Are the footage of a DSLR and xha1s comparable?
 

I bought a canon xha1s a few months ago. My friend boigh a canon rebel T2i and we both shot a basketball came. His footage came out crisp and super sharp with wonderful colors. Mine came out somewhat grainy and flat. Is this a mistake on my settings and composition or can a video camera never have as great as an image as a DSLR? Did I make a mistake in investing in this camera when I should of purchased an slr?

You can match those cameras, do a search for presets; there is a thread on matching 7d and Xha1s. Check out the preset truecolor, to match the dslr you have to modify the truecolor preset and bring down the saturation and sharpness on the dslr.

First of all, the A1S is a great camera, but its technology is getting somewhat old. The basic guts shared with the older A1 have been out since 2006, I believe. On the A1 I always had to pump the saturation up about 10% and press the blacks slightly to get a great image. For documenting a ball game from start to finish I'd chose the A1 every time over the 7D. For snippets I can edit to show highlights, I'm not sure, but probably the A1. If lighting is bad, perhaps the 7D. For interviews, 7D (with separate audio or at least a shock mounted zoom).

In an environment where you can hold focus, short content, and you can avoid aliasing, the 7D will almost always look clearer than the A1. Those are all big if's.

Apples and Oranges question...

Only if you put a 35mm adapter on the A1, can you start comparing with the 7D...
Just check out the samples out there..Plenty of vimeo/youtube uploads to observe.

Everything the Roger says is correct. Your environment will dictate the need..
Although it hurts when i'm told the XH A1 is getting old...<_>..

I simply love the thing. I'd rather add a 5D or 7D to the arsenal then have to ever choose...