A1/G1 demand

[Adrian Paul Spiteri]

Does anyone know if there is a high demand for these two. As I assume most of you know there was a very big demand for the Z1. What's the current situation as regards the A1/G1.

[Chris Hurd]

It's ten to one. See http://www.dvinfo.net/conf/showthread.php?t=72351

[Adrian Paul Spiteri]

Is the demand for the A1 bigger or smaller then the demand for the Z1 when it first came out ?

[Chris Hurd]

I don't think there's any way to accurately measure that, and besides, what difference would it make.

[Adrian Paul Spiteri]

Well it does make a difference seeing what the majority is choosing. The less trouble people have with the camera the more people will buy the camera. At NAB Sony announced that it had sold over 37000 hdv cameras and decks, so it does make a difference.

[Chris Hurd]

Around here, by emphasizing the variety of available choices of format, equipment and software, etc., we try to push the concept that the particular needs and desires of an individual should outweigh any consideration for what "the majority" is buying. Nevertheless, I don't think there's any way to accurately measure the demand for the Z1 vs. the A1. If there were to some to measure it, I would go out of my way to downplay the result as much as possible. Our goal on this site is to foster the growth of various user groups no matter which particular format or camera they choose. For anyone who would buy Brand X over Brand Y simply because it seems that everybody else is doing it, I would strongly urge that person to carefully consider a variety of other factors instead. Hope this helps,

[Peter Ferling]

A better measure would be the camera that fits a particular shooting style and use, (similiar to yours). That way you can consult with your peers and see what camera works them, may also work for you.

[Lou Bruno]

In our shop, Canon is currently outselling our SONY HD cameras. The demand for the A1 is great. As soon as a batch comes in, they are out the door. My personal observations are that individuals want the longer and wider canon lens with the actual lens iris ring and the multiple menu set up.

With that said, my statement can not be held as an accurate account of which is selling more because SONY owners are already in possession of their cameras. It does appear that some of my SONY clients are expressing an interest in the CANON series. However, the SONY market may be saturated while CANON just entered this realm with an outstanding group of HDV cameras.

In any event, CANON cameras are outselling the Z-1 and FX-1 in our shop at this time.

Both are excellent cameras. I own both among a zillion other cameras :-)

Originally Posted by Adrian Paul Spiteri

Does anyone know if there is a high demand for these two. As I assume most of you know there was a very big demand for the Z1. What's the current situation as regards the A1/G1.

[Bogdan Tyburczy]

Originally Posted by Adrian Paul Spiteri

Well it does make a difference seeing what the majority is choosing. The less trouble people have with the camera the more people will buy the camera. At NAB Sony announced that it had sold over 37000 hdv cameras and decks, so it does make a difference.

Adrian -

Not quantity, but quality. DVInfo forum hosts quality people, highly respected professionals. Their reviews and opinions are worth more than sales statistics, imho. And by the way, majority is not always right :) Choose what suits your needs and personal taste best.

[Robert Sanders]

Sony and Panasonic outsell JVC and Canon by LARGE amounts. That doesn't necessarily mean Sony and Panasonic make better cameras. They may. They may not. But overall sales numbers do not make a camera "good" or "bad".

[Boyd Ostroff]

Originally Posted by Lou Bruno

My personal observations are that individuals want the longer and wider canon lens with the actual lens iris ring and the multiple menu set up.

Are you talking about the A1/G1 vs the Z1? There are a lot of cool things about the Canons which set them apart from the Z1. But a "wider canon lens" isn't one of them. The Canon specs indicate a 32.5mm to 650mm (35mm equiv) focal length range. The Z1 zoom range is 32.5mm to 390mm. They both have the same focal length at the wide end of the zoom, and it's the telephoto where the Canon excels.

[Nathan Brendan Masters]

It's a tough call. I've been pondering Sony versus Canon also. Sony FX1 (less expensive) versus the Canon A1 (24f + higher resolution). I like the Sony picture but have never really been moved my the Canon picture except for it's frame mode (which I loved and almost made my switch to Canon but then came the DVX100 and I guess you all know the rest). But after seeing what people here have done I want to give it a hard look. I just got my MacBook today and am looking for the camera that will be my next move up.

-Nate