Canon XL H1 Camcorder Review Roundup
Last Updated
- Added review by CamcorderInfo & CNET ( 14th November, 2006)
Canon XL H1 is High Definition with key features such as; SD-SDI (SMPTE 259M) output, uncompressed HD-SDI (SMPTE 292M), Genlock input and SMPTE time code input and output for multi-camera shoots. Not only that, Canon XL H1 also equips with multiple output options, customizable open-architecture approach, and selectable frame rates including 24F. Other features include; Total Cine Control, 20x HD Video Lens, still Image Recording, three Native 16:9 Image Sensors and DIGIC DV II Image Processor.
+ REVIEWS:
CamcorderInfo reviews the Cannon XL H1, they write:
“At 3000 lux, the Canon XL H1’s HDV video looked incredible on our Panasonic HD pro monitor. The colors were exceptionally well balanced, and had none of the oversaturation that you’ll find on non-professional camcorders…The manual controls on the Canon XL H1 are those deserving of a professional camcorder. This is the real deal – the full suite: aperture, shutter speed, gain, AE shift, zoom, and focus.”
CNET reviews the Cannon XL H1, they rated the camcorder 7.7/10 and write:
“The XL H1 can also record standard-definition DV with a 4:3 or 16:9 aspect ratio and downconvert HD to standard definition over both FireWire and analog ports…The good: Very high resolution; extensive image controls; interchangeable lenses; compatible with the Canon XL system of lenses and accessories; compatible jack pack is ideal for multicam studio work. The bad: No true progressive shooting; strange ergonomics; stock lens hard to focus manually; pricier than the competition.”
+ PRESS RELEASE:
MAJOR BROADCAST AND PRO VIDEO SOLUTIONS DEVELOPERS ANNOUNCE SUPPORT FOR THE CANON XL H1 HD CAMCORDER
Companies Announcing Products Designed to Complement Canon’s Versatile, and Affordable XL H1 Camcorder Include Apple, Adobe, CineForm, Canopus, Focus Enhancements, and Miranda
LAKE SUCCESS, N.Y., April 24, 2006 - Canon’s acclaimed XL H1 High Definition camcorder is generating increasing industry momentum not only among broadcast and pro video professionals, but also among leading production hardware and software solutions developers as a feature rich, yet affordable HD solution. Complementing the cameras renowned open architecture and powerful functionality are new third-party solutions for editing support and workflow efficiency, recording versatility, and live HD production.
The revolutionary XL H1 HD Camcorder features uncompressed HD-SDI (SMPTE 292M) output, genlock synchronization, and SMPTE time code support, as well as three 1440 by 1080 1/3-inch CCD’s and a genuine Canon 20x zoom lens for superior image capture. Priced at less than $9,000, the XL H1 camcorder also offers Total Image Control to create a wide variety of custom “looks,” frame rates of 60i, 30F, and 24F, and two built-in digital still cameras.
“The XL H1 HD Camcorder represents a new era in affordable high-performance, High Definition video acquisition,” said Yukiaki Hashimoto, senior vice president and general manager, Consumer Imaging Group, Canon U.S.A., Inc. “No matter what the production need-broadcasters in ENG, documentary and reality / episodic TV production and film makers will appreciate the XL H1 camcorder is engineered with the features that professionals demand. We are gratified to see so many leading broadcast and pro video solutions developers agree and develop innovative third-party enhancements for the XL H1 camcorder.”
Apple
“Final Cut Studio has become the preferred post production solution in this new era of HD, with support for all major formats,” said Rob Schoeben, Apple’s vice president of Applications Product Marketing. “Canon’s feature-rich XL H1 HD Camcorder works seamlessly with Final Cut Studio today and future 24F support will provide filmmakers with an even more versatile workflow.”
Adobe Systems Incorporated
Adobe Systems Incorporated has announced that Adobe Premiere Pro 2.0 will support the Canon XL H1 camcorder using new editing modes that will be downloadable from the Canon Web site in June. Adobe Premiere 2.0 will provide native, real-time capture and editing of 24F, 30F and 60i content from the Canon XL H1 camcorder at full 1440 x 1080 resolution.
“The combination of the Canon XL H1 camcorder and Adobe Premiere Pro 2.0 software brings new creative capabilities to the professional film maker,” said Giles Baker, Sr. Product Manager for Adobe Premiere Pro. “The XL H1 camcorder’s innovative shooting modes make possible a wide variety of looks, complementing the creative control and efficiency offered by Adobe Premiere Pro 2.0 with native HDV editing.”
CineForm and Wafian Corp.
CineForm, Inc., a developer of software products for high-resolution post-production applications, and Wafian Corp., creator of innovative high-quality, low-cost efficient workflow options, have jointly announced comprehensive acquisition and editing support for the Canon XL H1 HD Camcorder, including all of its special operating modes and features such as 24F and 30F. CineForm and Wafian have also collaborated to optimize Wafian’s HR-1 for direct-to-disk recording of 24F/30F material from the HD-SDI output of the XL H1 HD Camcorder, resulting in outstanding visual quality to serve independent filmmakers and television professionals.
