Pro Camcorder advice needed

[zano]

Hi guys,

I'm new to the Pro/prosumer Camcorder market and I need help selecting a new video camera.
I'm looking at getting the Canon XHA1s (because of the features it offers, footage quality and the good name it has) but the more I search the internet the more I read about how Mini DV is going "out of fashion" in the technology world.

I'm yet to find a Video camera with the quality of the XHA1s but a Flash memory version. I know Sony just brought out the HDR-AX2000 but it records to 'memory stick duo'. Does anyone know a flash based video camera that has about the same manual control features and inputs+outputs as the Canon XHA1s or am I better to stick with the XHA1s?
I really don't know what to do.

Basically I'm going to use it for a range of projects from documentary's to short film making,
I need it to have XLR inputs (so I can run a RODE NTG-1 mic)
and I most defiantly want 3x CCD or CMOS chips

any help would be great!
Thanks,
Zano.

[392]

Look at Sony Z5 or Z7. Both can record to compact flash cards and have all of the pro features you are looking for. I have both, they are great cameras!

[aedipuss]

i don't think the sony's are even in the ballpark of the xha1. a single 1/3 inch cmos sensor vs. 3 - 1/3 inch ccds? i use cmos HDV cams but the ccds have so many fewer issues. the worst being i hate having to plan everything around the cmos rolling shutter

the interchangeable lens system on the z7 would be a nice feature to have i'll give it that.

[totomomo]

You didn't mention your budget, but you can't go wrong with The PMW-EX1R utilizes three 1/2-inch type Exmor™ CMOS sensors, each with an effective pixel count of 1920 (H) x 1080 (V):
http://pro.sony.com/bbsc/ssr/cat-broadcastcameras/cat-xdcam/product-PMWEX1R/

[fitch.j]

I would argue that HDV still has plenty of life left in it, at least enough to warrant 1 more camera cycle.

Look at the still very solid Sony Z1 as a possible option, for what you expect of it I still think it as a fantastic camera. If you have a smaller budget then the HVR-V1 is a great camera for the money as well, but there are more options at that budget level. We still use both where I work and are happy to continue with HDV as a stable workflow. We have more issues with the flash disk workflow at the moment than the HDV flow. Not to say that the move isnt a good thing, it is, just wanted to clear up that HDV isn't as past as you might think.

[392]

i don't think the sony's are even in the ballpark of the xha1. a single 1/3 inch cmos sensor vs. 3 - 1/3 inch ccds? i use cmos HDV cams but the ccds have so many fewer issues. the worst being i hate having to plan everything around the cmos rolling shutter



The Z5 and Z7 are 3 cmos, never had the rolling shutter issue and images are stunning. I would put them in ball park above the Canon. Very solid units.

[aedipuss]

the reviews on the z7 rolling shutter cmos problem are mixed, some claim it's there and some not. strange as it's a chip type problem, in that cmos chips are "read" sequentially from top pixels to bottom, not all at once.

if you shoot set shots from a tripod you would never see it, as it is only evident as skew in moving objects.