ncje's A1 Thread

[Noel Evans]

Yeah anyway. Ill just keep updating this as I go.

Day 1 - sick
Day 2 - sick
Day 3 - The usual rubbish. Open box, slap face been to out of it to read manual. Charge up the batteries (got additional 970g).

Read manual for five minutes, plug in power and am away. Wonder why the cam wont let me access recording menus (slaps face - lock engaged on tape bay, the lock basically powers the camera down but retains all current in cam settings. Guess its useful if you need to take five from a setup or test shoot and your only half done - otherwise you can save in your preset anyway. Lock retains all focus, zoom settings also).

3 hour power session of manual and camera.

1 hour set up of m2 (had to shim the adapter itself to fit with my cavision set up). Ill do more on that on m2 forum tomorrow. Got the cam aligned and working correctly with the adapter).

For those coming from a DVX this cam is heavier. But read the specs for that. To me doesnt feel as sturdy as a DVX or HVX.

This cat has a feast of manual controls that will not leave you short in just about any situation apart from variable frame rates other than 24, 30 and 60. Anything you can imagine is adjustable including individualised controls for Red, Blue and Green gain control. Ill go into some more detail on some tomorrow - but as you know the fine control of -50 to a plus 50 setting is a great feature. The image you get out of it without any CC at all is excellent. I therefor envisage using CTB or CTO to get your colours close to final on the day will hold you in good stead to working with the codec.

20x zoom what can I say, very nice indeed. Coupled with the focus metering. I did a test shot with no monitor using just the focusing tools the cam has. Then i focused up with the monitor. Trecked down to the second floor to the plasma and ran them back. The cam alone focused better by about 5cms. Original shot distance was actually 4 meters in length. I then tested the cams distance metering recommendation with a tape measure. Right on the money.

Anyone that says the Canon 24f is not true progressive, get a life have a read and get some hands on experience. Looks beautiful. The colour rendition is also beautiful.

Enough of the words. Tomorrow I will be shooting for about 5 hours all for this thread. Cam alone, with m2, both with and without lighting. Lowlight, brightlight.... you get the picture - as much as is possible. Keeping in mind my recovering body is still pretty tired.

DAY 4 - has started, couple of things to do before I get going - send DVD to client etc. But realised I missed something yesterday I found as a pretty neat feature that I wasnt aware of at all.

The cam via the DISPLAY SETUP menu has an aspect guide. You can choose: 4:3 , 13:9, 14:9, 1.66:1, 1.75:1, 1.85:1 and 2.35:1. Once selected a white border will appear on your screen. Perfect for framing. Now the cool thing is as its only a GUIDE for framing. If you do get it slightly off you can then reframe in post just like you would when shooting the DVX at 4:3 and framing for a 16:9 crop.

Cont.......

Today was a comedy of errors. Started when I woke up. Set up cam, changed some of the presets including gain. I altered the 3 preset gains, leaving one at +12, forgot, ended up shooting daylight shots (polariser on and ND engaged) with +12 gain. Disaster 1.

CLIP1

Anyway heres the lovely gain clip.

Camera settings were: Black - Press, Detail -3 only settings I used today. More tomorrow.

Shutter speed and fstop were altered as I went but I tried to retain f5.6 for everything (yes with +12 gain). Very annoying as +12 gain in this situation really does mess up your shot, was so pissed at this one. First shot was actually of a crappy brown tinted phone booth door using a polariser to turn reflection way up then to nothing in shot. Pidgeons were shot at shutter speed 1/8000th. I took a screencap of one to show the clarity in each frame.... even with the crappy (yes I am saying it again) +12 gain. all shoulder mounted stuff, so not very smooth
Link Removed - see latest

CLIP2

Went into a lowlit forest and shot underexposed, people wanted to see how the grain was so here you are( No.1 request actually). Keep in mind that this in parts is woefully underexposed for a reason. again all shoulder mounted stuff, so not very smooth. Just some messing around with focus etc. Gain was set at -3 for everything from here in on all day 4 shots. There is a moment you will see the brightness go way up... thats -3 to +12 gain adjustment - thought someone could use that example.

Link Removed - see latest


CLIP3

3 point lighting setup. I used a 600 arri as a key (bounced of a board) and used the spill for fill plus a kicker. Bad me, tripods are in the car again too lazy (tired) to drag them up (we do live in a three story house so it is a distance). Anyway as the cam was not secured theres a little bounce in the clip - sorry for that but you have to understand where I am coming from the last 4 days. Did take a screencap not fullsize as it was a tad large for most to view I thought. I did attempt this shot with the M2, but quickly realised the m2 needs a spacer to work with the A1 so will pick one up tomorrow(ACTUALLY NO SPACER IS NEEDED - JUST MY POOR EYESIGHT ON THE DAY - SORRY FOR THE MISNOMER). FYI pooh and Elmo give a shit interview. I did attempt to slim pooh down but living in that wood eating honey (sugar) all day and sleeping the fat lazy git, hard job.

http://www.scarlet-films.com/A1/third.mov

m2T file of pooh under lights - like 5 seconds
http://www.scarlet-films.com/A1/light.m2t
http://www.scarlet-films.com/A1/pooh.jpg

DAY 5

Ok heres a clip first few shots on the m2, little steadicam (with a not tight enough gplatz causing a little bumping - see merlin setup thread) followed by just a couple of boring clips I was testing some settings on. Last two were same as below except second to last had colour gain turned up to 50, Last Clip had colour gain back at 0, with green gain turned up to 25. Incidently varying the red blue and green gains can give you just about any color cast you could ask for. Setting the Colour Gain to 0 = black and white.

So heres total settings I used:

Gamma - Normal
Knee - Auto
Black - Press
Pedestal - -3
Setup Level - 0
Sharpness - 0
H Detail Freq - High
DHV - 0
Coring - 0
Nr1 - 0
Nr2 - 0
Colour Matrix - Cine2
Colour Gain - 0
Red Gain - 0
Green gain - 0
Blue Gain - 0
Rest also - 0

Now time to capture output clips etc takes a bit of time. Today I shot 5 tapes full, not all captured yet - just some sections for this. So at this stage there are no raw m2t files. If there is one you want from this clip let me know and Ill post it up tomorrow. And yes, we often move a car and draw on our driveway :)

http://www.scarlet-films.com/A1/fourth.mov

DAY 6

I am working around Shinjuku tomorrow. After that - should be around 6ish? Not a long job tomorrow, will be shooting for some City shots plus some 1/3 shutter car shots off a bridge (about one whole tape) speed it up etc.

Well early out so Shinjuku was a quite a wait so went back to the homestead. Found a spot near home, then five minutes into it the wind picks up (cold wind), so having just recovered from something I conceded to the cold air and left. :S Anyway a screencap of what I did shoot.

http://www.scarlet-films.com/A1/speed.jpg

DAY 7

Too tired and its cold. :P Hit me with those requests.

November 10

Actually took these shots a few days ago when more people were asking for night shots... seems theres an abundance around now. Basically this will end uo in the stock footage library anyway so no waste.

Any mt2 request - please ask.

Link is only 7.5mb

http://www.scarlet-films.com/A1/GINZANIGHTSCENE.mov

Today got some footage of a nice bright day. Took the daughter for a walk in her "shaky cart" with no OIS on. Then a few oher shots I threw together. This was shot very fast on the run. Used a polariser on every shot but the last small timelapse piece.
http://www.scarlet-films.com/A1/SUNNY.mov

[Simes]

Excellent, thanks for that. I'm eagerly awaiting your next installment.

On the 25F (24F) thing - I love the look too (Based on footage I've seen), but I was at an open day yesterday and got to 'play' with the camera for about an hour. There was a Canon rep/tech guy there who said that it wasn't progressive and all it did was drop a field, thus reducing resolution! Personally I think he's wrong and they're doing something more clever - but that was from a Canon guy!

I really like the cam., only feature missing for me is the flip function.

On another board I've seen some discussion on the noise of the camera at low light - so please get some definitive footage for us on that!

Thanks again

Simes

[meta4]

Just dropping a field?! No way! That would halve the resolution, and we all know it doesn't do that. He was messing with you or more likely a Canon engineer who was hired to design the handle assembly!

