It's getting harder and harder to keep up with the camera market. Canon now pops up with 2 cameras at once and the ramifications are endless. Even in a forum like this one can't, unless extremely active, get a full glimpse of what is going on. This is why I ask the experts for a panorama of the cameras under 10k that are recording some kind of HD (no HDV) to non-tape mediums, either by the way of internal cards, like P2 or Express, or by external devices such as the Firestore, etc. Can these Canon XL cameras put out some kind of HD out to such a device? My use is independant film. Thanks.

HDV is HD. Very important to comprehend that.

I don't understand your complaint about "Canon now pops up with 2 cameras at once and the ramifications are endless." It's very simple: the models are perfectly identical; except one has SDI, GenLock and TimeCode -- the other does not.

With HD-SDI output, you can record any HD format you have access to.

HDV is HD. Very important to comprehend that.

I don't understand your complaint about "Canon now pops up with 2 cameras at once and the ramifications are endless." It's very simple: the models are perfectly identical; except one has SDI, GenLock and TimeCode -- the other does not.

With HD-SDI output, you can record any HD format you have access to.

Chris,
I comprehend HDV is HD, that is why I specify HD (nonHDV).

I celebrate, not complain about Canon's 2 new models, and I do understand their important simple differences.

Is there a way to record any other format other than HDV out of these Canon's on to a Firestore or such?

thanks.

FireStore (or any similar FireWire hard disk recorder such as the nNovia QuickCapture) will record only HDV.

With HD-SDI output, you can record any HD format you have access to -- such as
HDCAM or DVCPRO HD, if you have a deck / VTR nearby that you can cable into.

Otherwise look into the Convergent Design Flash XDR,
coming soon (about $5,000 which is much less than a VTR):
http://www.dvinfo.net/conf/showthread.php?t=106861
http://www.dvinfo.net/conf/showthread.php?t=102312