I love this camera. If you don't have a lot of experience with prosumer cameras (as in my case), the first look may be a bit intimidating (a friend said, "It looks like you're filming tv news"). Especially as I added a Rode shotgun mike (not sure it does anything other than make the sound louder, but...still checking it out).
You can't rest the camera on your shoulder, but the image stabilizer helps and the grip and buttons are all well designed and easy to reach. I struggled through the manual, but fortunately bought Dan Curran's dvd about the xh-a1 which appears to be almost identical. This was a -huge- help. I can't recommend it enough if you are at all unsure of what you're looking at. He goes through the simplest things (putting the shoulder strap on) to some very technical settings that you can do. The dvd saved me -so much- learning time and also prevented some careless mistakes (like letting sunlight through the viewfinder).
This camera feels like a terrific tool that can do whatever you need and the picture quality--even on Auto--is beautiful. Having the two XLR terminals will make a big difference, too. The versatility and design really meets such a variety of needs--way too much machine/expense for "home video" (it's not the kind of camera people forget is pointing at them), but great if you want to shoot training films, web videos, independent films.
Technology has changed so much in the 20 years since I was in film school--and it's still hard for me to believe that such a great camera, capable of such a quality product, is available for under $4000.
Very impressed. Highly recommended.
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This camera is not for the novice by any means because once you step out of the auto everything mode it can be quite complicated.
Now that being said if it wasn't for all the manual settings and adjustments I would not want it anyway.
I have a Canon XLH1 and this camera makes the perfect workmate for it.
The picture quality is virtually the same so for a two camera shoot it's great.
Although it's about half of the weight of it's big brother the XLH1 it's still a little hard to hold steady since you can't rest it on your shoulder but the image stabilization is very helpful.
Also the auto focus is very fast and really comes in handy when you have to run and gun so to speak.
All in all this is a great camera with a awesome picture and I simply love it.
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What can I say except this camera is the only one that offers everything you need in this price range. What really sets it apart is the two xlr inputs on the side allowing two microphones to capture sound, and it switchable between external and internal mics, or use both simultaneously. No other camera offers this. Get a lens filter kit and the wide angle and telephoto adapters and you're ready to create anything you can imagine.
I recently filmed a music festival using this camera for long shots, close-ups, cutaways, and static shots, everything looks amazing. A tip for the novice to high-def recording- keeping the lens clean and checking it frequently is a must. The tiniest speck of dust looks huge on playback.
I've used it mostly on automatic setting so far as the the music festival was happening only days after receiving this camera but the little bit I've played around on manual setting promises unparalleled versatility, i'm very excited.
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I love this camcorder. I'm not particularly tech-savvy or a 'pro' (working on it) but after reading through the manual I am now able to do pretty much everything I want. The quality of the image is great, as is the price when you compare it to other HD camcorders available. It arrived really fast too.
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This Canon cam has been a great investment to my company. It was easy to learn, fast to set up, and a pleasure to use; even when all the settings are on manual. All of the important controls are programmable hard buttons. Focus, Aperture, and zoom are all on the lens barrel for easy access. The picture is clear and the computer interface to the camera is a breeze. This is a real winner.
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