XH A1 vs. XH A1s

Gerald Webb · August 24th, 2011, 04:39 AM

hey people,
Just weighing up the purchase of an XHA1s against an XF100, always wanted the XH and passed a cpl of times now for different cams. The XF 100 is making me think twice except I really wanted the 20x zoom,
so,
Is there a way to get the same length of zoom out of the XF100 for live events?
A zoom lens that wont trash the quality of the footage maybe? how much is that worth roughly?
Thoughts and opinions really appreciated.

Rodger Smith · August 24th, 2011, 08:47 AM

i know for me i can say this . . we use the xha1 and xha1s in over 100 productions annually (155 to 180 a year) and we have NO PROBLEM with them. the long zoom is a godsend, the quality of the picture in low light is amazing, even when it fails in light its still awesome compared to the panasonic and sony cameras we had plus there are no flash issues like we had with the sony's.

so all in all, the canon's have been awesome to us. we got rid of all our sony and panasonic's and got the cheaper feeling but superior imaging xha1 and xha1s. in fact, we liked the canon lenses in these cameras so much and the simplicity and functionality of the canon line so much we replaced BOTH our nikon pro still digitals with canon 5dm2 and canon 7d. :-)

Gerald Webb · August 24th, 2011, 02:22 PM

thanks Rodger,
Now I have another choice, I found a Sony Z5 with minimal hrs on it for about the same price as what I can get the XH for.... I hate decisions lol.
Is the rolling shutter of the Sony really an issue in the higher end cams?
I know I see it in my old HV20 with strobes and camera flashes, is it the same right through the range?
Anyone capturing to hard drive or flash with an XH.... can you?
Ive got more googling to do :)

Rodger Smith · August 24th, 2011, 03:43 PM

our experience with the z7u was not just a yes on the rolling shutter but an emphatic "yes." it was so bad that at times on events and special personality shoots, we would have to rent a camera (which btw happened to be a canon xha1) because when a governor or senator shoot there number of flashes will make the video just totally horrible. also, if you happen to do skate boarding or follow moving objects much, the "jello" or "wobble" is atrocious and actually funny. the first time i saw it i laughed so hard everyone thought i was watching a comedy video and when they realized it was "our" video the looks on their faces was worth recording :-)

Gerald Webb · August 24th, 2011, 03:59 PM

Wow, disappointing ,
So I suppose it's the same with Z5 "P", which is what I'm looking at.

Rodger Smith · August 24th, 2011, 04:32 PM

i couldn't say for sure, but it would be my guess since other than the removable lens on the z7u i think it and the z5 are basically the same camera and from what i understand its really a cmos issue. i know it was the rentals that sold us on the canon xha1 camera. we had panasonic dvx100b's and hvx200's the latter being replaced with the sony z7u because of low light issues with the hvx200's AND file size with the p2 .mxf files.

so when we rented the xha1's we just began renting them more and more as we went to 4 and 5 camera shoots and next we knew we wanted one camera to do it all, which naturally put us with the z7u or xha1 and so we sold off the panny's and bought the canon's for sd and hd and found that we loved the look and feel of the xha1 and when we discovered the presets . . WOW. we then fine tuned the camera to our own vivid looks and a tv one and an outdoor one and that was it, we were sold on them 100% and have no intention of replacing them anyways soon at all.

and as i said, we finally started using the canon lens with pristine quality hanging on the front of the xha1, we found that same lens in a still lens and in the process just slowly sold off all the nikon (which i had been a nikon only photographer for over 30 years) and went with the canon 5d mk 2 and 7d.

btw . . . regarding the 5dm2 and 7d if you are only shooting short videos, the two latter cameras are a great camera but if the venue is really strong video then by all means don't even consider them, they are not really video cameras they are still digial cams with video capability. great for movies but lousy for tv and wedding multicam shoots . . therein . . stick with video cameras and by and large you can't go wrong with an xha1 or preferably the xha1s just because its newer and the zoom and focus at the same time is NICE.

i think the biggest selling point for me on this price range camera is 3 fully functional rings, zoom, focus, and shutter, that is wonderful and a powerful pro feature. also, the "s" model they all work at the same time on the non "s" they do not and the audio set up on the "s" is WAY better, not just a little but a LOT. however, one feature they took OFF the "s" model that ticked me, was the standby switch at the record button. we used those religiously and now i have 'em with and without standby's . . perhaps the model number having the "s" means NO standby :-)

EDIT . . BTW if you want a strong review of the camera from someone that uses it for over 100 productions annually, just PM me and I can chat by phone if you like. im here to help others. ive been in the business for a LONG time and slowly working my way out, i help to make all the great videographers i can :-)

Gerald Webb · August 25th, 2011, 04:52 AM

Thanks for all the help Rodger,
I ended up getting a great deal on the Z5, couldnt knock it back.
Was hard researching this, for every one that loves the cmos sensors, there is another person that cant stand them.
I hope i'm not back here crying about it in a month, lol.
thanks again for all your input.

