Thinking of getting the XL H1… good/bad idea?

Dennis Robinson · February 17th, 2006, 08:53 AM

I am really wondering why a lot of posts here mention the cost of a camera when they are using them to make money. I dont do weddings but in Australia, I always thought that it would be difficult to find someone to do the job for less than $2000. Is that not the case elswhere? Even a wedding a week would justify the cost of getting a camera like the Canon without having to compare it to the fX1.... surely?
I would be interested to know what you guys are charging for weddings etc.

Dennis Hingsberg · February 20th, 2006, 08:05 AM

So Andrew - where do we stand? Have you received your new camera yet or are we back to the drawing board?

Robert M Wright · February 20th, 2006, 03:17 PM

I don't know about Andrew, but it may take me a couple weeks at least to actually make a purchase. I'm about 99+% decided now on one of the Sonys (FX1 or Z1) as a primary (A1U for second and backup), but not 100%, unless a great deal comes my way quickly (I'm currently tracking FX1s and Z1s on eBay thoroughly now).

I'm still toying just a little, in the back of my mind, with the idea of going the HD100U route, because of what I perceive as a little more robust image acquisition control, and that I probably will deliver most final output as 720p tweaked to display on LCDs and Plasmas. I could see potentially pulling some 720/60p straight from the head of a HD100U, via SDI, during ceremonies, at some point in the future.

It won't be the Canon for me. I just can't really justify doubling (or more) the camera costs (the cost of tools is a pretty fundamentally important consideration in anything close to reasonably sound business planning, for any business venture), when it is somewhat difficult for me to imagine that the Canon would even approach doubling the quality of the final product. Even if money were not an object, I'm not even sure the Canon would actually wind up being a better choice than the Z1 (or FX1) for weddings (how does it compare in low-light?). I'm not concerned about clients perceiving me as a professional while shooting with an FX1 or Z1 (or the A1U for that matter). If they don't perceive me as a professional, I surely have much bigger problems than my choice of camera!!!

February 17th, 2006, 08:53 AM	#46
Dennis Robinson Major Player Join Date: Mar 2004 Location: Perth, Australia Posts: 250	I am really wondering why a lot of posts here mention the cost of a camera when they are using them to make money. I dont do weddings but in Australia, I always thought that it would be difficult to find someone to do the job for less than $2000. Is that not the case elswhere? Even a wedding a week would justify the cost of getting a camera like the Canon without having to compare it to the fX1.... surely? I would be interested to know what you guys are charging for weddings etc. __________________ Dennis Robinson G5, , 30 inch display, FCP6 Studio 2, JVC-GYHD111

February 20th, 2006, 08:05 AM	#47
Dennis Hingsberg Trustee Join Date: Oct 2003 Location: Toronto, Canada Posts: 1,055	So Andrew - where do we stand? Have you received your new camera yet or are we back to the drawing board? __________________ Blog: www.hingsberg.com Ultimate Exposure Guides for FS5/F7S/F5/F55

February 20th, 2006, 03:17 PM	#48
Robert M Wright Inner Circle Join Date: Jan 2006 Location: Minnesota (USA) Posts: 2,171	I don't know about Andrew, but it may take me a couple weeks at least to actually make a purchase. I'm about 99+% decided now on one of the Sonys (FX1 or Z1) as a primary (A1U for second and backup), but not 100%, unless a great deal comes my way quickly (I'm currently tracking FX1s and Z1s on eBay thoroughly now). I'm still toying just a little, in the back of my mind, with the idea of going the HD100U route, because of what I perceive as a little more robust image acquisition control, and that I probably will deliver most final output as 720p tweaked to display on LCDs and Plasmas. I could see potentially pulling some 720/60p straight from the head of a HD100U, via SDI, during ceremonies, at some point in the future. It won't be the Canon for me. I just can't really justify doubling (or more) the camera costs (the cost of tools is a pretty fundamentally important consideration in anything close to reasonably sound business planning, for any business venture), when it is somewhat difficult for me to imagine that the Canon would even approach doubling the quality of the final product. Even if money were not an object, I'm not even sure the Canon would actually wind up being a better choice than the Z1 (or FX1) for weddings (how does it compare in low-light?). I'm not concerned about clients perceiving me as a professional while shooting with an FX1 or Z1 (or the A1U for that matter). If they don't perceive me as a professional, I surely have much bigger problems than my choice of camera!!!