Just about to buy an XH A1 - shopping list opinions sought:

Michael Wisniewski · May 1st, 2008, 01:35 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Paul Thomson

There seems to be no love lost over the Rode mic - can anyone recommend an alternative that fits well with the XH A1

Most mics will not fit into the XH A1 mic holder as is, but it's easy to fix. Bring the mic down to your local hardware store and ask where the rubber O-Rings are. It takes all of 1 minute to find the right ones. 3x O-Rings will hold the mic in place very nicely, and give it a little more shock resistance. Forget about finding the right-sized mic, just get the best one you can afford, and spend that extra dollar for the O-rings.

The Rycote/Lightwave softies are a nice investment. If you get a monopod or shoulder mount rig, some quick release plates and adapters can be very useful.

Vasco Dones · May 1st, 2008, 10:36 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Paul Thomson

There seems to be no love lost over the Rode mic - can anyone recommend an alternative that fits well with the XH A1?
Paul

Paul,
my two cents:
don't stick a mic into the XH-A1 mic holder: you'll pick up too much noise.
Instead, get yourself a mic mount, such as this one:
http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/produc...Mount_for.html
The Rode fits perfectly (BTW: it's an excellent mic, hard to beat at that price).
Then, if you need an extra shoe, you can always add the J-Rod:
http://www.thej-rod.com/

Best

Vasco

Matt OBrien · May 1st, 2008, 12:17 PM

I use the NTG-2 and am quite impressed with it. However, two of the very small screws have come out on their own in the past 6 months. They are almost like eye-glasses screws. I went the gaffers tape route to make the mic fit the A1 mount. I try and avoid using the on camera mount, as the mic is extremely sensitive. I pick up buttons being pressed, my breathing, tape drive noise etc. Off camera mounting is definitely preferred. I reccomend you get the NTG-2 over the NTG-1. I think having the AA capability is worth the up front investment. I have used this mic to record things directly to the computer via a n XLR-Mini jack adapter in a pinch. With the NTG-1 I would have to run it through a mixer first to get phantom power.

Just my two cents. Great mic, but sometimes having such a nice mic makes you work a bit harder to avoid picking up so much operator/camera noise and unfortunately boom mics aren't always an option in run and gun settings.

Enjoy the camera!

Henrik Joensen · May 1st, 2008, 04:27 PM

I used the WD-H72 for the first time today and can only say that it
makes a huge difference on the frame and ofcourse also it becomes
front heavy handheld. Too early for me to say whether there is any
barrel distortion, but I really liked it and letting it be there for good.

You may also want to look into a Glidecam as an alternative to
your tripod if your wallet and waist can handle it. It is easy to
assemble and 'relatively' easy to balance. Does take some practice
to handle but my opinion is you can't beat the option of freedom
to move quickly if needed unless you are in a studio. Go for the
Glidecam Smooth Shooter or even the X-10 which will allow you
to built weight on your 'set'. If I remember correct then it will
handle upto 17-18 lbs in total. Don't bother with the Merlin as
you are probably likely over time to increase your extra's.

Will's home made hand-held looks pretty simple to me, not so sure
about movements in fairly crowded places. His footage looked
good, what preset did you use for this footage Will??, if any.

Barry Gribble · May 1st, 2008, 06:51 PM

I had the A1 and WD-H72 for a bit over a year until I sold them yesterday...

I would have a hard time recommending the WD-H72. It was a crystal clear zoom-through image, to be sure. But the 0.8 made such a marginal difference that it was very hard to justify the cost. There are so few situations when I could only get a shot with that lens... in probably 10 narrative shoots, I used it once, twice at most.

If I had to do it over again, I'd probably buy another makers 0.6 wide. Even if it had a less nice image, I would have used it much more.

Tom Hardwick · May 2nd, 2008, 02:09 AM

I agree with Barry. If you go through the hassles of carrying and storing a wideangle converter then it better be worth your while fitting it.

