My First XHA1 Footage at DVinfo.net

Steven Dempsey · March 9th, 2007, 12:16 PM

I got the camera on Monday but between a hectic life and crappy weather, I haven't really had a chance to try it out. I'll be writing a review at a later date.

For those who don't know, I just sold my XLH1 in favor of the lighter A1, much more suitable for my kind of shooting because of form factor and weight.

This morning, there was about a half hour of sun so I dropped by my favorite park (Marymoor in Redmond, WA) on the way to work.

What you see here is just raw footage right out of the camera. There is no color correction at all. The only thing I did with the footage was apply a 2.35:1 matte.

Rendered at 10mbps, it's about 93mb. There is definitely a drop in the sharpness due to this high compression and a little noise is there that's not at all obvious in the original footage.

All of these shots are at the wide end of the lens because I really wanted to shoot to show off the pixels.

I'm using my PANALOOK preset which is still my favorite. Thanks to Chris Hurd for the conversion from XLH1 to XHA1, he did a nice job.

Anyway, enjoy:

http://www.pinelakefilms.com/XHA1/marymoorHD.wmv

Right click and "save as"

James Klatt · March 9th, 2007, 02:25 PM

Steven, very nicely done! Your compositions and subject matter are always satisfying.

I am always scouring xh a1 forums looking for quality clips to convince me to take the plunge and upgrade to HDV. I swear that Canon should buy your footage to show off their camera.

Douglas Villalba · March 9th, 2007, 07:31 PM

It looks great, well exposed, beautiful composition.

Jose Ortiz · March 10th, 2007, 09:22 AM

great footage!
what type of video card do you use to capture the scences in 10 bit?

I'm using the hdmi intensity with aspect HD and Im not that close to that video quality.

James Klatt · March 10th, 2007, 12:45 PM

huh?

I think he just captured to mini DV tape on his A1 and then firewired to computer later. Right? Do you think that he is using a G1 with uncompresseed output capabilities?

Jerome Cloninger · March 10th, 2007, 12:56 PM

Very Nice Steven!

Steven Dempsey · March 10th, 2007, 10:07 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by James Klatt

huh?

I think he just captured to mini DV tape on his A1 and then firewired to computer later. Right?

Right.

Thanks for the comments everyone.

Meryem Ersoz · March 10th, 2007, 11:04 PM

so how do you like your new camera, steven? do you have an opinion yet?

the first footage i shot was a custom presets reference movie, which i shot straight out of a window, to familiarize myself with the preset options.

http://www.planetestudios.com/specialsituation.html

(if anyone cares...)

tomorrow will be my first day in the field with it, shooting my UWOL Challenge entry (my exempt-from-judging entry....), and i can hardly wait.

i shot a bit of B roll tonight using NATURALO, and tomorrow i'm gonna test-drive PANALOOK, among others. thanks for the presets.

Steven Dempsey · March 10th, 2007, 11:57 PM

In a nutshell, it's about the best camera I've owned in terms of my specific needs but it's a little early to say for certain yet. I will write a review soon.

David McGiffert · March 13th, 2007, 11:04 AM

Steven,

I looked at your Snoqualmish (sp?) film on your website
and wanted to compliment you on your compositional ability.
You make widescreen composition look easy and obvious,
and we all know it's not.

Nice work.

David

Steven Dempsey · March 13th, 2007, 11:10 AM

That's a great compliment David, and one I really appreciate.

Meryem, I just posted my impressions of the XHA1:
http://www.dvinfo.net/conf/showthread.php?t=88842

Marty Hudzik · March 14th, 2007, 08:06 AM

Looks great. Absolutely cannot discern any difference in quality from your H1 efforts so I think you have knocked it out of the park with your change to the A1. I might be imagining it a little but the shots seems to be a lot wider. Maybe that's because I know you have the 32mm range on the A1....but it feels more spacious to me.

Good Luck!

Steven Dempsey · March 14th, 2007, 11:40 AM

Yeah Marty, it definitely feels (and is) way wider. Compared to the XHA1, the H1 felt a little compressed at the wide end. I'm really happy about that :)

David McGiffert · March 14th, 2007, 11:57 PM

Hey Steven,

If you like the wide end of the XHA-1 zoom, wait til
you put on the w/a lens adapter...but better get a
good workout program going too, it gets 'way front-heavy
if you hand-hold anything.
But it's a nice piece of glass for the price.

David

Mooho Bae · March 16th, 2007, 01:21 AM

Hi Steven, thanks for sharing such fantastic movie. Now I found that you are contributor of the 'panalook' preset. I like this preset and really thank you very much!!

March 9th, 2007, 12:16 PM	#1
Steven Dempsey Disjecta Join Date: Apr 2004 Location: Seattle, Washington Posts: 937	My First XHA1 Footage I got the camera on Monday but between a hectic life and crappy weather, I haven't really had a chance to try it out. I'll be writing a review at a later date. For those who don't know, I just sold my XLH1 in favor of the lighter A1, much more suitable for my kind of shooting because of form factor and weight. This morning, there was about a half hour of sun so I dropped by my favorite park (Marymoor in Redmond, WA) on the way to work. What you see here is just raw footage right out of the camera. There is no color correction at all. The only thing I did with the footage was apply a 2.35:1 matte. Rendered at 10mbps, it's about 93mb. There is definitely a drop in the sharpness due to this high compression and a little noise is there that's not at all obvious in the original footage. All of these shots are at the wide end of the lens because I really wanted to shoot to show off the pixels. I'm using my PANALOOK preset which is still my favorite. Thanks to Chris Hurd for the conversion from XLH1 to XHA1, he did a nice job. Anyway, enjoy: http://www.pinelakefilms.com/XHA1/marymoorHD.wmv Right click and "save as" __________________ Try my Digital Therapy: http://www.pinelakefilms.com/digital_therapy.html Films on ExposureRoom: http://exposureroom.com/members/disjecta.aspx/videos/

