Just starting out; which camera to get??

[Ryan Avery]

Originally Posted by Marty Hudzik

It sounds a little like you are describing one of those "kits" you see thrown together on ebay with a bunch of extras that are about worthless.

As far as lens add-ons stick with Century optics or Canon glass. Don't go with the cheap knock-offs as they are worthless.

Canon makes a phenomenal wide angle lens for the H1 that blows away everything in this class. If you have the money I would look into that as it pays for itself on tight sets and in small location shoots. And the manual lens is amazing. I shoot with it almost exclusively. I tried and XH-A1 and admit it compares to the H1 favorably, but I could never get it to feel like a real lens like my H1 with manual lens. And yes, it technically is not rated for HD....but the images it creates are stunning.

Good Luck.

If you get the XH-A1 I strongly recommend the following .8x zoom through converter. It is exceptional quality and it doesn't block the instant auto focus sensor like any other attachment available for it. Also, linked is our UV filter for the camera which is made of the highest quality glass and won't degrade your image like lesser filters.

http://www.schneideroptics.com/ecomm...=1075&IID=2974

http://www.schneideroptics.com/ecomm...D=671&IID=3050

Please check one of the sponsor dealers to get the best prices on these items.

Ryan Avery
Schneider Optics

[Chris van der Zaan]

Why not buy a VX2100 instead? In Europe a VX2100 is sold for 1700 euro vs 3200-3300 euro for a XH-A1. If you are really just starting out i wouldn't spent over 3000 euro's for something, let alone for the fact hd isn't big (at least in Europe) yet. Here in Holland almost noone has a blu-ray burner, videorental stores and media stores don't carry hd or blu-ray. (or very minor) There are even no dutch HD TV channels on satellite or cable yet. Besides you will also need an up to date computer to edit hdv. Plus, HD camera's are not performing well in low light conditions, yet. I would go for a cheap VX2100 for starters. And if your business really starts rolling, and people ask for hd, you could always look for a hd cam.