Hey there,

I'm trying to make a decision whether to but the z5u or the xh-a1s.

I know the A1 used to have a problem where you could not zoom and focus at the same time. It was corrected with the A1s

I was wondering if the z5 has this problem?

Right now I'm leaning toward the a1 because of the downloadable custom presets and because it's not that bad of a camera, however for 500 more the z5 offers the better lcd, ecm mic, and option of CF recording

A lot of people say the light sensitivity of the z5 is better than the a1, but I read that the a1 can maintain a slightly wider iris.
EventDV.net: The Event Videographer's Resource (http://www.eventdv.net/Articles/Editorial/In-the-Field/In-the-Field-Sony-HVR-Z5U-53359.htm)

with Z5 you CAN zoom and focus at the same time. Also Z5 has presets too - not sure if downloadable - someone else would need to confirm.

Z5 is brighter but also has much less grain at high db. I can easily go +15db on Gain without customers noticing noise.

Adam's right, you can focus and zoom at the same time. I haven't done it, but I'm 95% sure you can save the settings on the removable card (where you should be able to then xfer to computer for back-up purposes). I have not used the A1, (nobody in the area had one I could test), but what sold me on the Z5 was the wide lens. For me, not having to use a WA adapter in front of the cam to get decent wide shots is a great feature. That's huge for me! And it really IS wide. Plus, Sony's almost never experience tape mechanism problems, something that you read about a lot on Canon newsgroups (at least with past cams). Canon video cameras I've had in the past had a very cheap sounding tape system that I wondered if they were going to collapse or not ....compared to Sonys which have always been smooth in my experience. I didn't want to have to deal with that. My past Sony Cams really did me good. I can't say what the low light is on the A1, I read it's good, but not as good as the Z5. I'm extremely please with the Z5's low light performance.

You might also consider the NX cam too, if you want tapeless.

Still, lot of people really like the A1's and reviews and video I've read were good. I think you'll enjoy either one. Best of luck.