Should I get the XF100 or 105?

[Paul Owens]

Thanks man!!! That's a big help. To clarify 2 a few things. 1 the Lav. wasn't for this gig, it's for my lecture series gig figured i'd get them together. With regard to the zoom... I'll be in the press stand, shooting half the field at a time since they want to see the whole field of play... with that said, is the 10x enough?

thanks for the filter advice!

[Andy Solaini]

Originally Posted by Philip Lipetz

... Much worse low light than the XF100.

I would love to see a side by side test of the XF100 and JVC HM100. I don't doubt you are right I would just like to know by how much. I shoot for special interest/enthusiast DVD etc of planes and trains so I'm not sure if it would be as critical as it might be for some uses.

[Dom Stevenson]

There's a shoot out here between the xf100 and the JVC and a mini Sony.

The Iris Mag - Edition 3 Takes a minute to load.

JVC comes last, due to it being "too contrasty". Still a good camera though, but Canon have had a couple of years to improve on it. If you're a FCP user it's worth remembering that the JVC produces Q-Times out of the camera, so there's none of the tedious ProRes transcoding malarky you get with many camcorders these days.

The XF wins the shoot-out even though it is the priciest camera on test. The Sony comes second due to its significantly lower price to the other two. The JVC comes last because it's been superseded by a better camera that is only a little more expensive.

Makes you realise what a cracking little camera the HM100 has been for the last couple of years. And still is. It'll be interesting to see what JVC replace it with.

[Andy Solaini]

Thanks for the link Dom. Interesting mag.

I hope I don't drag this thread in the wrong direction here but....for me there are two choices.

a) Keep my XF300 and downgrade my photography gear to fun an XF100
b) Sell the XF300, keep the pro photography gear I have now and get an XF100 to replace the XF300

It all comes down to needing a camcorder AND stills camera that I can easily take hand luggage on a plane. I can't take my current Canon 1DmkIV AND the XF300. But is having an XF300 and XF100 just kind of doubling up?

[Dom Stevenson]

Don't know what work you do Andy, but the thing about little cameras for me, is that clients may think you're not a pro, even though the new Canon xf100 is pretty high end. If they saw you with a Z1 they'd think you're a pro, but not the XF100. It's very annoying, because as we all know, this little cam is light years ahead of a Z1, but for a lot of clients size matters in my experience.

Without knowing your work, i couldn't advise you on which camera to part with. I think if your work doesn't require a large camera, sell the xf300 to fund the 100. If it does, sell the stills camera, or else go without the 100.

[Andy Solaini]

Dom I'll admit that I don't currently have any regular work, I am in the process of setting up to do special interest programs mainly for DVD. I mean things like aviation, rail etc. I got the XF300 for low light and the 18x zoom which is useful for filming planes in flight. The problem is taking the XF300 out of the UK is not very easy with airline carry-on bag size restrictions and I thought the XF100 would provide a good alternative cam for when I have to travel, which I do quite a bit. I could just about take the XF300 on it's own but if I need to take stills as well I can't pack my DSLR + lenses as well. Plus I'm just not sure for the stills part of my work I really need a camera as good as the 1DmkIV.

Andy S

[Doug Bailey]

Hi Paul,
I'm also considering an XF to upgrade from a 7D, so this is a great thread.

Manfrotto 504HD Head w/546B tripod (or similar)

I bought a Libec fluid head which comes with the tripod after seeing one in the field. You will be really happy with the smoothness, and need to be sure to get the correct size for the weight you will be using. I met a videographer in the field who has a Manfrotto fluid head and compared. His was quite jerky by comparison. My fluid head usage is smooth pans for nature.

I'm wondering if there is a camera (aside from the DSLRs) that can take an EF100-400mm or EF500mm lens?

Regards,
Doug.

[Dom Stevenson]

Andy,

Have you tried a hard peli style case? I have a Storm case, and you can get a fair amount in it. Since you'll be carrying it by hand you don't need to allow that much packing foam round the edges. I think you can get an aeroplane friendly case for your needs with a bit of creativity. Though some airlines are more fussy than others.

The stills camera you have is super high end. If you don't need such an expensive camera you could trade it in for an xf100 and a cheaper stills camera. There are loads of outstanding stills camera's for reasonable prices, especially if you buy used.

If video is your focus, then that's where your cash should be IMO. And you'll find a small camera is often a lot more useful than a big one.

Good luck with your shopping.

[Andy Solaini]

I had a look at Peli cases but I really need a backpack style so that I can carry gear. When shooting at airports I don't usually rent a car and just walk around but it can be several miles a day.


What I was thinking was sell the 1DmkIV for around £2800. Buy an XF100 at about £2500 then get a second-hand Canon 7D for about £800. That means an outlay of £500 but then I would have a decent DSLR plus two great video cameras that can adapt well to travel and shooting at home.

The 1DmkIV seems excessive now. At the time I bought it as part of my new business but trying to make any money at all off transport type stills images is next to impossible. Video seems much more likely. There are quite a few people selling that type of DVD so with some hard work I think it might just be possible.

[Chris Hurd]

Great discussion, just wanted to point out that the
XF305 and XF105 are primarily for SDI connectivity.
If you're not using SDI now (or if you don't know
what SDI is), then there's no compelling reason to
buy the 305 or 105. Unless you're buying two cams
for 3D setups... then you would really benefit from
the GenLock feature. Otherwise, go for the much
less expensive 300 or 100 (or XA10, as mentioned).

[Nigel Barker]

We got an XF305 & XF105 not because we currently need SDI but in an attempt to future proof the cameras as SD gives us the option of adding a Nanoflash recorder at a later date. As it turns out the Atomos Ninja may do the same job at less than half the price & via HDMI rather than SDI so could be used with the XF100/XF300. As the Ninja records direct to ProRes it should speed up editing too.

[Federico Perale]

so can we hear some thoughts from some of the first buyers?

[Nigel Barker]

Originally Posted by Federico Perale

so can we hear some thoughts from some of the first buyers?

I have just moved in to a new house & have 1001 things to do so have barely had time to play with the XF105. My first impressions are that it is just like a baby XF305. The ergonomics are great everything falls to hand as it should with the buttons & knobs in just the right place. The single zoom/iris/focus ring is if anything an advantage versus 3 separate ones as it's harder to use the wrong one in the heat of the moment. It's small, light & very portable. Anyone who is used to using a Canon Pro camcorder e.g. XH-A1, XF305 etc will feel immediately at home. The video of course is superb. I am sure that if I shot test cards it wouldn't be as good as the XF305 but from my brief casual use the video is indistinguishable. As with the XF305 the picture is detailed with very natural colours straight out of the box with default settings.