Couple more questions (sorry, don't mean to barrage you with so many!):
Used Steadicam?
CC with AE? Magic Bullet?

Hey Stephen,

Yes to all 3 :)

Still exported using H.264 but as an MP4.

Thanks for the positive comments!

Hi Alex,

Thanks for the compliment. I'd suggest you need to watch some more XH-A1 videos ;) Just teasing :)

Shot at 50i and de-interlaced in post.

I didn't use zebra stripes when shooting this footage. The light was pretty awful - around midday I think - so, a lot of the shots I needed to expose for the car or plane and that blew out the sky.

I tend to use a Neutral Gradual filter from cokin to solve that problem. This kind of footage could use a bright orange one as well ;)
Great footage!

so im looking at getting an xh-a1, and it says 50i is an optional upgrade. Is that something that can be upgraded at anytime? or does it have to be added when buying the camera?

Hey Brad,

Yeah, I considered the EX1 as well but for the work I'm doing it's beyond my budget. Plus I've used the Canon XL2 for 3 years or so making the transition to the A1 pretty smooth.

I'm really happy with my A1 and would certainly recommend it.

I appreciate your positive comments as well!

Hey Alex,

Do you mean better quality than shooting 25f? Not sure as I haven't shot enough 25f footage to know. I've just always shot 50i and then de-interlace upon export.

Thanks!

I was testing out a merlin for those shots.

To edit this I used Premiere Pro 2.0 with a trial version of Cineform's Aspect HD plug-in. Aspect HD worked great ... my trial has expired so now I have to save up for the full version :)

Thanks Gia! And congrats on getting an A1 - you won't be disappointed that's for sure.

Colour correction does add extra time to an edit but the results are totally worth it.

I've found the weight of the A1 on a merlin to be quite manageable. Previously I've used a merlin with a friend's Sony HVR-V1P (which is lighter than the A1) and I think the extra weight of the A1 makes it fly better.

I did a 2 hour shoot with the A1 and merlin (with breaks every now and then) over this past weekend and it wasn't a struggle. You really don't notice it after a while. And I am by no means a body builder or anything - just a slightly overweight 30 year old who sits behind a desk all day :)

Enjoy your A1! And make sure you post some footage for us to see :)

Hey Ryhs,

Thanks! No arm or vest used on this one.

Hey Matt - thanks the laugh!

I'm a long way from being ready for the BBC ..... but I wouldn't say no if they asked ;) Although ... spending lots of time with Jeremy Clarkson might not be as fun as it seems :)

Cheers!

Thanks!

Minis are cool. My wife has a 1964 mini that is super cute. They're awesome little cars!

Thanks Ian!

Just checked out your reel - great stuff!

Thanks for your kind comments Paul. You'll like the A1 - it's a great camera.

Thanks Joe!

Hi Dylan,

The XL2 is an awesome camera but I wouldn't purchase one at this stage. The A1 shoots both SD and HD - or you can shoot in HD and downconvert to SD if you want. The A1s SD picture is better than the XL2s - plus you have the option of shooting HD - it's the best of both worlds really.

The only thing the A1 doesn't have compared to the XL2 is interchangeable lenses. But, in the two months or so since getting an A1 I haven't missed my wide angle XL2 lens at all. You can always buy a wide angle adapter for the A1.

My advice would be to get the A1 - you can shoot SD for now and then when you're ready to move to HD you can.

Feel free to send me a message if you have any other questions.

Cheers,

Matthew.

Hey Mike,

Not on this video but I do have one - it's awesome!

Yep, used the Merlin on this video.

Hey PJ,

I used a Steadicam Merlin for those shots.

Thanks Christopher!

Hey Brian, thanks! Lots of heavy vignetting is the trick I think.

Hey Simon. This footage isn't raw out of the camera by any means. The colours have been pushed very hard in post - "overboosted" as you said. So, this video is definitely not a good example of what A1 footage looks like straight out of the camera.

Thanks for checking it out!