Press Release: Canon's New XF305 and XF300 Professional HD Camcorder
 

Read the press release here: http://www.dvinfo.net/news/canons-ne...amcorders.html

High-res pics... click to embiggen.

And more pics.... click to see 'em big.

I have to say, though -- these came in at higher prices than I expected ($8000 with SDI and $6800 without SDI). Honestly I had figured they would be much closer in price to the XH series.

This is a very exciting camcorder and a great improvment of the XHA1. But I'm worried that it seems there is no annoucement for an interchangeable lens version…

I was so excited... right up to the CMOS bit.

Just because they didn't say anything about an XL version doesn't mean it ain't going to happen. It would be too much too soon for them to announce an XL version today. They tend to spread out their major product announcements, just like all the big manufacturers do. I think they took a look at how the XH series had so much greater market penetration than the XL H series did, and decided therefore to push the XF ahead of the XL F (if that's what it's actually going to be called; just a guess on my part).

I hope as I really would like the XL version to come out soon as that's what I'm really interested in.

But wow, these prices are a little surprise for me as well!

1/3 CMOS at that, thought Canon would do 1/2 CMOS TO MATCH SONY XDCAM EX

1/3rd-inch was reported here as officially confirmed by Canon USA way back in February.

WOW!! Wayyyyy over priced for what it is. IMHO.

Ben

And pal frame rates require additional upgrade.

"Optional 50i/25p Frame Rate Upgrade
For added versatility, XF305 can be customized to record in both 60i/50i and 24p/25p (this optional upgrade must be performed by a Canon Factory Service Center)."

Nothing about 50p?

We're saving up for an HD cam (upgrading from an XL2) and like everybody else, was eagerly awaiting for Canon's new cam announcement. Before, I was set up to save for an EX1R, but thought, wait...Canon's got some new stuff coming out! Then, I read the specs...and the prices...

Might have to go back saving pennies for the EX1R...

I would hold off on over-priced comments considering the technology required to record 4:2:2 50Mbps video. I am presuming that, like Sony and the NanoFlash, Canon's implementation of 4:2:2 requires a second processor. This adds significantly to the cost. I in fact am amazed that Canon is able to bring 4:2:2 50Mbps at this price point.

The only weak link here is the SDHC card. I can easily see too many users trying to use the cheapest card they can find, disregarding specs, and then filling the boards with complaints of media errors and dropped frames.

I'm looking forward to a good look at NAB and am I already predisposed to writing positively about it and its pricing.

I noticed both cameras have HDMI output which makes the HD-SDI not as important as it once was. Unless of course you work with other broadcast equipment that uses HD-SDI.

I do have to agree about the price. Considering the SONY EX1 is cheaper and uses 1/2" CMOS with full HD-SDI this price seems a bit extreme. The only advantage is the 4:2:2 and higher bitrate recording which in the progressive world isn't as important as many once thought it was. Of course for interlaced shooters 4:2:2 and 50 mbits is a pretty big deal but is that really worth $3,000.00? Although CF cards are much cheaper then SxS cards.

The fact that the camera does have HDMI does make the whole 4:2:2 for keying issue kind of interesting. As a visual effects artist I would still prefer to capture HDMI directly into Prores.

For the event videographer I could still see them preferring the EX1 since it sounds like it may be better in low light situations. We won't really know if that will be true until we actually see the performance of the camera but the physics of chip design usually means a full raster 1/2" chip will be more sensitive then a full raster 1/3" chip.

Cmos I really don't see as an issue. I think very soon we will see everything switch to Cmos. There are very few CCD based cameras left and other then rolling shutter they are a huge advantage to not only image quality but how far companies can push these cameras. It is so much easier to deliver the quality we want with Cmos then it is to deal with the issues of CCD design. CCD is just a pain to deal with for HD cameras. Too many trade offs and/or workarounds.

Where are you getting 1/3" CMOS from? I assumed in my blog post this morning that it would be 1/2" but only because the full raster 1920x1080 resolution - guess I might need to make an adjustment.

Here is my brief post, with photos!

Canon XF300 and XF300 - Pre NAB 2010 announcement ? Shawn Lam Video

The SDHC card is there only for sharing custom preset files between multiple cameras, so
considering that it's used only for logistics and not for recording HD video, I wouldn't
exactly call it a weak link. HD video is recorded to one of two Compact Flash card slots.

Like I said, we reported way back in February that Canon USA had
confirmed the sensor size as 1/3rd-inch. This happened during the
Canon USA presentation at the San Francisco FCP SuperMeet and
has already been discussed here in a couple of earlier threads. I
don't understand the confusion, sorry.

