Canon XA10

Canon's XA10 Professional Camcorder is the all new low-end design in Canon’s premium camcorder lineup. Featuring full 1920 x 1080 HD video recording capture, and double phantom-power XLR inputs, the Canon XA10 is a force to be reckoned with.

My initial impression of the XA10 is that it is basically a pro edition of the Canon VXIA HF G10, which is already an outstanding camcorder. With it's own carry handle, XLR inputs and plenty of other helpful features, the XA10 will likely have you drooling over features that are difficult to find else where in a package this small.

The Canon XA10 is anchored by the new 1/3-inch CMOS sensor, which offers a proper 1920 x 1080 resolution, that will help prevent the noise that has found it's way into previous sensors.

The XA10 is powered by a DIGIC DV III image processor. The XA10 records AVCHD video up to 24Mbps and 4:2:0 color space. This results in the XA10 being able to capture High definition video in a selection of frame rates, ranging from 24 and 30p variations of 60i, the 24p being real deal.

A big part of this package is the 10x Zoom HD lens with a 35mm comparative range of 30.4-304mm zoom. This camera includes an 8-blade iris, that ought to offer you smoother bokeh plus reduce diffraction.

The in-built stereo mic offers a variety of audio possibilities, including the ability to incorporate the mike directionality and also optical zoom. Furthermore, the sound processing allows the XA10 to turn on a built-in low pass filter, or place certain focus on lows, mids or highs. Such factors could well be combined through the menu for effective control of the audio pickup.

More features of note: The XLR inputs handle are manualy operated, whilst situated on the top of the camera are zoom and record start/stop controls. At the same time on the front of the carry handle is an infrared light as well as a tally lamp. The infra-red light really is a handy capability for anyone needing to record in complete darkness.

Also with the XA10 you can remove the filter altogether. In total darkness the infrared emitter on the carry handle is invisible to the human eye, nonetheless it offers adequate light to capture video where different camcorders would probably just display a black screen.

The manual lens ring appears to operate quite well and it's also straightforward in use. Also, for all those looking at more prosumer-oriented cameras, you will be happy to know that the new VIXIA G10, M40, M41 and M400 also don the manual lens ring.

Entire control over exposure is accessible via a customised key and dial function. With regard to manual mode, you're able to use the dial to adjust the iris, gain or shutter. It’s not quite as accessible as higher-end models, however the control is there.

Other kinds of pro functions include things like Focus Assist, that offers a 2x magnification for dialing in critical focus, as well as an option for 70% or 100% zebras to assist in keying in in highlights. Bars and tone can be found inside the menu systems with -12dB, -18dB or -20dB tones available.

The XA10 comes with a 64GB internal flash drive together with dual SDXC card slots. Add in a pair of SDXC cards and you have the ability to walk around with 192GB of storage inside the camera. Canon recommend a Class 4 or more SDHC or SDXC card to capture 24Mbps or 17Mbps footage . SanDisk manufacture a 64GB card which is a possible option.

64GB is more than enough for anyone's needs.. So the built-in storage including a two SD cards provides you eighteen hours of High def footage at 24Mbps, particularly good when you consider the footprint your camera and storage take up.

Briefly, the XA10 looks to be a sure winner. There is a lot of buzz as well as expectancy for this camera. Although it’s not quite as pro looking as other video cameras in Canon’s lineup, still it impresses with its size, and features.

For far more detailed information visit Canon XA10 for the absolute lowest price available on the XA10