XH A1 vs. FX7 at DVinfo.net

Alex Beaupre · January 30th, 2007, 07:24 PM

hello kind flolk of DVinfo.
I was wondering if you would be able to help me out, I am planning on making the switch to HD soon and wanted to hear your opinions of the A1 and if at all possible the contrast with Sony's FX7. Any info would be useful. Thanks a lot guys.

Alex B.

Anthony Leong · January 30th, 2007, 07:50 PM

I got this from the Camcorderinfo review on the Sony FX7. I hope this will help.
http://www.camcorderinfo.com/content...der-Review.htm

If the Sony HDR-FX7 personifies prosumer HDV, with its slim, unimposing profile and crowd-pleasing color rendition, the Canon XH A1 demands to be taken seriously. For $500 more than the FX7, it is a camcorder with a professional feature set so robust as to place it in another league. With two progressive modes, 24F and 30F, XLR inputs as well as unbalanced mic compatibility, many more external manual controls, and a staggering set of fine picture controls, the XH A1 is tough to beat.

Holly Rognan · January 30th, 2007, 08:41 PM

The Fx7 has almost nothing on the A1 (A bigger screen, and longer focal length) That is all that I can think off hand, the A1 is in a different league.

You may want to consider the HV10, if the FX7 interests you. The HV10 packs a mean punch for the price, but is a consumer cam, with a dash of pro features.

I sat A1 all the way.

Alex Beaupre · January 30th, 2007, 10:30 PM

hey thanks for your help guys, you def. justified spending the extra $600 on the A1 thats for sure. Oh BTW how are the night capabilities of the A1 (I havvent seen footage or anything). And off hand would you know if the century optics .3x fisheye that fits the 72mm mount on the xl series would work on the A1? Thanks again for your help.

Alex B.

Philip Williams · January 31st, 2007, 06:18 AM

The XH A1 is pretty good at night. Some of the early footage posted by Kaku back in Oct or so was night footage and it looked really good, I think it might still be available for download in the sample footage area.

The important thing is to turn off auto gain and take over manually. If you leave on the auto gain, its quite aggressive and you'll have some pretty grainy footage.

Tony Tremble · January 31st, 2007, 06:50 AM

Having owned the HVR-V1E and now own the XH-A1.

I couldn't recommend the XH-A1 more. The Canon HDV encoder provides a very artefact free image compared with quite a lot of ringing from the Sony. This is the biggest plus for the Canon.

Ergonomically the Sony is better even though the Canon has a lot of external switches. Sony really do know how people use compact cameras. Canon could learn a bit from the V1 especially the large LCD, peaking and zebra etc etc. The Canon is perfectly usable but there is definitely room for improvement.

Big pluses for the Canon include its wide angle lens as standard. I don't think I'll need a further wide angle adaptor for the cam which you might do if you buy the FX7.

Both cameras produce superb images for the price but it is a tough choice.

If someone had told you'd be able to buy a camera of the XH-A1's quality 3 years ago I'd have laughed at them.

TT

Mark Fry · January 31st, 2007, 06:55 AM

Hi Alex,
It really does depend on what you want to do and how you are used to working. I've been through it recently (and agonised in public in this thread), and though I've ended up with the Canon, on a different day I might have plumped for the FX7. After all, the price difference could buy you a new tripod or microphone! There's a thread in the more general HD aquisition thread comparing the XH-A1 and V1U in some detail. My best advice is to get your hands on both, preferably at the same time, and see which you prefer.

HTH & good luck.

Alex Beaupre · January 31st, 2007, 04:03 PM

Hey thanks everyone for your help and insight on this issue. My only remaining question is if the .3x century optics 72mm lens (designed for the Xl1) would work on the A1, or do you need an "HD" lens (IDK if there is a difference, or if it is all just made the same, glass, positioning... all that). So if anyone knows, that would be a big help. Thanks again guys.

Alex B.