Anyway, I love mine too! So beautiful, both the cam and it's images. I'd like to go through the H1 presets and capture images of different looks in the A1. Probably set that up tomorrow, go go step by step tweaking stuff.

This camera is unbelievable! Well balanced too, 5 lbs. is more than my 1.5 lb. GS150, but I'll take it!

NCJE, did your 970G get stuck in the internal bay? Mine was tough getting out, I had to attach tape like a 'pull-tab' to make sure I could get it out in the field.

[Bogdan]

Thank you all for sharing your first impressions. Here in US East Coast we're still waiting for the call from our dealers. It shouldn't take long I hope.

Canon's progressive-like F mode was discussed many times. Claim that it relies on one field is complete myth. I have no idea why it still exists.

Canon do not reveal how it works, but imo, it's closer to true progressive scan than in-camera deinterlacing. I think sensors scan images in two parallel scans (one for each field, but simultaneously), and then signals are transfered using interline method and filtering, sacrificing only small fraction of the resolution thanks to smart readout by the image processor. Because of licensing issues, the process could not be strictly progressive, but the results are very similar, in fact, better than any software deinterlacers I have tried. I'm sure Canon XL-H1 users agree with that.

[rawfa]

Tomorrow I will be shooting for about 5 hours all for this thread. Cam alone, with m2, both with and without lighting. Lowlight, brightlight.... you get the picture - as much as is possible. Keeping in mind my recovering body is still pretty tired.
DAY 4 - Coming soon

Sounds exactly like what everybody here is waiting for. Thanks a bunch in advance. :thumbup:

[Elton]

Thanks for getting this thread going, ncje. Hope you can handle a bit of a bandwidth hit! ;) Let me know if you need any help.

[Sacksnack]

Thanks Ncje. I can't wait to see some footage.

-Kevin

[DCCowan]

I echo your thoughts, rawfa!

ncje, we are all very excited to see how the camera performs... thanks for doing this for those of us that don't have the camera yet. :)

[scharky]

Thanks for braving the light of day Ncje, hope you feel better soon, and no, not just so you can give us more info :)
By the way, have you found any work around for the camera not having an image flip function when using your M2? I know about using a separate LCD, which I use often with my DVX, but it is not always practical, and if you want to be able to focus, well you need to get a really nice HD LCD. If only a magnet would work :).

[Noel Evans]

Thanks for braving the light of day Ncje, hope you feel better soon, and no, not just so you can give us more info :)
By the way, have you found any work around for the camera not having an image flip function when using your M2? I know about using a separate LCD, which I use often with my DVX, but it is not always practical, and if you want to be able to focus, well you need to get a really nice HD LCD. If only a magnet would work :).

Well the easiest solution I have found thus far without really trying anything:

Pop out the LCD. Turn it 180 degrees. Between about 190 degrees and 270 the image flips for mirror mode. SO at 190 I only need to crane a little to see the image right side up. The left to right movement is still opposite however.

[Emanuel]

This thread can make history... We're waiting as soon as possible. And 24F @lowlighting (see the Pappas* XL-H1 clips, please: Movie House and Bakery if I'm not wrong).

* BTW, do anyone know news from Michael? Maybe you Barlow? How is he? What is he doing? We miss him. As well, his contributions. Give him my regards if you can. :)

[TimurCivan]

[QUOTE=meta4]Just dropping a field?! No way! That would halve the resolution, and we all know it doesn't do that. [QUOTE]


Well actually it kinda does. but dropping a frame doesnt lose Half its more like, 35-40% less than Proggresive. I dont know the specifics, but its somethign to do with the way an interlace CCD reads. its actually not just half res, an interlace, field is reading information between the lines too, but usually its thrown away and in this case it jsut keeps all of it or somehting. i dunno barry explained it one in regrds to Cineframe30 and Cannons cinemode 30 on the XL1.
THe Xlh1 has the same response in 24f too. its 1080i is "fullres" its 24F is like 70% of full res. which still looks AMAZING. i love this line of cameras.

Elton! Emanuel!! please make mesound stupid and correct my drivel this into something coherent please.

[Noel Evans]

Sorry gang made a small error today. On the first stuff I shot I had gain on +12db :S I set up the gain presets this morning, 1 as -3, 2 as 0 and 3 I left at +12. But when I got to shooting left it on +12 and adjusted around it. Sorry about that. Ill still post the clip and you can see what +12db gain does on a bright day when its totally unessecary. :P Did get some low light stuff. Still more to shoot clips up soon.

Should have asked Elton earlier though: Need best output options from FCP using H.264 for web viewing. Want to try and retain reasonable size.

[rawfa]

Hey Ncje, did you get to try it out with the M2 yet? After reading the A1's manual I'm even more blown away by this camera's image control options. It's simply incredible what you can do. Of course, on the paper it all looks astonishing...but on practice we'll relly on you to let us know what this babe can do.

[Noel Evans]

First Post Updated.

[henry cho]

hi ncje. the footage looks great. i noticed you mentioned using a spacer with the a1/m2. if you find you need a spacer, i think that either your m2 hasn't been tweaked, or your a1 is zoomed in too far. i found that once i moved the m2 motor (just a few hairs above it's minimal position), i could zoom in to just where the motor and ground glass edges leave the screen together, and achieve focus on the ground glass even with the a1 pushed completely against the m2 (without even having to extend the rubber lip). spacers work fine, but less distance between the lens and ground glass is ideal.

[Elton]

[QUOTE=meta4]JTHe Xlh1 has the same response in 24f too. its 1080i is "fullres" its 24F is like 70% of full res. which still looks AMAZING. i love this line of cameras.

Elton! Emanuel!! please make mesound stupid and correct my drivel this into something coherent please.

I think it's a pretty fair assessment/guess to say that the F modes lose about 20- 25% resolution...but only vertically. It's one of those things that you say "who cares!!" because it still looks like pretty damn good HD to anyone that watches it. The H1 has such high horizontal resolution that it really helps to make up for some of the vertical drop. Either way, it's a choice to be made as to what is acceptable perceptually, or not. I happen to like it a lot for what it is.

I never would've bought the XL-H1 if 24F mode didn't look right in HD.

[Elton]

Should have asked Elton earlier though: Need best output options from FCP using H.264 for web viewing. Want to try and retain reasonable size.

Unless you want to post a longer piece, honestly, I think most everyone would prefer shorter clips in raw .m2t format. (even just 5 seconds is useful) Use DVHSCap or HDVxDV (free demo) to capture in this format. This way there's no question as to how much of the noise or compression artifacts are h.264 induced.

[Noel Evans]

Yeah good point. Ive updated first post - now has m2t of pooh under lighting.

From todays shots I will add the QT variety and mt2s. Cheers Elton.

[Noel Evans]

NCJE, did your 970G get stuck in the internal bay? Mine was tough getting out, I had to attach tape like a 'pull-tab' to make sure I could get it out in the field.

Sorry missed this first time around. No, when I press the little grey release tab it pops out about halfway like a piece of toast from a toaster.

[TimurCivan]

hey Elton, Njce, you guys work with Intermidary codecs right? like cineform Etc.

How long is the trandscode time? does it do it realtime while you capture the tape? I know the CAnon Artifacting is nearly nil, except in Very demanding circumstances. (dont tell me about SDI i cant afford it.... haha) have you ever come across any in any situations? thakn guys.


I am looking ot invest in a HD camera, and im seriously considering the XLG1, HVX and maybe even a used XLH1.... WHo knows maybe i'll go crazy! lol.

[Noel Evans]

hi ncje. the footage looks great. i noticed you mentioned using a spacer with the a1/m2. if you find you need a spacer, i think that either your m2 hasn't been tweaked, or your a1 is zoomed in too far. i found that once i moved the m2 motor (just a few hairs above it's minimal position), i could zoom in to just where the motor and ground glass edges leave the screen together, and achieve focus on the ground glass even with the a1 pushed completely against the m2 (without even having to extend the rubber lip). spacers work fine, but less distance between the lens and ground glass is ideal.

