HV20 for B or 2 yes 2! XH A1

E

ESTEBEVERDE

Veteran
Also, what about 2 XH A1 and 1 HV20.


We are shooting some language modules and a documentary on sports.


The sports doc makes me lean heavily towards XHA1 due to rolling shutter, audio options etc.


What do you all think?


Is the HV20 up to the task or should I go strictly with the XH A1s?
 
Depends, if your lighting everything and there is plenty of light like outside or artificial inside go with the HV20... I am not 100% sure about the HV20 but I have an HV10 that we use as secondary and surprisingly it does quite well...

My vote would be HV20 for B... Use it as a deck for the A1... If budgeting is not a concern go with 3 A1's.... : )
 
O.K. I have to order the cameras for this project by the end of the week.

Our budget will allow for 2 HV20 s complete with canon WD-H43 wide angle, Canon TL-H43 Tele, Rode Video and Rode Stero Video Mics etc...

Or, 1 XH A1 with the Canon WD H72 and an Octava mic set up.


It's a tough call because 2 cameras are nice but are these 2 HV20s nicer than an XH A1?


And, there's always resell value to consider for after the shoot.

What do you guys, particularly the XH A1 owners and the XH A1 and HV20 owners think?

Thanks in advance everybody for your consideration.
 
I have had the Xh-A1 for almost one year and I have had the Hv20 for like a week. Even though I didn't have much time to play with the Hv20 it really makes me nervous having to access a menu to control shutter, iris, gain, etc. Plus that focus...uh...thing...doesn't really work for me. I mean, I really like the HV20 and the images are amazing. You can with absolutely no doubt mix both images. But after having owned a camera like the A1 where you can access imediately all the controls it's tough having to deal with the HV20. You can do a lot of great stuff with the HV20 but I really would not trade it for the A1. If you're shooting under controlled circumstances you could go with the HV20 and all the ad ons, but if you need a lot of different settings fast for diferent circumstances the A1 is the camera to go with. It's a pro camera and it'll make your life easier in a number of ocasions. Not to mention the sad fact that frivulous clients won't take you too seriously if you show up with a small HV20 .
 
Hey estebeverde, I don't think you will go wrong with at least one HV20 in the mix. As a "B" cam and as a deck it will definately come in handy. In regards to the ducumentary, if the "B" cam is used mostly on a tripod....then you don't have to worry about the rolling shutter issue at all. Plus it's only an issue in more extreme circumstances (like flying in a helicopter or maybe sitting on a washing machine during the spin cycle....ok...that was stupid). :-)

Whether it's the HV20 or the A1 you are using I'm sure you know how to plan all your shots accordingly...so don't let the "rolling shutter artifacts" you've heard about scare you away. My 2 pennies.
 
I have no complaints regarding the sound on the A1. You have 2 balanced XLR inputs with phantom power an an aditional mic in.

P.S - Hey, Estebeverde, am I crazy or are you from Spain?
 
I dont have an HV20, but two consumer based camcorders do not compare to the A1 brother. Since using the DVX100b and XH A1, I have come to despise the tiny camera with mostly auto settings. Generally speaking of course, because I do not own the HV20. Although I was very close to getting one before my A1.
 
dougster77 said:
That looked great... Good pace in editing too... I would love to know how much actuall footage you guys came away with...
Click to expand...

we had fifty hours or so captured on both tape and the firestore depending on location

in editing it took about one week to get to the cinematic look and feel of the piece
then we spent a few more weeks putting the whole thing together
 
Go with the A1 as opposed to two HV20s. I love my V20 but if you're working on a doc you need to have real control when it really counts.

BUT, the HV20 is a perfect compliment to the A1 if you have the extra hand.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top