can't decide between an HVX200A or an XH-A1s. I have been looking through a B&H catalog and it says something about an XH-G1s, is there any big difference between the two? right now i have a dvx, and am looking to get something new. for those of you have an xh-a1 what are some of the features that would be good, and same for the hvx.

this is a 100% guess but i would GUESS that an xh-g1 is a pal version of the xh-a1. again complete guess cuz im too lazy to check. could be completely wrong.

the xhg1 isn't bad but from what i gather it doesn't compare to the hvx.
the xhg1 only shoots 1080i whereas the hvx shoots 1080p (although it's not native 1080p it's still better than nothing).
the xhg1 shoots 24p, 30p, 60i whereas the hvx also shoots 60p (in 720 however).

now that i looked back at your post, i realize you wanted a comparison of hvx to xha1. stewart used an xha1 for a while, and he liked it but still i think even he would probably suggest hvx
hvx shoots to p2 cards so you have the advantage of tapeless workflow. again, it shoots 60p, as well as 1080p ish.

if you have the extra cash definitely go for an hvx.

no trevor the G1 has timecode sync out which is sick if you're shooting with a few of the same camera so that when you're editing in post you have all your camera angles lined up according to timecode... itd be incredibly helpful for our wedding film company (since we shoot with 2-3 A1s on a shoot). But for individual shooting its not necessary. Also the G1 has HD-SDI out so that you can capture via a Kona card into uncompressed HD 4:2:2 or whatever... also unnecessary for your shooting I would think.

I really really liked my Canon A1, I just hate that it was tape based... Also one of my major factors in switching to my current Canon 7D setup was because we had a Canon 5DmkII for our wedding film company and the image quality is just astronomically better than the A1 or the HVX either one when used in the proper situations. (it also has about 10000000000x better low light sensitivity with fast lenses than any camera for under $150,000)

The A1 shoots to HDV format at about 24-25mbps in 4:2:0 chroma sampling at a native resolution of 1440x1080 anamorphic pixels. The sensors natively shoot interlaced but offer vertical pixel shifting to acquire framerates of 23.976 and 29.97 in progressive modes. When edited and exported the 1440x1080 pixels stretches to 1920x1080 for full 1080p viewing... kind of fake 1080p but it still looks very very good on a Blu-Ray disc...

The HVX200 shoots at 1280x1080 for its full 1080p recording so it stretches even more than the A1... however it does natively shoot 720p in any framerate from 2-60fps... The biggest benefit to the HVX is obviously tapeless recording... but this requires storage space for dumping your cards after recording whereas tape is its own archival format. The HVX records DVCPRO HD format at up to 100mbps with 4:2:2 chroma sampling I believe so that color corrections can be made more in depth and you can chroma key (green screen) more easily.

I personally would buy an HVX any day over an A1 if you have the money and are working in proper conditions... but if you're buying new, I'd probably get an HPX170 instead just because its a bit cheaper and lighter than the heavy ass HVX.

One last thing I'd like to mention though... the A1's low light sensitivity is better than the HVX... so if lighting will be an issue, consider the A1 instead.

haha good call. you totally read my mind. Again. if you can afford the storage space and backup space for the HVX then do it... otherwise the A1 is a better choice.

and grma... the A1/G1 also does 1080p it just doesnt do it natively... a different way than the HVX does it too, but it does it... and I never once had a problem with its 1080p it doesnt have interlacing lines in it or anything.

Hvx vs. xh a1 spec comparison


Are you sure that the Xh A1 is better in low light than the hvx. Because in the comparison it says the Hvx has 3 lux sensitivity and the A1 has only 4-7 lux based on frame rate.

I've only used the Xh A1 a couple of times and it was good but not great ( it may have been my lack of knowledge on its Custom Preset settings). I've never used the HVX, except in a pawn shop for a couple minutes, but what I have seen from it is awesome. I'd say go with the HVX if you have the money, because of its tapeless workflow. Also, if you get an hvx, I recommend getting the Hvx Book with it. I hope this helped.

I'm not positive, but I know that until a few weeks ago, Joe Simon (joesimonproductions.com) was using the A1s for wedding receptions because they were better in low light than his HVX that he used for the majority of the Mutiny Bikes videos.

so...are you saying that between the A1/G1 a G1 would be better than an A1, I'm not following what your saying there.

also, how do you film with a Canon 7D isn't that a digital SLR, and doesn't that mean like its strictly for photography? i don't know if that's right or not, but lately i have been seeing videos shot with a 7D and i was confused on whether or not that was true.

it is true

get an hpx. hvx without the tape deck.

a G1 would be better than an A1... but you don't need the features that make the A1 different from a G1, so don't get one. Get an HVX or HPX170.

and the Canon 7D is indeed a digital SLR... one that shoots full 1920x1080p HD video at 24p and 30p, and 720p at 60p for slow motion.

i see, now correct me if im wrong, what i heard is that some of the newer model canons, as well as nikons, can shoot some video but not as much as a regular video camera, is that what you are using to shoot with your 7D?

the 7d's quality is absolutely phenomenal. and with all the lenses you can stick on it you can get a real good dof etc etc and correct me if i'm wrong but you can shoot as much video as will fit on the card.
here's a montage stewart made: http://vimeo.com/6976144

i wouldn't recommend the 7d as a main camera. I think Stewart is probably one of maybe 4 people on this website who could pull off using a 7D and nothing else. Go with an HVX.

yeah, I actually don't recommend using it as your one and only camera... get an HVX if you just want to do run and gun type stuff... the 7D requires a lot more work shooting.... shallow DOF being the biggest problem...maintaining focus. etc. When used effectively, the 7D will get you absolutely fantastic results, but it's harder to get those shots with the 7D than it is to get decent-good shots with the HVX really easily.

HVX vs the a1?! The HVX blows a1 out of the water in comparison but the workflow is way more expensive and technical. But you have the option of the hpx,hmc150, or now even the hmc40. I own the HMC150 , its amazing! sdhc memory cards, no tape, is way more crisp than the a1. HDV isnt a solid codec. Why record in HD format onto tape? If you were going to compare any cameras it should be between the hmc150,hmc40,hpx,and hvx. The hmc150,and 40 is way better than the a1, the only issue is that its avchd which is a newer codec and have to have a decent editing and hardware platform to use. The hvx is the best,with hpx under that both using solid state p2, than the hmc150 is avchd and now the new hmc40 which is the 150's little brother if you will.
http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/6256..._Camcorder.html

i haven't seen anything that great from the hmc40, it is almost the same as most hv30/40 footage i am seeing.