what deck do you use?

Finnegan

Finnegan

Well-known member
I shoot on an xh-a1 and have been using it to capture to my computer. I've read a couple threads suggesting that by minimizing the playback and capture functions on the xh-a1 you can decrease the wear on the cam heads. from what I can tell, everything on my cam is still in really good condition, but it never hurts to take better care of a cam if its possible.

so my question is: what kinda decks do you guys use to capture footage to your computer? I'm obviously looking for something cheap. I've read that the most popular choices for xh-a1 users are the canon hv10, hv20, or hv30 models which makes sense. but I'm having trouble getting a definitive answer about whether or not these models can playback hdv footage at 24p since that's more often than not what I shoot in on the xh-a1.

ebay has a few results for used/refurbished hv20s for $400 or so, and that'd be a steal if that model can indeed playback footage in hdv and 24p.
 
I use (like you've said) the HV30 as a deck for my A1 and yeah, it works fine.

a friend of mine with an A1 decided not to shell out $500 for a new HV30 and rather decided to purchase a refurbished HV20. It's been working fine for about a half a year now :D

I wouldn't recommend an HV10 just because im not sure if it can do 24P (technically 24F).

Hope that helped! :)
 
that helps a lot. thanks. does it really help decrease wear on the heads of the xh-a1? theoretically it would since they're spinning less due to decreased playback and capture but there seems to be some people who think it doesn't make a big enough difference to warrant a separate cam purchase.
 
Well if you're going to be doing a lot of shuffling back and forth then a cheaper camera makes sense but I'd bet the average user will get along just fine capturing from the A1.
These things aren't made of balsa wood and egg shells........
 
Well for me, i like using the A1 just as the camera to film with, not as a deck. I dont want to add any more cords into the back of it then there already are :D
 
The HV10 does playback 24F but doesn't record 24F. There were some for $199 a few months ago.
 
jleo said:
The HV10 does playback 24F but doesn't record 24F. There were some for $199 a few months ago.
Click to expand...

oh, that's good to know. I'm looking for something cheap obviously since it won't be used for anything but capturing footage from.
 
Yeah, I use an HV20 as my deck. For a fraction of the cost of a normal deck, you get a camera too. Plus the HV20's footage can stand up well next to the XH-A1's footage.
 
I just use the A1 and pray this is the last tape-based camera I own. Ready for solid state.

I'm so sick of loading footage in via firewire, especially when it's the entire tape.
 
I just use an XH-A1 as well. Though lately I've been working on a project that actually has me shooting in a 'studio' and as a result I've been able to use OnLocation with the XH-A1, and it finally makes me almost want to go tapeless for Run & Gun stuff. (Own a couple tapeless cameras, but I've always prefered a Tape workflow)
 
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