Customer Reviews

Canon XH A1 1.67MP 3CCD High-Definition Camcorder with 20x Optical Zoom

5 star:		(31)
4 star:		(8)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(2)

 

 

I looked at this camera the Panasonic hvx200, the sonys, the jvc 200, and even Canon's bigger brother the X1. I found this one to have fantastic reviews on DVinfo.net, a great video forum. My concerns about 24f vs 24p were addressed to my satisfaction- there really isn't a difference. I like tape vs the HVX's expensive storage solutions. One concern I had was, will it look like a pro camera? That is important in some situations where your equipment gives you added credibilty with clients and talent.

As soon as I opened the box I was in love! This is a really substantial camera. Especially with the opt wide angle from Canon and the matte box provided, this does not look like your mama's camcorder.

I really like the manual controls, so that you don't have to go thru menus to change parameters. The layout of everything is great. I really like the dual on/off and zoom controls- top of handle plus rear right side. Holding the handle for low or medium height shots is very, very comfortable and the controls are perfectly positioned.

Only down side- and it is incidental. The matte box is a bit flimsy- lightweight plastic. That helps with weight, but I worry about breaking it. Some may say that HDV codec is not as good as DVCpro, but my eye does not see it. The colors are magnificent and it blows away many other cams in low-light.

If you are looking for point and shoot, this is not your baby, but if you want a pro quality camera for a really great price- this is it!

Length:: 2:55 Mins

I use this camcorder now for all my filming (capturing with Final Cut Pro) and I highly recommend it.

About 1 year ago I bought an XL-H1 and a Sony HVR-A1U to do work on a documentary. Though the Sony has proved to be a great camera in its own right, it doesn't cut well with the XL-H1, and the image quality in bright light was near as good, in darker settings, things just fell apart. So I bought this camera XH-A1. I thought when I bought the XL-H1 I would end up buying a second when I could afford it, but I found no compelling reason on a couple of counts. (1) Jack pack is wonderful if you are planning to haul around a RAID array and a generator. I'm sure this would be allot of fun for the run a gunner like myself ;-) (sarcasm). Even though I have heard people criticize the HDV format for compression and artifacts not seen as much with the uncompressed format you get from the HD/SDI output.. I personally think maybe its 1 person in a 1000 who could tell the difference in the end (and they might be faking, I can't). This pictures is NOTHING short of Stunning period. (2) I thought having two cameras that I could syncronize with the clocks would be really needed.. but its really not that difficult to do in an editor by just finding a synchronizing frame (like a handshake, etc) and going from there. (3) I wanted the TC output to drive an external 24 bit audio recorder (this camera doesn't have it the HL-H1 does). Well, after getting it to work, I never used it.. I did lots of 24 bit recording, but like the video, it was easy enough to synchronize externally in the editor later. The autofocus on this camera is hugely improved over the xl-h1. I NEVER run the XL-H1 in "auto" anything, this camera I do as it seems to have more smarts, though I STRONGLY suggest putting the gain into "LOW" not auto and setting it for -3 in the menu setups. Also, Always do manual white balance. I still favor running about everything in manual as its better control and fewer unexpected problems, but I would trust this camera far more than the XL-H1 in auto.

DOWNSIDES:
For me, there are only two downsides to this camera (1) Wide angle lens - I know there is a screw on available, I haven't tried it.. but the $3K canon wide angle lens (almost the same price as this camera!) is just amazing, I wonder how great this one is. (2) Power of the big camera.. as much of a joke as it may sound.. I have gotten several interviews and in several places because the XL-H1 is huge, expensive, and professional looking. I have walked though security at events because the guys "assume" I am with something official (just an independent doc), and have seen them stop guys with huge expensive still cameras, etc.. its actually very funny, but if you understand human nature.. it makes people take you seriously. The XH-A1 performs every bit as good, but lacks that effect to the same degree (though it still looks pretty "professional"). I hope that helps.

Last comment, unless you're going to film (I think 24F is pretty bogus) try 30F, looks much smoother and better. People fell in love with the distortion of vinal recordings, but it was still distortion. 24F (p) is the same thing.. looks jerky, maybe more like a movie, but if you have a better technology why on earth would you like something inferiour? My 2 Cents.

I just got this in May 2007. I was a still photographer all my life, but now deceided to incorporate videos into my work, so I went straight to the quality camera rather than trying out inexpensive versions, despite being quite a novice when it comes to complicated video camera operations (I'm used to just push/zoom/record when it comes to camcorders).

This camera takes great quality footages, and if you're like me (don't know how to operate it to it's full potential), it's still easy enough to use and get a great shot while you're still reading and learning from the manual. I ended up buying the DVD explaining this specific camera, after reading the manual 3 times and found it more complex than I had imagined. Might as well learn all the tricks after investing in this great equipment, right?

