Why Did You go for the A1U over the HC1?
 

Well, as someone who decided to go for the A1U over the HC1, I am interested in knowing why you guys have also made the same decision. I do expect a lot of people to mention XLR, Black Stretch, etc. That is the intention of this thread, but I am also interested in learning about how the A1U will help your project in ways that the HC1 cannot.

Well being able to use a light and camera mount shotgun mic at the same time is really important to me. Not having a shoe mount is a really unneccessary limitation of the HC1. Because of this you need to have an AU1 if you want to use a standard accessorys such as a Rode Videomic, a light or a wireless receiver.

Also, being able to use a boom or lavalier mic and also have a camera mounted shotgun for backup is important.

At some point, I think that the Timecode abilities will be important. Timecode sync is really important for multiple camera projects or for double system audio recording. I don't do this now, but it would be nice to be able to sometime in the future.

Well, here's a few other things I prefer about the A1 over the HC1:

1. configurable shot transition mode - on the HC1, shot transitions are 4 seconds, straight line; on the A1, shot transitions can be between 4 and 20 seconds, and you can choose the transition curve from 4 types.

2. allscan mode on the viewfinder - the HC1 overscans, the A1 can show the full frame. The overscan led to my overlooking some problems with framing and vignetting.

3. center point indicator

4. standard shoe mount instead of the (useless) pop-up flash, allows for some interesting accessory options.

5. assignable button, I have set to one push WB.

6. sound!

Did anybody mention warranty, and professional level service ?

Sony HC-I Proprietary Shoe Work-Around...
 

Responding to the above-mentioned need to have both a standard-shoe-mount camera light and shotgun mic on-board the HC-1:

I had a standard-shoe sized accessory splitter (Y-shaped: w/standard "cold" shoes atop the "Y") modified at the bottom of the "Y" so that its base fits into the HC-1's proprietary shoe.

Now I can mount both a light (Sony's dual halogen, 40W ) and my Rode Video Mic atop the "previously-proprietary" Sony hot-shoe...

By the way, the upper extremities of the "Y" are offset: one is about an inch higher than the other, affording some versatility.

Works Great!

Regards,
John Reilly

I choose the A1 over the HC1 because the A1 was a natural progression from my PDX10. I use the XLR box constantly with both a Sony Wireless Lav and the Sony mic. Plus, I use the "low Freq Cutoff" on the XLR box quite a bit.

I chose the A1U because I thought it was the best way for someone like me to afford to make movies on a very limited budget.
Between the XLR plugs that can afford me the sound that makes up at least half of the impact of a movie, and the ability to create higher quality output through the black stretch and extra control in the A1s sold me on going with the A1U over the HC1.

And I am one happy camper, the picture quality is stunning.