Is there a market for compact, fixed lens 4K camcorders? Well, Canon seems to think so. Some of you may recall back in the Fall, Canon announced the Canon XF405 and XF400 compact 4K camcorders aimed at event shooters, wedding videographers and according to Canon – news crews, who prefer to travel light. Not only that, but the Canon XF400 and XF405 models can shoot 4K/60p, which is kind of a big thing.
There are still quite a few event and documentary shooters out there who use fixed lens cameras, which place less of a burden on pace of their production workflow, as you can just grab the camera and go – something that is a must in such situations.
Canon XF405/XF400 Features
- 8.29MP, 1-inch CMOS sensor
- 15x Optical Zoom Lens (fixed)
- 30x Advanced zoom in Full HD (visually lossless)
- 5-Axis Image Stabilization
- Dual-Pixel CMOS Autofocus
- UHD 4K/60p LongGOP 150Mbps (8bit 4:2:0)
- 1080p/120fps slow motion – full sensor readout
- Dual-XLR Inputs
- 4 Channels of Audio
- 2 x DIGIC DV 6 Processors
- 2 x SD Memory Card Slots
- Built-in ND filters
- XF-AVC future firmware (8bit 4:2:0)
- Infrared mode
- Removable top handle
- Price:
So, if you are in the market for a Canon XF400 or a XF405, but want to know more about the camera, the good people at Canon USA have prepared a lovely series of tutorials with Jem Schofield, who knows a thing or two about Canon cameras.
The Canon XF400/405 are essentially the same camera, except for the 3G-SDI output in the XF405, and both feature a brand new 1-inch CMOS chip capable of cranking out UHD at up to 50/60p at 150 Mbps LongGOP, but at the lowly 8bit 4:2:0 chroma subsampling (same on-board compressed codec as in the Canon C200). Dual-Pixel AF is another big feature, that coupled with the touchscreen can make your life easier on set.
As a Canon C300 Mark II owner, I can appreciate the brilliance of the Dual-Pixel AF system for video use. It is an invaluable feature to have especially when you are shooting “very animated” interview subjects and you are wide open at f1.8. Sure, I don’t use it all the time, but in the situations when I have to use it – it just works.
Dual-Pixel AF on the Canon XF400/XF405 Tutorial
To see the rest of the tutorials for the XF400/405 head over to Canon here.
Disclaimer: As an Amazon Associate partner and participant in B&H and Adorama Affiliate programmes, we earn a small comission from each purchase made through the affiliate links listed above at no additional cost to you.
Claim your copy of DAVINCI RESOLVE - SIMPLIFIED COURSE with 50% off! Get Instant Access!
Can you do 4k 60fps 4:2:2 with external recorder such as the Atomos Inferno?
Hi Micheil, according to Canon yes – you can get 4K/60P out of the HDMI to an Atomos recorder, but in 8bit only. 10bit 422 out the SDI but that is limited to Full HD. You can see more detail in this post here https://www.4kshooters.net/2017/09/13/canon-xf405-xf400-4k60p-1-inch-sensor-dpaf-touchscreen-in-super-compact-camcorder/
Thanks for the tutorials, Ogy. Fellow Oregonian!
I just got the XF405 and like it a lot.
One question – I formatted the SD card in the camera, recorded video, but when I put it in the card reader, the card was unreadable by my iMac. It asked to initialize.
How to make this work? Should I initialize on the Mac and then use as is on the camera?
2 questions: Canon says you can’t go lower than 9db unless you go to Standard mode, in other words, not in Wide DR. Does anyone know a workaround? Also, can you record UHD on one card and 1080p on the other card?