Remove hood, store hood. Remove front and rear caps of wide lens, store them. Screw on wide-converter, maybe add hood, get shooting.

If you choose a too-wide converter (a 0.5x say) then you have the option to zoom up to a 0.7x or a 0.8x, whatever looks right to you as composition. If you buy a 0.8x up front (you listening Sony?) then that's as wide as it'll go.

tom.

Will Mahoney · May 2nd, 2008, 06:29 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Henrik Joensen

I used the WD-H72 for the first time today and can only say that it
makes a huge difference on the frame and ofcourse also it becomes
front heavy handheld. Too early for me to say whether there is any
barrel distortion, but I really liked it and letting it be there for good.

Will's home made hand-held looks pretty simple to me, not so sure
about movements in fairly crowded places. His footage looked
good, what preset did you use for this footage Will??, if any.

Thanks for the kudos. The preset for my shoulder-mount test footage is PANALOOK. I've been using that lately for all of my stuff.

Michael Wisniewski · May 3rd, 2008, 01:23 AM

I like the KATA CC-193 it's a nice bag and a good size for carrying on planes and if you're just using the built-in XH A1 mic holder everything fits nicely in the KATA CC-193. But the bag is not big enough to hold the XH A1 with accessories attached to the shoe mount. You'll have to go through the process of assembling & disassembling the accessories when using the camera. Mounting something on a J-Rod creates the same problem. In addition, an XLR cable plugged into the body will take up the full width of the bag - and that makes it very difficult to include the DV Multi Rig Pro in the bag. It's really not that big of an issue, but I like quick access to the camera, without having to mess around connecting stuff.

If you'd rather not have to go through all that the KATA CC-195 or larger might be better, though you'll still have the same problem easily fitting the DV Multi Rig Pro while the XLR cable is plugged in. To fit everything comfortable in one bag, I'm looking at getting the KATA CC-197,CC-199, or the Petrol PDRB-5. The downside with these bags is that they don't fit well on small planes, especially small island hoppers.

Will Mahoney · May 6th, 2008, 08:36 AM

I don't know about you naysayers, but love my wide-angle. Of course, I do different shooting than some of you. I do product installations and car and truck shows. So need to be able to take the camera inside and underneath vehicles (in tight spaces.) Without the wide-angle, it's pretty hard to get in there and see what I want to see.

Plus, the regular lense won't focus on anything closer than three feet away (give or take a few inches.) But with the wide-angle I've got crystal clear focus of anything even if I get close enough to bump the lens hood on it (which can happen.)

I like the wide-angle. But I need it.

May 1st, 2008, 06:51 PM	#20
Barry Gribble Major Player Join Date: Aug 2003 Location: Los Angeles, CA Posts: 817	I had the A1 and WD-H72 for a bit over a year until I sold them yesterday... I would have a hard time recommending the WD-H72. It was a crystal clear zoom-through image, to be sure. But the 0.8 made such a marginal difference that it was very hard to justify the cost. There are so few situations when I could only get a shot with that lens... in probably 10 narrative shoots, I used it once, twice at most. If I had to do it over again, I'd probably buy another makers 0.6 wide. Even if it had a less nice image, I would have used it much more. __________________ Barry Gribble Integral Arts, IMDB

May 3rd, 2008, 01:23 AM	#23
Michael Wisniewski Wrangler Join Date: Jul 2002 Location: Makati, Metro Manila Posts: 2,706 Images: 32	I like the KATA CC-193 it's a nice bag and a good size for carrying on planes and if you're just using the built-in XH A1 mic holder everything fits nicely in the KATA CC-193. But the bag is not big enough to hold the XH A1 with accessories attached to the shoe mount. You'll have to go through the process of assembling & disassembling the accessories when using the camera. Mounting something on a J-Rod creates the same problem. In addition, an XLR cable plugged into the body will take up the full width of the bag - and that makes it very difficult to include the DV Multi Rig Pro in the bag. It's really not that big of an issue, but I like quick access to the camera, without having to mess around connecting stuff. If you'd rather not have to go through all that the KATA CC-195 or larger might be better, though you'll still have the same problem easily fitting the DV Multi Rig Pro while the XLR cable is plugged in. To fit everything comfortable in one bag, I'm looking at getting the KATA CC-197,CC-199, or the Petrol PDRB-5. The downside with these bags is that they don't fit well on small planes, especially small island hoppers. __________________ "Ultimately, the most extraordinary thing, in a frame, is a human being." - Martin Scorsese