I agree with you on not wanting to use a spacer. Heres my issue. I can get focus on the gg. When I focus with my FD lens I cant get focus. When I push the m2 out then refocus on the gg I can get focus from the FD. Not sure what I am doing wrong then :S

EDIT

Strange issue going on here. I backfocus on the GG no problem. I then attach the FD lens. Without zooming from the position the backfocus has been set from I can achieve perfect focus on anything. Its when I zoom in a little further so the motor is no longer visible, then the FD can not achieve focus on anything,

[TimurCivan]

the noise is so low in the Full res teddy bear screenshot how come there is noise in the Outdoor stuff at standard Def.... thats puzzling. somethings off.

[Noel Evans]

could be compression from the QT conversion.. thats why I will do m2ts from all clips today. Also did you read notes on my first? Shot with +12db gain (mistake of course).

[Kholi]

It's probably quicktime compression. .m2t should be the format it's delivered in since it'll take so long to compress a good quicktime file.

Bring on those .m2t's NC and congrats on your camera!

Mmmmmmm yummy.

[mikkowilson]

Great stuff NCJE, Thanks!


- Mikko ... looking forward to your Merlin reports.

[henry cho]

Its when I zoom in a little further so the motor is no longer visible, then the FD can not achieve focus on anything,

hmmm... my first step would be remove the fd lens and make sure the peaking and magnify options are off (i left magnify on accidently the first time i set backfocus). then point the camera a few degrees off of a bright light. it's in the darker areas that grain of the ground glass will be easier to see. kicking on the nd filter helps as well. i'd start with the achromat/camera positioned about an inch away from the m2 and extend the m2's rubber lip over the edge of the achromat . this will give you a little breathing room to play with positioning as you proceed. i was ultimately able to get the a1/achromat flush against the m2.

as you set backfocus, the grain in the gg might be hard to see on the lcd, so connecting to a full size monitor will help. zoom in until you just get past the edge of the ground glass and motor. i find zooming in small increments and focusing on the gg each time i zoom in a little further helps me stay oriented. if the motor leaves the frame before the ground glass, or vice versa, you will want to tweak the positioning of the motor in the m2. if all is good, you should be able to focus on the ground glass without seeing the gg edges or the motor. once the grain of the gg is clearly visible in the center and all four corners of the frame, tape down your zoom and focus rings with some gaffers tape (be careful not to tape down the iris ring). the rings are sensitive, and this will prevent accidental knocks. your backfocus is now set. then put your fd lens on.

at this point, you should be good to go. this can clearly be a pain the ass as you may have to disassemble and reassemble your m2 several times, but once it's set, you won't have to change it again, at least until you change cameras.

[Noel Evans]

Great stuff NCJE, Thanks!


- Mikko ... looking forward to your Merlin reports.

Thanks Mikko - Merlin coming soon.

Thanks for the info Henry. I should have thought about the issue a bit more but your tips were helpful. The increments worked plus hooking to a monitor of course made it easier. I also found turning the unit on and off helped give a better visual on the gg. I can focus on the gg with the motor out of the shot. Its one of those once youve done it you never forget things. OK cool so some shots from that later - thanks to Henry. The m2 certainly is a different look to say a Letus which I have used. The light loss seems less but seems a bit more grain, initial thought only.

[Drew Ott]

Footage is looking good. Thanks for the time.

[Elton]

hey Elton, Njce, you guys work with Intermidary codecs right? like cineform Etc.

I used to work in intermediate codecs until FCP 5.1.2--native HDV works very well now. I edit in HDV timelines (unless I've shot raw SDI to Sheer) and output to tape, and then I also drop HDV edits into Sheer codec timelines and do some finesseing in a lossless environment, and then encode h.264 from a Sheer HD timeline.

So, a bit of both depending on what my needs are. Most of the time native HDV is more than adequate.

btw, that rafting clip I posted some time ago is about the worst artifacting I've ever encountered from 24F mode...and it just didn't matter at all.

I wouldn't worry about it Timur--it just works. You'll probably have people complaining about much more bothersome things in your footage if you happened to induce the blockies.

[Elton]

ncje--I saw the Pooh clip in m2t...what were your settings? Did you have black stretch on? It seems like the shadows could be a little less noisy. Nice looking overall, but I bet you can get the shadows to dance less and still have detail.

[Noel Evans]

ncje--I saw the Pooh clip in m2t...what were your settings? Did you have black stretch on? It seems like the shadows could be a little less noisy. Nice looking overall, but I bet you can get the shadows to dance less and still have detail.

Blacks were on middle in that shot. Master pedestal was at -4. Just gaging how things interact.

[TimurCivan]

for the love of god tell me the XLH1/G1/A1 has numeric readout for image settings. dont tell me its got thet garbage XL2 bar graph thing.........

[Noel Evans]

Lol Tim the black has 3 settings : stretch / middle / press.

On the image adjustment functions there is a bar and a number.

[TimurCivan]

whew.....

[Noel Evans]

You may see some interesting images come up on this thread - due to the fact that I am learning the cam upside down. I hate to be out shooting and think how do I do that again? So, I have to know everything.

First post updated.

[henry cho]

ncje, i'm glad you got your a1/m2 in order, and everything looks super. i thought the merlin stuff in particular looked great. looking forward to future updates.

[Elton]

So heres total settings I used:

Gamma - Normal
Knee - Auto
Black - Press
Pedestal - -3
Setup Level - 0
Sharpness - 0
H Detail Freq - High
DHV - 0
Coring - 0
Nr1 - 0
Nr2 - 0
Colour Matrix - Cine2
Colour Gain - 0
Red Gain - 0
Green gain - 0
Blue Gain - 0
Rest also - 0

Gotta love that tweakability...

Ok, here's where I think you might change a few settings:

--Gamma: Cine2: it might be different in the A1 but probably very similar to the H1's. It's my favorite gamma curve.

--Knee Low--I don't like the look of the camera changing knee settings in the middle of a shot. Low knee helps to smooth highlight rolloffs no matter what, and I think it's a gentle enough highlight compression so I leave mine on by default.

--Black Middle: If you want to play with shadow rendition in post you might want to leave it on middle. Black stretch will give you a bit more shadow detail, but a bit more noise too.

--H Detail Freq: Middle (see if you notice a difference in noise)

--What are the increments of the sharpness parameters now? On the XL-H1 you can go from +9 to -9. Maybe the default sharpness on the A1 is less edge enhance than the H1's, but I would try dialing it up and down and look at the results in HD and see if it looks a bit more natural with the sharpness taken down a bit.

Keep 'em comin'!

[Noel Evans]

Thanks for the tips. And yes the teakability of this cam has to come into play when people are considering their purchases. I kept my DVX and one thing I did try to do was match footage in SD mode. I got them so close you just couldnt tell one from the other if all you saw was side by side image.

The sharpness increments are same as XL-H1. On the m2 shots I did put sharpness on 0 others -3.

One thing I love is this cam comes standard with a lense that is wide angle enough for 98% of anything I would want to do at the moment, its got great width, when I get some daylight time next I will be sure to hit the mountain close by to try and get some of those spectacular wide shots.

Elton should I copy my original message here over into the XLCinema forum also?

[rawfa]

ncje, those merlin shots were freaking sweet, my friend! Is this the one you are using: http://www.bhphotovideo.com/bnh/controller/home?O=Search&A=details&Q=&sku=382099&is=REG&addedTroughType=search
Because it says there it can only take 5pounds/2kg and I'm thinking the A1+M2 is heavier than that (actualy I'm pretty sure the A1 by it self is heavier than 5 pounds).
As for the M2 shots I think they could have been better. But you just got the M2 and it's time to make it shine it's best. I'm sure soon you'll have us all dropping our jaws on the floor in amazement.

Elton and Barry, I think you guys will have some serious blim blim heading your way as soon as the A1/G1 book/DVD is released. :D

[TimurCivan]

whats the rest setting?

[Noel Evans]

Lol Tim, didnt mean to confuse I meant rest as in the rest of the settings... there are a few more on the list, which I didnt alter.

EDIT: Wish I was born with a quicker wit: Then I could have said something like, the rest setting is actually a pop out cup holder for your beer.

[Simes]

Exellent stuff going on here ncje! Thanks for your dedication to getting us info - I'm pretty much sold on this cam now.

Couple of questions;
What battery life are you getting out of the 950g?
Have you tried really low light? Over on DVINFO there's a bit of a discussion going on because some people can't seem to get the cam to preform well in low light (Slightly worse than the Z1 and definately worse than the PD170 apparently). We're talking in the dark with just streetlamps etc...

