Hello,

I have two questions;

1) The built-in mic on my A1 is loose. Is this normal? If I wiggle it up and down, there is almost a 1/2" play in either direction. I use my Azden Shotgun mic constantly so it's not a big deal. I just hate the fact that it is loose. Could it be because I removed the original mic mount on the A1? The Azden X2 mic is so long, the stock mount on the A1 was not going to cut it, about 1 1/2" of support, as opposed to the almost 4" of support from the included Azden mount.

2) The XHA1 is my first HD camera. I've shot a some videos since it arrived earlier last month. But after the first day, I decided that I would have to shoot in SD I can't figure out what the 2:3:2 and 2:3:3:2 setting is all about. With the first two rolls of tape, I had a audio and video timing problem. One was slower than the other and was very obvious they didn't sync right. I do all my editing in FC Express HD 3.5, on an iMAC/ 2.4ghz/ 3G Ram/ 500G HD. What is the correct setting on the camera and in FC during the capture/ import process?

Thanks.

The answer to the first question is "yes", the mic is supposed to have free play (loose) to prevent snapping it off, it will give. Sorry I cannot help you with the 2nd question as I do not use that software. J

was it easy to remove the original mic mount? I tried to remove mine tonight with a small screwdriver that fits the screws and they didnt budge...I was afraid to strip them.

When you shoot in 24fps, you can use 2:3:2 pulldown or 2:3:3:2 pulldown. 2:3:2 pulldown is shooting in 24fps but it is converted to 60i for viewing on TV. 2:3:3:2 pulldown is used for transferring footage back to film. Are you shooting with the 2:3:3:2 pulldown, because the reason the audio would be out of sync would be because you're trying to edit 24fps in a 30fps timeline.

Try the 2:3:2 pulldown. It should work, but I don't know. I don't ever shoot in SD, but my friend has an XL-2 and that's what he shoots in. If it's still acting funny, then I'd say save up for Final Cut Studio 2. At least the Academic version.

Thanks for the help guys. Now I understand the conversions. Trent try and push in as you turn until you hear, or feel the screw pop/ snap from its lock position. Pushing in helps prevent striping.