Some of the positives for buying the XF300/305 for me:

1) 18x zoom lens (built in. Will have to wait for an interchangeable XL series)
2) universal Compact Flash cards (but like Ned said, will need to buy more durable, faster CF cards)
3) and I can use my old BP batteries from the XL2

Way over price, they are crazy charging that much for 1/3 chips, not gonna happen with me.

I am intrigued by the markings on the lens barrel - did they finally ditch the servo setup from the XH A1?

I agree Khoi. I've been saving for a new camera and am saddened by the price point. But maybe canon will work some magic with the 1/3 chips.

Well, as Ned Soltz points out, they are charging for the 4:2:2 codec, not the chip size.

Considering the improved low light performance of the crop sensor 1D Mark IV compared to the full frame 5D Mark II, I suspect these sensors will be pretty good compared to the EX1/3 despite the smaller size.

Hopefully they have worked some other magic to help with skew which is my main concern with choosing a new camera to replace my DSR-PD170P

maybe we have a few dslr surprises coming? This fills one gap...

They appear to have adopted the Sony PMW-EX1 lens design. There's a release button on top of the lens. You press it and slightly twist the lens barrel to lock it in place to enable full mechanical stops at each end of the focus range for manual focusing. Then you can press the release button again, twist the barrel back the other way and have the servo-style controls which spin without stops just like the old XF / XL series auto lenses did -- the advantage here is you can switch between manual focus and AF while in servo mode, or just go "mechanical" manual focus with physical stops, your choice.

Just added about 16 images to the second and third posts
of this thread -- so if you haven't seen the photos yet, be
sure to go back and check out page one again.

They produce mxf straight out of camera... no more mov wrapper and it works directly on the timeline of Vegas 8 =) Low light is to be very comparable to EX1r.. we shall see very soon if that is true. Features wise like overcranking and undercranking are all available.

I agree that the price point should be slightly lower than EX1r.

A bit too expensive for my liking. Let's hope they did some magic with the sensors to produce awesome low-light images to compensate for the 1/3" chips. I like the 4:2:2 codec though. Basically, they crammed a Nanoflash in there. Pretty impressive! But I am not buying for these prices. I hope the street prices will be much lower.

Also... how do you explain to your customers that they go from $3,999 for the XH-A1 to $6,899 for the XF-300. A bit to steep if you ask me. Most likely, they will keep the HDV models in production for a little longer. I hope they hit with a street price under $6,000.

I am looking at the specifications now:

- 3 ND filters
- LCD: Waveform monitor and Vectorscope
- More gain settings: Assignable L, M, H switch positions (-6dB / -3dB / 0dB/ 3dB / 6dB/ 12dB / 18dB / 21dB / 33dB / TUNE (0.5 dB increments from 0 to 21 dB))
- Audio: 16-bit 2ch (48 kHz) linear PCM

Over/under cranking:

YES. 720p: 12, 15, 18, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24, 25, 26, 27, 28, 30, 32, 34, 37, 42, 45, 48, 50fps 1080p: 12, 15, 18, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24, 25fps

Focus control: Manual ring or automatic (Instant AF, TV AF or Face Detection AF)

Optical lens shift system (angle & vector movement detection); 3 modes: Dynamic, Standard, Powered

Not too bad.

Any news on UK/EURO MSRP pricing?

If you look at the specs page for both of these new cameras on the Canon website they list 1/3" CMOS at full 1920x1080 effective pixels.

this is amazing news! thanks for the detailed write up chris, i am eagerly waiting for NAB, hopefully there may be some canon XF coverage somewhere on the net.

i have always liked what canon has made and this is no exception. i have hated my hdv 4:2:0 sample and this is great. when considering to the ex1r, despite the sensor size, when you add the cards on top of the sony price, these could be comparable. obviously cant tell until some footage is shown. i just hate how canon used two models still and a huge price difference in the two. even the nx5 has an hd-sdi out for 5000 camera. buying this camera for the long term i would want the most flexibility in my purchase, but the difference is hard to choose. can someone explain the sensor technology a little more(if we know more).

i also love the look and usability of the body design. seems slightly bigger than the a1, which i like a bigger camera, and the buttons seem roughly the same spot or added new ones. looks like a much better body design than the ex1r.

overall i am so excited for this product to come out and see some sample footage soon. very exciting news for my video world.

