Re: Thoughts on Sony HVR A1?

I use it all the time. It's a fantastic starter camera. See my post from last week in this forum...

Tapes? I use the cheap Sony tapes most of the time with no problems. If you're doing a paying gig, spring for nicer Sony miniDV tapes and add it to the bill.

Yes, you can plug in headphones, but the camera doesn't give a whole lot of amplification. And there isn't a physical control on the camera to adjust volume, so I think headphones aren't terribly useful on this model. I usually do a quick sound check at the beginning of a shoot to make sure audio isn't distorted, but that's it. The auto gain adjust is usually pretty good; I trust it.

Yes, you can use 37mm lenses and filters on it. Spring for a good lens, though, if you need it -- the high resolution will really make cheap lenses look horrific.