Just in time for NAB 2019, Canon U.S.A. Inc. introduces four additions to its XA Series of professional camcorders, the XA55, XA50, XA45 and XA40. These four camcorders are the first in the series to feature 4K 30p recording. They also include a detachable XLR handle and the XA55 and XA45 each feature an HD-SDI terminal. In addition, the company is launching the Canon Vixia HF G60 4K UHD camcorder, a budget-friendly, compact-and-lightweight camcorder.
Depending on the application, these new XA-Series cameras could be ideal for a smaller church just starting out in video production, or the medium to large scale church look for a run-and-gun camera, documentary camera or second or third camera on-site camera.
“Often spending their days and nights working in fast-paced environments, videographers need a camcorder that is affordable, reliable, and delivers great images,” says Kazuto Ogawa, president and COO, Canon U.S.A., Inc. “These new camcorders meet the needs of a variety of users, including those capturing news, shooting influential documentaries, educating young filmmakers or developing content for their companies.”
All of the camcorders feature Canon’s five-axis Intelligent Optical Image Stabilization system, providing users with powerful image stabilization via a Dynamic mode, which helps reduce image distortion, even when shooting while moving. The ergonomically designed and highly portable camcorders have a three-inch LCD touch panel screen and user-friendly, tilting, high-resolution Electronic View Finder (EVF).
The XA55 and XA45 are designed for news reporting and documentary shooting, while the XA50 and XA40 are geared more towards broadcasting schools, government agencies and corporate-video production companies. The affordable Vixia HF G60 caters to advanced amateur videographers who need a 4K UHD camcorder to shoot a wedding or a student film project.
The XA55 and XA50 camcorders both feature a 1.0-inch sensor, nine-bladed circular aperture and Dual-Pixel CMOS AF with a 15x (25.5-382.5mm) genuine wide-angle Canon optical zoom lens. For natural and realistic life-like imagery the XA55 and XA50 camcorders feature a Wide Dynamic Range (DR) Gamma mode. This lowers the barrier for focusing, especially when shooting in 4K, which requires strict focus accuracy. By suppressing overexposure in high-brightness areas of the composition, this mode helps achieve a wide dynamic range of 800 percent to help produce seamless tone gradations, resulting in smooth detail, accurate color and virtually no blown-out highlights, according to the company announcement. The camera's Dual Pixel Focus Guide takes advantage of Dual Pixel CMOS AF data to display focus-assist information on the screen. The camcorders also record 4K UHD/30p (4:2:0 8 bit) and 1080p Full HD (4:2:2 10 bit) via SDI/HDMI Output in XF-AVC and MP4 format to dual-card SD card slots with dual and relay recording.
The XA45 and XA40 camcorders both feature a 1.0-inch sensor, eight-bladed circular aperture with the ability to record 4K UHD/30p (4:2:0 8 bit) and 1080p Full HD (4:2:2 10 bit) via SDI/HDMI Output) in MP4 or XF-AVC format to dual-card SD card slots with dual and relay recording. To help provide enhanced image quality over its predecessor, over sample HD processing can be utilized with information obtained from the 4K 1/2.3-inch sensor and the Digic DV 6 image processor. Both camcorders boast a 20x (29.3-601mm) genuine wide-angle Canon optical zoom lens.
The Canon Vixia HF G60 4K UHD camcorder is packed with many of the same great features found in the XA55 and XA50, like a nine-bladed circular aperture, Dual Pixel Focus Guide and Wide DR, but with the budget- conscious user in mind. The affordable camcorder is an ideal tool for young videographers taking their first steps in the craft and will be sure to please due to its compact-and-lightweight form factor in addition to ease of use.
Additionally, Canon today announced firmware updates for the XF705, XF405/XF400 and Vixia GX10 camcorders. New features by model include:
- XF705: Firmware Version 1.0.1.1 now features improved zoom response when using the zoom ring or zoom rocker, improved focus following speed during zooming, and improved image quality of interlaced recording.
- XF405/XF400: Firmware Version 1.0.3.0 now features IP streaming, the ability to set custom white balance, support for the reset function that resets the clip number when the reel number is set and improved image quality of interlaced recording.
- XF405 only: Firmware Version 1.0.3.0 now features 3G-SDI mapping at level A and level B.
- Vixia GX10: Firmware Version 1.0.3.0 now features the ability to set custom white balance.
Pricing and Availability
The Canon XA55, XA50 and Vixia HF G60 are scheduled to be available in June 2019 for estimated retail prices of $2699.00, $2199.00 and $1699.00, respectively. The XA45 and XA40 4K UHD video camcorders are all scheduled to be available in April 2019 for estimated retails prices of $2199.00 and $1699.00, respectively. For more information, please visit, usa.canon.com.
