It seems that Canon has finally joined the 4K party in the low-end camera segment with the Canon XC10 as the camera gets its official announcement today. The XC10 features the ability to shoot 4K video internally in a relatively compact bodypack with a 10x fixed zoom lens attached on the front as we previously mentioned on the blog.
In a nutshell, the XC10 is an entry-level video camcorder that shoots 4K 8-bit 4:2:2 video in the new Canon XF-AVC codec wrapped in an MXF container at the maximum bitrate of 305Mbps. In other words, the camera will give you approximately 50 min recording time on a 128GB CFast 2.0 card. And, this is how the 4K video looks like:
The XC10 also features Canon Log Gamma option. In this mode, the camera provides 12 stops of dynamic range which are definitely impressive considering the small 1″ sensor which is slightly bigger than Super16 in size. Despite the small sensor size, the camera provides a decent ISO range of 500-20,000 in video mode.
On the top, there is a single 1/8 stop equivalent ND filter built into the camera which, along with the C-Log Gamma, is another precedent for a camera in this price range. It’s worth to mention that the XC10 will be able to record 4K video on CFast cards only while the lower bit rate HD video can be captured on either CFast or SD cards.
Unfortunately, the fixed lens doesn’t provide constant aperture as it starts at f2.8 at the wide end up to f5.6 at full telephoto. The front filter thread is 58mm. There is no EVF on the XC10 either. Instead, one can add a clip-on loupe to the rear LCD screen which still will do a decent job in extreme environment conditions when a precise and reliable focusing is required.
Regarding power, the former Canon DSLR shooters will be more than happy to find out that they will be able to utilise their well-trusted LP-E6 batteries on the XC10 as well along with a 5-axis image stabilizer, contrast detection based Autofocus system and Wi-Fi capabilities.
It is expected the Canon XC10 will hit the shelves in June 2015 with a retail price around £1599.99.
Updated: The camera now can be pre-ordered at B&H for a retail price of $2,499
Welcome back in the game, Canon!
[via News Shooter, source: Canon]
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The video shown by Canon has low DR, it’s soft and has bad colors. The camera itself may be nice at one third of it’s price.
Canon will soon wake up from it’s delusions when nobody will buy it at that price.
The product seems most bizarre to me. 4K but a fixed lens… what are they thinking! The technology is moving rapidly, and other companies are equally rapidly breaking new ground. Canon seem to be stuck in their own mud. Disappointing.
Canon seem to be two steps behind now, protecting their ‘industry standards’, whilst Sony, Panasonic and BM forge ahead in significant ways.
Fixed lens! Doh!