I tape professional concerts on stage, so 20x zoom is thankful, but sometimes even that's not enough for my work! Does anyone have a suggestion as to which teleconverter attachment I should /can use for this?

I also attend red carpet events and interview people at publicized functions. Being a girl, it's bad enough to fight the big boys from the prominent press to grab the celebrity's attention. However, this camera commands attention, and people actually make way for me when I walk around with this professional looking machine. I even succeeded in grabbing Michael Moore and Joan Rivers to talk to my camera for a very brief interview before they had to walk away to the next bigger camera (CNN - had I not been next to their HUGE intimidating camera, perhaps I would have had more time with those celebs? ).

The spotlight mode on this camera has been helpful in filming stage performances where my second camera (Sony) I roll simultaneously from another angle can't seem to handle the crazy changes in the stage lighting as well.

There's much more upsides, but I think people already know that.

The fact that you can adjust just about anything manually makes this camera the bar-none winner!

One of the few non-professional camcorder that comes with microphone jack input as well as headphone jack! Both very much appreciated.

So, the DOWNSIDE:

The still photo capability is nice, but the images come out grainy in higher resolution, but okay in the lower res setting. Outdoor photos faired better. For photography art, stick to your real camera.

The manual that comes with the camera is NOT easily deciphered by a novice like myself, when it gets into the deep and technical aspects of customizing the setting (what, why, and how). A novice would probably end up shooting in auto mode (such a pity) due to it's complex programming involved for custom setting.

Weight: for a girl (115 lbs), I always need a tripod because it's quite heavy after holding it for 10 min and by the end of the event, my arm/shoulder is aching. However, the image stablizer works fantastically when hand-held.

Microphone - invest in external microphone if you're doing serious work. I bought wireless lavs and mics, and I finally get the sounds I'm aiming for. Otherwise, it's great for home video kind of audio (good enough for many cases), with couple of tweekers to enhance it a bit.

After careful review and hands-on comparisons of Canon's XHA1, the Sony V1U, Panasonic's vastly overrated HVX200, and JVC's HD110, I opted for Canon's XHA1.

Surprisingly, the V1U was quite "noisy" in all settings, appearing no better in quality than my obsolete TRV900. Apparently, 24P on the V1 is at this moment un-editable in most NLE's except Sony's mediocre "Vegas" software. And until a 16GB or 32GB P2 card is introduced at a drastically reduced price (unlikely) the HVX vs film camera comparisons seem justified only in that the cost of each precious minute is as astronomical as the cost of celluloid. JVC lacks an auto focus feature, which is fine as long as you've got a camera crew in tow complete with a professional focus puller.

Bottom line, Canon's optics are second to none. The XHA1 is the low price answer to Canon's flagship XLH1, and from the same camp, the far superior camera in this bunch.

A standing ovation to Amazon for overnight delivery of the XHA1, which arrived in pristine condition on time as promised.

This camera is great. Its low light performance and high definition is really a great combination. In side by side tests I have done with the Sony FX1 and V1U it beats both on the low light performance and has lower noise. It has many manual controls which are key for me and the picture manipulation settings cannot be beat by comparable cameras.

I own it. I use it a lot. 9 months now and it's still working fine. No drop outs on the tapes and I've put it through some challenging climates as well as racking up significant hours shooting and digitizing.

I like that it shoots tape, as that's what my clients demand from me (it's the reason I had to buy this particular HDV cam in the first place) and I can buy stock anywhere in the world (and have). However, with the cost of digital storage these days, the cams that offer recording field footage on advanced flash cards start looking like a really nice option as it bypasses the issue of tape mechanism breakdown as the hours usage starts to add up.

My first week of shooting with this cam in Beijing I suffered through a chinese dude stumbling into my gear and basically sitting on my XH. The mic broke right off. It's not attached with a sturdy mount, just internal plastic with a lot of play, so if you're doing extensive run and gun you might want to consider that. It sticks out there and is vulnerable. I use an external shotgun anyway, so while I was sad to see the mic break off, it doesn't affect my work.

I don't really like the image chip presets/defaults on the camera, very bland, but they're easily changed and one can do endless tweaks for the settings that work best for you and your style. I do a fair amount of work for live music acts, and the ability of this camera to counter-balance the heavy red light typical of live venues has been a blessing. Also, there are plenty of users out there that share their chip settings and downloading them from the net and putting them on your own XH A1 is pretty easy. Many many things are user programmable on this camera. Color settings, gain settings, focal ring sensitivity, zoom speed, etc. I use the camera exclusively in manual mode, so these controls are ideal.

I find that editing HDV on my FCP system has been almost as fluid as my DV projects. It's ever so slightly bogged down by the necessity to do on-the-fly time-code calculations due to the nature of the codec, but it's very negligible. In fact, because of HDV, FCP defaults to a nice real-time capture process that I like --where it grabs clips individually rather than consolidated (as on DV). So that's a nice bonus!

