disjecta
04-27-2006, 02:07 PM
I finally took the plunge and bought a Canon XL H1 over the HVX200. This is a partial review because I have only been shooting for less than an hour.
First off, this camera delivers on its promise. Tweaking the camera to emulate what I'm used to on the DVX from a look and color standpoint is really easy and I don't see any great advantage with the Panasonic over the Canon.
Secondly, focus is quite easy to master using the EVF. I didn't find any problem getting the focus spot on. It's critically important to adjust the back focus correctly. It was slighty off the first time I tried it but then I used my Marshall HD monitor to do it a second time and it was nailed.
Thirdly, the image stabilizer on the lens is simply stunning. The difference between raw handheld and kicking in the stabilizer is like night and day. Some of the handheld shots I did looked like I had a steadicam setup.
All functional buttons and controls are exactly where I would expect them to be and, after just a few minutes of familiarizing myself with were they were, it was natural for me to reach out and find what I was looking for instantly.
The almighty noise problem that was rampant in most of the HVX200 footage I saw (just my personal opinion) is not even a part of the image from the Canon. Nice, smooth and relatively noiseless imagery is what I have seen so far. I took a few shots in the low light of the evening yesterday and they were still relatively noiseless.
The camera balance takes some time to get used to but I don't forsee it being problematic. If you hold it the right way, you can achieve some semblance of balance.
I didn't receive my Cineform software yet so I have no way of capturing the footage at the moment but I am using the composite out directly to my computer LCD, which is an HD 21" Gateway monitor. What's great about it is I can switch to full screen video directly from the camera and then, with the push of a button, I can view my computer screen again.
The zoom rocker feels natural to me although the zoom is a little fast...I haven't really looked into options for tweaking anything beyond the settings for the overall look of the footage.
Overall, the footage is really awesome and there is a feeling of bigness from the frame when watching it. It feels much more like footage from a large film camera than a DV camera. I guess it's both the size and the detail of the image that gives that impression. There's a "heaviness" to the imagery size that I haven't had with the DVX.
I have no regrets about this purchase and I thought I'd miss my DVX because of the uniqueness of its image but the Canon is way capable of equaling and surpassing my expectations.
The 24p cadence is very filmic and identical in my eyes to the DVX and HVX. There is a very slight amount of stairstepping in some of the diagonals but I don't know yet if that's just my monitor or in the footage itself. I'm going to be setting up a 42" plasma in the next couple of days in my studio and I'll check it out again at that point.
If you are on the fence about buying one of these puppies, get off and whip out your credit card. You won't regret it.
More later when I've had more time to play with it. I'm off to walk a trail down by a large lake in my neighborhood later this afternoon and my already trusty XLH1 will accompany me.
First off, this camera delivers on its promise. Tweaking the camera to emulate what I'm used to on the DVX from a look and color standpoint is really easy and I don't see any great advantage with the Panasonic over the Canon.
Secondly, focus is quite easy to master using the EVF. I didn't find any problem getting the focus spot on. It's critically important to adjust the back focus correctly. It was slighty off the first time I tried it but then I used my Marshall HD monitor to do it a second time and it was nailed.
Thirdly, the image stabilizer on the lens is simply stunning. The difference between raw handheld and kicking in the stabilizer is like night and day. Some of the handheld shots I did looked like I had a steadicam setup.
All functional buttons and controls are exactly where I would expect them to be and, after just a few minutes of familiarizing myself with were they were, it was natural for me to reach out and find what I was looking for instantly.
The almighty noise problem that was rampant in most of the HVX200 footage I saw (just my personal opinion) is not even a part of the image from the Canon. Nice, smooth and relatively noiseless imagery is what I have seen so far. I took a few shots in the low light of the evening yesterday and they were still relatively noiseless.
The camera balance takes some time to get used to but I don't forsee it being problematic. If you hold it the right way, you can achieve some semblance of balance.
I didn't receive my Cineform software yet so I have no way of capturing the footage at the moment but I am using the composite out directly to my computer LCD, which is an HD 21" Gateway monitor. What's great about it is I can switch to full screen video directly from the camera and then, with the push of a button, I can view my computer screen again.
The zoom rocker feels natural to me although the zoom is a little fast...I haven't really looked into options for tweaking anything beyond the settings for the overall look of the footage.
Overall, the footage is really awesome and there is a feeling of bigness from the frame when watching it. It feels much more like footage from a large film camera than a DV camera. I guess it's both the size and the detail of the image that gives that impression. There's a "heaviness" to the imagery size that I haven't had with the DVX.
I have no regrets about this purchase and I thought I'd miss my DVX because of the uniqueness of its image but the Canon is way capable of equaling and surpassing my expectations.
The 24p cadence is very filmic and identical in my eyes to the DVX and HVX. There is a very slight amount of stairstepping in some of the diagonals but I don't know yet if that's just my monitor or in the footage itself. I'm going to be setting up a 42" plasma in the next couple of days in my studio and I'll check it out again at that point.
If you are on the fence about buying one of these puppies, get off and whip out your credit card. You won't regret it.
More later when I've had more time to play with it. I'm off to walk a trail down by a large lake in my neighborhood later this afternoon and my already trusty XLH1 will accompany me.