Testing A1 vs Sony at DVinfo.net

Robert Bec · August 24th, 2008, 08:24 PM

Hi guys

I am testing between the canon xh-a1 and sony z1 and at the present time it seems the z1 is pulling of a sharper and richer pic but the feel of the A1 is much better
the picture on the a1 seems to be dull and flat but z1's colours are much richer and better details come up
i have just tested outside on a nice sunny day

is there anything i can adjust in the settings to give me that richer look because it looks alittle dissapointing

help

Rob.

Chris Hurd · August 24th, 2008, 08:40 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Robert Bec

the picture on the a1 seems to be dull and flat

It's designed that way on purpose; out of the box it's a flat baseline foundation upon which you build your preferred look, using Custom Presets. Make it as rich and saturated as you want it to be.

See http://www.dvinfo.net/conf/canon-xh-...rary-copy.html for more details.

Robert Bec · August 24th, 2008, 08:50 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Chris Hurd

It's designed that way on purpose; out of the box it's a flat baseline foundation upon which you build your preferred look, using Custom Presets. Make it as rich and saturated as you want it to be.

See http://www.dvinfo.net/conf/canon-xh-...rary-copy.html for more details.

this is great

thanks Chris

Brian Boyko · August 25th, 2008, 12:26 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Robert Bec

this is great

thanks Chris

Plus, if you don't want to use the camera preset libraries, you get a nice flat image that you can work with in post color correction.

Bill Pryor · August 25th, 2008, 06:17 AM

The Sony is pretty much the same way out of the box, so somebody has tweaked it up. I was ready to buy the Z1 but the XH A1 was announced and I waited a month to compare the two. I got the XH A1 because of the lens mainly, and because of 24P capability secondarily. I think the Z1 is better balanced and easier to hold for long periods, and I believe you can run one mic with line in and a second one as mic in, where on the Canon it's either/or. Other than that, the cameras are about equal, with the Canon having a little edge in image quality, lens and frame rates.

Peter Moretti · August 26th, 2008, 05:01 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Brian Boyko

Plus, if you don't want to use the camera preset libraries, you get a nice flat image that you can work with in post color correction.

True, but wouldn't it make the most sense to have the camera get the image as close as possible to what you want before it's sent through HDV compression w/ 4:2:0, 8 bit color?

August 24th, 2008, 08:24 PM	#1
Robert Bec Major Player Join Date: Aug 2007 Location: Sydney Australia Posts: 358	Testing A1 vs Sony Hi guys I am testing between the canon xh-a1 and sony z1 and at the present time it seems the z1 is pulling of a sharper and richer pic but the feel of the A1 is much better the picture on the a1 seems to be dull and flat but z1's colours are much richer and better details come up i have just tested outside on a nice sunny day is there anything i can adjust in the settings to give me that richer look because it looks alittle dissapointing help Rob.

August 25th, 2008, 06:17 AM	#5
Bill Pryor Contributor Join Date: Jan 2003 Location: Kansas City, MO Posts: 4,449	The Sony is pretty much the same way out of the box, so somebody has tweaked it up. I was ready to buy the Z1 but the XH A1 was announced and I waited a month to compare the two. I got the XH A1 because of the lens mainly, and because of 24P capability secondarily. I think the Z1 is better balanced and easier to hold for long periods, and I believe you can run one mic with line in and a second one as mic in, where on the Canon it's either/or. Other than that, the cameras are about equal, with the Canon having a little edge in image quality, lens and frame rates.