Well I have good news! I just got the call from my dealer and they have the Fedex tracking number and they will be in the retail store tomorrow (Wednesday Nov. 1). I will get it in my grubby little hands on Thursday!

Yeah! Not too long of a wait..........

And.....for those of you who are still looking to buy one....I was told by Christine at ZGC (where I am buying and they are a DVinfo sponsor) that they will have 5 extra that are available for sale (not preordered). That was as of 10:15 this morning so that can change quick.

Buckle up guys.....it's almost showtime!

Crap, man! I've been calling the store where I buy all my stuff everyday and they still don't have the A1. :-(

Crap, man! I've been calling the store where I buy all my stuff everyday and they still don't have the A1. :-(

Well technically they don't have it yet.....they will tomorrow and then I'll have it Thursday.

So I am sure more and more dealers will be getting the word soon.

Thursday is an awesome deal. I wish they would be in Barcelona by then too...but these things usually take a little longer to get here.

And.....for those of you who are still looking to buy one....I was told by Christine at ZGC (where I am buying and they are a DVinfo sponsor) that they will have 5 extra that are available for sale (not preordered). That was as of 10:15 this morning so that can change quick.


One more here...makes that 4 extra available for sale.
Christine is super, gives her kudos to you Marty.

One more here...makes that 4 extra available for sale.
Christine is super, gives her kudos to you Marty.

Without my help we all know they'd never sell any of these!

:)

Awriight--I wanna see some footage. Even stills showing the difference between 60i and 24F would be cool (I've never been able to view the footage that's been posted...try to download the viewer I need for Mac and there's always a problem with the site, so I gave up).

try to download the viewer I need for Mac and there's always a problem with the site, so I gave up.Did you try VLC?

Yeah, I tried several times to download it and there was always some problem. Never did get it.

Well I have good news! I just got the call from my dealer and they have the Fedex tracking number and they will be in the retail store tomorrow (Wednesday Nov. 1). I will get it in my grubby little hands on Thursday!

Yeah! Not too long of a wait..........

And.....for those of you who are still looking to buy one....I was told by Christine at ZGC (where I am buying and they are a DVinfo sponsor) that they will have 5 extra that are available for sale (not preordered). That was as of 10:15 this morning so that can change quick.

Buckle up guys.....it's almost showtime!


Thanks so much for posting this Marty. Just cancelled B & H and ordered mine from Christine and it will be here tomorrow!!!!

Thanks so much for posting this Marty. Just cancelled B & H and ordered mine from Christine and it will be here tomorrow!!!!

I just chatted with her via email and they are physically "in the building" now. Just sending her the payment now with shipping and I am good to go also!

Glad I could help out.

I got this email from B&H yesterday at 9:30a ny time:

The Canon XHA1 Camcorder you have on backorder, is
still backordered by the manufacturer with no definite
available date. As soon as we receive it from the
manufacturer, we will promptly ship out this order. We
apologize for this delay and for any inconvenience.

I guess B&H may be the biggest but not always the first. ZGC is the dealer you're using? I guess I've overlooked them. "In stock" is better than "we'll send it eventually."

Travis from ZGC has my new A1 going in the mail today and will be delivered Friday!!!!

I have a shoot Friday morning so I had to have it sent Next Day.....a few more bucks but I needed the extra time to get acclimated to the camera.

A whole 24 hours...........

Peace!

Now that's gutsy--getting a brand new camera in the day before a shoot. Not that I haven't done the same thing...years ago Sony overnighted my a BVW300. I got it one morning, unpacked it, put the lens on, charged the batteries, turned the camera on, it worked, put everything in a case and made an evening flight to Seattle; read the manual on the plane. That's cutting it a little close.

Have you received your tracking number?

This is a nit I have with B&H but when I purchased my Z1 from them last year, it was in stock, I paid for next day air delivery, but they still didn't get it sent for 2 days.

I sent a note to customer service saying I was disappointed because I'd heard other, smaller, dealers were already shipping. Then I asked for free expedited shipping... yeah I know- like they could care less...

(I've never been able to view the footage that's been posted...try to download the viewer I need for Mac and there's always a problem with the site, so I gave up).[/QUOTE]

This is what you need to do to view the video files on a Mac.
First you must download a copy of VLC. Here is a link. http://www.videolan.org/vlc/download-macosx.html

You must hold down the option key on your keyboard as you click on the file you want to download. This will download the file to your desktop by default. Next you must change the file extension from ".txt" to .Mov A screen will come up saying are you sure you want to change the extension from .txt to .mov click the use .Mpg button. You will notice that the icon of the file has now changed to a Quicktime logo. Unfortunately Quicktime will not play these files so double clicking the file will only bring up a error message. You must drag the file over the VLC icon to open it.

Hope this helps.