Thoughts?

Cheers

Simes

[Noel Evans]

Thoughts - they need to get used to how this camera works before jumping up and down on it. Learn and knowledge will free you.

http://www.scarlet-films.com/A1/speed.jpg

Sorry Simes I havent yet used a full battery, Ive recharged them but still got lots left. I used 950g for about five hours and was getting low yeasterday, if thats any help. The 970 is suppossed to be good for about 8.

[rawfa]

Anybody who knows anything knows better than that. Just look at Kaku's and Ncje's footage. It's like getting into a Ferrari and pressing the gas at the max and then hitting a post and complaing about the car. Learn how to drive!

[Simes]

Yep, thanks for that - Noel Evans just posted the pic over at DVINFO too, I like the look of that. What shutter speed was that?

I noticed a little pixelation around the red neon signs, is that from the chroma sampling?

Did you manage to get work out how long the standard battery lasts yet?

Many, many thanks. Canon should employ people like you to market their stuff rather than get some of the dodgy material I've seen from them.

Cheers

Simes

[Noel Evans]

ncje, those merlin shots were freaking sweet, my friend! Is this the one you are using: http://www.bhphotovideo.com/bnh/controller/home?O=Search&A=details&Q=&sku=382099&is=REG&addedTroughType=search
Because it says there it can only take 5pounds/2kg and I'm thinking the A1+M2 is heavier than that (actualy I'm pretty sure the A1 by it self is heavier than 5 pounds).


Sorry but the M2 and a merlin are a complete no no. But yes thats what I am using. Made a couple of tweaks to the merlin since that shot. As in correct gplatz (screw that holds the cam vibrationless) setting.

Its fairly impossible to use a 35mm adapter with any steadicam - even the big boys. Focusing is very difficult. Mikko would give better info on that as a professional.

[Noel Evans]

Yep, thanks for that - Noel Evans just posted the pic over at DVINFO too, I like the look of that. What shutter speed was that?

I noticed a little pixelation around the red neon signs, is that from the chroma sampling?



Noel Evans would be me :P

Yeah thats nothing to do with anything other than this cam being another 1/3inch CCD cam. I can fix it easily with Natress plugins on FCP however. Just havent done it. I actually will so people can see how great Grahams plugin for this actually is. The shutter speed was 1/3rd but the fstop was 3.7. Same look can be acheived in a more appropriate shutter speed for normal shooting.

No full usage of battery yet. LOL shit... OK next time Ill use the 950 charged fully and use it until its gone.

[phally]

Just to share:

Hey Just waiting here for my A1 to come in. Just called BH and they told me it is coming out today, but it seems with like my lowepro bag, you have to call them sometimes so they will release it even tho I pre-ordered. Weird?

anyhow, can't wat to shoot something and share it

thanks guys

Phally

[TimurCivan]

Lol Tim, didnt mean to confuse I meant rest as in the rest of the settings... there are a few more on the list, which I didnt alter.

EDIT: Wish I was born with a quicker wit: Then I could have said something like, the rest setting is actually a pop out cup holder for your beer.

Wow.... i really am that guy that looks for the "Any" key to continue.......

[Emanuel]

Sorry but the M2 and a merlin are a complete no no. But yes thats what I am using. Made a couple of tweaks to the merlin since that shot. As in correct gplatz (screw that holds the cam vibrationless) setting.

Its fairly impossible to use a 35mm adapter with any steadicam - even the big boys. Focusing is very difficult. Mikko would give better info on that as a professional.Try a wideangle and close the aperture. And a remote plus an assistant would be useful. If not, maybe a FF device may help.

[mikkowilson]

... and thus defeat the idea of using a 35mm adapter in the first place. Which is the whole point.
Unless you have (expensive) Wireless FF gear and a great 1st AC, keeping focus on 35mm lenses on Steadicam is very very tough. Generally Shalow DoF isn't wanted for Steadicam, so you can just leave the 35mm adapter off and relish that deep DoF the 1/3" chips bring for Steadicam shots.

- Mikko

[StMad]

... and relish that deep DoF the 1/3" chips bring
- Mikko

Love that choice of words...you don't hear them very often on this board :)

I'm awaiting the arrival of the Brevis to put on the front of my HVX. It's a light adapter so should be ok on my Merlin with a light battery and prime. Maintaining distance to subject will be the only workable shot with this combo. After seeing a couple of brilliant steadicam reels (Charles Papert's in particular) I started dreaming about having a ff system - but of course it's not doable on this budget. Steadicam with FF is one of the few filmmaking tools that just isn't accessable to no cash indie shooters.

All the best with your shooting ncje...this thread is a good read.

[Mirezzi]

hey ncje, what sort of gear are you using to edit your HDV footage?

I have a duo-core G5 with a gig of ram and I'm concerned it won't be beefy enough to edit efficiently.

[Mirezzi]

Also, ncje, which lens are you using with your M2 on the "fourth.mov"?

Do you have the M2 HD Indie Bundle? The $1300 one?

[Kholi]

That's an impressive still, NC. Give us the foootage!

[Mirezzi]

That's an impressive still, NC. Give us the foootage!

Amen! That still is sick!

[TimurCivan]

well its not just the DOF, that a 35 adapter brings. its the lens charachteristics, and the "altered" Gamma curves. it makes the footage look differet.

[Drew Ott]

I have a duo-core G5 with a gig of ram and I'm concerned it won't be beefy enough to edit efficiently.

I can edit HDV in about 3/4 real-time in Vegas 6.0 with a single core 1.8ghz processor. However I have the preview window at about 180x120 resolution, at preview quality.

Not my ideal, but it works. A G5 would be more than enough muscle to edit HDV.

[Mirezzi]

I can edit HDV in about 3/4 real-time in Vegas 6.0 with a single core 1.8ghz processor. However I have the preview window at about 180x120 resolution, at preview quality.

Not my ideal, but it works. A G5 would be more than enough muscle to edit HDV.

Thanks man, that's pretty reassuring. I really think the XH-A1 looks like a great investment, I'll just keep looking at threads like these until I get weak enough to make an impulse buy. :)

[Noel Evans]

Also, ncje, which lens are you using with your M2 on the "fourth.mov"?

Do you have the M2 HD Indie Bundle? The $1300 one?

That lens was a 50 mm 1.4 Canon FD lens. Paid $300USD for that one, to get higher quality.

No, I didnt get the ENTIRE bundle, but close to it. I am using a Cavision baseplate I already had. Basically purchased the M2, 18 inch monster rods (great by the way), shim kit and HD achromat. I used the shim kit to shim the atual adapter to fit with my mattebox setup.

P.S My webserver is temporarily down... waiting for my host to tell my why as its the 4th time in two weeks.

Webserver back....... any specific requests on shooting let me know.

[scharky]

Ncje, what kind of monitor are you using for framing and focusing while using your M2?

[mikkowilson]

I'm awaiting the arrival of the Brevis to put on the front of my HVX. It's a light adapter so should be ok on my Merlin with a light battery and prime.

Sorry, there is no space for any accessories on the HVX on the Merlin. A 35mm adapter is totally out of the question. Far too heavy.

- Mikko

[jcapurro]

I'm impressed with the amount of depth of field you arer capturing w/o an adapter... Or are you using one? Lookin' really nice! I want one!

Cheers,
Jeremy

[jcapurro]

Nevermind... Saw the post about the M2. :)

[Noel Evans]

Ncje, what kind of monitor are you using for framing and focusing while using your M2?

Just test shots sharcky so not hooking up any monitor.

[Emanuel]

well its not just the DOF, that a 35 adapter brings. its the lens charachteristics, and the "altered" Gamma curves. it makes the footage look differet.I fully agree. That's why I suggested what I did. (Although -- and for sure) Deep DOF is the way to go unless you have a strong setup behind.

[StMad]

Sorry, there is no space for any accessories on the HVX on the Merlin. A 35mm adapter is totally out of the question. Far too heavy.

- Mikko

This conversation might be better on a different (separate) thread Mikko. I agree that accessories are out of the question. However the setup i mentioned would add 300g to the base weight of the HVX. I'll report back when I've tested.

