows Movie Maker, but not at full, 1,920-by-1,080 resolution, only at 1,440-by-1,080. iMovie, though, was able to capture at full 1,920-by-1,080.

The top of the camcorder houses a slot Canon calls the "Accessory Shoe." Canon-branded accessories, such as lights and shotgun stereo microphones, can snap onto this slot to add more functionality to the HV30. You may not need an extra mic, though: Sound produced by the built-in stereo recording on the HV30 was superb—not as outstanding as the Sony HD-SR11's built-in Dolby Digital 5.1 surround recording, but remarkable nonetheless. The onboard mic picked up crisp sound across the board—even on Manhattan streets, recorded vocals cut through background noise.

There's no denying the beautiful video quality produced by Canon Vixia HV30, but before you buy, you need to figure out if miniDV is the right format for you. If not, for $200 more, you can get comparable—if not slightly better—video, Dolby sound, and an integrated 60GB hard drive from our Editors' Choice pick, the Sony HDR-SR11.

Compare the Canon Vixia HV30 with several other camcorders side by side.

More Camcorder Reviews: