I've seen quite a lot of output from the XF100, and it's very impressive. It gives a significantly better image on Blu-ray and down-scaled to DVD than my XH-A1 (same edit/production chain), and is usefully smaller and lighter. The 2 things that kept me from blowing £££s on an XF100 were the relatively short reach zoom and the lack of the zoom-speed thumb-wheel, that most handy gadget on the XH-A1 and XF300.

Looks like the XF200 answers the first lack, but what about the second? Looking closely at the images posted at the top of this thread, I don't anything that looks like a zoom-speed wheel behind the rocker, just a still shutter. Have I missed it?

I don't know what a zoom speed thumb wheel is, but if it refers to controlling the maximum zoom speed, on the XF100 there is a menu to choose the maximum speed of the zoom - I think there are 3 speed options. And, independent of each speed, you have the option to turn on or off the zoom rocker speed sensitivity - barely press for a slow creep, press further at any time to speed it up. And you have the option to turn on or off a soft landing that slows down slightly when you near the widest or longest extremes of the zoom.

Is that what's meant? And I don't know if the XF200 series retains all these options, but I can't believe it doesn't. In fact, has anyone discovered anything at all yet that the 200s drop that are found on the 100s?

@David, The A1 zoom speed wheel gave you more speeds than H, M and L. It was also faster than drilling into the menu... easily adjusted while shooting or while running to the next gunning. Better ergonomics.

I'm expect that kind of thing is gone for good.

I don't know what a zoom speed thumb wheel is, but if it refers to controlling the maximum zoom speed, on the XF100 there is a menu to choose the maximum speed of the zoom - I think there are 3 speed options. And, independent of each speed, you have the option to turn on or off the zoom rocker speed sensitivity - barely press for a slow creep, press further at any time to speed it up. And you have the option to turn on or off a soft landing that slows down slightly when you near the widest or longest extremes of the zoom.

Is that what's meant? And I don't know if the XF200 series retains all these options, but I can't believe it doesn't. In fact, has anyone discovered anything at all yet that the 200s drop that are found on the 100s?

Both the XF300 and the older XH-A1 have a constant/variable selector switch and a little wheel beside the zoom rocker. When constant is selected, the wheel allows you to dial in the exact zoom speed you want, and to change it during a shot very precisely. There are 16 steps and transition between speeds is pretty smooth. Within the menu, there are three speed ranges to choose from: slow, medium and fast. On the slow range, click 1 takes over 5 minutes to get from one end to the other; on the fast range, click 16 is a real "crash zoom". I struggle to keep an even speed on rocker switches (I've used several different Canon, Sony and Panasonic cameras over the years) so the thumb-wheel on the XH-A1 has given me the level of control I've always wanted.

Les - why do you say "I'm expect that kind of thing is gone for good"? It proved very popular on the XH-A1 and they put it on the XF300 too. Maybe they can't (or don't want to) put it on the smaller cam, but what makes you think they'd drop it completely?

I don't know what a zoom speed thumb wheel is, but if it refers to controlling the maximum zoom speed, on the XF100 there is a menu to choose the maximum speed of the zoom - I think there are 3 speed options. And, independent of each speed, you have the option to turn on or off the zoom rocker speed sensitivity - barely press for a slow creep, press further at any time to speed it up. And you have the option to turn on or off a soft landing that slows down slightly when you near the widest or longest extremes of the zoom.

Is that what's meant? And I don't know if the XF200 series retains all these options, but I can't believe it doesn't. In fact, has anyone discovered anything at all yet that the 200s drop that are found on the 100s?

David, I could be all wrong here but I can't find any article that says the 200 series records 720p, something the 100 series does. so no 60p in MPEG2 at all?

...Les - why do you say "I'm expect that kind of thing is gone for good"? It proved very popular on the XH-A1 and they put it on the XF300 too. Maybe they can't (or don't want to) put it on the smaller cam, but what makes you think they'd drop it completely?

I thought it was a great feature. I didn't know it made it to the XF300. Awesome.

All I meant by my comment was sometimes good features, once they disappear, don't seem to come back. In this case, I was wrong, it hasn't disappeared. Yet. :-)