Hi there,

After MUCH research and absolutely no hands on experience with it (eep!), I've almost decided that I am going to buy the A1s, BUT before I do I wanted to know a list of the pet peeves and cons that this camera has to offer.

I also wanted to clarify that it is actually a side load camera. (one of those things I'd kick myself for if I didn't check).

Lastly, what is the warranty that comes with the Camera, is there an extension you can get with Canon and would you recommend extending the warranty.

CHEERS!

I have an original XH A1, and the only little things I don't like they have fixed with the new S model. They were very minor issues and never caused me any problems. The XH A1, now the XH A1s, is the best thing you can get for the money. To get a better quality camera you would have to go to the 1/2" chip Sony EX1 (and the tapeless workflow) for double the money.

Yes, it loads from the side. And there are extended warranties available. I know B&H sells one and I'd assume other dealers do too.

I've had my camera since late 2006 and use it for professional commercial production as well as for shooting independent documentaries that have been shown on theatre screens.

Best of class!

XH A1s has extra one engine for independent focusing while zooming.

I just got my new "S" model......audio is now excellent and I can really fine-tune the gain in increments, something not available in the prior model.

Your question is not unlike asking a man to tell you all the ugly and unpleasant things about his wife. Most times he won't. The same thing applies to anyone's major purchase of anything.

I've had the A1 for 18 months and there are a couple of things that were not, to my knowledge, fixed with the A1s.
- Placement of the review button-I routinely hit it when the cam's in the rain cover
- OIS cannot be assigned to the programmable button
- LCD is way too small for my old eyes, even wearing glasses
- Audio auto leveling ties the two channels together somewhat-loud sounds on 1 channel will effect the other

Pretty minor overall, but the first two really annoy the umguallagualla out of me.

I have the original XH-A1.
Complaints...... well the shotgun mic bracket is attached with really tiny screws that can easily break...other than that I don't have any regrets.

I've gotten many compliments on the quality of my footage. The camera is capable of producing really great broadcast worthy images. Definitely, best in class as the previous poster said.

The only camera I can think of with better image quality near its price range would be the Sony EX1 (way higher price tag).

Doh!, forgot to mention its ergonomics, which is very important, to me at least.
Everything is laid out perfectly, in my opinion, when changing settings I rarely have to look up from the viewfinder.

It really is a great camera.

OIS cannot be assigned to the programmable button. Audio auto leveling ties the two channels together somewhat-loud sounds on 1 channel will effect the other

I believe you're mistaken, Tripp. OIS CAN be assigned to a button. Also the audio issue you mention is what it should be now,

I believe you're mistaken, Tripp. OIS CAN be assigned to a button.


WHAAAAATTTT?????????? in the XH-A1s? is it true????
that would be ideal, but i heard it is not so... i have been so frustrated lately i've been googling 'XH-A1 OIS button firmware hack', to no avail...

Yup. It's true, OIS can be assigned to a custom button ... check page 73 of the XH-A1s user manual (http://www.usa.canon.com/consumer/controller?act=ModelInfoAct&fcategoryid=175&modelid=17885#DownloadDetailAct).

So there you are Ayesha - you ask for the cons and get only pros. That must tell you something.

You can easily extend the warrenty (for amateur and domestic usage) with someone like domgen.co.uk, but if the camera works well for a year it should then work well for another 5 or 7.

tom.

really, the cam should be smaller with larger dials and switches, lighter and cheaper with with bigger, wider and faster zoom, and finally designed small and unnoticable while projecting professional serousness.

:-)

holy! then, i guess the question is, and forgive my technical ignorance, if you can do that on the XH-A1s, is it then a firmware fix? and if so, could one use this firmware with the XH-A1?
this would be a huge boon! anybody (Chris Hurd!) know about this?

I'm interested in this obsession with turning off the Canon's OIS - are its visible artifacts so disturbing (only on a tripod presumably) that this needs to be done often? And does the camera offer four different OIS 'power settings' as the Z1 does, for instance?

