Hvx200 vs XH-A1 lowlight

magichristopher

magichristopher

Well-known member
Has anyone preformed this yet? i would be very interested in seeing the results comparing the two in low light.

For everything else, I understand the differences so I am just requesting low light tests.

Thanks
 
Over on DVinfo someone is going to do a test tonight. It'll be posted by tomorrow morning.
 
I bought the XHA1 today because I wanted to get a camera to shoot HD weddings. I already own the HVX 200 which is an amazing camera, but it has been hard trying to shoot run and gun weddings. So I decided why not compare these two bad boys. So I took the cameras out in my backyard and shot some test footage. I did mess it up a bit because I always shoot 720p with my HVX , so this was the setting it was on. Anyway I didn't realize this till after it was dark. Check out this footage here.
(Please right click to download)

www.joesimonproductions.com/shootout/daytime.mov

I just bought the XHA1 today so I only used it for about 1/2 hour before i shot this stuff. I'm sure the settings weren't optimal, and after spending more time behind the camera I learned it has tons of CP settings and you can really match these two up if you needed to. Here is a color corrected version of the footage.
(Please right click to download)
www.joesimonproductions.com/shootout/daytimecc.mov

I also did a low light comparison between the HVX-200(in 1080/24p), XHA1 and the PD170. Here is the link for the small version.
(Please right click to download)
www.joesimonproductions.com/shootout/lowlight.mov

HD version -
www.joesimonproductions.com/shootout/lowlightbig.mov

I was really impressed by the low light capabilities of the XHA1. When you use the NR1 setting on low it does a great job of cleaning up the grain. But don't set it to medium or High because it makes a ghosting pattern on moving objects as you will see. I hope this will help people out there who have not seen footage from this great new camera. I should have some new stuff shot in the next few days for some more comparisons.
 
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Great great comparison.Both look really amazing. The HVX seems to have more saturated strong colors with high contrast (might have to do a little bit with the fact that it was shot 720p). I'm sure the A1 footage could easily be color corrected to match the HVX's.
 
The A1 seems to have a tiny bit of an edge over the HVX on low light. It's hard to look at the footage produced by the pd170 after watching the A1's and the HVX's. It looks so flat and cold.
 
i was almost buying the hvx.
then, yesterday i saw macgregor footage with the h1.
and now .... that.
i'm puzzled ....
 
After this side by side comparison I'm more than convinced that the A1 can be just as good as the HVX for more than half the price (if you include the p2 cards). Now, this is the moment where I expect a sniper hired by Barry to shot me right between the eyes.
 
Now, this is the moment where I expect a sniper hired by Barry to shot me right between the eyes.
Click to expand...
Why? If the A1 can do a fantastic job, what's wrong with that? :) Competition is good for all of us.

But when you say "just as good for half the price", I still have to point out that the image is only one factor. Variable frame rates, ability to shoot 720, ability to shoot DVCPRO50 in SD, uncompressed audio, tapeless workflow, potential GOP issues, 4:2:2, deck incompatibility, and all sorts of other factors come into play. I think the XHA1 can make a strong case for being "the new DVX" if all turns out as promised. But I think it's not a competitor for the HVX among those who value the other things the HVX can do.

It's like how VX2000 buyers tried very hard to convince themselves that the PD150 was a waste of money because "it's the exact same camera plus some XLRs". Far from it, the DVCAM recording alone was worth the price increase for lots and lots of people!

And when you say "half the price"... $4000 vs. $5300 doesn't seem like "half the price" either, considering the HVX now comes with a free 8GB card. :thumbsup:

I hope the XHA1 turns out to be a fantastic product and I'm looking forward to getting my hands on one.
 
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To be honest I'm a big fan of the A1 and probably will buy one. However, I completely agree with Barry in that it is lacking a lot of the features that the HVX has - and I have to admit that I love the picture that the HVX produces, I do think it is 'more pleasing' than the A1 - particularly out of the box.

