Canon XH A1
Giving independent videographers something to choose between besides its popular but long-in-the-tooth GL2, Canon offers up 2 HDV models designed to make an appeal to the prosumer and entry-level pro markets.
Additionally, the SDI output is the only possible way to get 4:2:2 output.
all in all it feels cosy shooting with the XH A1 ; though it weighs about five pounds, it’s still significantly lighter than most. All of the buttons and controls sit in logical locations, grouped approximately by function and typically in the same locations as they appear on competing models.
A big slice of the video recorder’s design allows you to establish the rate and subtlety with which shifts happen during shooting, including focus, zoom and exposure changes, and white-balance adjustments. The second comes in 2 versions, one which records to tape at twenty-four frames per second, and one which downconverts from 24fps to 30fps / 60i using 2:3:3:2 pull-down before recording for bigger modifying compatibility.
The XH cameras have fixed 20x zoom lenses instead of the interchangeable lenses on the XL, but they provide a wider-angle view : 32.5mm-to-650mm equivalent. The lens displays superb edge-to-edge sharpness, even though with an inclination to display a little bit of magenta chromatic aberration on the sides, and the center focus looks great, particularly when zoomed in tight. With Instant AF enabled, the autofocus works quickly, and the Push AF, which turns on a rapid AF override in manual-focus mode, speeds manual focus significantly. As spotted in the XH series’ documentation, there’s a little bit of an autofocus lag in 24F and 30F modes ; it’s perceptible, but if you shoot a lot in those modes and use AF, your shooting rhythm should conform after a bit. Canon moved the Topping and Magnify targeting assists out to the body of the camera–they were in the menu system in the XL H1–and you may rely on them pretty heavily ; the small, low-resolution LCD is tricky to work with. Canon provides 7 gain levels : 36dB, 18dB, 12dB, 6dB, 3dB, 0dB, and -3dB ( although, irritatingly, you can only program 3 on the L / M / H switch. At its lowest gain, video looks stupendously smooth, and even as high as 3dB you can shoot in low light with relatively small noise. At 12dB there’s rather a lot of ( usually ) luminance noise, but it does not truly obscure much detail and you can shoot in near darkness.
The quiet on-camera mic works pretty well in basic up-close-and-personal shooting, but you have got masses of add-on options should your requirements be more complex.
As you’d be expecting from video recorders in their class, the XH’s produce fantastic HD and SD video : pointy, saturated and smooth.
To summarise : Panasonic’s 24P is a full 720-line frame of video caught approximately each 0.5 four 2nd. Canon’s 24F “fakes” progressive scan by a touch balancing the vertical readout of the green CCD from those of the blue and red, generating a frame with 1.5x the lines of the 540-line field, or 810 lines, even though ones using spatial instead of temporal interlace. As a consequence, the quality question arises : Do Canon’s pseudo-progressive frames look the same as a true progressive frame or does one see artifacts?
I did not see any ; photos I shot in particular to check for 24F artifacts looked correct to me.
