How difficult is focusing with this camera?

B

boredoftherings

Member
Hi. I am new to the world of HD and was wondering if those with experience shooting on this camera could help me out. I have looked at several cameras online, and whilst I want to get a PMW-EX1, it looks as though it could be months before it becomes more available, and there is no viable means of safely archiving its footage at this point in time, so I am thinking about getting the XH-A1. I have read glowing reviews of this model, and I am very confident it would be a good first step into HD, but I have one thing that is holding me back from making the purchase: I have read (and seen for myself) that the lcd is too small and thus difficult to achieve critical focus with. Is this the case? As I am doing low-budget movies with the intention of getting some low-key distribution deal and making a little bit of money, CF is very important to me...I hate any type of softness in a shot. I understand that this particular model does not have a focus assist per se, but that there are other methods to get CF with a reasonable success rate. One fellow I asked about this topic said that he uses a laser range finder to get CF. He said that he simply lines up the LRF so that it is more or less aligned with the ccd workings of the cam, zaps the subject to be filmed, feeds the distance from camera to subject into the camera and gets 100% success rate. Is this even possible? It would be so wonderful if it is. I am also wondering how difficult it is to keep moving subjects in focus and/or keep the cam in focus whilst moving it on a dolly etc. I hate talking-head movies so I don't shoot very static shots. I guess you could say my approach is kinetic and on-the-fly. If I have to cart around a field monitor with me everywhere I go to get tack-sharp focus, this cam will be impractical.

Ease of achieving (and maintaining) CF is the make-or-break factor of my decision to purchase this unit, since all other factors suffice.
Any and all info/advice is extremely appreciated.
 
Last edited:
The A1 LCD is small, but it's one of the sharpest on the market, being beat out only by the FX1/Z1U LCD and of course the EX1. There's a 4x full res extraction that allows you to zoom in even closer on the LCD for critical focus and of course black and white peaking. I've used the LCD for months and my focus is always tack sharp.
 
That is encouraging to hear. Have you worked with any other HDV cameras? I have read about all of the models currently on the market, but I am still curious; how would you compare the xh-a1 to say, an fx1? The Canon should have a higher resolution, due to its larger ccds, but which camera has better low-light capabilities? The reason being that the camera shop in the city nearest to me carries both the fx1 and xh-a1. The latter is oddly $200 LESS expensive at this particular store. I could have sworn the xh-a1 was $700 MORE when I looked at their site three months ago.
 
The FX1 was my previous camera. It was a good camera in a lot of ways, but there were a few things that were lacking, mainly 24p recording and XLR inputs. The A1 has the same size CCD as the FX1; I've never done a side by side comparison so I wouldn't know which camera has the better low light but I would imagine they're neck and neck; which is to say, not very good. Sony camera tends to have very clean gain though, so the FX1 might have a slight advantage. And the Canon does have very high resolution (a Canon trademark); the amount of details that pop out is amazing at times.

Things I miss about the FX1 include the excellent LCD (absolutely the best in this price range), the nice zoom ring (completely superior in term of response to the A1) and the vibrant out-of-the-box color. The A1 was a case of three steps forward, one step back, but I've never regretted trading up to it.
 
My bad. I thought the fx1 had 1/4 inch ccds. This throws a wrench into the works. How did I screw that up? Well, the fx1 is now a contender. I guess the deciding factor is going to be the recording modes. I know Canon has a better 24p mimicking mode, (24f), although I guess with the fx1 I can shoot 60i, deinterlace and turn into a close approximation of 24p. My main concern with deinterlacing and changing the fps is a loss of resolutions. Basically, as everyone else here, I want the best possible images for my money. I am going to make low-budget horror films, so low-light performance and a 24p look is crucial to me. I am now at a loss as to which camera to choose. Whenever in doubt about getting an xh-a1 over the competition, I always consoled myself with the belief that it had 1/3 inch ccds while the fx1 did not. Back to the drawing-board.
 
I think its foolish to consider the FX1 at this point in time. The FX1 was one of the first HDV cameras...things have improved since then. The A1 beats the camera in almost any way possible including the picture quality. (same size CCD but the resolution on the A1 is much higher, 1.67MP) Picture Quality, XLR, Beautiful lens 20x, nice LCD, 24p, 30p, 60i modes and SD 16:9 & 4:3 options, customization is amazing, focus & zoom presets for precise rack focusing and zooming effects, and the price. Its a steal. Although from what I've seen if you CAN afford the EX, its the camera to buy. It excels even further than the A1/FX1/Z1, etc. for sure.

