Are there any XHA1s still in use?

T

tonyromano1544

New member
In 2008 I bought an XHA1 and made a couple of web videos. I enjoyed it but needed cash and sold my camera about a year and a half later. About 2 months ago, I came across an Xha1, hv40, redrock e2m 35mm adapter, and a AT897 mic. All for a killer price in mint condition. After that i upgraded my computer, bought CS6 production suite, then got Barry Green's light and sound DVDs. I have been studying this forum and now I am ready to make some short films.

The problem is I feel like I have a Ford model T in a modern NASCAR race. I know my equipment is old, but can I still produce a decent product? (By today's idie standards, I am not talking PL lenses and big budgets) Do people even use these cameras anymore? This tread has only had a few entries over the last couple years.

I want a Canon 7d to round off my equipment and give me some DOF but even that is old technology! Should I just cash out and go another direction?

Thanks guys.
 
I made a grand today using my xha1, In fact, I still use these cams frequently. Here's why, I feel thats it's not worth even selling at this point. I have an xha1, and xha1s. Their worth about a 1,000 each, give or take a few quid. So for old tech, it's still bringing in a decent day rate, the final is going to dvd as a training video.

I have some dslr's, but their not always the right tool for the job, I couldn't even imagine using a dslr for my gig today, I needed long record times, aprox 1 hr per take, broken into three segments, I also needed good audio, and utilized the xlr's going to an avantone hyper mic. I had very little setup time, so the pro features of the cam made it possible just by having access to real buttons and switches. Didn't have to look in one menu, there's something to be said just for that.

So as far as your gear, yeah it's a bit long in the tooth, but it's not an issue if your any good at your craft. I actually like the look of the redrock encore, gives a nice organic image. You just need to spend more time lighting due to light loss from the dof adapter, but not to much as thats a good adapter. That movie monsters was made with a sony and letus dof adapter, it looked great. It's about story regardless.

So use what you have, pick up a t3i or 7d for low light stuff, Now you will have most scenarios covered. One thing to remember, the xha1 out resolve the 7d all day long, and with out aliasing, plus the ccd's can make or break certain jobs.

If you do end up selling your gear let me know what you want for the hv40, my daughter want one to go with her hv30.
 
I'm going to use mine today.

XH-A1 got:
- 3CCD global shutter 1/16000
- constant f3,6 at 20x zoom
- Pro features
- looks cool
 
My XH-A1s works regularly to capture old Super-8 films transfers.
A perfect cam for me !
(And maybe a MRC1K or a DN60 for its future...)
 
Gargamel said:
My XH-A1s works regularly to capture old Super-8 films transfers.
A perfect cam for me !
(And maybe a MRC1K or a DN60 for its future...)
Click to expand...

I haven't used a dn-60, I have read there's some issues with the a1 with it,( maybe a firmware upgrade fixed it though.) But I do have and use a citidisc cfr on a regular basis, I also have a firestore, which I would not recomend, they have terrible service rediculous service prices, and their just tough to deal with. They don't respond to emails or phone calls, I will never recomend or buy another focus enhancement product ,EVER!!
 
maranfilms said:
I haven't used a dn-60, I have read there's some issues with the a1 with it,( maybe a firmware upgrade fixed it though.) But I do have and use a citidisc cfr on a regular basis, I also have a firestore, which I would not recomend, they have terrible service rediculous service prices, and their just tough to deal with. They don't respond to emails or phone calls, I will never recomend or buy another focus enhancement product ,EVER!!
Click to expand...
Thank you for sharing your experience.
Yes, I read too these DN-60 / XH-A1 issues (especially in Europe); there is now a DN-60a, maybe a little more reliable ?
I don't know the CitiDisk CFR; it works right with your XH-A1 ?
 
Gargamel said:
Thank you for sharing your experience.
Yes, I read too these DN-60 / XH-A1 issues (especially in Europe); there is now a DN-60a, maybe a little more reliable ?
I don't know the CitiDisk CFR; it works right with your XH-A1 ?
Click to expand...

Yes, the citidisc is made by shining technology, it's very small, records to cf card and works well with the xha1. Around the same price as the dn-60.
 
maranfilms said:
So use what you have, pick up a t3i or 7d for low light stuff, Now you will have most scenarios covered. One thing to remember, the xha1 out resolve the 7d all day long, and with out aliasing, plus the ccd's can make or break certain jobs.
Click to expand...

Truth.

I use an XLH1 for a lot of corporate type stuff, for certain reality style documentary work, and for wildlife filming. I have even sold footage from it to news networks (when paired with a nanoflash).

