A List of Questions for Owners

[Adam Reuter]

I apologize if some of these have already been asked. I edited out questions that I know have been answered so far:

Does the camera hold focus through a zoom? Meaning, can I do the "zoom in, focus, zoom out" trick?

How well does the camera work, in all modes (60i, 24f) within Final Cut Pro. Does it have the major issues that the JVC HD100 users are having or not? Can Capture Now be used?

If you have a digital still camera, could you set it on a tripod and get the "proper exposure" for low light shots. See http://adamreuter.com/xha1question.jpg for an example. Then, try to get an equal exposure with you XH A1.

Any viewfinder lag issues in 24p or 60i modes?

If you own an incident light meter, what ISO/ASA speed does it equate to in 60i?

Is the camera is to hold with one hand through the handgrip or is it unstable?

How long does the stock battery last, using the flip-out monitor and rolling tape the entire time? How about just using the viewfinder...rolling tape the entire time?

Please post an audio clip (mp3/128kbps stereo preferrably) of the zoom noise issue.

Can the camera downconvert to SD through firewire?

The grid markings...are they based on rule of thirds or are they made for horizon lines/leveling?

Is the 1/32 ND filter good enough for very bright, direct sunlight?

Does this camera have a "60 minutes camera man mode" which makes me shoot better video...automatically?

[Henry Cho]

1. the camera will hold focus through the entire zoom range.

2. users have had success with the f modes in fcp (v5.12 i believe). premiere pro works fine too with the canon hdv updates from adobe.

3. --

4. no viewfinder/lcd lag issues i'm aware of.

5. sorry, no light meter here.

6. holding the camera by the handle (for low shooting, etc.) feels fine, and the camera controls on the handle seem nicely placed. i think chuck mentioned the handle on the sony z1u felt better.

7. included bp950g battery is rated to last approximately 3-5 hours on a single charge. recording periodically, and keeping the lcd open and on, that sounds about right.

8. there's a zoom motor audio issue? i found the zoom to be among the quietest on any cam i've used.

9. the camera can downconvert to sd via firewire.

10. the grid markings are based on rule-of-thirds.

11. i've been shooting some dawn/dusk stuff over the past couple of days, and i haven't had to engage the 1/32 nd setting yet. i think the two in camera should be more than fine for most shooting conditions.

12. lol... i wish.

[Chris Hurd]

Originally Posted by Adam Reuter

The grid markings...are they based on rule of thirds or are they made for horizon lines/leveling?

Both. You can toggle the thirds grid only, the center level only, or both at the same time, and you can choose from white or gray lines or a mix of both. Or leave them off altogether.