Questions about the SD quality of the XH A1
 

Hi everyone,

I am really torn about the next camcorder to buy. I lean towards the Canon XH A1. It has to be a Canon. All my Digital SLR eqpuipment is Canon and I am very happy with it.

One of the many uses would be to video my son's bat swing in baseball. Because of this I was really looking for a camcorder that can record 30 frames per second progresssivly. I would then make a "Quick time" file and analyze his swing frame by frame on my computer. I have learned that the CCD chip set in both the H-1 and the XH A1 are not native progressive, but rather native interlaced. This is why Canon uses terms like 30F instead of 30P. The camera uses interpolation to mimic 30P. As I understand it, computer and editing software will see the video as 30P. The only Canon camcorder that has true progressive chips is the XL2.

I really can't see me spending $3000.00 on an XL2 when for about the same price I could have an XH A1 with HD capability as well as SD. Here are my questions:


When videoing my son's swing with the XH A1 in SD 4:3, 30F mode, how would the image quality compare to another camera that had the true 30P chip set?

Being that the XH A1 is an HD camera, if I shoot in SD mode, will I be disapointed with the SD image quality compared to lets say a Canon GL2?

Is having the 30F mode ultimatley going to make a better image as compared to the Canon GL2 60i and then having to convert the 60i file to progressive?

Thanks,

Mark

All of these have been frequently asked questions here, except maybe the last one:

"Is having the 30F mode ultimatley going to make a better image as compared to the Canon GL2 60i and then having to convert the 60i file to progressive?"

The answer is yes.

Please consult the bulk of existing Frame mode discussions for other input, and post any replies to those particular threads. Thanks in advance,