Hi everyone,
I am new to this forum - which looks like a wealth of information! and also a newbie to the Canon XH-G1 which was presented to me after 25 years service to the company I'm with....problem is, I think they think I know more about video than I actually do!!! My last camcorder being a Sony HDR-HC3E - very good for point-and-shoot, but a long way away from the G1!

anyway, time I got to grips with my new aquisition!

A few starter questions:

1. I have an external mic (self powered) with XLR connection, I can't make out from the intructions what I should have the the line/mic switch set to?

2. Does the editing software you use have any effect on the quality of the finished footage?

3. I currently use Pinnacle Studio for my Sony, would I be better off going for Avid Liquid7? or should I be going for more serious packahes like CS3 Premiere?

The next thing you're going to want to know is what am I intending using the camera for - well I shoot a lot of footage of scenery to which I just add a music track. I also shoot short showreels for actors, I've made a couple of info-mercials for the company I work for to have on exhibition stands (nothing major, flash or showy!!), and who knows what now I have this monsterous beast to tame!

The mic goes to mic in. Line in is for a line level input, ie., a mixer.

You need editing software capable of handling HDV, and if you want to shoot in the 24f or 30f mode, software capable of handling that too. Avid does not do Canon's 24F. I use Final Cut Pro, which has no problem with it and edits HDV fine. I don't know about the others, but be sure to check before spending the money.

In fact, before spending any money at all on anything, I'd suggest spending some quality time with the camera and the manual. Any time I get a new camera I set it up on a tripod, charge the battery, fire up the camera and then go through the manual step-by-step, checking things out on the camera as I go.

Good luck!

You need editing software capable of handling HDV, and if you want to shoot in the 24f or 30f mode, software capable of handling that too. Avid does not do Canon's 24F. I use Final Cut Pro, which has no problem with it and edits HDV fine. I don't know about the others, but be sure to check before spending the money.
Good luck!

Thanks Bill for the info and advice. To be totally honest I am confused about 24F and 30F modes and it also seems that some software will suit Canon but not Sony versions and vice-versa. I have run some footage taken on the G1 through my Pinnacle Studio 11 output to blu-ray and it seems fine, I don't know how I would know if software was compatible or not.

Are there any good books anyone can recommend that take me through these basics (and if the specifically relate to Canon and the G1 all the better!

Best thing for you to do is just ignore the 24F and 30F modes for now and shoot normal 60i video. But before buying any new editing software, I'd want to make sure it could handle that in the future (as I said, Avid doesn't). As I said, I have zero familiarity with the NLE you're using, but you should be able to find out if it will accept HDV. Is your old single chip Sony camera HDV? If so, then you should be OK with the Canon, as long as you're in the 60i mode.

Bill, again thank you for your guidance.

My Sony is full HD and I have to say that with everything at default settings the picture quality between the little Sony and the Canon is different only in that the Sony has a very slight blue tint - for £650 it shows the G1 up a little!

Anyway back to my new demon. Doing a bit of reading I think I am correct in thinking that the 24F and 30F is to do with frame rates/film mode. I've managed to download an instruction manual for the Avid software which states that Avid Liquid 7 setting should be set to HDV2 for a (Sony) device at 1440x1080 50 (I'm in UK so PAL applies) and also mentions ProHD at 25 or 30.

It's certainly confusing that there are these variants with HDV and that editing software has to be matched in this way - especially as the slip of paper in with the camera states that I can edit with my favourite editing software - which implies that whichever software I am using is OK by the G1, but I guess the G1 is not intend for someone who, like me, is just getting to grips with bigger and better equipment

In fact, before spending any money at all on anything, I'd suggest spending some quality time with the camera and the manual. Any time I get a new camera I set it up on a tripod, charge the battery, fire up the camera and then go through the manual step-by-step, checking things out on the camera as I go.


Bill, you didn't mention the pot of coffee :-)