Overwhelmed by my A1

Annie Fitzpatrick · May 20th, 2007, 02:46 PM

"If the Vaast Video was $20-$30 it would be worth it. But for $80, it's not even close."

Hmm -- I have to say I disagree about this. I think the Vasst Vid is worth the price. Compare it to a 3 or 4 hour workshop -- which could be anywhere from
$50 to $100 (that's a SF Bay Area conservative price) and not specifically about the A1, just about Digital cameras in general.

I don't mind the Berube brothers -- kind of amusing -- though I probably won't watch their segment again. Doug's in depth section is incredibly helpful -- to me at least -- and I can return to it anytime and go over it again. He's very clear and precise and has a very generous delivery. Made me feel a lot less intimidated by this wonderful camera. For the overall in depth look I'm really grateful it exists. Along with this amazing forum --

Thanks btw for being so candid about your experiences Howard -- and since this is the thread I learned about the dvd on thanks for that too.

Annie

Howard Wilczynski · May 20th, 2007, 03:11 PM

Thank Bill, I understand.

Howard

Stacy Dudley · May 20th, 2007, 07:18 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Howard Wilczynski

Stacy, I want to clarify. You could skip over the first section and in the last hour there is some useful information. I now understand what the custom preset do and can do. I still will not use most of them, but I'm not afraid of them anymore. If the Vaast Video was $20-$30 it would be worth it. But for $80, it's not even close.

I just ordered a mic stand, thanks.

When I connected to the board, I had my Sony TRV-900. The only input was a 3.5mm jack and they did have a stereo output from the board. They just didn't want to spend any time working on the level. But now with my A-1, I will go for a direct line feed and set the level myself (as long as the level I get from them is useful enough) and we go back to that theater.

Good luck with your A1.

Howard

Thanks for the clarification. If I find myself going nowhere fast I might consider spending the $80.00. I guess I was hoping it would make me the next Steven Spielberg (yes that was a joke). :)

By the way, there are plenty of good wireless mic setups you can buy if you need to get the audio close to the talent (stage) and stay in the stands, without having to rely on the guys behind the board. That is if you want to spend the money (I don't have that kind of money)!

Anyway, thanks for post on the video and good luck with your new toy as well.

Stacy

Geoff Brandenburg · May 21st, 2007, 01:06 AM

Everyone will probably have a different assessment as to the value of the VASST DVD. But I agree with Annie — $80 in the equivalent workshop is very reasonable. And for the peace of mind to know what all the parameters of this camera mean, that's the best $80 I ever spent.

In a few hours, I now know this camera faster and better than I would have ever found through any other medium. That speed of learning curve is priceless.

Howard Wilczynski · May 21st, 2007, 07:07 AM

Annie and Geoff,

If you look at it in those terms, comparing it to the cost of a workshop, then the second half of the Vaast video may be worth the price alone. I did pick up information that was useful.

I just wish Doug was more consistent and went in depth on everything he talked about and not just some things.

Howard

Drew Beach · May 21st, 2007, 01:25 PM

As a brand new XHA1 user and beginning videographer. I got a lot from the VASST video and feel it was worth the price.

The Berube brothers segment was pretty useless unless you haven't even looked at the manual. They seem to just be winging it.

Doug's section was structured much better. His explanations were more coherent and very understandable. I wish he had gone a little more in depth, but he did cover a wide range of topics.

A workshop might have been better, but they just had one here last month, so the next will be a few months off.

Howard Wilczynski · June 8th, 2007, 12:01 PM

Mine was yesterday.

My daughter's theater class was having their finals yesterday. I told the teacher last week that I would love to record all the performances and she said she would love that too.

I ordered a ZR-1000 remote and played with it a couple of days ago. I was a little disappointed that all the buttons don't work on the A-1, but I thought it was good enough. Note: I did not try it in the actual way I would use it on the tripod, but just by plugging into the camera.

I get to the theater classroom 20 minutes early to set up: I set up my tripod and camera and started to attach the ZR-1000. The screws are too short, way to short so I cannot mount it to my 501HDV's arm. The cable is way to short to do anything else with it. I put it away.

I put my Rode NTG-2 on a mic stand and run 20 feet of XLR cable to my camera. Plugged in my B&O headphones. Set everything on the camera to manual including the audio. During the rehearsals I was able to set a good level looking the meters and monitoring.

I was all set. The teacher called 4 minutes to show and I turned around and stepped on the very long cable to my headset and it yanked it out of the camera. I said "Oh S..t".

I plugged them back in and nothing, no sound at all. I giggled them a little and a piece of green plastic fell out. The teacher yelled "1 minute" and I panicked. Since I could not monitor it anymore, I set the audio to auto and hoped.

Everything else worked out and when I checked the video at home the sound seems fine and the video is beautiful.

So my camera is at Canon. I called them right away and got a repair number, packed it up and shipped it. Irvine is 60 miles away, 1 day UPS ground service. I told Canon the truth and the guy thinks they will fix it for free. We will see.

I also sent the ZR-1000 back to Amazon and am thinking about the ZR-2000 which has controls that really work with the A1, but it is $400.

BTW - I've signed up for a 3 day hands on Final Cut Pro 6 class in late July. I hope to learn a lot from that.

All in all my first real experience shooting manual (except for focus) went pretty well.

I guess cable management is something to think about too.

