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Canon XH Series HDV Camcorders
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Old February 19th, 2007, 05:44 PM   #1
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Tripod Mounted A1 - Image Stabilizer On or Off?

Quote from Page 51 of the manual... "We recommend you turn off the image stabilizer when mounting the camera on a tripod."

I'll be filming a cheerleading event this weekend and just wanted to confirm it's best to switch off the image stabilizer when filming on sticks.

I'm in PAL land, so 1080 x 50i will be sufficient for my needs. I am however, somewhat undecided about which shutter speed to fix. I've only selected 1/50 in the past, though I'm tempted to increase this a tad.

I'd be keen to hear from folk who have had more experiences with their A1.

Many thanks
Neil

P.S. Being used to PD150s and PD170s, I was tempted with the HVR-Z1, though I was eventually put off by the x12 zoom. This then lend me to believe the HVR-V1 c/w x20 zoom was the camera for me, though I was eventually put off by the smaller 62mm lens and the somewhat smaller FOV.

P.P.S. I'm sure I'll have no regrets about my choice of camera 8-)
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Old February 19th, 2007, 06:16 PM   #2
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Yes, definitely turn it off when you're on the tripod. If you don't, you may see trailing images when you make a fast pan. Both the Z1 and XH A1 are good for what you're doing, the XH A1 being a little better because of its longer lens.
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Old February 20th, 2007, 01:06 PM   #3
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Cheerleaders in the UK Neil?
Last time i saw anything like that on these shores was the Hemsby rockabilly festival near Yarmouth.
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Old February 20th, 2007, 04:03 PM   #4
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Dom Stevenson
Cheerleaders in the UK Neil?
Last time i saw anything like that on these shores was the Hemsby rockabilly festival near Yarmouth.
Hi Dom,

Yeah - cheerleading seems to have taken off really well in the U.K. I can only imagine it stems back to the days when there were quite a few American football teams competing in the British leagues.

After the teams folded, from what I can gather, the team's cheerleaders then went on to cheer for the local football teams and rugby teams etc.

I've got a rather long drive down to South Wales for the next event this coming weekend.

Neil
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Old February 20th, 2007, 04:05 PM   #5
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If American football is called football in the UK, does that mean they don't call soccer football?
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Old February 20th, 2007, 04:33 PM   #6
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I'm asusming he meant American (soccer) teams, although they do call our football "American Football", so that wording was a little confusing. I'm certain soccer is still football, and will be for all time everywhere but here, heh.
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Old February 20th, 2007, 04:56 PM   #7
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I thought about using the word soccer, but seeing Dom is located in the U.K. I felt this would have perhaps confused the issue for him.

Yip meant American football - pads et al, NFL etc etc.

HAIL TO THE REDSKINS!
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Old February 21st, 2007, 07:22 AM   #8
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Yes, the manual recommends to turn off the image stabilizer when mounting the camera on a tripod...

My experience is actually slightly different. Fast camera movements should work best with the stabilizer off... if the movement is (reasonably) fluid to begin with. I have found out that my setup is not rigid enough when tracking an object near full telephoto (650mm equivalent for a 35mm camera); I get better results with the stabilizer in these conditions.

I would say there is no absolute answer: it all depends on the quality of your tripod, the zoom range (wide-angle vs. telephoto), and the type of camera movements.
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Old February 21st, 2007, 07:57 AM   #9
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I forgot to turn it off when using a tripod the other day ('cause you have to go into the menu to do it) and it was no problem - it was a fairly smooth tracking shot though, not too quick. So as above, I think it varies...I had a bad experience with a PD170 when I left it on and had that strange jerky movement so in general I would turn it off.

I guess I'm saying that if you forget because you're in a rush (I was - and there's no button for it!) then it doesn't always mean your footage will be bad.
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Old February 21st, 2007, 09:24 AM   #10
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Not always, but you definitely want to avoid any moves other than very slow ones.
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Old February 21st, 2007, 10:22 AM   #11
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Okay guys - you've convinced me! - thanks!

I'll be on a tripod all day, so I'm make sure I switch it off before I start the shoot.

Thanks once again
Neil
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Old February 22nd, 2007, 09:37 PM   #12
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I dunno about this... I think it depends

I haven't had the experience with the A1, but all the canon IS lenses I've used have benefitted from using the IS, but that's because I'm usually standing on a beach in 20 knots of wind and there's no tripod I've ever seen that doesn't shake a bit in those conditions. ... That's just my thought.

Cheers Dave
PS what's football? :)
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