[mikkowilson]

Agreed that this belongs in another thread. - Start or continue one in the HVX hardware section.

- Mikko

[Noel Evans]

Got some more footage today but with a bit more of a purpose. Post up some clips tomorrow PM Tokyo time.

[Norbert]

Does this camera have some sort of scene dial wheel like the DVX has? I mean this camera has so much more settings than the DVX so it would be nice to have at least six different settings saved and quick to reach.

[Elton]

Custom Preset button that you can cycle through for a bunch of different settings. Simply press once for CP1, press twice for CP2 (or whatever you've titled it) so on and so on.

[Norbert]

Ah, excellent. How many different settings can be stored? Six?

[Noel Evans]

Ah, excellent. How many different settings can be stored? Six?

Nine.

[FatDaddy]

Is there any more footage on the web? Anywhere?

[meta4]

Just to clarify Elton...

Pressing the CP user button once, moves to the next profile regardless of number. So if you're at 3, pushing once gets you to 4, pushing twice gets you to 5. There isn't a numerical relation to the number and the number of presses.

[henry cho]

actually, the number of presets you can store in the camera is theoretically unlimited. once you save a few presets to an sd card, pressing the preset button will cycle through the 9 onboard presets first, then cycle through all the presets on the sd card.

[Elton]

I'd say that's fairly flexible. :)

[rawfa]

actually, the number of presets you can store in the camera is theoretically unlimited. once you save a few presets to an sd card, pressing the preset button will cycle through the 9 onboard presets first, then cycle through all the presets on the sd card.

If indeed this is true, it's really amazing. Once you've spent time with the camera you can have a vast personal library at your disposal with all your favorite looks...it's like having a on-camera magic bullet look suite.

[rawfa]

Now that we more or less have seen what this camera can do under uncontrolled lightning situations it would be cool to see what it can with some decent cinematography.

[Noel Evans]

Now that we more or less have seen what this camera can do under uncontrolled lightning situations it would be cool to see what it can with some decent cinematography.

Agreed, thats my next task. To arrange some scenarios I can get some solid testing completed under, testing for my own purposes - but happy to share.

[delaro]

thanx for the footages ncje!
that would be so nice if someone could take a few minutes to shoot faces/people close ups under good lighting or daylight. it's a good way to evaluate the colors, 24f, the details, etc. of the a1.

[whachusay]

Not sure if anyone here has seen this or not. It's from a guy over at DVinfo.

http://dvinfo.net/conf/showthread.php?t=79216

Some night time footage of the A1. He is in Austin.

[Norbert]

Very nice bokeh in that shallow DOF shot. The low light capabilities are clearly really good.
Though I kind of expected the footage to be a bit sharper than that. It looks soft or slightly out of focus the whole time. Maybe it is the compression. The reds were also very blocky.

[whachusay]

I actually havent even seen the footage yet due to my computer here at work.

This is what the guy said as he posted the footage.

"I filmed this all in 24f, Most of the clips have different settings depending on what I was shooting. I noticed that the quicktime file seems to de-saturate the footage a bit kinda weird. Also the compresion seems to acent the noise, because when I veiw it in FCP I barely see noise if any at all."

Your right Norbert, probably the compression.

[Kholi]

The quicktime compression of clips are really destroying them.

m2t's are currently the best way to deliver test footage if nobody's going to take the time to render high-quality quicktime files.

I would definitely seek out more m2t's as opposed to quicktimes and view through VLC player. The blockiness and noise issues are still present, but on a very miniscule level.

[Noel Evans]

The quicktime compression of clips are really destroying them.

m2t's are currently the best way to deliver test footage if nobody's going to take the time to render high-quality quicktime files.

I would definitely seek out more m2t's as opposed to quicktimes and view through VLC player. The blockiness and noise issues are still present, but on a very miniscule level.

I agree, but its a lot to put online if your using mt2 files, which is why I say if people see a clip that want to see in mt2 format just let me know and Ill pop it up. Keep in mind Im capturing this stuf direct into FCP, so to output an mt2 I need to recapture just for that. Its no problem just dont want to do countless number by capturing every shot I take in m2t.

First post updated!

[whachusay]

This is some footage of a hawk grabbing it's prey. Shot with the A1

http://dvinfo.net/conf/showthread.php?t=79261

[Noel Evans]

Nice shot but why post here?

[FatDaddy]

Looks great ncje. I guess you are happy and sold on this camera. Footage looks great. I must try to find the camera locally and check it out.

I'm sold...

[Noel Evans]

Looks great ncje. I guess you are happy and sold on this camera. Footage looks great. I must try to find the camera locally and check it out.

I'm sold...

COOL glad you like it. In case anyone missed last link:

http://www.scarlet-films.com/A1/GINZANIGHTSCENE.mov

[whachusay]

Nice shot but why post here?
ncje- I appologize for posting this here. I should have posted it in a new thread. I wasn't trying to hijack your thread or anything. :)

[Elton]

That was great ncje. I just shot some Times Square NY footage with the A1, and so far it is definitely living up to its heritage.

btw, the new $500 Canon .8x WA is truly awesome for the A1. I love the built-in WA, but the adapter really gets nice and wide...and sharp with no appreciable light loss. Full zoom through too.

[TimurCivan]

Elton are you in NY and you didin tell me........

[Elton]

I posted over at xlcinema about it. I saw a couple of guys from that forum for about an hour at a cafe. Had a great time and it went by way too fast, but alas, I am back home in a city that sleeps. ;-)

Nutshell: I attended a Canon technical presentation/seminar. And yes, 24F was explained, and when I am sure it's ok to discuss it, I will.

Hint: Bogdan was very close to correct.

btw, hell of a city you live in. :) I've only been to NY once prior. I'm definitely going back in the near future.

[Mirezzi]

Actually took these shots a few days ago when more people were asking for night shots... seems theres an abundance around now. Basically this will end uo in the stock footage library anyway so no waste.

Any mt2 request - please ask.

Link is only 7.5mb

http://www.scarlet-films.com/A1/GINZANIGHTSCENE.mov

That stuff looks absolutely brilliant, what are you using there? The M2, Canon lens? What settings? 24F?

[Noel Evans]

Mirezzi Ill grab the scene file details shortly and post them up.

Elton yes wide angle seems to be a good option for this cam. Ill have to pick one up this coming week.

One point I want to mention to everyone out there. When I first bought this cam I read the manual and turned the marker function on. This function basically gives you a guide for correct exposure. Making sure I am zoomed on my subject that I want to expose the marker has been right on the money. I wont use it for everything of course but for these kind of shots its a great little feature.

[henry cho]

nice track noel... took me back a decade ;). great stuff as always.

[Noel Evans]

Heh thanks Henry glad you like it. Being Australian I thought it appropriate to use an Aussie sound. One of my earlier clips has didgeridoo.

[ChuckS]

Heh thanks Henry glad you like it. Being Australian I thought it appropriate to use an Aussie sound. One of my earlier clips has didgeridoo.
What was the transition between shots?

Where's the clips with the didgeridoo? I'm Australian too and would like to see and hear them...

The footage looks very good.

[Noel Evans]

For Mirezzi - cam settings for Ginza scene

Sorry but couldnt tell you exact fstop and shutter speed, they were rolled around for each scene, but cam settings were:
Gamma: Cine 2
Knee: Low
Black: Middle
Sharpness: - 3
H DTL FREQ: Middle
NR1: Low
COLOR MAT.: Cine 2
COLOR GAIN: 28

Everything was set at 0

EDIT: Gain set at 0

White balance was set in an interior under tungsten light - I thought it gave the shots a nice clean look. When I compare it to the tungsten preset its almost exactly same white balance. The lighting in Ginza naturally has a very white feel so I wanted to retain that.

Chuck that clip is in the first post somewhere.

