I have just been sent a report that is likely to be of interest: in the UK, cameras for broadcast use have to be rigorously tested and approved for use and Alan Roberts is often the person that does the testing: a fascinating man with an incredible knowledge of the deepest workings of camera technology.

Alan was commissioned by Canon to see whether the camera was suitable for broadcast use. In the words of a colleague at Canon:

"Although this report was commissioned by Canon it was conducted entirely independently, without input or interference from Canon. Any conclusions, measurements, etc contained in the report are entirely Alan’s point of view and in no way represent Canon"

What is interesting is that the sensors have typical noise for their type (1/3"), but overall sensitivity is outstanding, necessitating less gain. Definitely worth a read.

This has been cleared for general release this evening on Canon Professional Network.

For those lucky enough to be getting a produsction camera in the near future, there are useful gems - take a look at the bottom of page 3 for what setting represent which gamma curves and Alan's recommended settings.

My pre-production camera goes back again tomorrow and production cameras are in very short supply - Oh well, back to tape!

Fantastic information, thank you very much for posting it.

I was a little disappointed about the rolling shutter result but otherwise the camera comes off pretty well!

Thanks for the comment. I think the report is very helpful as it is, as we say, "warts and all." It gives an objective opinion of the camera as a whole and highlights both strengths and weaknesses.

Nick.

In the name of objectivity, here is the equivalent report on the Sony EX1 / EX3, also produced by Alan Roberts. This is available online.

Nick.

Quote from BBC techie Alan Roberts on "another site" -

"I've completed tests on a 305, and it's rather lovely. It preforms dramatically better than a 1"/3 camera should do. The test was for an independent production (not European) and Canon, with the BBC taking a back seat for a change. So the settings doc does not carry the BBC's imprint. Nevertheless, the tests and reporting procedure are exactly as for any other test.

I think this camera raises the issue of whether 1"/3 is ok for broadcast, certainly it performs as well as, if not better than at least 2 1"/2 cameras that are approved by the BBC, and doesn't need external recording to achieve that performance. And as for 13 user buttons, well ....."

Steve

http://www.dvinfo.net/forum/canon-xf-series-hd-camcorders/481120-independent-report.html

Thanks Laurence, hadn't seen that.
Steve

Good to see such a knowledgeable guy giving it the thumbs up.
I also agree with your comments regarding 1/3" sensors on that "other site"!

http://www.dvinfo.net/forum/canon-xf-series-hd-camcorders/481120-independent-report.htmlThreads merged together.