Canon announces XC10 and new codec XF-AVC

[Steve Struthers]

And at least the LCD display articulates, so that if you want to change the viewing angle with the loup attached, you can. That should make the loup an attractive and useful proposition for users that work in really strong lighting conditions and a simple viewfinder shade isn't enough.

Flaws aside, the XC10 is looking to me more like a poor man's C100.

[Dylan Couper]

Originally Posted by Steve Struthers

Lately Canon have seemed to be in a pattern of being a day late and a dollar MORE.....

Fixed that for you... :)

[Chris Hurd]

Have to say I'm disappointed by the lack of a remote jack on the XC10... no LANC / Control-L. As you all know, I'm the poster boy for remote lens controllers. Although in this case I suppose you could gaff-tape your iPhone to the tripod pan handle and connect via WiFi.

But it just ain't the same!

[Jon Fairhurst]

The XC10 could be interesting for budget green screen work. It's 4:2:2. It's not 10-bits, but it is 4K. That could provide very clean detail for keys intended for 2K renders. (From an information point of view, quadrupling the pixels is similar to adding two more bits of information.)

Further, the 1-inch sensor is something like a 1.7x crop factor compared to APS-C. This may limit low light shooting and shallow DOF effects, but those aren't critical for green screen anyway. It's expected to light things well in a GS studio and it's generally better to keep the foreground object sharp for a crisp key.

Regarding the C300 mkII, it could be really sweet. I've rented the FS7 a couple of times and I love the high-speed shooting for b-roll, but I'm not in love with the look. It's not bad by any means, but there's something that says "electronic video" to me. With the new C300 offering 120 fps, killer dynamic range, less rolling shutter, native EF lens mount (I've broken a Metabones adapter), and the Canon look is a nice combination. I'll be curious to see the local daily rate...

[David Parks]

The XC 10 has a strange mix of features.

* High bit rate proprietary H.264 codec (400plus Mbs) That should be fun to edit! :)
* But has a slow lense 5.6 on telephoto!
* Canon log - Make matching other C EOS cameras easier
* But no add on module for professional xlr and video ports

And requires expensive media CFast 2.0. at $400.

Comparable cameras from Panasonic sell for less than $1000.00 I feel $2,500 is way overpriced for the feature set.

[Jim Martin]

Cfast cards will get bigger and the price will go down faster than the Sony cards.....also, after the C300 MK II comes out and you are out shooting in the sticks, or just not a big city, and you suddenly need to get a card reader, chances are you'll be more likely to find a Cfast reader at a computer store than a Sony card reader........

Jim Martin
EVSonline.com

[Mark Koha]

I dont know what market its geared towards. The press release saysbit would be good for eng work but i have a hard time believing that. It looks like it has all the problems of shooting with a dslr. No proper audio, a viewfinder that doesnt swivel down, the lack of a hand strap really stumps me. No bueno canon, no bueno. This makes me want to keep wielding my xf305 even longer.

[Jim Martin]

This camera was made for helicopters, gimbals, small/ tight situations, and people looking for an easy 4K hybrid camera that can shoot real stills......complaining about it not being a full feature camcorder (like a XF305) makes no sense. We've already had multiple phone calls from people with Quadcopters asking about specs and availability.

Jim Martin
EVSonline.com

[Jack Zhang]

Don't count on CFast taking off in terms of being able to find them. One of my NYC buddies took absolutely forever to find CFast cards for his URSA. They're still, at the moment, a rarity.

[Steve Struthers]

Originally Posted by Chris Hurd

Have to say I'm disappointed by the lack of a remote jack on the XC10... no LANC / Control-L. As you all know, I'm the poster boy for remote lens controllers. Although in this case I suppose you could gaff-tape your iPhone to the tripod pan handle and connect via WiFi.

But it just ain't the same!

I too, was surprised to see that the camera has no LANC facility. Come on, Canon, what are you thinking? Cameras costing half what the XC10 will cost have a LANC jack. Maybe they dropped the LANC fearing that if they included it in the XC10, it would cannibalize sales of the C-series cameras.

[Dylan Couper]

I could rip the rc10 apart but I'm really saving all my energy for whatever blackmagic announces on Monday.

Having said that, I'll probably buy one when they hit a massive price drop like the M camera . It does look like a great consumer camcorder.

[Chris Hurd]

Originally Posted by Steve Struthers

I too, was surprised to see that the camera has no LANC facility.

Maybe we can get VariZoom to build a controller using USB.

[Glen Vandermolen]

Originally Posted by Mark Koha

I dont know what market its geared towards. The press release saysbit would be good for eng work but i have a hard time believing that. It looks like it has all the problems of shooting with a dslr. No proper audio, a viewfinder that doesnt swivel down, the lack of a hand strap really stumps me. No bueno canon, no bueno. This makes me want to keep wielding my xf305 even longer.

The LCD panel does tilt down. You can add the viewfinder to it, if you like.
I agree about the hand strap. Strange omission.

[Dylan Couper]

Originally Posted by Chris Hurd

Maybe we can get VariZoom to build a controller using USB.

Forget that... I'll build you a controller using steam and some sort of geared chain drive.

[Chris Hurd]

Okay, but there's gotta be leather.