The transition is a Natress Plug in for FCP called: G film dissolve - interpostive 1 which can be found here:

http://www.nattress.com/

Stopped using any plug ins other than Nattress, seems no need for anything else with this tool set, and its cheap. I havent actually done any CC in any of the shots on this thread

[Emanuel]

For Mirezzi - cam settings for Ginza scene

Sorry but couldnt tell you exact fstop and shutter speed, they were rolled around for each scene, but cam settings were:
Gamma: Cine 2
Knee: Low
Black: Middle
Sharpness: - 3
H DTL FREQ: Middle
NR1: Low
COLOR MAT.: Cine 2
COLOR GAIN: 28

Everything was set at 0

EDIT: Gain set at 0

White balance was set in an interior under tungsten light - I thought it gave the shots a nice clean look. When I compare it to the tungsten preset its almost exactly same white balance. The lighting in Ginza naturally has a very white feel so I wanted to retain that.

Chuck that clip is in the first post somewhere.

The transition is a Natress Plug in for FCP called: G film dissolve - interpostive 1 which can be found here:

http://www.nattress.com/

Stopped using any plug ins other than Nattress, seems no need for anything else with this tool set, and its cheap. I havent actually done any CC in any of the shots on this threadI would like to watch the same setup but having the GAIN set @-3 (similar to the Pappas' Bakery and Moviehouse clips?)

EDIT -- Second, anyone can suggest the same function coming from the Nattress plug in (Mac environment) but @PC_side? So, from another plug in or apps?

[manglerBMX]

i know this thread is all about the image and scene settings but how is the zoom on this cam? i use an h1 at work and it has variable speeds and can creep in real good. i have a dvx and it has a fairly good slow zoom. so how would the a1 compare to the dvx in zooming speeds? thanks

[poweredbyjolt]

you can set the zoom for a constant speed which is awesome! The slowest one is sooooo slow. Plus the speed setting is right next to the zoom button.

[Noel Evans]

Yeah glad someone else can answer that as I cant... I never use a slow zoom or pretty much never zoom. The only zoom I need is a snap zoom on a pan or something .. pretty easy to do on this cam.

[scenedirector]

Because of the footage I've been seeing on here and the features this cam seems to really holp up with, I just ordered TWO of them today with the HV10 as a VTR for these bad boys.

Try www.digitalfotoclub.com and ask for Ken. This guy was actually polite and patient with me on the phone. I was uncertain with the price-point they are selling them at, but I did a background check and saw that these were USA warrantied cameras.

Never thought I would jump into HDV and/or Canon, but because of you guys, I am eagerly waiting to get into affordable HD and not look back! Thanks!

[ecking]

Because of the footage I've been seeing on here and the features this cam seems to really holp up with, I just ordered TWO of them today with the HV10 as a VTR for these bad boys.

Try www.digitalfotoclub.com and ask for Ken. This guy was actually polite and patient with me on the phone. I was uncertain with the price-point they are selling them at, but I did a background check and saw that these were USA warrantied cameras.

Never thought I would jump into HDV and/or Canon, but because of you guys, I am eagerly waiting to get into affordable HD and not look back! Thanks!

Are you 100% sure these guys are legit? This doesn't look a company that would sell such high end equipment.

If they are, I'd order from them at that price. PM me or respond or something when you recieve it so I can hear how their service is.

[Noel Evans]

Because of the footage I've been seeing on here and the features this cam seems to really holp up with, I just ordered TWO of them today with the HV10 as a VTR for these bad boys.

Try www.digitalfotoclub.com and ask for Ken. This guy was actually polite and patient with me on the phone. I was uncertain with the price-point they are selling them at, but I did a background check and saw that these were USA warrantied cameras.

Never thought I would jump into HDV and/or Canon, but because of you guys, I am eagerly waiting to get into affordable HD and not look back! Thanks!

I checked reselleratings and whilst all reviews arent bad it seems they have a problem with commonly selling grey market in the US. Personally I would avoid them. They are also located in Brooklyn where a lot of these dodgy reports seem to stem from in the US.

Even with all that I am surprised they can sell even grey market this cheap. I hope theres no other catch i.e. sorry it doesnt come with a battery thats $500 more etc.

[ecking]

Yeah I've decided to scrap that idea and just buy from a company I already trust.

[Noel Evans]

Yeah I've decided to scrap that idea and just buy from a company I already trust.

Safe bet Id say.

[scenedirector]

You guys are getting me nervous! I dropped $8000 on them!! 2 Xh-a1s and an HV10 as a VTR.

These cams are suppose to be here on Friday. I'll let you all know. Thanks for telling me though!
Worse case scenario, if it is grey market: How do I tell? How do I get my money back and send them back?

[Noel Evans]

Mate I hope it all works out for you. Fingers crossed. The issue I see is they deliver grey market and people have troubles returning them. A quick call to them to politely ask them to verify its a US model might do the trick, before they ship.

On another note - busy week so little time to get much done. This coming weekend I will do some additional shooting with Merlin. Some light setups with and without m2. And I am hoping for some sunny weather as I want to get out the polariser and do some actual test shots on some camera moves I want to incorporate in my next project - involves a dolly run side by side with car - using the ploariser and focus to give the impression the cam is pulled from the vehicle as it drives away (thinking this is going to take a few tests to perfect the look I am after).

[FatDaddy]

Always looking forward to your footage ncje. Thanks for the efforts!

[Kholi]

Let us know if you actually get them!

[scenedirector]

Hey everybody! Got my TWO A1s!!! And my HV10 for family videos and mostly VTR work!

Before I let the UPS guy leave my front door, we opened the box, took out the camcorder boxes, opened those up and much to what I was hoping....EVERYTHING was there, paperwork, warranty card, ALL the supplied accessories!!!

I've already fired one of these bad boys up to test it out. SO FAR, everything has been legit!!

I feel pretty lucky for getting TWO A1s for a hair under $7000!!

If you guys are interested, talk to Ken. He was VERY POLITE and answered all my questions and concerns. I even was up front and asked him about the accessories and ESPECIALLY the warranty from Canon and the such.

Well, got A LOT to test and learn as I have finally popped my HD production cherry!! It's official!! I'm HD and I ain't EVER looking back!

[Jonathan_P]

Hey everybody! Got my TWO A1s!!! And my HV10 for family videos and mostly VTR work!
!
Congratulations! Sounds like an amazing deal. Do you mind sharing how much you paid for the HV10?

Thanks! JP

[scenedirector]

$968.99

[Jonathan_P]

$968.99 Thanks! JP

[philnerd]

Because of the footage I've been seeing on here and the features this cam seems to really holp up with, I just ordered TWO of them today with the HV10 as a VTR for these bad boys.

Try www.digitalfotoclub.com and ask for Ken. This guy was actually polite and patient with me on the phone. I was uncertain with the price-point they are selling them at, but I did a background check and saw that these were USA warrantied cameras.
<snip>

Just FYI, I got my XH A1 from them yesterday. They're definitely legit and authorized. Its my third Canon camera/camcorder purchase from them. They called me the day I ordered to confirm that I definitely placed the order and sent it out that day. Best of all, they don't call and try to hassle you into buying more stuff. And yes, everyone I've dealt with there on the phone or through email has always been courteous and professional.

www.philipwilliams.com

[Kholi]

Holy crap. I want to order from them now. !!!!!! GREAT FIND!!!

[Emanuel]

Good news people! I'd bet too but working @european_market, it would be more $500 (plus $500 for the angle converter) and I'm still waiting for the HD-SDI solution for the laptop recording from the G1, if possible.

I also found it from this supplier here:

http://www.abesofmaine.com/viewproduct~id~cnxha1.htm

About three/four days ago, they had a 3,300 - 3,400 price but not any more now. So, according pricegrabber.com, yours it seems the lower one. Good buy(s)!

[TimurCivan]

Are the cams shipping with "vigor"? as in do you have to wat for shipments to come in before you get it?

[TimurCivan]

also, whats do you reckon it performance is in lowlight? 1 stop slower than DVX 2stops? 3? etc. just curious

[db20]

Hmmm... I was going to buy from B&H photo but know i'm not so sure; Digitalfoto has a more competitive price. If i bought the camera i would have to get the 4 year warranty (which is $50 cheaper the B&H) does any one have experience with Digitalphoto's warranty they offer? I'm still a little concerned they might try to sale me a gray market camera and it doesn't help that they are located in Brooklyn. Does anyone else have any experience from buying from Digitalfoto? Is digitalfoto an authorized Canon dealer?

[Kholi]

Technically? Humm. I wouldn't know, but I've seen the comparison videos and it's low light performance is great. Especially when fine-tuned.