Special signal analysis software developed by CineForm allows the real-time identification and elimination of redundant fields from the HD-SDI signal to recover the original 24-frame sequence, which is then recorded direct-to-disk as 10-bit CineForm Intermediate files on the Wafian HR-1 recorder. After signal acquisition, CineForm’s Prospect HD editing software offers a real-time, multi-stream, 10-bit editing environment using Adobe® Premiere® Pro software. For those individuals acquiring XL H1 HD Camcorder material on HDV format, CineForm’s Aspect HD plug-in offers a similar real-time editing environment using Adobe Premiere Pro, while Connect HD supports the Sony Vegas program.
CineForm’s acquisition and editing products-Prospect HD, Aspect HD, and Connect HD-all of which support the XL H1 HD Camcorder, may be purchased from CineForm’s Website (www.cineform.com) or from CineForm’s expanding network of resellers. Wafian’s HR-1 direct-to-disk recorder, which records from the Canon XL H1 camcorder’s HD-SDI output, is available from CineForm’s Website or Wafian’s Website (www.wafian.com).
Canopus Corp.
Canopus Corp., a developer of professional digital video and graphics solutions, has announced that its EDIUS Pro v3.6 and EDIUS Broadcast video editing solutions will support the Canon XL H1 HD Camcorder. EDIUS Pro 3 and EDIUS Broadcast provide real-time capture and processing of 1440 x 1080 resolution video at 24fps, 30fps, and 60i via an IEEE 1394 interface, making them ideally suited for the 24F, 30F and 60i formats that the XL H1 HD Camcorder is capable of recording. EDIUS Pro 3 and EDIUS Broadcast are also the only nonlinear editing solutions that deliver full-frame-rate real-time HD playback from the timeline directly to an external HD video display when using the company’s tightly integrated software and hardware solutions, such as EDIUS NX with HD Expansion, EDIUS SP, and EDIUS HD nonlinear editing systems.
EDIUS Pro 3 and EDIUS Broadcast nonlinear editing software provide real-time, mixed-format editing of uncompressed SD, HD, HDV, DV, MPEG-2, and MPEG-1 formats. EDIUS Pro 3 and EDIUS Broadcast deliver increased quality and real-time performance through the company’s acclaimed variable-bitrate Canopus HQ codec, including real-time HQ batch capture from 1080i and 720p HDV cameras and decks.
EDIUS Pro v3.6 and EDIUS Broadcast are available now from Canopus and its authorized resellers and system integrators for a suggested retail price of $699 and $999, respectively. The v3.6 upgrade, with support for the Canon XL H1 HD Camcorder and 720p YUV component-out is available free for all current users of EDIUS Pro 3 from the company’s Web site at www.canopus.com. EDIUS Broadcast is currently shipping with the support included.
Focus Enhancements
Focus Enhancements, Inc., a worldwide leader in video production and conversion technology, will expand its FireStore Direct To Edit® (DTE) recorder line with two models designed specifically for the Canon XL H1 camcorder. Designated as the FS-C HD60 and FS-C HD100, both of these ultra portable units include a cradle and mount hardware for direct mounting to the Canon camcorder. The FS-C HD60 and FS-C HD100 (offering 60 and 100 GB of tapeless hard-drive video storage, respectively) can record direct nonlinear HDV or DV streams with or without a tape inserted in the XL H1. Footage is recorded as DTE files, which can be imported and used immediately by most popular nonlinear editing systems, saving time, improving workflow, and providing a digital backup. At a data rate of approximately 13GB per hour for HDV format recording, the FS-C HD60 can provide 4 1/2 hours of recording time; the FS-C HD100, approximately nine hours. For more information go to www.focusinfo.com.
Miranda Technologies, Inc.
Miranda Technologies, developer and manufacturer of high-performance hardware and software for the television broadcast industry, has introduced the AMX-800 CAM, a convenient camera-mounted interface that embeds SMPTE time code and four channels of analog audio into the HD SDI or SD SDI data stream of the Canon XL H1 HD Camcorder. The AMX-800 CAM connects the XL H1 camcorder’s HD SDI/SD SDI output, SMPTE time code output, LANC jack, and XLR audio connectors and provides live HD recording and/or monitoring from the XL H1 HD Camcorder. The AMX-800 CAM can also be used independently and features two-level control for audio input (one per audio pair) and selectable on-screen display showing time code burn-in and the XL H1HD Camcorder’s aspect ratio markers and camera status display. See www.miranda.com for more information.
See the Canon XL H1 HD Camcorder and the full line of Canon products at NAB 2006 in Booth # SU 131 at the Las Vegas Convention Center from April 24th to the 27th.
About Canon U.S.A., Inc.
Canon U.S.A., Inc. delivers consumer, business-to-business, and industrial imaging solutions. The Company is listed as one of Fortune’s Most Admired Companies in America and is rated #35 on the BusinessWeek list of “Top 100 Brands.” Its parent company Canon Inc. (NYSE:CAJ) is a top patent holder of technology, ranking second overall in the U.S. in 2005, with global revenues of $31.8 billion. For more information, visit www.usa.canon.com.
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