Canon LEGRIA HV40

Audio Features (5.75)

The Canon HV40 has a basic set of audio controls that include the ability to manually set audio levels. The camcorder has a top-mounted, built-in microphone that is mostly out of the way from accidental rubs with fingertips or straps. The top-mounted placement of the mic doesn't point directly at your subject, but it still does a good job picking up directional audio. When shooting HD video, the HV40 compresses audio using the MPEG-1 Audio Layer 2 codec. 2-channels of 16 bit, 48 kHz audio is recorded with a transfer rate of 384kbps. For standard definition video, the audio is recorded as PCM digital sound with 16-bit (48 kHz/2-channels) and 12-bt (32kHz/4-channels) options.

The top-mounted built-in microphone

If you don't like using the onboard microphone, the HV40 has a 3.5mm (1/8-inch) external mic jack on its right side. Just below this is the AV port that also doubles as a headphone output. A microphone can also be connected via the advanced accessory shoe on the top of the camcorder. The shoe is standard size so it should fit most accessories, but in order for a microphone to use the shoe's power connection it must be compatible with Canon's advanced accessory shoe design.

When manually setting the audio levels a display on the LCD shows where audio levels are peaking. Unfortunately, this display only provides decibel labels for -40dB, -12dB, and 0dB. So, if you're trying to set the levels at a specific decibel, it isn't going to be easy on the HV40. Additional audio controls include a windscreen and a microphone attenuator for the built-in mic.

Because it records to tape, the HV40 has numerous dubbing options and audio playback settings. During playback you can set the channel output between L/R (left and right channels), L/L (left channel only), and R/R (right channel only). The audio output can also be set to Stereo1, Stereo2, Mix/Fixed, or Mix/Variable depending on your audio dubbing preferences.

Other Features (4.0)

AV-DV Conversion
The Canon HV40 has the ability to convert an analogue video signal to a digital one. This feature is found on most camcorders that offer a FireWire terminal because you can use it to output a digital signal while inputting an analogue signal via the AV port. We cover AV-DV conversion more in the Connectivity section of this review, but we wanted to mention it here because it can be a valuable tool.

Digital Effects
The HV40 has two transition effects (a wipe and a fader) and three digital image effects (Black & White, Sepia, and Art). All of these effects are available in video mode, while still mode only allows for Black & White and the Sepia setting. The HV40 has a bit of a confusing system for turning these effects on. First you must select them in the Function menu, then you must activate them using the joystick menu.

Video Light
The HV40's video light is rather strong (its range is around 10 -15 feet), but it does give the footage a slight blue tone. The light on the Canon HF S100 is roughly the same strength, but it works better because it doesn't have the bluish colour. The HV40's light is activated by pressing a small button on the top of the camcorder (near the back).

Canon HV40 Comparisons
Canon HF S100	Panasonic HDC-HS300	Sony HDR-XR520