One thing I did notice is the vertical smear on lights. It can get pretty bad.

[Elton]

Scenedirector: Congrats on the cameras! I think you will be very happy with them.

[db20]

Actually upon further inspection Digitalfoto's version does not include a compact power adapter (I believe this runs about $100- $200). As well the shipping is free on the 5-9 day delivery but anything sooner will cost 90+. Just to play it safe i will probably buy from B&H. However, i would still be interested in buying from Digitalfoto for equipment needs.

[Noel Evans]

Scenedirector, can you get in touch with Canon and ask them to confirm the Serials as US Warranty? If more people are going to buy from them then I am a little scared if this isnt clariified, you would be doing everyone a great service in doing so.

[Kholi]

Good idea.

[Jay Rodriguez]

ncje, for the GINZANIGHTSCENE.mov file that you posted I have 2 questions.

1. what shutter speed did u shoot in? the birds flying looked cool with that shutter speed.

2. what song/artist was that? loved the song.

Jay

[Mirezzi]

2. what song/artist was that? loved the song.

Jay


UNDER THE MILKY WAY by The Church

[Noel Evans]

ncje, for the GINZANIGHTSCENE.mov file that you posted I have 2 questions.

1. what shutter speed did u shoot in? the birds flying looked cool with that shutter speed.

2. what song/artist was that? loved the song.

Jay

God Jay hope you read the entire details about the pidgeons... I reset the gain to +12 during sunlight hours whoch killed just about everything I shot that day. The pidgeons were shot at like 1/8000th. The Ginza night scene shutter speed varied and I didnt note it, but basically just chose the look I wanted then matched exposures.

And song as per Mirezzi.

[scenedirector]

I received EVERYTHING. Like I saide before, I didn't let the UPS man leave my doorstep or sign his pad until I opened EVERYTHING to check on it.

NCJE: Yes, I will check on the serials this upcoming week. This website has helped me out TREMENDOUSLY over the last couple years. It's owed to inform you guys to help out.

[scenedirector]

One more thing guys.

The only thing I did NOT like, right out of the box, was no plugs or covers over the XLR inputs. I don't want dust and dirt getting in them.

Can anyone recommend a third party plug or cover I can buy. From a music shop? From B&H? Some where. I don't like that they are exposed.

Let me know, thanks!

[Kholi]

Might want to make sure they're supposed to be exposed out of the box. Do let us know when you find out about those Serials. I'm interested.

[Noel Evans]

Man... guys I spent all weekend trying for the shot I wanted and still didnt get it right. I am recreating part of the dolly so I can have another try. When it comes to shooting this scene for real I wont have the luxury of days to spend on getting it so have to get it right now.

I do have some footage coming soon.

[Barry_Green]

They are exposed right out of the box, no covers installed.

[Kholi]

Barry, have you gotten a chance to play with an A1?

[Barry_Green]

It's sitting on the desk right next to me right now... I'll be working with it for a couple of days.

[Kholi]

WOOHOO!!!! Looking forward to detailed impressions.

[Emanuel]

It's sitting on the desk right next to me right now... I'll be working with it for a couple of days.First impressions my friend?

[db20]

Hey scenedirector:

I hate to ask but i just wanted to make sure. In your package of the xh a1 did you get the compact power adapter? On Digitalfoto site i did not see it listed under items included. Also, Your 100% sure its a US, US warranty and not a gray market camera. I'm sorry if i sound rude but i just wanted to make sure. I'm leaning toward buying the camera from them but i just wish i new more opinions/buyers experience from there place.

[scenedirector]

Yes, I got the compact power adapter. I don't know why they didn't list it, but I got ALL the accessories that are listed for the A1 on the Canon website, itself.

Looking into the serials today guys.

[scenedirector]

Just talked to a Canon rep AT CANON.

They are legit!!!

Hurry up and buy them why you can at digitalfotoclub.com guys. Great service, especially through Ken, great price, and of course, GREAT CAMS!!

[Barry_Green]

This makes no sense. I'm gonna call Canon. DigitalFotoClub.com looks like every other Brooklyn scam joint. It's based in Brooklyn, it has a resellerratings.com profile with lots of complaints about gray market goods.

Okay, I'm on hold with Canon, but while I'm at it, I went to the Canon "where to buy" page and put in digitalfotoclub.com's zipcode -- and guess what, they don't show up as an authorized dealer. Surprise, surprise.

Look up digitalfotoclub.com on Don Wiss's page of brooklyn storefronts (http://donwiss.com/pictures/BrooklynStores/) -- does that look like an authorized store?

Okay, still on hold, so I'm rooting around, and guess what -- they carry Crystal Optics and Sakar crap accessories, which is my #1 dead giveaway that they're a member of the same Crooklyn series of stores.

Hey, just heard from Canon, they say that they can find no evidence whatsoever that digitalfotoclub is an authorized dealer! In fact, they even found another zipcode for the "company" (which, surprise surprise, that second zipcode is also in Brooklyn) and that doesn't check out either. There is an authorized dealer in Brooklyn, "1 Stop Camera & Electronics", but not Digital Foto Club.

So no, sorry, Digital Foto Club is most definitely not an authorized, legit Canon reseller.

In fact, I'd go so far as to say that if any place is advertising the A1 for even a penny less than full retail $3999, that in and of itself is probably proof that they're not an authorized dealer. It is my understanding that Canon enforces a strict retail-price-only policy with their dealers for any of their professional HDV products. Even the XLH1, which has been out for over a year and is selling about as fast as snow cones to an eskimo, is still being advertised at $8999 at every legit authorized dealer. The reps at DV Expo last year told us that all dealers are required to carry it at MSRP, there will be no advertising of canon professional HDV products at any price other than MSRP. So ergo, if someone is advertising it for less, they are almost certainly not an authorized dealer.

[Jay Rodriguez]

Good work Barry, I did the same exact thing and came up with the same information. I ended up ordering the A1 from 1 Stop Camera just now thanks to Canon pointing me in the right direction and guess what: 1 Stop Camera sells them for $3,499! WOOHOO!

I'll have mine in hand tomorrow via UPS for a total of $3,657 for the camera, 10 hr battery and shipping....... I'm so excited.

[Kholi]

So wait, an authorized dealer can advertise for under 3,999?

And how did one guy get Digitalfoto as legit and the other not?

Anyway, I'll go to see about 1 stop camera and check those guys out.

GO COFFEE! YOU SON OF A GREAT MAN! A1 owner's what! edit: i just saw. You paid extra for express shipping. SWEET.

I want to get one and a Firestore at the same time.

[Jay Rodriguez]

lol, yeah man I'm excited to get it tomorrow. I'm a little shell shocked that I jumped it buying it but I keep hearing awesome things about the A1 and I really feel that this is a great camera to introduce myself to HD with. It's not a simple camera that will let me down in a few months but rather one that I think will hold its own for quite some time.

[Barry_Green]

So wait, an authorized dealer can advertise for under 3,999?
Not supposed to be able to, and I can't even find an A1 on their site. They do have the H1 listed, but it's listed at $10,133 or something like that.

And how did one guy get Digitalfoto as legit and the other not?
That one I can't answer. But I can point you towards Canon's website where you can check for yourself, and you can also use the "contact us" button there to call Canon directly, and they'll tell you that there's no way digitalfotoclub.com is an authorized reseller.

[Kholi]

Uh oh. Smells fish-ee. Doesn't matter, though. I'm not going to buy from a non-authorized dealer.

I asked Coffee about the 1 Stop Camera place. I didnt' see an A1 either. Maybe he called it in?

[Jay Rodriguez]

Uh oh. Smells fish-ee. Doesn't matter, though. I'm not going to buy from a non-authorized dealer.

I asked Coffee about the 1 Stop Camera place. I didnt' see an A1 either. Maybe he called it in?


Yeah I called them directly AFTER Canon confirmed that they were legit authorized dealers for Canon products.

PM'd u back.

Oh also, I didn't see the A1 on their site also which is one of the reasons why I called 1 Stop Camera directly.

[Kholi]

Sweeeeet. Thanks Coffee.

[scenedirector]

Now I'm CONFUSED!!

I called the 888 number on my Canon USA warranty card to ask, and the Canon rep had told me if the camera is NTSC and it comes with the USA warranty card, you are okay.

