Archive notice: This article was originally published on September 8, 2010. Links and embedded videos are preserved as part of the historical record.
Weighing just one kilogram and featuring a well-considered ergonomic design, the two camera models are also suitable for longer shoots. Not only many of the XF300 series’ performance features but also its design principle have been adopted: easily accessible and configurable controls, a high-quality LCD display and XLR inputs built into the handle.
Thanks to an HD-SDI output, a shared connection for timecode (input and output) and genlock (input), the XF105 can also be used in the studio for multi-camera shooting in combination with other camcorders.
Like the XF300 series, the XF105 and XF100 record Full-HD video to CF memory cards in the open MXF format (Material eXchange Format) in accordance with the MPEG-2 standard. Both models support uninterrupted recording with Relay Recording, even when one memory card is full and recording continues on the second. During recording, the unused card can be replaced or initialised at any time. The new Double Slot Recording function enables synchronous recording of the video data to two memory cards.
The camera system uses a Canon HD wide-angle video lens with a focal length of 30.4 millimetres, a 10x optical zoom and a high maximum aperture of 1:1.8-2.8. The optical image stabiliser, optimised for the XF camcorders, works in the three familiar modes – Standard, Dynamic IS and Powered IS.
An XF100/XF105 camcorder can be combined with another identical model to form a 3D recording system. For this, the 3D shooting assistant offers two functions that significantly simplify and accelerate setup: the axis-shift function uses the lens-shift function of the optical image stabiliser, thus enabling the correct alignment of two connected camcorders for 3D recording. The focal-length display helps with precise synchronisation of the zoom settings.
In Europe, the XF100-series models can be seen for the first time at Canon’s stand at IBC 2010 in Amsterdam (September 10–14). The models are expected to reach the market in the first quarter of 2011; Canon did not yet name a price.
In the upcoming DP special issue “Production,” you will find an extensive article about the two camera models as well as an interview with Dieter Küpperbusch about Canon’s strategic direction.