I contacted ZOTZ Digital back in July and was put on their list. They told me I would be on the first shippment, but I was just informed that I'll have to wait until they get a second shippment - at least another weeks wait!

Have you received your tracking number?

If you are asking me.....then no. I haven't received a tracking number yet.

I contacted ZOTZ Digital back in July and was put on their list. They told me I would be on the first shippment, but I was just informed that I'll have to wait until they get a second shippment - at least another weeks wait! If you ask me - don't go with ZOTZ, they talk it up big... but when it comes to delivering the goods - no camera!

I have heard good things from Zotz so I wouldn't dismiss them so easily. I have purchased 3 large cameras from Christine at ZGC and have never been unhappy with the wait. 2 of these were brand new cameras and I got one out of the first batch both times. So far they deliver on what they say is going to happen.

Now that's gutsy--getting a brand new camera in the day before a shoot.

Well if I bought a Sony, or a Panasonic or a JVC I would be worried. The A1 is very similar to the H1 I just sold 5 days ago. So while I need to get familiar with a few changes, I feel I already know most of what the camera can do.

I hope.

True, if you've already had an H1, then you're 95 percent there, I think.

just a quick question...is there any chance the price will come down just a little in the near future?

just a quick question...is there any chance the price will come down just a little in the near future?

That's a good question....there is always a chance. But the price is already so low for the feature set it has. I'd think it would be tought to get it any lower. We can hope.

The H1 stayed at it's price for a long long time. If the demand is high enough I don't foresee it dropping anytime soon.

Peace!

Marty,
Congrats.Keep me posted on the A1.
We love the H1 you sold us, and I get to use it a wedding on Sat. The only thing is that I may have to shoot in Sd 4:3.Kind of like taking a Ferrari to a donkey race.
Thanks again for the great deal.
Bruce S. yarock
www.yarock.com

We just picked ours up today!!!!!

Marty,
Congrats.Keep me posted on the A1.
We love the H1 you sold us, and I get to use it a wedding on Sat. The only thing is that I may have to shoot in Sd 4:3.Kind of like taking a Ferrari to a donkey race.
Thanks again for the great deal.
Bruce S. yarock
www.yarock.com

Bruce, I have a wedding to shoot on Saturday also...so we will both be using our new cameras probably at the same time. I am glad you are happy with it. I was. But I had to make the sacrifice. I am really hoping the A1 is just as good as the H1, just missing a few features that I can live without.

Thanks!

I picked it up here in utah about 2 hours ago...and all I can say is wow!!! the things that are standing out most to me right now is that the field of view is incredibly wider that the XL H1's stock lens...also the iris ring is very slick and will be very handy.

It looks & feels like a mix between the hvx, sony hd, and gl2...I guess canon just decided to mix the best of everything!


I'm gonna keep testing and comparing this thing! it's amazing!

We just picked ours up today!!!!!

Then the contest is over. Cancel my order, now waiting for the Sony, lol...

Then the contest is over. Cancel my order, now waiting for the Sony, lol...

No fair! I started this thread! I was supposed to get it first!

Seriously though, it pays to have a regional dealer so you can pick it up in person the day it arrives!

Congrats! Maybe now they can post the manual so I can start reading it tonight!

Edit: Darnit! The Canon site still says coming soon.....don't they know that it came already!

:)

The web site still wasn't updated this morning. Seems to me that at big companies the web guys are the last to know about any new thing.

Yeah but they have an advantage, the seaport of Utah! Location, location, location!

But seriously, the talk of delays was wrong. For arrival today, Canon met their end of October shipping promise.

I would have thought the hold up if there was going to be one was to allow the regional distribution centers to insert a leaflet warning of explosive battery hazards and what not.

Anyway, thanks Marty. Time is of the essence, just got off the phone with Christine, they are now sold out of the first allotment. Got my tracking number, fingers crossed.

She and ZGC were great, very responsive and friendly.

lowell,

Could you please check on the manual for us??

1) Can the image be flipped on the LCD?

2) Can the it be "time code running free" in 24f ?

congratulation !! we are all jealous

1) Can the image be flipped on the LCD?

2) Can the it be "time code running free" in 24f ?




1. I haven't seen anything that says it does..but I'll keep looking

2. The manual says "When recording in a mode other than SD at a frame rate of 24F , you can select the running mode of the camcorder's time code. You can enter the initial value for the [FREE-RUN] and the [REC RUN PS.] settings"

There is also an option to select the 24F pulldown mode..did anybody else know about this? it's got both 2:3 and 2:3:3:2

And there is a histogram option when in playback....are these all new things?

And the camera came with a CANON HDV tape..I didn't know canon made tapes like that?

THERE ARE TOO MANY NEW THINGS!! ANYONE WANT TO BUY A XL H1? I want a couple more of these!

