Is the XH-A1s worth the xtra money?

V

vanishproductions

Member
I am looking to purchase a new cam and think i've settled on the XH-A1, but I'm wondering if the new XH-A1s is worth the extra money? Are the new features worth that much? Also, can anyone recommend a good LCD monitor for this cam that is the best bang for the buck?
 
The XHA1s doesn't add much. If you're looking for a camera in that range, you can't really go wrong with the XHA1. The only reason to look elsewhere is for tapeless workflow.
 
The HMC150 is what I really wanted. I thought I was sold on it. But I want easy and I wasn't sure how easy it would be for me. I'm use to MiniDV. For one I would have to upgrade my computer and upgrade my CS3 for AVCHD. Also, I've been using the XH-A1 at work and have really grown to like it and where all the controls are at. I know all the specs on both camera inside and out. What can you tell me about real world experience?
 
If I were to buy a brand new camera, I would get the A1s. If I was looking to save some money buying used, the A1 would be the choice. The seemingly small update is actually pretty important. The A1, like many other cameras, has a horrible 4 pin firewire connection. It goes loose and if you're not careful, you can break the tiny connectors inside it (as I did) which will cost a fortune to fix.
 
That was my concern with the A1. I had an older panasonic that the 4-pin went out on. But the A1s is like a grand more brand new. That seems steep for the 6-pin upgrade and the better iris and focus rings. Has anyone had any troubles with the rings?
 
Huy Vu said:
If I were to buy a brand new camera, I would get the A1s. If I was looking to save some money buying used, the A1 would be the choice. The seemingly small update is actually pretty important. The A1, like many other cameras, has a horrible 4 pin firewire connection. It goes loose and if you're not careful, you can break the tiny connectors inside it (as I did) which will cost a fortune to fix.
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Huy,

How much did it cost to have the 4 pin firewire connection repaired? Did you have to replace the whole assembly/board? I just broke mine and Canon won't give me a price quote.

I am hoping I can just replace it with the new A1s 6pin firewire assembly/board. Has anyone here replaced it on their own?
 
It was $260, NOT cover by warranty even though it was still in effect. They replaced the entire circuit board which includes the headphone jack, the firewire and the component connector. From the receipt it looks like the board was a $20 part, the rest was labor.
 
I am in the same situation. I can get the XH-A1 for $2900 new, or the XH-A1s for $3300 new, so a $400 difference. Wondering if the extra features are worth it to go with the "s" newer version for the $400 difference? I would not use the direct to hard drive recording feature. But from what I am reading the 6 pin firewire upgrade is good, I need to research other new features, but would appreciate any advice here also.

vanishproductions said:
I am looking to purchase a new cam and think i've settled on the XH-A1, but I'm wondering if the new XH-A1s is worth the extra money? Are the new features worth that much? Also, can anyone recommend a good LCD monitor for this cam that is the best bang for the buck?
Click to expand...
 
I am seeing that the xha1s has an output for an EVF monitor, but I am not sure what that is? Can someone enlighten me? That could be a good feature perhaps. I know the xha1 has a video out, but is there something special about an output for an EVF video monitor?

vanishproductions said:
I am looking to purchase a new cam and think i've settled on the XH-A1, but I'm wondering if the new XH-A1s is worth the extra money? Are the new features worth that much? Also, can anyone recommend a good LCD monitor for this cam that is the best bang for the buck?
Click to expand...
 
Randall_Oelerich said:
I am seeing that the xha1s has an output for an EVF monitor, but I am not sure what that is? Can someone enlighten me? That could be a good feature perhaps. I know the xha1 has a video out, but is there something special about an output for an EVF video monitor?
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It could mean that you can get all your on-screen info that you would normally see on your A1's LCD screen (f-stop, shutter speed, etc.) on an external monitor. I can't remember if the original A1 does this. I would imagine it would since my Canon XL-1s that I sold a while ago could even do this.

Randall, you would probably be able to find a used A1 for even less than $2900. There was someone selling one in the marketplace recently for approx. $2400.
 
An EFV monitor is basically a high resolution eye piece, like those you find on broadcast cameras. This is an accessory that would need to be purchased separately, probably not worth it.
 
So what the heck does one get for the extra cost of the xh-a1S over the xh-a1? I am not seeing much except the 6 pin firewire upgrade from 4 pin.

Huy Vu said:
An EFV monitor is basically a high resolution eye piece, like those you find on broadcast cameras. This is an accessory that would need to be purchased separately, probably not worth it.
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Yeah but that $2400 for used would likely blossom to $2500 used with shipping+insurance. I think I would rather pay an extra $400 for brand new with warranty. But I appreciate the suggestion.
 
Randall_Oelerich said:
Yeah but that $2400 for used would likely blossom to $2500 used with shipping+insurance. I think I would rather pay an extra $400 for brand new with warranty. But I appreciate the suggestion.
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No problem. I totally understand. Warranties are nice, especially when spending nearly $3000.

I agree though, there really isn't much that sets the A1 apart from the A1s. The biggest thing is probably the manual lens mechanisms that the A1s has, which is not that big of a deal really.
 
I usually also get a Mack warranty on something as complex as a prosumer camcorder, one thing goes wrong and you are screwed without a warranty. Sort of stinks, an added cost of high end electronics!
 
Randall_Oelerich said:
So what the heck does one get for the extra cost of the xh-a1S over the xh-a1? I am not seeing much except the 6 pin firewire upgrade from 4 pin.
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You don't really, it's an update. Just like getting a HV30 over an HV40. You get a few features for added convenience but since the price on the older model automatically goes way down once the newer model is released, there's a price gap. Eventually new XH-A1 will be phased out completely and the A1s will become the only option if you're looking to get it new.
 
my a1 broke recently. I thought about buying it again since the price has dropped considerably. However, the more I look at the HMC-150, the more inclined I am to move to solid state. I loved all the manual features of the A1. But some of the capabilities of the HMC-150 made my decision much harder. For instance, If you decide to buy a 35mm adapter, you can buy the adapter without a flip module because of the flip capability of the HMC-150. This can save you money as well. I thought about the A1s, but what it offers doesnt really justify the extra money to me (atleast for what i would use it for).
 
I hear you nantnee. Canon really missed the boat with such a miniscule upgrade to the A1, especially with the Pana 150 out there now for the same price and with better low light ability and image flip for adapters. If they had released an AVC-HD capable A1 upgrade instead of the A1s, I'd have already switched to that without hesitation.
 
Nektonic said:
I hear you nantnee. Canon really missed the boat with such a miniscule upgrade to the A1, especially with the Pana 150 out there now for the same price and with better low light ability and image flip for adapters. If they had released an AVC-HD capable A1 upgrade instead of the A1s, I'd have already switched to that without hesitation.
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A1 solid state..... done.
 
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