Two days ago things went horribly wrong on a wildlife shoot in Zambia and my trusted XL1s died a horrible death...

I'm now faced with replacing the camera and have to make a choice between the XLH1 and Sony HVR-Z1U... the Sony is half the price and most production companies in South Africa seem to prefer them, but I'm still leaning towards the Canon, even though it means I have to fork out a hell of a lot more... any thoughts on that, which is the better camera or is that a stupid question???

Of course to top things off, Murphy had to get his little punch in there too... Two weeks ago I bought over $500 worth of battery chargers, batteries, wide angle lens adapters etc. Does the XLH1 use the same batteries as the XL1s???

Any advice or opinions are welcome. I make television documentaries for a living, mostly wildlife documentaries that are shot off the cuff. I typically track animals for up to 10 miles on foot, so there's no ways I can hook up external drives etc.

Editing is done on FCP and then exported back onto tape, normally Digi-Beta. Upgrading to HD is a natural next step, in fact it's long overdue...

I use the Canon for various reasons:
1) It handles like the larger Professional Cameras, yet is light enough to carry over long distances.
2) It has one hell of a lens stabilizer for hand held shots, unlike any I've seen on any camera!!!
3) Obviously the ability to interchange lenses.
4) Affordability, hell my next choice comes in at a 100K!
5) Above all, the fact that I've been able to get away with it. I've had no complaints from broadcasters who have accepted my SD footage from my XL1s as if it was shot on DVCAM... I suppose I somehow hope to achieve the same with the HD footage...

I think you've kind of answered your own question. The canon's use the same batteries, so you're good there. I have used both cameras on documentaries, and I prefer the canon XL-H1. IMHO I would recommend the canon over the sony z1u. Especially since you're familiar with the canon set up already.

The Battery supplied with the Canon XL H1, the BP950G is a good battery.

The optional BP970G is even better.

The BP950G is better than the BP945's.

The only problem is with the higher capacity batteries is that they also take longer to obtain a full charge. So obtain multiple battery chargers if you have time critical needs.

The current batteries, such as the BP945 will also work with the camera.

I understand that the "10" series chargers, such as the Canon "910" battery chargers will fully charge the new batteries. The "900" battery chargers will work also, but you have to insert the battery once, charge it, then re-insert it to obtain a full charge.

Thus, your investment is not wasted.

You will love the XL H1!

Thanks Mark & Dan

I suppose I'm still trying to get over the shock of not being fully insured, ever heard of the saying that Insurance covers everything except that what happens?

Thanks again for the advice, I'm glad the battery issue is not an issue at all!!!

Didi

If you interested, I have an XL1s, with the original 16x lens and an Xl2 20X lens.

If you interested, I have an XL1s, with the original 16x lens and an Xl2 20X lens.
Hi Dan

I've decided to buy the XL-H1, It's time I up my production quality, thanks for the offer though, I appreciate it.

Didi

Set color with an expo disk, then tweek the settings with a quality HD production monitor. I personally dont belive in adding "dirty water" with color correction. Also, getting the best exposer will pop color more.

-John