I heard from Zotz this afternoon & they are going to ship my A1 out today... this is so cool, I've wanted a new Canon for years - and now it's on it's way.
Thanks Brian.

This just in: B&H says they've heard from Canon and their shipment [to B&H] is en route. There are enough cameras in this shipment to fill all current orders. He went on to say that the cameras should be shipped out at the end of the week or beginning of next week.
Greg

1) Can the image be flipped on the LCD?

1. I haven't seen anything that says it does..but I'll keep looking.

I hope at least the magnet thing works. Something tells me that function has been built in Digic II, but "built in" does not always equal enabled... It's pretty common for the electronics industry to hide some features for some reasons, but I don't think image flip has to be licensed. I hope this world is not completely crazy yet. We remember color bars trick in XL1. Canon, I will never forgive you what you did that summer ;-)

So, maybe we will hear from East Coast dealers this week? I'm close to say "can't wait".

Thank you sir !! so, technically we can have free running TC in 1080 24f then ?? That will be as close as getting real TC to sync with an external recorder !! :)



1. I haven't seen anything that says it does..but I'll keep looking

2. The manual says "When recording in a mode other than SD at a frame rate of 24F , you can select the running mode of the camcorder's time code. You can enter the initial value for the [FREE-RUN] and the [REC RUN PS.] settings"

There is also an option to select the 24F pulldown mode..did anybody else know about this? it's got both 2:3 and 2:3:3:2

And there is a histogram option when in playback....are these all new things?

And the camera came with a CANON HDV tape..I didn't know canon made tapes like that?

THERE ARE TOO MANY NEW THINGS!! ANYONE WANT TO BUY A XL H1? I want a couple more of these!

That's a good question....there is always a chance. But the price is already so low for the feature set it has. I'd think it would be tought to get it any lower. We can hope.

The H1 stayed at it's price for a long long time. If the demand is high enough I don't foresee it dropping anytime soon.

Peace!
thanks Marty, then I don't suppose there is any necessity to wait for a couple weeks to get it ordered..
Jerry

thanks Marty, then I don't suppose there is any necessity to wait for a couple weeks to get it ordered..
Jerry

I'd say there is no chance that the price will drop significantly in the first 2 months. .....if you hold out for 4-5 months then you will probably get a better shot at saving some coins.

I read Chris' confirmation of sponsors, but I had never heard of this zotc or whatever place
I had good luck with onecall.com, samys.com, and 17thstreetphoto.
And some success with b and h and not to cast aspirations on them but I read some posts here and there at dpreview where a couple folks over the years got what appeared to them to have been opened and/or returned. But I would still buy from them.

This Z place how are they through the whole processs, returns and so on? they seem good and decent.

I don't mind going thru one of these sponsored companies here, but if I order via phone how do I give credit to here?

Also does the Z place have extended warranties and if so are they better than MACK ones...thanks..
Jerry

Are the Mack warrantys recommended?

Opinions on Mack warranties vary. See this thread, which also has links to other threads on the subject:
http://www.dvinfo.net/conf/showthread.php?t=35012

Got my tracking number this afternoon. Brand new baby arrives Thursday sometime.

Got mine from TapeWorksTexas.com, they may still have some left from the first shipment, I'm guessing some of you could order Thursday and have it Friday. The guys there are great to work with, and they offer a manufacturer quality extended for a good price.

I bought mine from Jason Price

Still I think it is funny that everyone is spending so much money on a camera without any reviews. I am almost 100% sure that this camera will deliver, but still, there could be flaws which nobody knows about at this moment. I also do not understand why there are no reviews. Just a late call?

Still I think it is funny that everyone is spending so much money on a camera without any reviews. I am almost 100% sure that this camera will deliver, but still, there could be flaws which nobody knows about at this moment. I also do not understand why there are no reviews. Just a late call?

Well, its hard for there to be a lot of reviews on a non-shipping camera. These companies are under no obligation to lend out pre-production cameras for review purpose. They just build em and ship em.

Now having said that, Kaku Ito had one in Oct and did in fact post a lot of information about the cam and a good sampling of footage. Based on the specs, the footage and Kaku's opinions I'm pretty much sold.

Its a free economy, if someone isn't happy with the marketing and doesn't want to be an early adopter, they're well within their rights to purchase later. And if they're jazzed up and want the first one off the ship, that's cool too. Remember, these pro cams all have excellent resale values. I bet you could pay 4K for the A1, use it on one or two gigs, sell it a month later and not lose a dime (actually, you'd probably have made some cash).

Now having said that, I do agree with the general advice that if you don't need the camera yet, hold off. Price will only come down and worthy competition (V1, maybe even something new from Pana) is in the pipeline. But yeah, if I had a gig or two lined up for Q4 I wouldn't hesitate to buy the A1.

www.philipwilliams.com