Quote:
Originally Posted by GeXus
I want to buy a camcorder for short-films... I don't know much, this will also be a learning experience, but I definitely want HD...
I've heard the Canon XH A1 is really good and a good one for starters looking for something more then basic...
What would you guys recommend?
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I shoot with that cam, and I really like it. If you are shooting a short film, it's a great way to go. However, if you are shooting for the web, it takes a fuck of a long time to render video shot on this camera because it's 1080i hidef. I shoot with a canon xl1s and gl2 as well, and I'll say the color temp is better on the xl/gl series, but the clarity can't be matched. I'll say there is a definate learning curve for it, as it's got SOOOO many manual features, and they are laid out differently than past canon models. It also weighs about a million fucking pounds, so get a tripod and/or steadycam.
The other cam I considered was the panasonic HVX that has the p2 card that you can record directly to for tapeless media. The picture quality was amazing (and should be for 2k more than the canon), but the media was ridiculously priced and can't hold more than about 10 minutes before needing to be dumped.
Here is a head to head review
http://www.hdforindies.com/2007/01/d...a1-vs-hvx.html, which states that the Canon should be "optimized" to improve quality of colors, and I admittedly haven't done that.
I have friends that shoot with the Sony, and I'll say that i'm not impressed with any of their semi pro grade cameras. I hate the way they render red's, for instance, and the zoom isn't that great either.