I use the 5Dmk3 and T3i for all the glam shots and low light work.

A used XHA1 and used T2i will cover most scenarios.
 
it's wonderful to know that this camera still find its existence in today's time. i really like its image quality. but now i want to move to tape-less format and am considering to sell this off. i have xh a1s. i am in dilemma whether to sell this off or get myself datavideo dn-60.

this camera is absolutely wonderful in terms of picture quality and features. besides, i don't find any other camera currently which i feel worth buying. there are some good cameras but they come at a high price.

i want to stick to my xh a1s but want to have a card recorder. if it can record on cards, there is no need to find another cam.
 
capturing film transfers

capturing film transfers

Gargamel said:
My XH-A1s works regularly to capture old Super-8 films transfers.
A perfect cam for me !
(And maybe a MRC1K or a DN60 for its future...)
Click to expand...

Gargamel, I have inherited a bunch of old family movies, how do you accomplish a transfer with the A1? I would love to do it myself and save all the cash outlay to have someone else do it.

Thanks,
Jon
 
payal_choksi said:
it's wonderful to know that this camera still find its existence in today's time. i really like its image quality. but now i want to move to tape-less format and am considering to sell this off. i have xh a1s. i am in dilemma whether to sell this off or get myself datavideo dn-60.

this camera is absolutely wonderful in terms of picture quality and features. besides, i don't find any other camera currently which i feel worth buying. there are some good cameras but they come at a high price.

i want to stick to my xh a1s but want to have a card recorder. if it can record on cards, there is no need to find another cam.
Click to expand...

There's some good options for you now, here's a few, datavideo dn-60, citidisc has a few flavors, I use the cfr model, you could also go from> component out>component to hdmi convertor> to hdmi recorder.

and get uncompressed, analog equivalant of 4:2:2 color space. I think the convertors are around 50.00, then the black magic intensity is under 400.00 but it uses ssd cards.

MY ONLY ADVICE*****STAY AWAY FROM FIRESTORE recorders*******
 
Noj said:
Gargamel, I have inherited a bunch of old family movies, how do you accomplish a transfer with the A1? I would love to do it myself and save all the cash outlay to have someone else do it.
Click to expand...
Hello Jon,

I transfer my old Super8 silent films to burn some DVD for my children: those adults now are very happy to see the babies they were ;-)

In my PAL world:
- projection at 18 f/s,
- with a 3W LED light in the projector,
- through a 70mm lens (from a 16mm projector).

Concerning the XH-A1s:
- the cam works in SD 25f, 16:9, with ClearScan;
- "No-preset", but KNEE = "Low", BLK = "Stretch";
- AGC = "Off";
- AWB = "Off" -> WHITE BAL = "PRE" -> WHITE BAL PRESET = "K" (5500° for my LED);
- GAIN = "L", set to -3dB.

The captures are recorded on a PC, through a FireWire connexion and the freeware VirtualDub.
Bad and dubbed frames are deleted, then the clips are stabilized and cleaned using AviSynth scripts (based on those by "videoFred" and "johnmeyer", thanks to them); final projection rate is 25 f/s.

Finally, that stuff feeds a basic NLE, which adds music etc and burns DVDs.

If you want, you can see some extracts on Vimeo:
http://vimeo.com/user3885557/videos
 
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I love my XH-A1 (og model, not the "s"). Thing is I've also now got an Panasonic AC-130. I think it is time to sell my A1 as it is just getting old dealing with tape. I do event videos, mostly weddings right now. This past summer we had some really hot summer weather. I had about three weddings where I had issues with the heat. On one instance it was so hot it affected the CCD's on the A1 and I had like 6-7 dead pixels through major portions of the recordings. I had to go in and use a filter to repair the pixels. Everything worked out pretty well in the end (had long render times). I sent the camera in to Canon, got it fixed just fine. I mention this not to say that other cameras will not also have their image sensors affected by heat, but to illustrate just how freaking hot it was for me on some wedding shoots this last year. Some real scorchers.

The thing is, with tape I've also had some extremely hot days this past summer where when I went to capture into my editing computer, the tapes had trouble on playback. It was mainly the tapes that I had shot either outdoor stuff with... post ceremony running around Chicago in the afternoon heat, or B-cam (HV20) up in the balcony in a hot church (hot air and humidity rising into the tall ceilings). Then the tapes from those days where I recorded stuff like the reception in a less hot environment, were just fine and dandy. So while it isn't specifically a scientific test, it is pretty apparent that tape can be affected by heat and humidity.

I'm also moving towards using my GH2 more, and getting a GH3 soon, so I figure it makes sense to go fully tapeless. Otherwise I hate to sell my XH-A1.
 
