HV20 as a secondary and third camcorder to a Canon XH A1 - Techwatch: Satellite TV forums, FTA, Cable, Hardware, & Tech forums

guerrac · 05-05-07, 06:26 PM

Hi, I'm starting my videography business and I was wondering if anyone had any opinion/experience on whether footage from a Canon Hv20 would mix well with footage from a Canon Xh A1? I plan on buying a Canon Xh A1 to use for a primary camcorder and buying a couple Canon HV20's to shoot different angles. I will mostly be shooting wedding's and would like to have a three camcorder set up.

Thanks

wuzabeeb · 10-05-07, 06:39 PM

Hi .. I've got an HV 20 as a second shot for my XH A1 and XL H1 .. you need to match the colour and gain settings to the XH A1 in order to ensure compatibility.. the detail from the XH A1 is much clearer and of course the colour is amazingly accurate...the HV20 can be matched to it .. but you need to view the two on identical monitors and then adjust the custom setting under the P setting on the HV20. This means roughly ..sharpness up 1 ..colour up 1,brightness down 1 ... the rest leave as it is.
Shooting with auto FAST focus oon is actually amazing .. it really pulls in accurately on your centre of field. I'm doing a comparison of all 3 cameras on identical shots next week . so Ill be uploading the video later. I'll post a note when I've uploaded.

I thoroughly recommend the XH A1 .. it's a perfect match for my XL H1 .. apart from the lens, but with the super fast auto focus, it actually 'appears' sharper at times than the XL H1. The 'detail' however, with the XL H1 is significantly clearer due to the new x6 zoom lens which is awesome.
The XH A1 handles low light extremely well .. and that is something that the HV20 doesn't ..albeit it IS the best of the comparitively priced camcorders and it stays in focus and correct colours in low light..albeit exhibiting granular noise .. you can reduce this by selecting the nightshot option (crescent moon) which uses variable fram rate . but I'd still recommend adjusting the exposure manually ... stepping down to -5 from the default auto, will remove the noise almost completely in indoor room lighting.
For wedding use.. this camcorder is amazingly good as a second shot supplier, provided that there's enough light. Churches, typically are not that bright ... however, I'll be doing some indoor shots next week to show comparisons.

toni1 · 15-05-07, 10:23 AM

wuzabeeb ; you say quot : I thoroughly recommend the XH A1 .. it's a perfect match for my XL H1
I dont understand why those two are complementary. They are both rather big and I would rather see HV20 as a second cam with one of these 2.
Can you explain please

wuzabeeb · 15-05-07, 02:46 PM

Hi .. yes .. I was looking for a slightly lighter and smaller 'second' camcorder .. and the XH A1 fits perfectly as a complement to my XL H1 .. it has a good lens that works in A/B shot with my x6 lens on the XL H1 ... or matches shot for shot to the 20x lens on the XL H1. The XH A1 is also very suitable for getting XL H1 quality in a shooting environment where the XL H1 with its Anton Bauer battery pack on is a bit intimidating, not forgetting it won't fit in a medium camera bag. So for 'impromptu' quality pics where you want to travel reasonbly lightly, and not look TOO serious.. the XH A1 is perfect.
The HV20 is not as detailed or sharp as either of these, although it is quite extraordinary for the size and price. Of course it's only a single CMOS hence the slightly lower color resolution and the lens is a tiny fixed one, albeit better than the one on my old Sony HC3. I originally got the HV-20 to see if it would match against the XL H1 .. but it doesn't ... it's very good with the XH A1 .. but honestly..there's no substitute for a really good 3 CCD at this moment in time. Having said that, the HV-20 does produce very convincing pics in progressive mode, and the still pictures off it are gorgeous. I'm very pleased that I bought it.. and it is so small that it doesn't get noticed, AND you can virtually put it in your pocket. It works perfectly on my car mount for doing driving shots ...the low mass makes it ideal.

