XH-A1 vs. Sony V1 (Asked before I know..)
 

Ok, so I see that this subject has been asked before and I have read most of those topics, but some do not answer my questions. Are either of these cameras better in low light than the XL2? Also, seems like I always read that the V1 has the HDMI output and the XH-A1 does not? So you can not hook the A1 directly to a TV? Also why is it that is always seems the color of a Sony camera picture is more vibrant/bright than that of the canon.

Any pros/cons of either one for outdoor filming?

You certainly can play the A1 through a tv. HD or DV.

You can play back from the SDI terminal, from the Component Out terminal or the HD/DV terminal.

Usually, if all other things are equal, this is just a function of how the manufacturers setup their default picture qualities. Both cameras are more than capable of adjusting the pictures to look very similar to each other, and both have excellent adjustment controls to do so. When you tweak them to match, there will still be some differences because of the processing, sensors used, etc, but they will be very close. You can make the XH-A1 look brighter and more saturated to have the Sony look if desired.

Thanks guys, think I am going to go with the Canon, has a bigger lens allowing for better low light.

The Canon XHA1 does not have SDI or HD-SDI. That's only available on the XHG1 (jackpack) or the XLH1. Of course, most high definition displays will not have an HD-SDI connector, unless it is a high-priced monitor, so that's not really a factor. However, you are correct about the XHA1's component out to hook up to a high definition display. It is just not quite as sharp as the digital HDMI output.

That is false. Both lens are 20x, with the Canon having a bit wider angle. The Canon might be maybe a 1/2 stop better in low light, but it is noisier than the Sony. Thus, it is really a wash on low light sensitivity.

If you look at the pros and cons of each camera, the advantages and disadvantages fairly much even out. Both cameras are really nice units. You cannot go wrong with either.

I thought I readhat the Sony had a mininmun lux of 4 (Gain all the way up and F-stop all the way down), and the canons was .4

Did I miss something or am I confusing something here? We are looking for a camera for hunting and low light is a major factor. I am sure that quality is pretty equal on both cams and the features and pretty much the same. Not sure what else really stands out from one cam to the other.

What stands really out is ergonomics. Which one feels the best in your hands?

It's really much better for your work if you have a camera that you really enjoy using. If you have a camera that feels awkward, you can get more used to it, but it will never be as fun as a camera that you really think it well designed for your use.
Of course there are feature differences too, but with these 2 camera's, they are pretty close in features.

It is pretty difficult to compare such things by manufacturer specs. They all use their own, undisclosed, methodology. The best we can hope for is someone who has actually done side by side testing, or at least used both cameras and can give their impression.

At the show I am doing now I am using a rent PD150 and one of the cameramen a V1E. I have posted at Liquid's forums 2 lowlight scenes that you can see for yourself. I hope this could help you somehow even if it's a comparison between V1E and PD150. But it show that V1E can give low light with 12 to +18db with absolutely no grain.

http://forums.pinnaclesys.com/forums...ad.aspx#139337

I recently shot a concert, which had relatively low light, with two A1's and two V1U's and there was a very noticeable difference between the cameras. Worrying more about color differences, we white balanced all the cameras at the same time to the same object. That wasn't the problem.

There was much more grain on the Sony's when the lighting was at its lowest, which was surprising because I had heard the V1U's would perform better under these circumstances. I'm not going to be using V1U's for any shoots any longer.