XH-A1 Vs. FX1000

Scott, buy the Canon XH-A1 and you"ll be happy.

Well, after all the talk about going to true HD, it's just not for me at this point in time. I'll revisit this next year when as everything else, the price of solid state cards and the cameras goes down.

The main thing I wanted in a new camera was the 20X zoom.
Also true progressive mode. So with that, at this time, I'll be going to the FX1000. The very low lux of this camera is a good selling point too.
And since I'll be saving money on the camera I'm also getting the articulated arm type steadicam that we talked about in another forum here.

So new camera, steadicam and a lot of "production value" as Mark talked about.

Jake

"(The video is processed internally as 1920x1080, but due to the bitrate limitations of the HDV format, the video is still recorded at 1440x1080.) The FX1000 also provides a 1080/24p and 1080/30p Progressive Scan mode that enables nice looking film-like video. You can now secure HDV captures onto tape by way of a 2:3 pull-down, which records to tape at 60i. This divides each frame into two fields, which then reverts to its original state as you bring it into an editing program."
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So is this really different than the XH-A1? Still recrds at 1440x1080. Even the progressive is saved as interlaced it sounds like. A little confusing as to if it is really true progressive of a "progressive mode".

Don

It's supposed to be true progressive. I guess I have to investigate that.

I know it's still HDV but like I said the HD cameras are just too expensive right now for the return on Stock. I'm sure HDV will be phased out more and more as time goes on but for now, just like SD, those will be selling for years to come, as will HDV.

This is from pcworld which seems to be true progressive.

"But the improvements don’t end there. The FX1000 also benefits from a 25p progressive scan mode (in fact, it’s the first HD handycam from Sony to offer such a function). This essentially mimics the look and feel of celluloid and will be a huge boon for amateur film-makers who want their projects to appear as cinematic as possible. It also comes with CinemaTone Gamma and CinemaTone Color filtering options, which further enhance images with deeper, film-like tones. While not ideal for all situations (free-roaming handheld footage tends to suffer from ghosting, for instance), the 25p progressive scan mode is an excellent option that broadens the scope of what the cameraman can achieve. Whether you’re aiming for the portentousness of Cannes or the bogan joviality of Tropfest, it’s a great mode to have at your disposal. "

KInda like a lot of the double talk Canon does on it's progressive too. None of them come right out and say they have a true progressive scan. Instead they say scan mode etc etc.

Damn salesmen......

I am 90% decided on the xh-a1... fx1000 seems cool, but I would prob still shoot in 60i either way.

At first the super slo-mo stuff seemed cool, but I didn't realize the resolution goes down!

So HDV is not considered HD? When I upload they are HD, not HDV, or? Since I convert them from 1440x1080 to 1920x1080? I am still very confused on certain aspects of stock, and can't believe I have made it to where I am :-)

Jake, get the fx1000, I'll get the A1 and we can swap through the year.

edit: if you get the fx1000 they have 18 months no interest from sony.com.... which is a pretty good selling point I think. I am getting a 0% apy for 12-18 months Credit card for my camera (bankrate.com is a great site to find good CC)

the fx shoots in 1920x1080 but saves to tape at 1440x1080 so I don't see it improved. I'm not that technical but what comes off the tape is all that matters. For true slow motion or fast motion ya need to get a camera that either over or under cranks. Using software processor to slow down or speed up does inject lower quality. I really like the 20x zoom and variable speed on XH-A1. Probably same on both. It really comes down to preference, do ya like Canon or Sony.

Scott,
HDV is HD, just more compressed then true HD

Ok, I'm slow but I'm stupid too ... what is true HD? Of course we as artists want to give the highest quality but for stock we are also limited to file size due to upload and download times. 20 seconds and 500 MB is about as big as HD can effectively get and still use internet sales via download. What would be expected of true HD?