Canon XHA1 Still Relevant? - Or Other Entry Level HD Cam

[SLOStringer]

Looking to get a camera for freelance stringer ENG work. Ive been pretty set on the Sony NX5U but its got a hefty pricetag - considering trying to enter the world a bit softer than plopping down $4k for my first HD video camera.

Im seeing quite a bit said in favor of the XHA1 as a good entry level camera, but most was from 3, 4, 5 years ago. Is this camera still relevant for use today, at least for a 6 months - a year or so while I decide if this is something thats worth more investment in?

Otherwise - what could you recommend thats in the $1500 and under range that would be good for freelance ENG stringer work as a first camera?

Thanks!

 

[Necktie Boy]

If you can find it for under $1500 bucks, and don't mind shooting HDV, it seems to be a nice camera. A fellow shooter has one, and she likes it. She add a wireless bracket and an AB power pack.

Since it's tape based, be prepared to digitalized your footage.

 

[svp]

Tape is NOT your friend when freelancing in news. You'll have to digitize in real time, cut, render, then hand over a USB drive or FTP the footage. That takes longer than if you shoot tapeless. The NX5U's AVCHD can be loaded on any NLE under it's native file structure. Therefore, assuming your laptop has a DVD burner, you can carry around some 8GB dual layer DVD's and when you shoot something just burn a data DVD of everything on the SD card and hand it to the station. Easier than dealing with HDV.

That said, if it's good footage of something the station doesn't have, they'll take it regardless of what it's shot on, including (unfortunately) an iPhone.

 

[svp]

To answer your initial question, the XHA1 is a good camera. I just feel if you can afford it, you should go with the NX5. Don't forget the NX5 has SDI output which is a big deal if the station sends a LIVE or SAT truck to your location on a big breaking story. Happened to me a few weeks ago. SAT truck met me at the scene and I hooked my NX5 up via SDI and fed everything right out of the camera. It was about 30 min before the newscast. I has video, sound from the FD chief, and sound with the guy who went in the house and saved his neighbors life. Would not have got that to them in time without the SDI.

 

[tschelle]

Everywhere I look, I see people using the Panny AG-AF100. I have no idea if it's good or not. We just got a Sony F-800, so our camera is about 30,000 more, but lots of people are using the AF100 instead of a DSLR or a higher priced Sony or Panny.

 

[Ben Longden]

It seems the tapless guys have forgotten that tape based cameras actually can playout... you hit the "rewind button", then "stop" at the appropriate moment. Then the "play" button....


Nothing wrong with the canon... Bloody good camera.
An even better one with a radio receiver, and decent battery pack.

If you are able to wait for the ingest, and render times, which really are not that bad.... its the woeful FTP upload times that are the nightmare.

With the live feeds, just check with the local sat truck guys, and see if they have an IEEE1394/iLink/Firewire input.

Ours does. I would be suprised if yours did not.

This means you can simply playout using firewire into the truck.

If not, invest $300 in the Blackmagic analogue to SDI converter, and daisy chain this inbetween the camera and the SDI inputs on the sat truck.

Then shoot as much as possible, sell as much as possible then buy the upgrades later...

 

[cyndygreen1]

Good points Ben...plus the download/render time is not bad if you shoot what is needed and don't try to document everything. Keep it short and sweet. Shot a church arson fire once in Concord/live truck driver discovered that night that lights set for 35mph speed would work at 70mph (which is why I have white hairs) and once we got thru the Caldecott Tunnel we ran the tape live at the top of the show - I edited in camera and only shot about two minutes worth. All the time we had to make top of show.

 

[dhart]

Used to own XHA1, nice little camera. Should be able to pick one up on eBay for about $1-K. I now own a AF-100 but do not do any stringer news. Corporate and cable shows. I believe Michael is mistaken about the following "The NX5U's AVCHD can be loaded on any NLE under it's native file structure." Not with FCP 7. Needs to be transcoded to ProRes format as FCP7 can not edit AVCHD natively. There is a patch from Panasonic but it is buggy and crashes FC7. So if you were editing on FCP7 I would not see a huge advantage of AVCHD over a tape based camera when ingesting.

 

[svp]

I know about FCP7. I said native file structure, meaning if you give the station an exact data copy of the SD card, they can use it. I didn't mean they could edit native AVCHD on all NLE's. I just meant it's very easy to copy the SD card and hand off footage without the need to load video into a NLE, convert to the stations preferred format, and deliver a large file. Dual layer DVD's are cheap so you can copy an 8GB SD card (45 min of footage) and just give it to the station. No need to get it back. Very fast way to get them footage. You could very well shoot on HDV and give them the tape but then they have to figure out how to digitize it and few stations are set up for HDV.

