Torn between Z7U and Canon XL-H1A
 

Hi everyone,

I'm new around here, but I couldn't think of a more trusted place to go for some input. I'm hoping to upgrade from a Canon XL1 that's served me very well later this year, and my decision is up in the air between the Canon XL-H1A and the Sony HVR-Z7U.

I've always been a fan of Canon's image quality, but the lack of true 24p recording, as well as the lack of a marked focus ring on the XL-H1A (and my memories of difficulty focusing the XL1 in Standard Def) have me a bit worried.

The Z7U seems like an amazing camera with its manual focus abilities and the CF card recorder included. My only pause comes from the change in form factor from what I've been used to, and some complaints about defective lenses and other problems on this board... though those seem to have quieted down some, so hopefully Sony has addressed those issues in the time that the camera has been out.

Does anyone here have any experience with both that could weigh in with their preferences? I'd be primarily using it for independent film making, and probably some wedding videography as well.

My only other question was whether the Z7U could shoot at 1/48th shutter speed when recording 24P? The manual says that it goes down to 1/60 when shooting auto, but 1/4 on manual... I was wondering if it could do true 1/48, or if it would end up being some kind of digital simulation below 1/60th, such as how the XL1 handled shooting 1/30th or 1/15th.

Thanks very much for your input!

They're both showing their age a bit - better to wait until after NAB to see what else is on offer.
Steve

Yes, good advice... Because the XF300 that Canon just raised the curtain on certainly looks pretty appealing. I might be willing to sacrifice the removable lens for the recording specs that camera offers. Maybe NAB will bring an XL successor that adds the new codec, as well... Hopefully at a price close to that $6000-$7000 level.