Does anyone have the "Inside the Canon XHA1 and XHG1" book/DVD by Berube, Berube, and Eagle? If so, is it worth getting for someone who upgraded from the GL-2 to the XH-A1, and who is a newbie to the level of customization available with the A1?

You need it to help you understand not only the basic but also the advance side of the camera, it really worth the $80.

Never regard buying it. It has more then what the manual will show you

It's not a book. It's a DVD.

Thanks! I knew there was a DVD, but I didn't know if a book came with it. Is it relatively easy to understand for newbies, but enough substance to continue learning as one gets more advanced?

The DVD is great! Walks you through every setting on the cameras and talks a bit about HDV in general, very well done and easy to follow. Well worth the money. And to answer your questions, its very simple to follow and in depth enough that once you know what everything is you will know where and how to find and adjust it all.

I bought a competing DVD called "Canon XHA1 Made Easy" from Elite Video, and wasn't terribly impressed - just a dry walkthrough of your settings, with no real-world examples of use. Perhaps I'll check out the one you're referring to.

cheers, d.

i didn't get much out of the first part, but the second section did go a long way in explaining some of the advanced features of the camera.

But why do we have to buy a DVD for clarifications that Canon should be doing anyway? The settings detail has always been lacking.

But why do we have to buy a DVD for clarifications that Canon should be doing anyway? The settings detail has always been lacking.

Not to pick on you , but do Toyota/Ford/GM provide high speed driving lessons with their performance cars? Or Nikon provide photography lessons with their still cameras? (OK, some NLE do bundle a tutorial, but that has common practice in the desktop applications software world that is fading over time. Some retailers may offer packages as well, but that is a retailer service.)

I believe that assumption is that the users buying hardware products, especially at the XH-A1 level, are generally knowledgeable about video, and mainly need an introduction to the user interface, not optimization of video settings, which is more of an art.

Most important to the manufacturers and to many users, it save product cost, a real consideration for those who do not want/need the tutorial.

Tom, go here and check out the video .

http://www.vasst.com/product.aspx?id=af5b083b-3102-4624-aafa-9d5315f4ee3d

I don't think any manual will show you what this , and also it covers a lot of the HDV stuff. Something that you have to spend time reading about, that doesn't come from the manual . You are paying for someone's experience

That DVD is absolutely awesome for newbies like me to quickly learn about altering and modifying the options on the XHA1. I imported it from the US as it isn't for sale in the EU and I am glad I did (obviously one of the good tips I found on dvinfo.net)

I second that - the Vasst DVD is great. I've watched acouple of times now.

Tom, go here and check out the video .

http://www.vasst.com/product.aspx?id=af5b083b-3102-4624-aafa-9d5315f4ee3d

I don't think any manual will show you what this , and also it covers a lot of the HDV stuff. Something that you have to spend time reading about, that doesn't come from the manual . You are paying for someone's experience

David, thanks. I know what the settings do. I used Imatest MTF50 imaging software to measure XH-A1 and HV10 resolutions. I helped Steven Dempsey come up with the popular Vivid RGB color preset.

That doesn't change the fact that Canon uses more ink to describe the design of a polarized two prong plug.

I tend to agree. The Elite video spent too much time in regards to the outside buttons and switches.

Mr. Spotted Eagle's DVD goes into great depth about the menus etc. and is money well spent for learning this remarkable camera.

I bought a competing DVD called "Canon XHA1 Made Easy" from Elite Video, and wasn't terribly impressed - just a dry walkthrough of your settings, with no real-world examples of use. Perhaps I'll check out the one you're referring to.

cheers, d.