In a pre-NAB 2019 announcement Canon just announced four new 4K camcorders in the XA Series professional camcorders – the Canon XA40, XA50, XA45 and XA55.
These four camcorders are the first in the series to feature 4K/30p recording. The new camcorders also include a detachable XLR handle and the “5”-ending variants as per Canon nomenclature (the XA55 and XA45 that is) each feature an HD-SDI terminal. In addition, the company has announced the Canon VIXIA HF G60 4K UHD camcorder, a budget-friendly, compact-and-lightweight camcorder.
All of the camcorders feature Canon’s 5-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).
Canon XA40 / Images by Canon
Canon XA40/45 Features
- 1/2.84-inch CMOS Sensor, 8.29 megapixels
- 4K/30 (3840 x 2160 UHD) / 1080p/60
- Mini-HDMI and 3G-SDI Outputs (SDI only on XA45)
- Integrated 20x Optical Zoom Lens
- Dual XLR and Mic/Line Audio Input
- Dual SD Relay and Simultaneous Recording
- DIG1C DV 6 Processor
- 3″ Touchscreen LCD
- Tilt-able Viewfinder
- Pre-order (B&H):
The names and the fact that there are all so similar can be a bit confusion, but here is the gist of what the differences are:
- Canon XA40 and XA45 (and the XA50/XA55) are essentially the same, the difference being the 3G-SDI output on the XA55 and XA45
- Canon XA45/XA40 have a smaller 1/2.84-inch CMOS sensor and a more compact handheld form-factor
- Canon XA50/XA55 have a 1.0-inch CMOS sensor
- Canon XA40/XA45 have a 20x optical Zoom (35mm equivalent 29.3-601mm zoom range)
- Canon XA50/55 – have a 15x optical Zoom (35mm equivalent 25.5-382.5mm range)
The XA55 and XA50 camcorders both feature a 1.0-inch sensor, nine-bladed circular aperture and Dual-Pixel CMOS AF with a 15x genuine wide-angle Canon optical zoom lens. The XA55 and XA50 camcorders also feature a Wide Dynamic Range (DR) Gamma mode that makes things easier to grade than Log (which you don’t get here anyway), while still giving a nice dynamic range (for its class).
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 an eight-bladed circular aperture and better image quality over its predecessor, thanks to oversampling the HD image from the 4K 1/2.84-inch sensor and the DIGIC DV 6 image processor. Both camcorders boast a 20x (29.3-601mm) genuine wide-angle Canon optical zoom lens.
Canon VIXIA HF G60
The Canon VIXIA HF G60 4K UHD camcorder features a 1.0-inch sensor, but loses the XLR inputs. The VIXIA HF G60 also has a nine-bladed circular aperture, Dual Pixel Focus Guide and Wide DR looking to cater more to the enthusiasts in your family.
It would have been nice for Canon to put 4K/60p in these little handy camcorders, but hey, it’s a Canon, so we should be glad we get UHD at 30p at least.
Additionally, Canon today announced firmware updates for the already available Canon XF705, Canon 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 Canon 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 head over to usa.canon.com.
Pre-order links:
- Canon XA40 – $1699 at B&H
- Canon XA45 – $2,199 at B&H
- Canon XA50 – $2,199 at B&H
- Canon XA55 – $2,699 at B&H
- Canon VIXIA HF G60 – $1,699 at B&H
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