Rodger Smith · August 25th, 2011, 09:11 AM

no problem, we do what we gotta do. i know for me, if i had to go with a cmos, i would, but if i could avoid it i would. i think the real seller for me on the xha1(s) was the "hidden" customizable presets that almost no other camera on the market has through call up menus. i mean most all are customizable but few have the ability in that genre of camera to load them and call them up via sd cards. in fact, all the presets im using, i downloaded from a board much like this then tweaked them for our particular purpose and therein make all the cams look exactly alike which i really like. :-)

hey enjoy your cam and have fun and hope you have NO prob's with it. :-)

Chris Hurd · August 25th, 2011, 10:12 AM

Wherever you got your presets from, I guarantee they got them from us -- we're the top resource for XH presets:

http://www.dvinfo.net/forum/canon-xh...rary-copy.html

Rodger Smith · August 25th, 2011, 10:49 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Chris Hurd

Wherever you got your presets from, I guarantee they got them from us -- we're the top resource for XH presets:

http://www.dvinfo.net/forum/canon-xh...rary-copy.html

could very well be although i don't really remember . . was about 3 years ago as i recall :-) but this i can say, the camera is about the most customizable i've ever touched which includes about 16 to 20 different models, the best priced in its class, and the MOST FILM LOOK of any hand held video camera and that includes cameras costing 3x the XHA1s.

August 24th, 2011, 04:39 AM	#61
Gerald Webb Trustee Join Date: Oct 2009 Location: Central Coast Australia Posts: 1,046	Re: XH A1 vs. XH A1s hey people, Just weighing up the purchase of an XHA1s against an XF100, always wanted the XH and passed a cpl of times now for different cams. The XF 100 is making me think twice except I really wanted the 20x zoom, so, Is there a way to get the same length of zoom out of the XF100 for live events? A zoom lens that wont trash the quality of the footage maybe? how much is that worth roughly? Thoughts and opinions really appreciated. __________________ http://vimeo.com/livewebvideo

August 24th, 2011, 08:47 AM	#62
Rodger Smith Regular Crew Join Date: Aug 2008 Location: Portsmouth, OH Posts: 118	Re: XH A1 vs. XH A1s i know for me i can say this . . we use the xha1 and xha1s in over 100 productions annually (155 to 180 a year) and we have NO PROBLEM with them. the long zoom is a godsend, the quality of the picture in low light is amazing, even when it fails in light its still awesome compared to the panasonic and sony cameras we had plus there are no flash issues like we had with the sony's. so all in all, the canon's have been awesome to us. we got rid of all our sony and panasonic's and got the cheaper feeling but superior imaging xha1 and xha1s. in fact, we liked the canon lenses in these cameras so much and the simplicity and functionality of the canon line so much we replaced BOTH our nikon pro still digitals with canon 5dm2 and canon 7d. :-) __________________ "Two wrongs don't make a right, but three lefts do."

August 24th, 2011, 02:22 PM	#63
Gerald Webb Trustee Join Date: Oct 2009 Location: Central Coast Australia Posts: 1,046	Re: XH A1 vs. XH A1s thanks Rodger, Now I have another choice, I found a Sony Z5 with minimal hrs on it for about the same price as what I can get the XH for.... I hate decisions lol. Is the rolling shutter of the Sony really an issue in the higher end cams? I know I see it in my old HV20 with strobes and camera flashes, is it the same right through the range? Anyone capturing to hard drive or flash with an XH.... can you? Ive got more googling to do :) __________________ http://vimeo.com/livewebvideo

August 24th, 2011, 03:43 PM	#64
Rodger Smith Regular Crew Join Date: Aug 2008 Location: Portsmouth, OH Posts: 118	Re: XH A1 vs. XH A1s our experience with the z7u was not just a yes on the rolling shutter but an emphatic "yes." it was so bad that at times on events and special personality shoots, we would have to rent a camera (which btw happened to be a canon xha1) because when a governor or senator shoot there number of flashes will make the video just totally horrible. also, if you happen to do skate boarding or follow moving objects much, the "jello" or "wobble" is atrocious and actually funny. the first time i saw it i laughed so hard everyone thought i was watching a comedy video and when they realized it was "our" video the looks on their faces was worth recording :-) __________________ "Two wrongs don't make a right, but three lefts do."