If its par for the course $7999 = £7999 or something very close. The exchange rate is never taken into account, I guess its what the market will stand. Its why here in the UK we are paying £5.40 for a gallon of petrol

Again with HDMI is HD-SDI output really that important to most of us? I totally agree that it is silly to charge that much just for HD-SDI but with HDMI output I just don't really need it. Only people who work with other broadcast gear is going to need HD-SDI. If you want a high quality capture method for uncompressed 4:2:2 then HDMI is more then enough unless of course you need 10bit video.

Everybody should also keep in mind that the new codec isn't just 4:2:2 but 50 mbits as well. Take a look at how much better 35 mbits was compared to 25 mbits. 50 mbits compared to 35 mbits is even better yet and is usually extremely clean and artifact free. To some people the 50 mbits recording alone will be well worth the price because it gives them piece of mind that even in the most complex situations their footage should be rock solid. This is the same super high quality form of Mpeg2 SONY uses for their higher end broadcast products.

The camera itself seems to also be built very well. I like very much what I see although I would have loved 4 channel audio.

But it looks like it has a GREAT lcd and viewfinder. Also covers the bases with 35mbps 4:2:0 takes the output straight to Blu-ray without re-encoding, in addition to the keyable 50mbps 4:2:2. Did they really solve the CA problem of the XH-A1 with the new lens? If so, that's preferable to electronic reprocessing. And if the new optical image stabilization works well at 18x, then what they've managed to combine could be great for eng work.

Canon is late to the game for me, but what they usually manage to deliver is a thoroughly debugged, field ready camera with quality control, unlike the pun intended, betacams.

I'm not so sure this is overpriced, but the one reason that it could be will depend on how well it handles low light. Love the manageable size and weight, ergonomics look good. Also has that quick-focus thingy, the little lens to the side of the main one, that worked well for me on the XH-A1.

Put a fork in CCD, it's done.

I give this a thumbs up.

Maybe not, but it is important to broadcasters who will want to integrate
this camcorder into their existing SDI infrastructure -- so it's there if you
need it. If you don't need SDI, then you should be looking at the XF300
model, which doesn't include it (but still has HDMI, of course).

Actually the premium for SDI has just now come way down in price. Previously
with the XH and XL H models, the pro connectivity jacks (SDI, GenLock and
TimeCode) involved a $3,000 price differential. Now it's just $1,000 which
means it's never been more affordable until now.

Correct, and that's exactly why they're offering two versions of this camcorder,
one with SDI (the XF305) and one without SDI (the XF300). They are probably
expecting to sell one XF305 for every nine or ten XF300's, just like the ratio
between the earlier XH A1 / A1S vs. the SDI-equipped XH G1 / G1S.

Most people who are in broadcast do not care about the cost as much which is why the 305 works well for them. My whole point is the indy market or smaller production house. With HDMI they don't really need HD-SDI so it isn't really a big deal now like it was for us Canon users before. With the other Canon models you either had component or HD-SDI. If you could not pay the premium for the HD-SDI version we were kind of SOL unless we wanted to use component. Now the HDMI is more then enough to fill the needs of most of the people here.

For me the HDMI, what looks to be a very sophisticated lens and the big LCD screen are pretty much worth the price. The 50 mbits mpeg2 should be a bit better then 21 mbit AVCHD as well. 21 mbit AVCHD is better then 35 mbit mpeg2 but 50 mbit mpeg2 should be equal to or better not to mention much easier to edit with. Although archiving footage is going to take twice as much space.

I should also note that I like the fact that you can record 50 mbit, 35 mbit and 25 mbit. This makes this camera pretty darn versatile and able to match with pretty much any other pro mpeg2 based HD camera out there.

I agree. CCD is quickly being phased out. It just never really had it for HD cameras without a boat load of compromises. CCD in HD cameras only really works well for 1/2" or 2/3" cameras but the cost of those chips is way too high and usually only works for large shoulder mounted form factor cameras. Unless people want to continue to deal with split screen CCD's (JVC) pixel shifted soft image CCD's (Panasonic) or interlaced only CCD's (Canon) the only option is CMOS. Even still cameras like the 5D, 7D and even Red itself are CMOS based because there are dozens of pros compared to it's single con.

does anyone know if the thread size will still be 72mm?

Same here - though I strongly suspected they would be CMOS - it's the only way to keep pace (spec-wise) at this price and size of camera.
Steve

Except with high end cameras. I still don't see a mad rush by the folks with £1million budgets ditching their Varicams and F900s for PDW350s.
It's a funny situation now with this Canon vs the EX series - the Canon qualifies as EBU compliant due to codec but fails on chip size, while the EX qualifies on chip size and fails on codec. Anyone want to make a 1/2" camera with 50 mb/s codec? Hello?
Steve