DV Info Net - XLH1 or HVX200?

Quote:

Originally Posted by Steve Rosen (Post 737440)

To make an increasingly long story short.. if I was told I could have one, and only one, camera, it would be an XL H1 - with the 20x, 16x and 6x lenses - which is, coincidentally, exactly what I have sitting in my locker.

I have the exact same combination. Exact! By the way, by having these different lenses you aren't really stuck with "1" camera in the traditional sense. Changing lenses drastically changes the feel of the camera IMHO. It is hard to beat as every lens has its positives.

20x-Good overall range. Can zoom and get far shots and with OIS it is very usable. Possibly suffers from some CA or a slight magenta cast in certain situations. Servo focus is sluggish but doable.

6x- The best WA you can get in this class of cameras. 6x still has a decent usable zoom range unlike the previous 3x. Despite the obvious great wide end, this lens is so sharp and pristine it really makes the 20x look bad. In the same focal range the 6x is just superior to the 20x.

16x- while not technically being HD lens, this bad boy also tends to produce better images than the 20x. The focusing control is unbeatable and the lens has an overall more "contrasty" image than the 20x which seems to increase the sharpness some. The lack of OIS is the only real drawback I find when I need to zoom. also this lens is very light in comparison to the 20x and 6x.

My least favorite is the 20x. But I find I use it the most as it seems to fit the scenarios I shoot in the most. A lot of handheld stuff that I have to zoom is saved by the OIS.

Peace!