January 30th, 2007, 07:24 PM	#1
Alex Beaupre Regular Crew Join Date: Mar 2004 Location: michigan Posts: 80	XH A1 vs. FX7 hello kind flolk of DVinfo. I was wondering if you would be able to help me out, I am planning on making the switch to HD soon and wanted to hear your opinions of the A1 and if at all possible the contrast with Sony's FX7. Any info would be useful. Thanks a lot guys. Alex B. __________________ have you ever wanted something so bad you couldent stop thinking about it? a car, a girl, a skate trick? thats what this video was to me it started as an addiction but turned into an obsession. -Adam Johnson

January 30th, 2007, 10:30 PM	#4
Alex Beaupre Regular Crew Join Date: Mar 2004 Location: michigan Posts: 80	hey thanks for your help guys, you def. justified spending the extra $600 on the A1 thats for sure. Oh BTW how are the night capabilities of the A1 (I havvent seen footage or anything). And off hand would you know if the century optics .3x fisheye that fits the 72mm mount on the xl series would work on the A1? Thanks again for your help. Alex B. __________________ have you ever wanted something so bad you couldent stop thinking about it? a car, a girl, a skate trick? thats what this video was to me it started as an addiction but turned into an obsession. -Adam Johnson

January 31st, 2007, 06:18 AM	#5
Philip Williams Major Player Join Date: Aug 2004 Location: Snellville, Georgia Posts: 614	The XH A1 is pretty good at night. Some of the early footage posted by Kaku back in Oct or so was night footage and it looked really good, I think it might still be available for download in the sample footage area. The important thing is to turn off auto gain and take over manually. If you leave on the auto gain, its quite aggressive and you'll have some pretty grainy footage. __________________ www.philipwilliams.com

January 31st, 2007, 06:55 AM	#7
Mark Fry Major Player Join Date: May 2004 Location: Oxford, UK Posts: 425	Hi Alex, It really does depend on what you want to do and how you are used to working. I've been through it recently (and agonised in public in this thread), and though I've ended up with the Canon, on a different day I might have plumped for the FX7. After all, the price difference could buy you a new tripod or microphone! There's a thread in the more general HD aquisition thread comparing the XH-A1 and V1U in some detail. My best advice is to get your hands on both, preferably at the same time, and see which you prefer. HTH & good luck. __________________ Steam Age Pictures - videos in aid of railway preservation societies.

January 31st, 2007, 04:03 PM	#8
Alex Beaupre Regular Crew Join Date: Mar 2004 Location: michigan Posts: 80	Hey thanks everyone for your help and insight on this issue. My only remaining question is if the .3x century optics 72mm lens (designed for the Xl1) would work on the A1, or do you need an "HD" lens (IDK if there is a difference, or if it is all just made the same, glass, positioning... all that). So if anyone knows, that would be a big help. Thanks again guys. Alex B. __________________ have you ever wanted something so bad you couldent stop thinking about it? a car, a girl, a skate trick? thats what this video was to me it started as an addiction but turned into an obsession. -Adam Johnson

January 30th, 2007, 07:50 PM	#2
Anthony Leong Regular Crew Join Date: Dec 2006 Location: United States Posts: 93	I got this from the Camcorderinfo review on the Sony FX7. I hope this will help. http://www.camcorderinfo.com/content...der-Review.htm If the Sony HDR-FX7 personifies prosumer HDV, with its slim, unimposing profile and crowd-pleasing color rendition, the Canon XH A1 demands to be taken seriously. For $500 more than the FX7, it is a camcorder with a professional feature set so robust as to place it in another league. With two progressive modes, 24F and 30F, XLR inputs as well as unbalanced mic compatibility, many more external manual controls, and a staggering set of fine picture controls, the XH A1 is tough to beat.

January 30th, 2007, 08:41 PM	#3
Holly Rognan Major Player Join Date: Sep 2006 Location: Coalville America Posts: 244	The Fx7 has almost nothing on the A1 (A bigger screen, and longer focal length) That is all that I can think off hand, the A1 is in a different league. You may want to consider the HV10, if the FX7 interests you. The HV10 packs a mean punch for the price, but is a consumer cam, with a dash of pro features. I sat A1 all the way.

January 31st, 2007, 06:50 AM	#6
Tony Tremble Regular Crew Join Date: Oct 2006 Location: United Kingdom Posts: 451	Having owned the HVR-V1E and now own the XH-A1. I couldn't recommend the XH-A1 more. The Canon HDV encoder provides a very artefact free image compared with quite a lot of ringing from the Sony. This is the biggest plus for the Canon. Ergonomically the Sony is better even though the Canon has a lot of external switches. Sony really do know how people use compact cameras. Canon could learn a bit from the V1 especially the large LCD, peaking and zebra etc etc. The Canon is perfectly usable but there is definitely room for improvement. Big pluses for the Canon include its wide angle lens as standard. I don't think I'll need a further wide angle adaptor for the cam which you might do if you buy the FX7. Both cameras produce superb images for the price but it is a tough choice. If someone had told you'd be able to buy a camera of the XH-A1's quality 3 years ago I'd have laughed at them. TT