 

[svp]

The other limitation on HDV is 1440x1080 compared to 1920x1080 on the NX5. It might not matter to most stations but you never know. As for FireWire, the SAT truck that met me on scene was NOT equipped to feed via FireWire, only SDI. Not many are using FireWire anymore. It's becoming all SDI, fiber, and USB3.

 

[SLOStringer]

Ugh... had a big ole reply typed here earlier and it didnt post. Will repost later today.

 

[SLOStringer]

OK, one more - the Panny HMC80? Shoulder mount, but shoots to SD card and is HD. Looks like I could get into one around $1200 or so, same price as the XHA1. Or step up to the smaller bodies HMC150?

Id like to stay under $1500 or so for an entry cam - anything more than that and Ill step up to a used NX5U in the low $3k area.

 

[svp]

HMC80 = 1/4" chips
HMC150 = 1/3" chips

Hands down go with the 150. The 150 is nearly as good as the NX5, it just lacks the extras like SDI and you can't control the image as well as with the NX5. HMC150 is comparable to Sony's AX2000. HMC80 is a fine camera if you aren't shooting at night. However, as a freelancer, you'd likely be shooting quite a bit of night time video.

 

[cyndygreen1]

HMC80 = 1/4" chips
HMC150 = 1/3" chips

Hands down go with the 150. The 150 is nearly as good as the NX5, it just lacks the extras like SDI and you can't control the image as well as with the NX5. HMC150 is comparable to Sony's AX2000. HMC80 is a fine camera if you aren't shooting at night. However, as a freelancer, you'd likely be shooting quite a bit of night time video.

I have the HMC150 and my only two gripes (which I knew going into the deal) are the short lens and the struggle shooting in really low light. The video SLO showed from his DSLR really was clear - and I suspect my camera would not match up to that...although I can probably outpace him at a moving breaker. Let me try to run some night tests over the weekend and get back to you. Other than that I love the camera. Shoots to AVCHD which pops up ready to edit in Premiere Pro.

 

[SLOStringer]

Thanks - I kept seeing the comparisons between the 150 and the NX5 so knew I didnt want to step up that high - but Ive found a few HMC80s for $1000-1200 which seemed enticing - but those small chips and low light.... bleh. Back to the drawing board.

 

[svp]

SLO,

The reality is you're likely going to have to spend at least $3k to get a camera decent enough in low light that stations will accept your video. They'll take really grainy video if it's something REALLY good but, in general, they are not going to buy video from you night after night if it's that bad. Even the NX5 under very dark breaking news situations is not good. I've even had trouble getting good video at night with the EX3 and it has 1/2" chips.

As far as the HMC150 vs NX5, the NX5 Exmor CMOS chips are slightly better in low light than the 150's CCD's BUT you do get the banding effect with the NX5 that you don't get with the 150.

 

[SLOStringer]

Thanks for the advice guys and gals, I really do appreciate the info and your help in steering this noob in the right direction.

 

[MikeW]

I still believe tape has good deal of merit in archieving footage. I' ve read too many posts on this forum about lost footage from a card based system. It's all or nothing with SD cards.

I also have reservations about CMOS cameras. They may be cheaper to produce but in my book they cann't beat the good old CCDs. My 1/6" CCD camera has outperformed a 1/2" CMOS in lowlight.

As far as editing is concerned, digitizing tape is no big deal. What is a big headache for me is having to looking at a 100 individual clips instead of 8 or 10 clips that I digitized myself.

 

[nightteamnews]

SLOSTRINGER --- I did tape for about a month. It sucks with stations. You have to drive to them all, and the only benefit for me is two stations were within 4 miles from each other, the third, was at least 15 mins away. I was shooting DVC-PRO, and dumped them after 30 days. I shoot with JVC GY-HM700u camera, and the JVC Gy-100 camera. Love it. I am running a crown vic with scanners, and I have a Mac Book Pro with Final cut in the car. I can go to a scene shoot the video and either edit a quick vo down, or send them all the clips with in minutes. It has increased my stringer work because i am almost like a live truck going to breaking news because I am able to shoot, pull the SD card, put it the Mac Book and feed.

A stringer in tampa was using the Sony 1000 for his work. Great video from what I always saw, and stations had no problem with him using one. I think you can find new ones on ebay for about $1000 now. I know they made a newer model (not sure the number) that is SD card. But you can get the JVC 100 for about 500 or 600 more than what you are saying your current budget is. Yes the JVC's are not wonderful in low light. I shoot during night and overnight, I have a Ant B Ultralight on them, and I have never had a problem with them.

Just curious what market are you in?

 

[svp]

If you want a Sony HD1000, I have one I never use anymore. Comes with case, XLR adapter, Azden shotgun, and I'll throw in a used Pearstone VT2500 tripod for $1200.

The tapeless version of the 1000 is the MC2000.