$1,100 difference for "same" quality
 

I'm in the market for the "new" versions of HDV cameras and of course it's either the Sony V1U Or the Canon XH-A1. Like most gentlemen on this site... I do intense research before buying. I've read both DVi threads (for both cameras) and have come to the conclusion that although they have some differences (tit for tat)... basically, they both are good cameras that virtually put out the same quality footage. HOWEVER... as my title says... one of them is $1,100 cheaper than (less expensive) that the other! May I ask... who, why would I spend an extra $1,100 (have the B&H windows for both cameras open right now) for the same quality footage? ... is it just the brand name? I too have had Sony's my whole life but... at this point in time... it makes no sense (or does it? do you have a good fight back for Sony) to go the Sony rought until they drop their "initial New Hot Camera" price in line with the Canon comptitor. Just my thoughts... Am I wrong?

Sorry, I am probably missing something. But I see the XHA1 listed for $3,250 after rebate and the HVRV1 listed for $3,900 which would be a $650 difference... how are you coming up with $1,100?

Maybe he is adding in the sony wide angle lens to it will match the built in WA of the Canon

What's even stranger is that down here the V1P is much cheaper than the Canon. Wonder why the Canon isn't selling too well locally.

Yea, he must be including the wide lens. Anyway, both cameras produce a nice image, and it all depends on your taste. Some like the rich colors that the V1 produces, and some like lower saturated look of the A1; it's more natural to them. The Sony has better audio options and a larger LCD monitor. The 3 CMOS sensors in the V1 produces an image with practically no vertical smear, and the latitude on the V1 is better. The A1 has a wider stock zoom lens and a seemingly sharper image, not necessarily better... just depends on your taste. There are other strengths and weaknesses of each camera, but the bottom line is: Which camera will do what you need it to do?
Only you can answer that. I don't think you can go wrong with either camera. I personally like the V1's image and other features over the XH A1's.

I have to say, from what I've read and seen, that the Canon looks mighty fine for $3250. Of course, that includes a $250 rebate and I HATE rebates. Rebate companies have always proven to be crooked. It looks like the rebate is directly from Canon, so it might be okay. When I bought my V1, there was only a $100 price differential and I like the idea of no smear and the FX7 was shown to have more resolution than the FX1 which I already liked. I think the reports of a better LCD on the Sony and HDMI probably kept me in the Sony camp.

I suspect what folks mean by more "natural" color is NOT saturation but colorimetry. Canon has always looked more real because Sony has -- up until the V1 -- gone with a more cool look. Now that Sony has moved a way from it's blue push look -- the issue of saturation is under you control. You can adjust either camera to the amount you want.

price drop
 

The price difference now is about $350 if you buy it at B&H.
There's a $300 rebate until June 15th.

When it comes to manual control which one would you perfer, the A1 or V1? I'm in the same boat as I'm stepping up to HD this summer and really looking for the best bang for my buck. I'm going to be shooting a ton of outdoor stuff in brightly lit conditions. Ultimate manual control is something that is extremely important to me. Any comments or feedback is appreciated.

When it comes to the "most bang for the buck", I guess one thing for us, was the uncompressed HDMI 1920x1080i output of the V1. We are testing some custom hardware right now for in-field recording of that high quality output, and it's looking very good!

I guess it all depends on what your expectations are, and where you want your "end product quality" to really be. We're shooting as for as "high" as our non-profit budget can afford, and it sure seems like the V1 is in a sweet spot now between the lower/mid range and a much higher end for video production. It does much for not too much money, and is promising better things to come via the HDMI port.

We'll know very soon if that promise is a reality...maybe by late tonight or tomorrow.

Mike, you can't go wrong with either one. Both offer superior manual controls and an excellent image for the price. It depends on your needs, but you will be happy with either camera, so don't fret about which camera is best because you are not going to find a definitive and/or unbiased answer.

Hey can anyone speak for the 1/4" CMOS sensors as opposed to the 1/3" CCDs of the A1? I would figure there would be a significant difference. Also are the V1 1/4" CMOS sensors native 16:9 or 4:3 and cropped? What also nice about the Sony is the uncompressed HD output, and if I understand correctly if I capture via that port I can retain the 4:2:2 image coloring and less compression out of the V1? Not only am I looking at what sets them apart now but which one would benefit me the most down the road. I don't shoot professionally but quality and getting the best out of the camcorder is super important to me. I have a bunch of time to make my decision. I know I have a lot of questions and probably some of these have been answered before, I guess if anyone can point me in directions to read up on reviews or more information regarding each camcorder I can spend more time reading then asking just questions. I appreciate everyones help.

Hi Mike. These things have been discussed pretty extensively in the past here. You might want to go back to some of the earlier threads in the forum and page through them, starting around here: http://www.dvinfo.net/conf/forumdisp...=14&order=desc

For example, here's one which discusses sensor size: http://www.dvinfo.net/conf/showthread.php?t=76175