Where I disagree with Barry is on the price issue - you have to go with what you can afford and be realistic about what features you get for what price. In the UK the price difference is about £1000 (That's around $1800) and at the moment, no free P2 card. Once I've made a good bit of money I'll look at panasonic again.... which is back to agreeing with Barry again - get the camera that meets your requirements and if necessary (and you can afford it) get two...
 
You would think, after all the traveling I've been doing, that I'd remember that there's a world outside the US when I make posts like that! Sorry, yes, of course you're right, outside the USA the free card isn't part of the deal, which changes the economic picture...
 
Hey Simes, I'm going to be in London tomorrow and I was thinking of looking into the A1 prices there. Do you know what is the cheapest price available in London? If it's around 3300€ I might just buy it there.
 
Errr, more to the point, is there any stock in London?

I don't think any A1s (Other than demo models) have made it to the UK yet. I have contact with a Canon dealer who says they won't have stock until the 15th :-( If you find where they have them, please let me know!
 
After using both cameras I think that the HVX still has many advantages. With the variable frame rates to the many recording formats and 100mbit recording you can do almost any job. Also having to go back to tape again sucks, especially when the HVX separates each clip.

The A1 is very nice, I picked up 2 of them yesterday at Precision camera here in Austin because I was anticipating them selling out quickly. They will be a great camera to film weddings with especially since I can shoot in 24 or 30f.

Out of the box the cameras footage looks very similar to the FX/1, but it is when you go in to the CP menu that the magic happens. There are so many settings even more then the HVX like separate color gain and color matrix controls. With these you can tune the picture for the look you want. The HVX's controls go from -7-+7 while the A1's have a -30-+30 variation(on most of them, Ped and a few others are less, but color controls are -30-+30) which I think will give you a bit more to play with.

I found the low light on the A1 amazing, inside and outside. If you watch the smaller version of the low light test it does better job of giving it justice because of the compression. On my computer in FCP You can barely see any gain in the 12db setting with NR1 on low. Did I say amazing! Also I feel that it looks less grainy then the PD170 when its settings were 1/6f, 1/60frame rate 12db, and the pictures are pretty equal in brightness!

I have a documentary that I will be shooting this winter that I think I can use both of the cameras and it would be very hard to notice. I'm going to have a great time with this new camera shooting events and I will be sticking with my HVX to shoot commercials and short film work.
 
poweredbyjolt said:
After using both cameras I think that the HVX still has many advantages. With the variable frame rates to the many recording formats and 100mbit recording you can do almost any job. Also having to go back to tape again sucks, especially when the HVX separates each clip.
I have a documentary that I will be shooting this winter that I think I can use both of the cameras and it would be very hard to notice. I'm going to have a great time with this new camera shooting events and I will be sticking with my HVX to shoot commercials and short film work.
Click to expand...

have you seen macgregor short "smile" shot with the H1?
is this kind of look possible with the hvx200? i mean something very cold. because the only non warm hvx footages i've seen were turning very blueish (even with a very low saturation).
 
I also take a good look at the Canon A1, for oneman documentary shootings in 25f it could do the job very good. Compared with the HVX prices over here ($ 9000,- VAT inc. no free goods) it gives you an economical product you can work with. I probably will buy one.

The images and color controls do look promising and I can live with HDV during recording if it also gives me long recording times and instant tape backup.

Also I like Canon, they are small in the video department, big in the lenses and with a long history in building analog and digital camera's.
 
Gotta say--

The Free 8gig P2 card makes the HVX look even sweeter with all of the low prices floating to the surface this holiday season.

=(

A1's picture, to me, has more potential to be corrected with all of the tweaking options and post options.

HVX has a crap-load of extra features that makes it look great. I'm still on the fence on which one to go in debt for.

way to go...
 
difficult choice.
but i don't understand. the hvx seems to be more sensitive than the a1 in daylight and less sensitive in dark conditions with these examples.
i like the coldness of some hdv footages i've seen, kind of lack of humanity. but i'm not sure i can obtain that kind of image with the hvx.....
 
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