05-05-07, 06:26 PM	#1 (permalink)
guerrac Junior Member Join Date: May 2007 Location: Overland Park Posts: 1 Thanks: 0 Thanked 0 Times in 0 Posts	HV20 as a secondary and third camcorder to a Canon XH A1 Hi, I'm starting my videography business and I was wondering if anyone had any opinion/experience on whether footage from a Canon Hv20 would mix well with footage from a Canon Xh A1? I plan on buying a Canon Xh A1 to use for a primary camcorder and buying a couple Canon HV20's to shoot different angles. I will mostly be shooting wedding's and would like to have a three camcorder set up. Thanks

10-05-07, 06:39 PM	#2 (permalink)
wuzabeeb Junior Member Join Date: Feb 2007 Location: Bideford Devon UK Posts: 26 Thanks: 0 Thanked 0 Times in 0 Posts	Comparison of XH A1 with HV20 Hi .. I've got an HV 20 as a second shot for my XH A1 and XL H1 .. you need to match the colour and gain settings to the XH A1 in order to ensure compatibility.. the detail from the XH A1 is much clearer and of course the colour is amazingly accurate...the HV20 can be matched to it .. but you need to view the two on identical monitors and then adjust the custom setting under the P setting on the HV20. This means roughly ..sharpness up 1 ..colour up 1,brightness down 1 ... the rest leave as it is. Shooting with auto FAST focus oon is actually amazing .. it really pulls in accurately on your centre of field. I'm doing a comparison of all 3 cameras on identical shots next week . so Ill be uploading the video later. I'll post a note when I've uploaded. I thoroughly recommend the XH A1 .. it's a perfect match for my XL H1 .. apart from the lens, but with the super fast auto focus, it actually 'appears' sharper at times than the XL H1. The 'detail' however, with the XL H1 is significantly clearer due to the new x6 zoom lens which is awesome. The XH A1 handles low light extremely well .. and that is something that the HV20 doesn't ..albeit it IS the best of the comparitively priced camcorders and it stays in focus and correct colours in low light..albeit exhibiting granular noise .. you can reduce this by selecting the nightshot option (crescent moon) which uses variable fram rate . but I'd still recommend adjusting the exposure manually ... stepping down to -5 from the default auto, will remove the noise almost completely in indoor room lighting. For wedding use.. this camcorder is amazingly good as a second shot supplier, provided that there's enough light. Churches, typically are not that bright ... however, I'll be doing some indoor shots next week to show comparisons.

Thread Tools	Search this Thread
Show Printable Version Email this Page	Search this Thread: Advanced Search


Technology Forums: FTA, Satellite, Cable, Home Media, Hardware & Computers \| Home \| Forums \| News \| Blog \|

15-05-07, 10:23 AM	#3 (permalink)
toni1 Senior Member Join Date: Feb 2007 Location: France Posts: 123 Thanks: 0 Thanked 0 Times in 0 Posts	wuzabeeb ; you say quot : I thoroughly recommend the XH A1 .. it's a perfect match for my XL H1 I dont understand why those two are complementary. They are both rather big and I would rather see HV20 as a second cam with one of these 2. Can you explain please

15-05-07, 02:46 PM	#4 (permalink)
wuzabeeb Junior Member Join Date: Feb 2007 Location: Bideford Devon UK Posts: 26 Thanks: 0 Thanked 0 Times in 0 Posts	Hi .. yes .. I was looking for a slightly lighter and smaller 'second' camcorder .. and the XH A1 fits perfectly as a complement to my XL H1 .. it has a good lens that works in A/B shot with my x6 lens on the XL H1 ... or matches shot for shot to the 20x lens on the XL H1. The XH A1 is also very suitable for getting XL H1 quality in a shooting environment where the XL H1 with its Anton Bauer battery pack on is a bit intimidating, not forgetting it won't fit in a medium camera bag. So for 'impromptu' quality pics where you want to travel reasonbly lightly, and not look TOO serious.. the XH A1 is perfect. The HV20 is not as detailed or sharp as either of these, although it is quite extraordinary for the size and price. Of course it's only a single CMOS hence the slightly lower color resolution and the lens is a tiny fixed one, albeit better than the one on my old Sony HC3. I originally got the HV-20 to see if it would match against the XL H1 .. but it doesn't ... it's very good with the XH A1 .. but honestly..there's no substitute for a really good 3 CCD at this moment in time. Having said that, the HV-20 does produce very convincing pics in progressive mode, and the still pictures off it are gorgeous. I'm very pleased that I bought it.. and it is so small that it doesn't get noticed, AND you can virtually put it in your pocket. It works perfectly on my car mount for doing driving shots ...the low mass makes it ideal.