May 6th, 2008, 08:36 AM	#24
Will Mahoney Major Player Join Date: May 2007 Location: Cleveland, Ohio Posts: 259	I don't know about you naysayers, but love my wide-angle. Of course, I do different shooting than some of you. I do product installations and car and truck shows. So need to be able to take the camera inside and underneath vehicles (in tight spaces.) Without the wide-angle, it's pretty hard to get in there and see what I want to see. Plus, the regular lense won't focus on anything closer than three feet away (give or take a few inches.) But with the wide-angle I've got crystal clear focus of anything even if I get close enough to bump the lens hood on it (which can happen.) I like the wide-angle. But I need it. __________________ http://exposureroom.com/members/WillMahoney.aspx/ www.youtube.com/truckaccessories

May 1st, 2008, 12:17 PM	#18
Matt OBrien Regular Crew Join Date: Nov 2006 Location: Seattle WA Posts: 40	I use the NTG-2 and am quite impressed with it. However, two of the very small screws have come out on their own in the past 6 months. They are almost like eye-glasses screws. I went the gaffers tape route to make the mic fit the A1 mount. I try and avoid using the on camera mount, as the mic is extremely sensitive. I pick up buttons being pressed, my breathing, tape drive noise etc. Off camera mounting is definitely preferred. I reccomend you get the NTG-2 over the NTG-1. I think having the AA capability is worth the up front investment. I have used this mic to record things directly to the computer via a n XLR-Mini jack adapter in a pinch. With the NTG-1 I would have to run it through a mixer first to get phantom power. Just my two cents. Great mic, but sometimes having such a nice mic makes you work a bit harder to avoid picking up so much operator/camera noise and unfortunately boom mics aren't always an option in run and gun settings. Enjoy the camera!

May 1st, 2008, 04:27 PM	#19
Henrik Joensen Regular Crew Join Date: Dec 2007 Location: Antwerpen - Belgium Posts: 54	I used the WD-H72 for the first time today and can only say that it makes a huge difference on the frame and ofcourse also it becomes front heavy handheld. Too early for me to say whether there is any barrel distortion, but I really liked it and letting it be there for good. You may also want to look into a Glidecam as an alternative to your tripod if your wallet and waist can handle it. It is easy to assemble and 'relatively' easy to balance. Does take some practice to handle but my opinion is you can't beat the option of freedom to move quickly if needed unless you are in a studio. Go for the Glidecam Smooth Shooter or even the X-10 which will allow you to built weight on your 'set'. If I remember correct then it will handle upto 17-18 lbs in total. Don't bother with the Merlin as you are probably likely over time to increase your extra's. Will's home made hand-held looks pretty simple to me, not so sure about movements in fairly crowded places. His footage looked good, what preset did you use for this footage Will??, if any.

May 2nd, 2008, 02:09 AM	#21
Tom Hardwick Inner Circle Join Date: Mar 2003 Location: Billericay, England UK Posts: 4,711	I agree with Barry. If you go through the hassles of carrying and storing a wideangle converter then it better be worth your while fitting it. Remove hood, store hood. Remove front and rear caps of wide lens, store them. Screw on wide-converter, maybe add hood, get shooting. If you choose a too-wide converter (a 0.5x say) then you have the option to zoom up to a 0.7x or a 0.8x, whatever looks right to you as composition. If you buy a 0.8x up front (you listening Sony?) then that's as wide as it'll go. tom.