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  • Canon Upgrades High-End HD Camcorders


    Canon is to launch a pair of updates to its pro HDV tape camcorders in December.

    The XH A1S and XH G1S have had their 20X zoom lenses upgraded, with improvements to focus, irising and zoom.

    They are also to get upgraded camera firmware that allows users to adjust the zooming speed during pull-in or pull-out shots.

    Audio has also been improved overall, including two XLR inputs at varying sensitivity and the ability to record with external and built-in mics at the same time.

    The two cameras continue to share long-range optical image stabilization, an SDHC card slot for sharing footage, extreme customization of white balance and other settings to generate particular effects.

    There is also the option of shooting in film-grade 24FPS progressive, 30FPS or a 60FPS interlaced mode. An optional hard drive connection allows for longer shooting than normally possible on HDV tape.

    Yuichi Ishizuka, senior vice president and general manager, Consumer Imaging Group, Canon USA, said HDV tape format continues to be the most cost-effective medium for high-quality high definition video capture and storage.

    "With the new XH A1S and XH G1S HD camcorders, professional user-requested refinements have been incorporated to provide even easier on-camera usability and operation," he said.

    The XH A1S is designed for serious amateurs or entry-level professionals who need only standard input and output and should be available in late December for USD $3,999.

    The G1S, which will go on sales at USD $6,999, adds HD- and SD-SDI output, timecode input and output, as well as Genlock sync input for multi-camera shooting.

  • Canon Rises To Nikon's HD DSLR Challenge


    It has been described by Vincent Laforet, one of the world’s top professional photographers, as having the “potential to change our industry”.

    Nikon was the first to announce a DSLR capable of recording high def video in the form of the D90, which can capture full-motion video at up to 720p resolution and at 24 frames-per-second (fps).

    Now Canon’s latest offering has gone even further.

    The soon-to-be-launched Canon EOS 5D Mark II DSLR can record full 1080p video clips at 30 (fps).

    According to Laforet the camera, which is expected to retail for USD $2,799.99, performs better than many USD $100,000-plus video cameras.

    The EOS 5D Mark II, which can also record standard definition video, has a 3” Live View LCD.

    Up to 4GB of video can be recorded per clip or up to 30 minutes of footage, despending on what comes first.

    Video is recorded in the .mov format using an MPEG-4 video compression, and linear PCM sound without compression.

    An external stereo mic can be connected, or you can simply use the built-in monaural mic.

    Video can be played using HDMI on a wide-screen TV.

    New York-based Laforet, who Canon allowed 72-hours to try out a prototype of the camera, said of his experience: “The time I did have with a prototype of the Canon EOS 5D MKII will possibly change the path of my career as well as the photography industry to some degree.”

    He said the “game changer” of a camera produces the best stills in low light that he has ever seen.

    “What you can see with you eye in the worst light – such as sodium-vapor street lights at 3 am in Brooklyn – this camera can capture it with ease,” he said. “It produces the best video in low light that I’ve ever seen – at 1080p.”

    Laforet was allowed to try out the camera on condition he produced a video and stills completely independently from Canon USA.

    Despite having never shot a film before he made a video with less than 12 hours of pre-production with a USD $5,000 budget – which included USD $2,000 for a one hour helicopter flight over the city.

    The short film was shot over two nights with two models, three assistants, a co-director, one editor, and one makeup artist.

    Laforet said a top commercial film editor who regularly edits RED camera footage, and who saw the raw footage from the 5D MKII, said it was “far superior to the RED camera” in terms of low light performance.

    The EOS 5D Mark II digital SLR will be available at the end of November in a body-only configuration for an ESP of USD $2,799.99; or in a kit with Canon’s EF 24-105mm f/4L IS USM zoom lens for USD $3,649.99.

    Please let us know what you make of the footage. Is the EOS 5D Mark II a game changer?