August 24th, 2011, 03:59 PM	#65
Gerald Webb Trustee Join Date: Oct 2009 Location: Central Coast Australia Posts: 1,046	Re: XH A1 vs. XH A1s Wow, disappointing , So I suppose it's the same with Z5 "P", which is what I'm looking at. __________________ http://vimeo.com/livewebvideo

August 24th, 2011, 04:32 PM	#66
Rodger Smith Regular Crew Join Date: Aug 2008 Location: Portsmouth, OH Posts: 118	Re: XH A1 vs. XH A1s i couldn't say for sure, but it would be my guess since other than the removable lens on the z7u i think it and the z5 are basically the same camera and from what i understand its really a cmos issue. i know it was the rentals that sold us on the canon xha1 camera. we had panasonic dvx100b's and hvx200's the latter being replaced with the sony z7u because of low light issues with the hvx200's AND file size with the p2 .mxf files. so when we rented the xha1's we just began renting them more and more as we went to 4 and 5 camera shoots and next we knew we wanted one camera to do it all, which naturally put us with the z7u or xha1 and so we sold off the panny's and bought the canon's for sd and hd and found that we loved the look and feel of the xha1 and when we discovered the presets . . WOW. we then fine tuned the camera to our own vivid looks and a tv one and an outdoor one and that was it, we were sold on them 100% and have no intention of replacing them anyways soon at all. and as i said, we finally started using the canon lens with pristine quality hanging on the front of the xha1, we found that same lens in a still lens and in the process just slowly sold off all the nikon (which i had been a nikon only photographer for over 30 years) and went with the canon 5d mk 2 and 7d. btw . . . regarding the 5dm2 and 7d if you are only shooting short videos, the two latter cameras are a great camera but if the venue is really strong video then by all means don't even consider them, they are not really video cameras they are still digial cams with video capability. great for movies but lousy for tv and wedding multicam shoots . . therein . . stick with video cameras and by and large you can't go wrong with an xha1 or preferably the xha1s just because its newer and the zoom and focus at the same time is NICE. i think the biggest selling point for me on this price range camera is 3 fully functional rings, zoom, focus, and shutter, that is wonderful and a powerful pro feature. also, the "s" model they all work at the same time on the non "s" they do not and the audio set up on the "s" is WAY better, not just a little but a LOT. however, one feature they took OFF the "s" model that ticked me, was the standby switch at the record button. we used those religiously and now i have 'em with and without standby's . . perhaps the model number having the "s" means NO standby :-) EDIT . . BTW if you want a strong review of the camera from someone that uses it for over 100 productions annually, just PM me and I can chat by phone if you like. im here to help others. ive been in the business for a LONG time and slowly working my way out, i help to make all the great videographers i can :-) __________________ "Two wrongs don't make a right, but three lefts do." Last edited by Rodger Smith; August 24th, 2011 at 04:35 PM. Reason: PM contact

August 25th, 2011, 04:52 AM	#67
Gerald Webb Trustee Join Date: Oct 2009 Location: Central Coast Australia Posts: 1,046	Re: XH A1 vs. XH A1s Thanks for all the help Rodger, I ended up getting a great deal on the Z5, couldnt knock it back. Was hard researching this, for every one that loves the cmos sensors, there is another person that cant stand them. I hope i'm not back here crying about it in a month, lol. thanks again for all your input. __________________ http://vimeo.com/livewebvideo

August 25th, 2011, 09:11 AM	#68
Rodger Smith Regular Crew Join Date: Aug 2008 Location: Portsmouth, OH Posts: 118	Re: XH A1 vs. XH A1s no problem, we do what we gotta do. i know for me, if i had to go with a cmos, i would, but if i could avoid it i would. i think the real seller for me on the xha1(s) was the "hidden" customizable presets that almost no other camera on the market has through call up menus. i mean most all are customizable but few have the ability in that genre of camera to load them and call them up via sd cards. in fact, all the presets im using, i downloaded from a board much like this then tweaked them for our particular purpose and therein make all the cams look exactly alike which i really like. :-) hey enjoy your cam and have fun and hope you have NO prob's with it. :-) __________________ "Two wrongs don't make a right, but three lefts do."

August 25th, 2011, 10:12 AM	#69
Chris Hurd Obstreperous Rex Join Date: Jan 2001 Location: San Marcos, TX Posts: 27,368 Images: 513	Re: XH A1 vs. XH A1s Wherever you got your presets from, I guarantee they got them from us -- we're the top resource for XH presets: http://www.dvinfo.net/forum/canon-xh...rary-copy.html __________________ CH Search DV Info Net \| 20 years of DVi \| ...Tuesday is Soylent Green Day!