March 9th, 2007, 07:31 PM	#3
Douglas Villalba Major Player Join Date: Jul 2005 Location: Miami, Florida, USA Posts: 479	It looks great, well exposed, beautiful composition. __________________ Douglas Villalba - director/cinematographer/editor Miami, Florida, USA - www.DVtvPRODUCTIONS.com

March 10th, 2007, 12:56 PM	#6
Jerome Cloninger Major Player Join Date: Mar 2005 Location: East TN Posts: 415	Very Nice Steven! __________________ Jerome www.jeromecloninger.com

March 10th, 2007, 11:57 PM	#9
Steven Dempsey Disjecta Join Date: Apr 2004 Location: Seattle, Washington Posts: 937	In a nutshell, it's about the best camera I've owned in terms of my specific needs but it's a little early to say for certain yet. I will write a review soon. __________________ Try my Digital Therapy: http://www.pinelakefilms.com/digital_therapy.html Films on ExposureRoom: http://exposureroom.com/members/disjecta.aspx/videos/

March 13th, 2007, 11:10 AM	#11
Steven Dempsey Disjecta Join Date: Apr 2004 Location: Seattle, Washington Posts: 937	That's a great compliment David, and one I really appreciate. Meryem, I just posted my impressions of the XHA1: http://www.dvinfo.net/conf/showthread.php?t=88842 __________________ Try my Digital Therapy: http://www.pinelakefilms.com/digital_therapy.html Films on ExposureRoom: http://exposureroom.com/members/disjecta.aspx/videos/

March 9th, 2007, 02:25 PM	#2
James Klatt Regular Crew Join Date: Dec 2002 Location: Portland OR Posts: 132	Steven, very nicely done! Your compositions and subject matter are always satisfying. I am always scouring xh a1 forums looking for quality clips to convince me to take the plunge and upgrade to HDV. I swear that Canon should buy your footage to show off their camera.

March 10th, 2007, 09:22 AM	#4
Jose Ortiz Major Player Join Date: Dec 2006 Location: Tampa Florida Posts: 347	great footage! what type of video card do you use to capture the scences in 10 bit? I'm using the hdmi intensity with aspect HD and Im not that close to that video quality.

March 10th, 2007, 12:45 PM	#5
James Klatt Regular Crew Join Date: Dec 2002 Location: Portland OR Posts: 132	huh? I think he just captured to mini DV tape on his A1 and then firewired to computer later. Right? Do you think that he is using a G1 with uncompresseed output capabilities?

March 10th, 2007, 11:04 PM	#8
Meryem Ersoz Wrangler Join Date: Jan 2005 Location: Boulder, CO Posts: 3,015	so how do you like your new camera, steven? do you have an opinion yet? the first footage i shot was a custom presets reference movie, which i shot straight out of a window, to familiarize myself with the preset options. http://www.planetestudios.com/specialsituation.html (if anyone cares...) tomorrow will be my first day in the field with it, shooting my UWOL Challenge entry (my exempt-from-judging entry....), and i can hardly wait. i shot a bit of B roll tonight using NATURALO, and tomorrow i'm gonna test-drive PANALOOK, among others. thanks for the presets.

March 13th, 2007, 11:04 AM	#10
David McGiffert Regular Crew Join Date: Feb 2007 Location: Topanga, CA Posts: 139	Steven, I looked at your Snoqualmish (sp?) film on your website and wanted to compliment you on your compositional ability. You make widescreen composition look easy and obvious, and we all know it's not. Nice work. David

March 14th, 2007, 08:06 AM	#12
Marty Hudzik Trustee Join Date: Jul 2004 Location: Canton, Ohio Posts: 1,771	Looks great. Absolutely cannot discern any difference in quality from your H1 efforts so I think you have knocked it out of the park with your change to the A1. I might be imagining it a little but the shots seems to be a lot wider. Maybe that's because I know you have the 32mm range on the A1....but it feels more spacious to me. Good Luck!

March 14th, 2007, 11:40 AM	#13
Steven Dempsey Disjecta Join Date: Apr 2004 Location: Seattle, Washington Posts: 937	Yeah Marty, it definitely feels (and is) way wider. Compared to the XHA1, the H1 felt a little compressed at the wide end. I'm really happy about that :) __________________ Try my Digital Therapy: http://www.pinelakefilms.com/digital_therapy.html Films on ExposureRoom: http://exposureroom.com/members/disjecta.aspx/videos/

March 14th, 2007, 11:57 PM	#14
David McGiffert Regular Crew Join Date: Feb 2007 Location: Topanga, CA Posts: 139	Hey Steven, If you like the wide end of the XHA-1 zoom, wait til you put on the w/a lens adapter...but better get a good workout program going too, it gets 'way front-heavy if you hand-hold anything. But it's a nice piece of glass for the price. David

March 16th, 2007, 01:21 AM	#15
Mooho Bae Regular Crew Join Date: Jan 2005 Location: Korea Posts: 52	Hi Steven, thanks for sharing such fantastic movie. Now I found that you are contributor of the 'panalook' preset. I like this preset and really thank you very much!!