Also, yes, I found out that digitalfotoclub.com has a physical store front under another name. That store I DID find on the CANON website as an authorized seller.

Guys, help me out, help me help you out, and DAMN IT, if these cams are gray market!!!

Now I'm stuck with them, so how do I make the best of it????

[Kholi]

Use them and don't break them.

[Jay Rodriguez]

Use them and don't break them.


werd

[Noel Evans]

Congrats to coffee on getting his confirmed as legit.

This last week has seen little shooting from me on the A1. I did tests all day last Saturday but thats a shot in progress Im working on and Id prefer not to show it.

So from Sunday the weather has been all over the place. And, the few decent days I have had to go out and work.

Today again is overcast nothing rubbish (per Barry Green) blah. Today is also a national Holiday in Japan so it would have been the perfect day to get out and shoot this morning :S This afternoon I have a production meeting so no go - will be raining anyway.

I hear the calls for the bright footage..... believe me if the stars align in the next few days I will have some up. Wont be anything particularly special, just something like a montage of scenes I can shoot and throw together in a couple of hours.

[scharky]

How come no one wants to shoot in overcast. I love overcast days, I guess I have to I live in Seattle, but just because it's overcast doesn't mean you can't shoot something great, especially people. I'll take overcast shots any day over the "no" light shots that everyone seems to "test" the camera with (present company excluded) :) Stop looking for excuses Barry and Ncje :)

[Barry_Green]

Hey, no more excuses, today was wonderful and I ran around to the beach, downtown, the battleship, the intracoastal waterway, the lake, got a few different shots in a lot of different environments!

Bright overcast can be worked with, but blah gray overcast is not so workable, I think, it just makes everything flat and ugly. A bright sky with a layer of cloud over it, and just a hint of sun poking through to give a little bit of an edge -- well, that's perfect. But the kind of overcast I had here yesterday was just unusable.

Today was great though, sunny & bright but not not. Now I just have to sort through the tape and the cards and find shots that look appropriate, and line 'em up and see what I think. It's just so impossible to do something like this justice by yourself though; just when you think you've got it all set up and lined up, that's about when you realize that you forgot to level one of the tripods, and so after you do that, you remember that you cranked up the chroma gain on the last shot so this one should have it turned back down... etc... so, I don't know how much of what I got is usable, but I'll find out later tonight & tomorrow!

[scharky]

Ok, Barry, your forgivin this time, but only if the footage looks good. :)

[Barry_Green]

I just spent a half an hour staring at my XBR960 TV, about two feet away from it, swapping cables between the two. It all looks good!

[scharky]

Barry didn't your mother teach you anything? YOU'LL GO BLIND!

[Noel Evans]

How come no one wants to shoot in overcast. I love overcast days, I guess I have to I live in Seattle, but just because it's overcast doesn't mean you can't shoot something great, especially people. I'll take overcast shots any day over the "no" light shots that everyone seems to "test" the camera with (present company excluded) :) Stop looking for excuses Barry and Ncje :)

Heh, seriously just fine drizzle rain all day, very low dark clouds.

[TimurCivan]

yea but no rain overcast is to flat. foggy misty rain at least has Depth.

[Noel Evans]

Good news . No work today (Im meant to finish documentary opening concept) and its a perfect day! Im taking my daughter to the cruddy park near here, but theres plenty of shots to be had.

[Noel Evans]

Today got some footage of a nice bright day. Took the daughter for a walk in her "shaky cart" with no OIS on. Then a few oher shots I threw together. This was shot very fast on the run. Used a polariser on every shot but the last small timelapse piece.

EDIT: I shot this entire sequence whilst controlling my daughter - not a bad effort I thought (think not? then you try it :P )

http://www.scarlet-films.com/A1/SUNNY.mov

[delaro]

thanx to share. did you add some kind of glow effect or degrainer in post? your daughter shot looks like if you did. a little bit bleached out.

----------------------------------------
LD
www.tristefin.com

[Noel Evans]

No post work. Could be my polariser. The one I am using is from my DVX, Im not getting good results from it in HD. My daughter is half Japanese, has very pale skin.

[Elton]

So, no Red Rock this time? Some of your rack focus shots kind of had that look.

Fun stuff, thanks for posting.

Cute daughter too. :) I suppose we'll be seeing her grow a little in the next few years just like folks around here have seen mine growing up. *sniff sniff*.

[Noel Evans]

Yeah Elton no Red rock. Next time I will be doing a breakdown of setting the redrock up on the A1 in this case though using Cavision baseplate and mattebox. Kind of like a how to then shoot some lit stuff with it.

My daughter is two today!

[Jay Rodriguez]

happy b-day to her my friend.

question for you about your quick video. the piece that begins at 1:46, when you pan down and to the right it seems really jittery/studdery. do you know why it looks like that?

[philnerd]

Now I'm CONFUSED!!

I called the 888 number on my Canon USA warranty card to ask, and the Canon rep had told me if the camera is NTSC and it comes with the USA warranty card, you are okay.

Also, yes, I found out that digitalfotoclub.com has a physical store front under another name. That store I DID find on the CANON website as an authorized seller.

Guys, help me out, help me help you out, and DAMN IT, if these cams are gray market!!!

Now I'm stuck with them, so how do I make the best of it????

Well, for what its worth I bought my Canon Optura 30 from digitalfotoclub.com back when they were clearing them out with the $100 rebate. The rebate was definitely only valid with authorized Canon dealer purchases and I did redeem the rebate. I sure don't remember where, but I remember pulling up a long list of internet dealers that were authorized before making the purchase and www.digitalfotoclub.com was on that list.

Now, is there a chance they're no longer authorized? Certainly. I hope they are, because I ordered my XH A1 from them as well. Its definitely a US model, I've registered the serial number with Canon and all the warranty card(s) and accessories are all there.

So while their store front looks "hole-in-the-wall", they at the very least were an authorized Canon dealer recently (and may still be, since it looks like people are getting conflicting info). And they also make absolutely no effort to hide the fact that they operate under multiple names, so I have no problem with that.

Anway, I hope they're still authorized. I've certainly gotten excellent service with every order I've placed there (the A1 was my third Canon purchase). Their staff has been friendly on the phone (pretty rare for NY I guess) and I've gotten fast and helpful email response from them. I suppose everyone's mileage may vary of course.

If the camera breaks in the first year, guess I'll find out for sure!

[Noel Evans]

happy b-day to her my friend.

question for you about your quick video. the piece that begins at 1:46, when you pan down and to the right it seems really jittery/studdery. do you know why it looks like that?

Cheers mate. Panning much to fast for the shot and if I recall shutter speed was 1/120th but I had limited time and one go at it. Daughter was running crazy.

[Barry_Green]

Understand that they may actually be authorized for digital still cameras, but not authorized for the XHA1. Different product lines are not carried all by the same dealers; EVS, for example, is authorized to sell the XL2 but I don't believe they're authorized to carry the XLH1. Don't know about the XHA1 or not.

All I'm saying is that I called Canon and asked them about digitalfotoclub.com, told 'em the website and the physical address, and Canon said "nope, no record of them being an authorized dealer for the XHA1." But I don't know about other product lines.

[TimurCivan]

whats the deal with being "authorized" why is it so finicky amongst resellers?

[Barry_Green]

Because if you're authorized, that means you have a relationship with the manufacturer and can buy from them.

A non-authorized dealer cannot buy from the manufacturer. They have to scrounge up units wherever they can get them.

So think of it like a new car dealer (authorized dealer) vs. a used-car lot (non-authorized dealer).

[TimurCivan]

ewww used car dealers...... so do they reverse crank the hours on the heads by rewinding tapes??????

[filmmaker1977]

"Also, yes, I found out that digitalfotoclub.com has a physical store front under another name. That store I DID find on the CANON website as an authorized seller."

http://www.dvxuser.com/V6/showpost.php?p=774731&postcount=153

"Just talked to a Canon rep AT CANON.

They are legit!!!

Hurry up and buy them why you can at digitalfotoclub.com guys. Great service, especially through Ken, great price, and of course, GREAT CAMS!!"

http://www.dvxuser.com/V6/showpost.php?p=774057&postcount=144

isn't this two answers?..