I'm interested in this obsession with turning off the Canon's OIS

The majority of the stuff I shoot is tripod / jib with 35mm DOF adapter.
So rarely do I ever use OIS.

if you can do that on the XH-A1s, is it then a firmware fix? and if so, could one use this firmware with the XH-A1?It's not a "fix," it's an additional feature. Maybe it can be done by firmware and maybe it can't -- we'll probably never know, because no such firmware update has been issued and I very seriously doubt there will ever be one. So, if you want OIS on a Custom Key, they way that you get it is to sell your XH A1 and buy an XH A1S. That's probably not what you wanted to hear, but... that's the way it is. Hope this helps,

Hello all!!!!! Thanks for your (I'm sure somewhat biased) rave reviews!!!!

I'm so happy! I haven't bought it yet but today.... yes hopefully today. Attempting to find the best bargain. I can't WAIT!!!!

I can imagine I'll be on here asking loads of annoying pesky questions on colour and light soon!!!!!

WOoohoooO!

And yes I realise posting on the XH forum is like asking people how pretty and talented their wives are but I suppose it's one of those subconscious things... especially when you're about to marry the same woman... or um... something like that.

I'm interested in this obsession with turning off the Canon's OIS - are its visible artifacts so disturbing (only on a tripod presumably) that this needs to be done often? And does the camera offer four different OIS 'power settings' as the Z1 does, for instance?

when the camera is on the tripod with OIS, sometimes it tries to compensate for movement that isn't there (or tries to find movement...) and thus, actually creates a sort of pulsing jerk. i move from tripod to handheld and back on the fly, and sometimes forget to stop recording and go into the menu to switch it. some really delicate, priceless footage from Rwanda was ruined this way, as you can't really notice the jerking in the small viewers.

thanks for the response, Chris. $omeday i hope to have thi$ XH-A1 AND a new one...

I'm interested in this obsession with turning off the Canon's OIS - are its visible artifacts so disturbing (only on a tripod presumably) that this needs to be done often? Yes. The OIS is so effective that it really needs to be turned off on a tripod, otherwise it works *too* good and fights your pans and zooms. This situation is very well documented throughout our various Canon boards here.

And does the camera offer four different OIS 'power settings' as the Z1 does, for instance?Nope. It does not. It's either on or off.

The OIS should be turned off when using a Steadicam too, as I discovered the hard way.

Ayesha, you mentioned trying to find the best bargain. Be very careful in that regard and only buy from a legitimate dealer with a good reputation. If you find a camera that's more than about 5% less than what B&H sells it for, then there's a good chance you'll end up paying more in the long run or that you may have a problem with the dealer, or the package you get may be incomplete. If you see a price that looks too good to be true when compared with other dealers, then that should be a warning.

otherwise it works *too* good and fights your pans and zooms.

My previous camera's hardly gave a issue in that case but with the canon if I do a pan when the camera is on the tripod and when I stop panning it sometimes compensates. In some case it looks like some kind of jerky movement which occurs even when the camera doesn't move. Sometimes, especially when zoomed in, it can be so obvious it will ruin the shot.

if time allows I always disable ois on when working on a tripod but if I have to switch between tripod, handheld and back again quickly I leave it on. Then there's just no time going though the menu each time and I have to take the unwanted movements into account.

If you find a camera that's more than about 5% less than what B&H sells it for, then there's a good chance you'll end up paying more in the long run or that you may have a problem with the dealer, or the package you get may be incomplete.

I'm guessing Excited Ayesha of London will be buying in England, and in all my time of buying through the post and via the internet I've never once heard of the scams that you USA people have to be so wary of.

We simply buy on a credit card and claim on that card if things go wrong. If the dealer fights this they lose the ability to sell on credit - in other words they quickly go under. It's a very simple method of keeping everybody on the straight and narrow.

tom.

Erm... *looks around skittishly* what if you got the best deal by offering cold hard cash at the London based showroom of the dealer where you will be going tomorrow to pick up said Camera and hand over said cash?

Stop looking furtive. Why not buy on a 2% cash-back credit card? That way you get the backup of the card co as well as putting £30 in your pocket. Of course if you use CHC (cold hard cash) you'll still get Canon's guarantee.

