I have the HF g10 which is the consumer version of the XA10, same glass and same sensor and same software.
If you have done still photography the controls in the camera should be quite familiar I shoot in Aperture Priority
when i want to do depth of field work (wide open aperture), shutter priority for sports ( high shutter speed) and manual for tough lighting situations. My view is that still photography shot the decisive moment and video shoot all the moments and you edit out the bad footage