Stacy Dudley · June 8th, 2007, 03:13 PM

That's a great (but sad) story Howard. Sorry to hear about the luck. You should submit it to one of the magazines like VideoMaker magazine or something. VideoMaker has a column just for such nightmare stories. I am sure they would print that.

Stacy

June 8th, 2007, 12:01 PM	#52
Howard Wilczynski Regular Crew Join Date: Mar 2007 Location: Canyon Country, CA Posts: 71	Ever have one of those days... Mine was yesterday. My daughter's theater class was having their finals yesterday. I told the teacher last week that I would love to record all the performances and she said she would love that too. I ordered a ZR-1000 remote and played with it a couple of days ago. I was a little disappointed that all the buttons don't work on the A-1, but I thought it was good enough. Note: I did not try it in the actual way I would use it on the tripod, but just by plugging into the camera. I get to the theater classroom 20 minutes early to set up: I set up my tripod and camera and started to attach the ZR-1000. The screws are too short, way to short so I cannot mount it to my 501HDV's arm. The cable is way to short to do anything else with it. I put it away. I put my Rode NTG-2 on a mic stand and run 20 feet of XLR cable to my camera. Plugged in my B&O headphones. Set everything on the camera to manual including the audio. During the rehearsals I was able to set a good level looking the meters and monitoring. I was all set. The teacher called 4 minutes to show and I turned around and stepped on the very long cable to my headset and it yanked it out of the camera. I said "Oh S..t". I plugged them back in and nothing, no sound at all. I giggled them a little and a piece of green plastic fell out. The teacher yelled "1 minute" and I panicked. Since I could not monitor it anymore, I set the audio to auto and hoped. Everything else worked out and when I checked the video at home the sound seems fine and the video is beautiful. So my camera is at Canon. I called them right away and got a repair number, packed it up and shipped it. Irvine is 60 miles away, 1 day UPS ground service. I told Canon the truth and the guy thinks they will fix it for free. We will see. I also sent the ZR-1000 back to Amazon and am thinking about the ZR-2000 which has controls that really work with the A1, but it is $400. BTW - I've signed up for a 3 day hands on Final Cut Pro 6 class in late July. I hope to learn a lot from that. All in all my first real experience shooting manual (except for focus) went pretty well. I guess cable management is something to think about too. Last edited by Howard Wilczynski; June 8th, 2007 at 02:22 PM. Reason: more thoughts

June 8th, 2007, 03:13 PM	#53
Stacy Dudley Regular Crew Join Date: Feb 2007 Location: Longwood, Florida Posts: 71	RE: Bad day That's a great (but sad) story Howard. Sorry to hear about the luck. You should submit it to one of the magazines like VideoMaker magazine or something. VideoMaker has a column just for such nightmare stories. I am sure they would print that. Stacy

May 20th, 2007, 02:46 PM	#46
Annie Fitzpatrick Tourist Join Date: Mar 2007 Location: San Francisco, CA Posts: 1	"If the Vaast Video was $20-$30 it would be worth it. But for $80, it's not even close." Hmm -- I have to say I disagree about this. I think the Vasst Vid is worth the price. Compare it to a 3 or 4 hour workshop -- which could be anywhere from $50 to $100 (that's a SF Bay Area conservative price) and not specifically about the A1, just about Digital cameras in general. I don't mind the Berube brothers -- kind of amusing -- though I probably won't watch their segment again. Doug's in depth section is incredibly helpful -- to me at least -- and I can return to it anytime and go over it again. He's very clear and precise and has a very generous delivery. Made me feel a lot less intimidated by this wonderful camera. For the overall in depth look I'm really grateful it exists. Along with this amazing forum -- Thanks btw for being so candid about your experiences Howard -- and since this is the thread I learned about the dvd on thanks for that too. Annie

May 20th, 2007, 03:11 PM	#47
Howard Wilczynski Regular Crew Join Date: Mar 2007 Location: Canyon Country, CA Posts: 71	Thank Bill, I understand. Howard

May 21st, 2007, 01:06 AM	#49
Geoff Brandenburg New Boot Join Date: Apr 2007 Location: Truckee, CA Posts: 5	Everyone will probably have a different assessment as to the value of the VASST DVD. But I agree with Annie — $80 in the equivalent workshop is very reasonable. And for the peace of mind to know what all the parameters of this camera mean, that's the best $80 I ever spent. In a few hours, I now know this camera faster and better than I would have ever found through any other medium. That speed of learning curve is priceless.

May 21st, 2007, 07:07 AM	#50
Howard Wilczynski Regular Crew Join Date: Mar 2007 Location: Canyon Country, CA Posts: 71	Annie and Geoff, If you look at it in those terms, comparing it to the cost of a workshop, then the second half of the Vaast video may be worth the price alone. I did pick up information that was useful. I just wish Doug was more consistent and went in depth on everything he talked about and not just some things. Howard

May 21st, 2007, 01:25 PM	#51
Drew Beach Tourist Join Date: Oct 2006 Location: LA Posts: 2	As a brand new XHA1 user and beginning videographer. I got a lot from the VASST video and feel it was worth the price. The Berube brothers segment was pretty useless unless you haven't even looked at the manual. They seem to just be winging it. Doug's section was structured much better. His explanations were more coherent and very understandable. I wish he had gone a little more in depth, but he did cover a wide range of topics. A workshop might have been better, but they just had one here last month, so the next will be a few months off.