As far as the limitations of HDV, Yes, they exist. Big deal. I don't understand the logic of folks that bash the codec/format. If you don't know what the HDV format is all about, then chances are you're not shooting as a true pro, and you're working the middle ground in some way (and there's lots of work in that part of the market) so what's the worry? The color sampling is highly compressed. Yeah? And if you were doing a real shoot that required serious green-screen or some such, something tells me you'd have the budget for gear north of 3k. Sheesh. Otherwise, your gonna get a cam that has the capability of creating really nice motion picture images that's ridiculously affordable. And, if you're an aspiring pro or a motivated enthusiast, you're going to find that your skills and ambitions will allow you to push this camera to really high levels of image quality.

Basically if you know what you're doing the camera will deliver. Keep in mind that ANY camera in the same budget can and will accomplish the same.

In short, I love it.

The XH A1 is a professional looking camera and has all the features you need.

It is a bit complex for those who are not true prosumers or pros, and the manual is not consumer oriented.

The picture qualitity is, so far, the best I've seen in non-pro cameras. The 3 CCDs at 1/3 inch each are truely spectacular.

The 2 external XLR connections are the reason I looked at this camera. If you want to mic someone via wireless or wired lav mic, this is the camer to do that. Just make sure you read over the XLR connection settings in the manual a few times and change the buttons (unfortunately located in 4 different locations on the camera) to the right settings. A set of good headphones is a must-have when not using the wonderful built-in mic. By the way, this built-in mic eliminated one of the situations where I always needed a mic, a close up interview situation--the built-in is very sensitive and accurate for this type of thing.

The downside to this camera is really only that it does NOT contain an HDMI adapter. Sadly CANON did not provide one; instead they opted for a custom (HDMI-looking) adpater that if you loose the cable you can't run down to Fry's or Radio Shack to get another one. :(

The other thing is that it is 1440x1080 instead of 1920x1080. Their new CANON HV20 ( a 1CCD camera due in April 2007) is 1920x1080 resolution--just seems odd to me. But then I'm the guy that will get a 10 Megapixel camera simply because its better resolution. :)

The bottom line, don't get the Sony FX7, get this one. The Sony seems and is easier to use, but it doesn't have an external XLR jack, it uses 1/4 inch CCDs, and in a side-by-side test doesn't offer as good performance in low light situations as this one.

The camera is a bit complicated, but if you're willing to learn, it is a wonderful tool.

If you need true point and shoot, I'd wait and get the CANON HV20.

The canon is not your average point and shoot video camera. Although your results will likely be great if you're outside shooting your child's sports event, the camera requires patience and frequent use to get a feel for it's abilities.

The best recommendation I can make to folks looking to purchase this camera is to shoot often, shoot in low light, bright light, get a feel for what the built-in Neutral Density filter does for you, and how to use the audio controls.

It's taken me about 6-8 hours of filming in 15 minute intervals to get my comfort level up to a point where I'm happy and excited to shoot important events. This is a fantastic professional camera and while the average user won't need to worry about customizing all the color settings (although there programs to help you), the professional will love the control settings, the user defined program buttons, and the timecoding found in the sister camera, the XH-G1.

Have fun, this is a great camera.

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Why I chose this camera over it's rivals:

1. 3CCD means (at the time I purchased) a better low light film quality.
2. External XLR audio. I tend to prefer the audio from a shotgun mic, or the wind filtering fuzzies on a shure mic.
3. Flip out LCD. This is a must for comfortable shooting / tripod shooting.
4. Handle controls. Shoot those low shots aiming up with comfort without getting off the stage.
5. Tapes. SD cards are great, but I tend to shoot once and keep the tapes forever, so SD cards were an expensive option for shoot once storage (they're cheaper now, but i still feel kinda silly not re-using memory cards).

Importing onto my mac is a piece of cake. PC users may need some special software.

Have fun and happy shooting!

I have nothing but good things to say about this camera; every good thing in the other reviews is true. I literally have no complaints, except when it comes to the company Canon outsourced to facilitate the rebates. I was denied my rebate twice, having been lied to by the company, saying I missed the postmark deadline. I did certified mail, baby. They got their date wrong and denied me, but with persistence, and overwhelming evidence, they sent me a check, but would not provide info on where they got their (fake) date wrong.
So, beware, and send certified for rebates. And Canon, shame on you for having a crap company like Rebates HQ do your rebates!
This camera, by the way, is a dream. It's lens makes me tingle. It's the best camcorder I've ever used, and as a filmmaker, I've used quite a few.
Oh, and as with ALL camcorders, don't use the camera mic if you care about sound. Seriously now.