- Kyle
 
I sold my fx1 and got the canon and have to agree with jade it is better in almost everyway.

FX1
Pros:better lcd, zoom ring, and better in low light. (it had the least noise out of all the cams in the price range)
cons: inless u get the pal fx1 the 24p simulation is horrible. Old

CANON
Pros: rez, rez, rez, 24f is just as good as 24p to the eye. too may to name
cons: wish i had a bigger lcd, and it is hard to put a FF ring around the focus wheel.

I would not go with the fx1 inless u can find it used for a cheap price. (which you probably can find) but if u can afford it get the A1.

I have no experience with the EX so i cannot comment. Go and try um out if u can.
 
KyleProhaska said:
The A1 beats the camera in almost any way possible including the picture quality. (same size CCD but the resolution on the A1 is much higher, 1.67MP) Picture Quality, XLR, Beautiful lens 20x, nice LCD, 24p, 30p, 60i modes and SD 16:9 & 4:3 options, customization is amazing, focus & zoom presets for precise rack focusing and zooming effects,
- Kyle
Click to expand...

To be fair, the FX1 had most of these features. Really the only thing A1 does that the FX1 doesn't is XLR and progressive recording. It's still the better camera IMO but it was a bit of a shock to switch over to the A1 and discover the staggeringly bad zoom and focus control; bye bye snap zooming. The image control is nice but really 90% of the time I never messed with anything other than color gain once I dialed in a preset because the changes are all too subtle to notice on the LCD screen. Sony has never been known for giving you huge numbers of customization option (the V1U and the Z1 had almost identical image control as the FX1), but usually what they give you is enough. Zoom presets is a nice idea in theory; but I never used it.
 
Small LCD - get the Hoodman H-300

Small LCD - get the Hoodman H-300

yoyo. i was disliking the small LCD on the A1 too but i just got a hoodman H-300 w/ 2x magnifier. its so sexy. It makes 4:3 mode look like the LCD on a DVX. its also helps to keep light off ur LCD so u can see it a lot cleaner. Its also less strain on ur eyes, u could put ur face right up to ur LCD with this thing on and see perfectly. Its lite so it wont be harsh on ur LDC either.

its $30 with Magnifier -- this is a direct link to one.

http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/294332-REG/Hoodman_H3C_H_300_Hood_with_Magnifier.html



joenation.tv
 
I'm glad to hear that most of you consider the a1 a better deal at this point. The main advantage I can see that it has over the fx1 is its 24f recording, which I hear mimics 24p well. However, that said, I am still more interested in the EX1. I was going to buy a camera months ago, but then heard about the EX1 and waited until I got more info. I thought that once it turned November, the camera would be reasonably available...I thought wrong, especially when you factor in the vignetting problems some of the cameras are having, which means Sony has to QC the whole lot before they can ship. If only I knew when I could get my hands on the ex1...not having a camera is driving me nuts. I am conflicted about rushing out and buying an xh-a1 because if I do get one, by the time I have learned how to shoot good video with it, (most likely 1-3 months in my case), the ex1 "should" be in stock at the suppliers I have looked at. It would suck to drop $5000 on a camera and then have the one you really want come out a few months later. So conflicted.
 
boredoftherings said:
I'm glad to hear that most of you consider the a1 a better deal at this point. The main advantage I can see that it has over the fx1 is its 24f recording, which I hear mimics 24p well. However, that said, I am still more interested in the EX1. I was going to buy a camera months ago, but then heard about the EX1 and waited until I got more info. I thought that once it turned November, the camera would be reasonably available...I thought wrong, especially when you factor in the vignetting problems some of the cameras are having, which means Sony has to QC the whole lot before they can ship. If only I knew when I could get my hands on the ex1...not having a camera is driving me nuts. I am conflicted about rushing out and buying an xh-a1 because if I do get one, by the time I have learned how to shoot good video with it, (most likely 1-3 months in my case), the ex1 "should" be in stock at the suppliers I have looked at. It would suck to drop $5000 on a camera and then have the one you really want come out a few months later. So conflicted.
Click to expand...

The EX1 is a bad camera. (The good kind of bad) hah

I bought my A1 in Oct. and I would have waited for the EX1 if I knew I could have afforded it.

Good Luck!
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top