Agreed ^ we run A1 and A1s cams, the A1 updated replacement strap support is still available.

Last November I travelled on a cruise up the Amazon river in Brazil and shot tape on a HV40.

The outside temp ranged between 30 and 38c. The humidity was the worst I've ever experienced, around 98% for the 11 days.
We came back from 4hour jungle walks dripping wet.

With 50years pro tape experience I know about rapid changes in operating temperature but even leaving the camera out on deck for an hour didn't help.

I got the 'remove tape' and 'moisture detected' warnings more than once and one time the tape wouldn't roll on record at all.

But in most 'normal' heat/moisture cases, leaving the camera in the operating area for an hour, out of the sun, should help. It's called acclimatizing the tape.
Ampex used to recommend leaving their new rolls of 2" tape overnight in the control rooms, before use the next day.

Also before you change tapes, thoroughly clean the top of the camera, to stop dust and grit dropping down into the open transport.
On the HV20/30/40 cams run a damp cotton bud down that groove on the top of your cam. Then you'll see how dirty it is.

That's one of the major causes of tape dropouts.

Cheers.
 
payal_choksi said:
it's wonderful to know that this camera still find its existence in today's time. i really like its image quality. but now i want to move to tape-less format and am considering to sell this off. i have xh a1s. i am in dilemma whether to sell this off or get myself datavideo dn-60.

this camera is absolutely wonderful in terms of picture quality and features. besides, i don't find any other camera currently which i feel worth buying. there are some good cameras but they come at a high price.

i want to stick to my xh a1s but want to have a card recorder. if it can record on cards, there is no need to find another cam.
Click to expand...

http://www.usedav.com/17668/canon-xha1s-3ccd-hd-camcorder
I guess this is about the going rate for a XHA1s

I picked up a DN60 last year for my XHA1s and had no problems. You can find a DN60 at a great great price. I like my XHA1s - I have 2 of them, but they give me problems in low light situations and I work more in dark places. Better to sell off now that you can still get something for it. Cameras have come a long way in 4 years. But a tapeless recorder will buy you some time.

I am currently in the process of replacing my cameras. I will probably include my DN60 with one of the XHA1s as a kit for sale
 
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Using my XH-A1 with a Focus FS-H200Pro tonight for a job. That one recorder added 5 years of life back into my cam. I love it to death.
 
I have an XH-A1s, and it still works well for me. I use it exclusively for short films. Feel free to check out my Vimeo link at the bottom of this post to get an idea of what it's capable of.

The fact that it's tape-based doesn't bother me much. But then again, I'm not shooting on a daily or even weekly basis. If I was, capturing footage from the tape would likely get old fast. That's really the cam's only major downfall, and it again, it's really just a matter of putting a little extra effort into getting the footage onto your PC. I mean, you have to review all of your footage anyway, right? Might as well do it while you're capturing.

Image quality is great, especially if you plan on exhibiting your work mostly online. If you plan on projecting in film festivals it's great too. Theatrically released feature length films have been shot with the XHA1 (Crank 2, The Signal, several others). If you know how to use it, it's got what it takes.

Looks like you can find them used for around 1500 bucks these days. That's a great deal. I wouldn't buy one used without handling it and testing it out, though. Unlike many other tape based prsumer cams, there's no way to track how many hours have been put onto an XHA1.

Hope this helps.

http://vimeo.com/channels/jasonhabel
 
I still own two XHA1s's that have served me pretty well, but I am ready for a step up. Actually want to shoot stills and more cinematic style video, so I am considering a 5D mk III DSLR. Maybe sell the camcorders to pay for it, and then get a newer camcorder. I know the DSLR is not exactly a step up, but a lateral into something totally different.

Depending on the type of shoots you do, the XHA1 is still very capable. The last of the great tape-based cameras. I have always liked the look, but low light has been a slight problem and I'm doing more work in the dark. You should keep it and invest in a DN-60, and use tape for backup. However, if you have the means, you should sell it off while you can still get something for it. And I will make two XHA1s's available.
 
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I own one and will probably buy two more now that you can find them in the $1k range. I'm primarily running mine through a NewTek Tricaster via Component Out to a BM Analog to SDI converter. The Tricaster accepts component in but the SDI is a better connection when doing chromakey in the Tricaster. The XH-G1 would be better for my purposes because it has HD-SDI out but they're hard to find and tend to be far more expensive.

The good news is since I'm bypassing tape altogether, the number of hours on the heads is irrelevant. While it would be nice to have the ability to record to SD cards, the 'modern' equivalent would cost $5,000 or so.
 
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