If the dealer has a legitimate showroom in London, then the likelihood is good that he's legitimate. Most of the scams in the U.S. involve online merchants. If everything's packaged up in the Canon box with all the paperwork, etc., then it's legitimate. If the dealer's showroom is the back seat of his car, then I'd be worried.:)

Thanks guys. Yeah the showroom is a legitimate actual place with an address and a phone that they actually pick up. I think the only reason I got a good deal was because they are a generic electronics company as opposed to a specific broadcast equipment company. I'll be picking up my A1s and may grab a toaster or a kettle too.

The small LCD is my biggest gripe. I ended up using one of the Hoodman magnifiers so I could focus.

My main gripe with the camera is the audio inputs.
If you use the XLR input and want to switch back to the onboard mic, you have to pause the recording, go to the menu and switch off the XLR input.

With our old XL1s and XL2, there are switches on the side of the camera you can switch at anytime to change your audio inputs.

If you need to switch to an on-camera mic it's best to use a short shotgun mounted on the camera instead of the built-in mic, in my opinion. I keep one on all the time just for recording ambient sound. It goes into channel 1, my wireless into channel 2; and if I'm shooting an interview, I can pull the shotgun off and put it on a fishpole, although I have a second mic I usually use for that purpose.

Is the A1S viewfinder better than the A1? My biggest issue is setting focus on the A1, which I find very difficult. Resolution isn't there to nail it without zooming in and magnifying.

And they fixed the mic. holder with better screws.

I believe you're mistaken, Tripp. OIS CAN be assigned to a button. Also the audio issue you mention is what it should be now,

Hi everybody !

This is my first post here and I want to talk about the Canon XH-A1s, especially the price. I am looking for the XH-A1s since last december. Here in Québec ,there are few shops that you can buy professionnal camcorders. Around January 15 th, the price of the XH-A1s was 3499 $ CAD at a shop called L L Lozeau in Montreal. That is around 2800 $ US. I was very surprised by this awesome price. In middle March, the price was 3699 $ CAD which is, to me, still very good. But this morning, I went to the site and the price was 4499 $ CAD !!!
I just couldn't believe that !!!
So, my question is, should I wait to the summer to buy it or is it just the normal price for this fantastic camcorder ? Thank you for reply !!

-Frank

( Sorry, my english is not perfect )

You've got to ask yourself what $4500 CAD will buy you in the Sony, JVC and Panasonic shop. It may be that Canon have overstepped the mark a bit as a $1kCAD price increase on an oldish camera seems a bit steep.

B&H sells the XH-A1s for $3600 U.S., and that converts to $4500 Canadian. Therefore, the current price seems right at your Canadian shop.

The XH-A1 -- the older model -- sells (sold) for $1000 U.S. less. Are you sure the first price you saw wasn't for the XH-A1 (old model)?

That said, if you find a price that is much below the B&H price, it is very possible the dealer is not reputable and not upfront about what you are really getting.

Thanks Tom,

Well, the fact is, I am not in a hurry to buy a camcorder and i'm patient. My mind is really on the XH-A1s, I think I should wait to the summer. But I can't understand why the price raised 1K in 4 months...

-Frank

Hi Jack !

I'm 100 % sure that it wasn't the XH-A1, it was the XH-A1s at 3499 $ CAD. I went to that shop and it is an authorized Canon dealer. It is not a scam like a Pro Nation Photo. I know that B and H has good prices for camcorders , anyway, I think i'll wait...
Thanks Jack !

It's possible that the lower price was a mistake.

In any case, if you're not in a hurry, something even greater may come out in the next few months!

I'm going to wait few months, maybe sometime I will wake up and look on the ground and I will see a beautiful brown cardboard box with XH-A1s written on it ... Just kidding !

Thanks again Jack !

Prices grow and grow in Poland. I bought my XH A1s for 13200 PLN in February. The price exceeded 14500 in March and now it's about 16000.

Jack, I can confirm the sudden price increase you saw at l.l.lozeau. Thankfully for me, I price matched the $3600 Can price at another Canadian retailer just hours before the price went up to $4500

However the xh a1s is available on sale at vistek.ca (great store) for $4000 Can (regular price is $4800 Can). I don't believe you will see the camera for sale in Canada for much less then $4000 anytime soon.

