anyone compared the xha1 footage IQ with any of canons' dlsrs for backup? at DVinfo.net

William Boehm · March 31st, 2010, 10:07 AM

i am in a quandry. my background is still photography, with a nikon system and the best lenses. i also had a canon xha1 hdv and love the images, very little artifacts with minimally slow panning, wave action along the coast or animal movement. i was going to migrate to the canon 5d, 7d or rebel having saw great vimeo footage. michael fletcher, philip bloom etc. then i read several articles after googling on dslr aliasing, moire and artifacts in movement. i went back to vimeo..and sure enough, picked up immediately the papua new guinea short on vimeo by fletcher..very noticeable aliasing on waves, and movement.

so i am throwing this out there....filming ocean surf coming in, streams..harlequin ducks in streams, sea otters in wave motion from a kayak, are all going to be heavily laced with artifacts and unusable stock footage using a back up of a dslr on 1080 video. what i saw on several websites were awful once they pointed out the color artifacts on a slow receding wave wash in a sunset, and many other examples. then the shot the typical brick house with shingled roof and again moire was overpowering the images. so what do you recommend? dslrs are not doing what they are purpoted to do? or limited with shallow dof and close ups ...what about landscapes, sea scapes, wind blowing through waves, grass...? they will all be heavily interlaced with artifacts that will ruin the images.

i am considering waiting for the newer canon xha1 tapless system to be announced? maybe the weight and wait will be worth it? those of you who have used both..what is your input? i am a nature photgrapher and videographer, where movement is a given. thanks in advance for your thoughts. bill

Joe Bryan · March 31st, 2010, 01:44 PM

I would say get the low cost Rebel 550 and use your Nikon glass. Then when the new Canon camcorder is revealed to us make a better decision. You can always get your money back on the sale of the Rebel if you don't like it. If you have more money to use then get the 7D instead.

William Boehm · March 31st, 2010, 01:51 PM

thanks joe..i have thought about this but i am seeing a lot of aliasing in the dslrs in areas where there is movement or fine detail..outdoor stuff is what i shoot..wildlfie and landscapes.

Richard Hunter · March 31st, 2010, 06:31 PM

Hi William. My view is that these DSLRs are great for certain shots, especially closeups with shallow DOF. For wide area views that usually show a lot of fine detail, you are probably better off with a "proper" videocam. If you treat the XH-A1 and the 550D as 2 complementary tools, rather than either one as a complete solution, you will get the best of both worlds. Just a bit more gear to lug around.

Richard

March 31st, 2010, 10:07 AM	#1
William Boehm Regular Crew Join Date: Feb 2007 Location: Bothell, Washington Posts: 195	anyone compared the xha1 footage IQ with any of canons' dlsrs for backup? i am in a quandry. my background is still photography, with a nikon system and the best lenses. i also had a canon xha1 hdv and love the images, very little artifacts with minimally slow panning, wave action along the coast or animal movement. i was going to migrate to the canon 5d, 7d or rebel having saw great vimeo footage. michael fletcher, philip bloom etc. then i read several articles after googling on dslr aliasing, moire and artifacts in movement. i went back to vimeo..and sure enough, picked up immediately the papua new guinea short on vimeo by fletcher..very noticeable aliasing on waves, and movement. so i am throwing this out there....filming ocean surf coming in, streams..harlequin ducks in streams, sea otters in wave motion from a kayak, are all going to be heavily laced with artifacts and unusable stock footage using a back up of a dslr on 1080 video. what i saw on several websites were awful once they pointed out the color artifacts on a slow receding wave wash in a sunset, and many other examples. then the shot the typical brick house with shingled roof and again moire was overpowering the images. so what do you recommend? dslrs are not doing what they are purpoted to do? or limited with shallow dof and close ups ...what about landscapes, sea scapes, wind blowing through waves, grass...? they will all be heavily interlaced with artifacts that will ruin the images. i am considering waiting for the newer canon xha1 tapless system to be announced? maybe the weight and wait will be worth it? those of you who have used both..what is your input? i am a nature photgrapher and videographer, where movement is a given. thanks in advance for your thoughts. bill

March 31st, 2010, 01:44 PM	#2
Joe Bryan Regular Crew Join Date: Oct 2006 Location: Alabama Posts: 31	I would say get the low cost Rebel 550 and use your Nikon glass. Then when the new Canon camcorder is revealed to us make a better decision. You can always get your money back on the sale of the Rebel if you don't like it. If you have more money to use then get the 7D instead.

March 31st, 2010, 01:51 PM	#3
William Boehm Regular Crew Join Date: Feb 2007 Location: Bothell, Washington Posts: 195	thanks joe..i have thought about this but i am seeing a lot of aliasing in the dslrs in areas where there is movement or fine detail..outdoor stuff is what i shoot..wildlfie and landscapes.

March 31st, 2010, 06:31 PM	#4
Richard Hunter Trustee Join Date: Dec 2004 Location: Lipa City Batangas, Philippines Posts: 1,110	Hi William. My view is that these DSLRs are great for certain shots, especially closeups with shallow DOF. For wide area views that usually show a lot of fine detail, you are probably better off with a "proper" videocam. If you treat the XH-A1 and the 550D as 2 complementary tools, rather than either one as a complete solution, you will get the best of both worlds. Just a bit more gear to lug around. Richard