Canon XH A1S HDV Camcorder Kit Pro Camcorders 3238B001 HDV10 - Vistek Canada Product Detail (http://www.vistek.ca/store/ProVideoCamcorders/241606/canon-xh-a1s-hdv-camcorder-kit.aspx)

Hi Brad !
Lucky you are !!! I wish I could find the same price somewhere on internet. Vistek seems to be a very good web site to buy. Anyway, I am looking everyday for the prices and I think I'll wait another few months. Did you purchase the camcorder from Vistek or another shop in Canada ?

- Frank

Hi there,

After MUCH research and absolutely no hands on experience with it (eep!), I've almost decided that I am going to buy the A1s, BUT before I do I wanted to know a list of the pet peeves and cons that this camera has to offer.

I also wanted to clarify that it is actually a side load camera. (one of those things I'd kick myself for if I didn't check).

Lastly, what is the warranty that comes with the Camera, is there an extension you can get with Canon and would you recommend extending the warranty.

CHEERS!


Cons:

1. Tape based

2. HDV codec

3. slightly high image noise levels

4. low light sensitivity slightly low

5. factory warranty not as good as some, but probably not even an issue as the A1s improved the most fragile features

6. very small flip out viewfinder

7. focus is a little hard to get perfect because of the small viewfinder (and my aging eyes)

8. IAF can tend to ocassionally do a quick hunt, so manual focus has to be used in certain situations

9. no 60P or 720P

Except for those few cons, it's a great camera.

It is certainly the best tape based HDV camera available.

I find the XH A1 focus ring a bit jumpy sometimes, sometimes it's tricky to get it right on to the focus distance you want. Often I overshoot the focus distance I want by quite a way. I set the focus speed to slow and it didn't help. Maybe I'm just too ham fisted but my cameraman complained about it during our last film as well

Maybe I'm just too ham fisted but my cameraman complained about it during our last film as well

I have a dvx100 and a xh-a1 and there is no comparison between the 2 when it comes to accurate focusing.
Correct manual focusing is very difficult with the xh-a1, the too small lcd doesn't help that much and the feedback you get from the distance meter in the viewfinder is a joke. I only wished the lcd was much bigger and had more resolution and that it was like the hvx200, square, keeping the camerainfo clutter out of the picture.

I find it pretty easy to nail the focus with my XH A1. Magnifying is not as good a tool as peaking. Switch that peaking on, zoom in, and adjust focus until you get peaking. With a little practice, you will know when you've hit critical focus. Use the viewfinder rather than LCD if you're in bright conditions. Don't forget you can hit the display button to get rid of all the picture settings on the LCD screen. Once I am dialed in, I often turn off all the LCD nonsense by hitting the display button on the side of the cam.

True, the focussing aids are good and as long as you got the time to set it up right it works. Only most of my work doesn't have the time to use those aids and I need to get it instantly right, then it can be a real pain. Getting rid of all lcd info feels like driving a f1 car at full speed and letting go the steering wheel :D I like to see what the camera is doing at all times.

True, the focusing aids are good and as long as you got the time to set it up right it works.

Just so Noa, and I'll add a 'me too' to that as a run 'n' gunner. Shot a wedding last Saturday using the EX1 and omg what a difference over my Z1 - and it's all down to top-screen resolution. The EX1's screen is so sharp, so usable, and although not as bright as the Z1's screen in broad daylight, is an example to all as an unadorned focusing aid (especially so the XH-A1s).

tom.

I was going to say ... "the addition of audio limiters in the A1S are a big improvement for me"

But it depends on which Canon info you read. Here they call it "Auto Gain Control (AGC) limit, increased gain levels and fine tuning."

Canon Professional Network - Canon XH G1S and XH A1S (http://cpn.canon-europe.com/content/video/video_news/xh_a1s_g1s.do#container)

Here on Canons site there's no mention of AGC let alone limiters.

Professional Camcorders - High Definition Camcorders and Lenses - Standard Definition Camcorders - Software - High Definition Camcorder - XH A1S - Canon USA Consumer Products (http://www.usa.canon.com/consumer/controller?act=ModelInfoAct&fcategoryid=175&modelid=17885#ModelTechSpecsAct)

Would some kind soul with an A1S, please look in the menu and see if there's anything there?

Confused of Sydney.

Here is the A1s manual in searchable PDF form:

http://gdlp01.c-wss.com/gds/3/0300001723/01/xhg1s-xha1s-nim-en.pdf