What's Inside: Canon's New XH G1 and XH A1 Camcorders

By Linda Romanello

July 28, 2006    Source: Studio Daily

Following its foray into HD with the successful XL H1 camcorder, Canon has just announced the addition of the three-CCD HD XH G1 ($6,999) and XH A1 ($3,999) models to its product line.

With the XL H1 sitting at the high end, the G1 and A1 are helping to expand Canon's reach to now include everyone from event videographers and hobbyists to broadcast and production pros who want to work in HD, but are on a tight budget. The two new models have filled in where there was seemingly a gap and include a healthy list of feature sets built around and/or improved upon from their big brother. Both camcorders include a fixed Canon 20x HD zoom lens, Optical Image Stabilization, Instant AF (Auto Focus), 2.8-inch LCD screen, customizable settings and 60i, 24F, 30F frame rates delivering 1080i HD video. A Professional Jackpack (HD-SDI/SD-SDI output, SMPTE time code input/output and Genlock input) on the G1 is the difference between the two cameras.

With the help of Mitchell Glick, assistant product marketing manager for Canon's Video Division, we take a closer look at Canon's new offerings.

SD: What's unique about each of the two new camcorders and how do they differ from the XL H1?

MG: If you think of our HD line before these two models, all we had was the XL H1, which is a $9,000 piece with interchangeable lenses. Canon recognizes that not everyone requires that capability—there's a large percentage of users that would like something a bit more portable. For instance, a hand-held unit they could use for run-and-gun newsgathering, independent filmmaking or for event videography. Canon has introduced two additional models in the line to give users good, better and best options. Aside from the $3,000 difference in price, the only thing that separates the two new models is the Professional Jackpack feature in the G1.

Where the XL H1 had four terminals for the Jackpack, this one only has three. Plus, the time code terminal is selectable, as opposed to having a discreet input and output.

We actually increased the functionality of this Jackpack, and incorporated embedded LTC time code, as well as 48 kHz audio right into the HD-SDI signal. This will really benefit someone who's working in a studio—they only have to worry about one cable, as opposed to having to run separate ones.

What can you tell us about the lens?

MG: Canon has a great history of being a very top-end lens manufacturer, so we've carried that through to these products. What we have is a 20x HD video zooms lens with all Canon glass. It gives a range of 32.5 millimeters at the wide end.

The XL H1's lens is a bit more telephoto in terms of the starting position. So, this one is even offering you a little bit greater angle view at the wide side. Now there's a ring that goes around the lens that indicates it's an L series lens. So this is a professional grade lens that one would normally expect to find with a 35mm still line. So we put in fluorite glass [and UD—Ultra-Low Dispersion) elements, to reduce distortion and improve contrast. We also incorporated Super Spectra Coating on the lens to reduce flare and ghosting. So all lens surfaces are multi-coated. That's very important.

What's also significant about the lens is that it also has [Canon's] Super Range Optical Image Stabilization System which is using Lens Shift. Now that's not new, because the XL H1 also has Super Range Optical Image Stabilization, but we decided to bring that down to the compact piece. So it's a little different in terms of how it's set up, only because the XL H1's lens is using a vari-angle prism. This lens has Lens Shift, which is kind of a floating element within the lens itself. When motion is detected by its sensor, it sends a signal, the element is going to stabilize the shake and then it's reviewed by the image sensor. The image sensor decides if it needs to send a signal back to where the lens shift element in the lens is to adjust itself if necessary. So you have that kind of stabilization system that now has extra detection and correction, if needed.

What that all boils down to is, that you have a very wide range of image detection. Everything from just a very civil handshake to a very violent shake if someone were to be shooting from a helicopter or a car. It compensates for a full range of vibration.

I should also point out that the lens has an independent manual focus ring, zoom ring and iris ring. We recognize that the professional shooter is accustomed to working with a certain kind of lens and one thing they use very frequently is a manual iris ring to really give them that fine adjustment. Now, in contrast, the XL H1 could adjust the iris setting with a wheel that was on the body. With this product, however, we chose to incorporate it in the lens itself. It's very comfortable for someone who's used to using professional lenses. They'll feel right at home.

The zoom ring and the focus ring are servo controlled, so they aren't mechanical rings. There's also an option in the menu system that allows you to change the speed of the zooming ring to a high-speed zoom, but you can enable that feature and then the ring is going to perform very fast. If you're doing studio work or run-and-gun news videography, they could quickly snap into a subject and then pull back.

It's just a phenomenal lens. It's designed to specifically handle HD, and basically designed for this particular style of body and chip set.

Can you talk a little about the Instant AF?

That's Canon's new Auto Focus system. Essentially, it's the legendary Canon Auto Focus system we've always had, but now it's even better because it has an external sensor. That sensor measures the distance between the camera and its subject. It does this before it even focuses, so the camera really knows how far away the subject is. The amount of work that's needed to drive the focus lens is very small. That's going to translate into higher accuracy and faster results. So, it doesn't require as much time to do the auto focus. We felt because this is a high-definition product, and focusing is so critical for high definition, that it would be a very smart thing to put in at this point. Instant AF is going to be effective even when you're shooting in low-light situations, as well as those with very high brightness. It does need a certain level of contrast, but once it has contrast, it will be able to lock on the subject very quickly.

Instant AF really has a dramatic effect in terms of how quickly it locks the focus in. And, depending on the user's preference, they may want to have that more gradual kind of a shift from being out of focus to being in focus, and they may choose to disable it [Instant AF can be disabled by going into the camera's menu settings]. But I certainly think that because we're dealing with high definition video, Instant AF is something that would likely be turned on and used all the time. It's a dramatic improvement in auto focus speed and accuracy.

Is there a reason why the cameras aren't 24p?

MG: Because this is using interlaced scan CCDs; it's not using a progressive scan chip.

Do you foresee Canon offering a camera that's progressive scan?

MG: Certainly in standard definition you have the XL2, it's using 24p. 1080p chips are not cost effective and at this point, what's very surprising and what people don't know, is if you record in 24 frame on the XL H1, and also on these two products, you're getting the temporal motion and the same cadence as if you were recording in 24p, so it's still giving you the same exact look and motion of film. It's something that I think a lot of people have a lot of questions on. They say 'is this 24p?' or 'why didn't Canon put out 24p?' The simple answer is, these are using interlaced chips, so we can't say it's progressive. But for anyone looking at the video, that's where the payoff is. You would be hard-pressed to tell the difference.

Can you talk about the DIGIC DV II Image Processor?

MG: That gives you very accurate color, tonal reproduction and low noise, especially if you're going to be shooting in shadowy areas or monotone subjects. There are a lot of benefits to the processing chip; and it's Canon's own—we designed it and manufacture it. Plus, you can take photos while you're shooting video, without any interruption. Some people might ask, 'why would I need photo quality in a $7,000 product when I already have a camera?' It would be very useful for anyone who's doing continuity shots, location scouting or publicity photos, or if they are shooting news. What happens often now is, someone can shoot the news with the camera and take some photos, then they can use that still frame behind the anchorperson as they're delivering the news. There are a lot of benefits to it.

The way Canon approaches it is maybe a little bit different than other manufacturers because we also have this camera legacy. So, what we've really done is put in two kinds of digital cameras into this product. Again, because we're also a camera company, it's easy for us to blend our [still] camera technology into our video products.

What can you tell us about the body?

MG: What's really nice is that these units incorporate the high feature set of the XL H1 into a very compact form. So these are ideal for someone who wants something a bit more portable and lighter in weight. The lens is obviously built into the body.

To reduce the body size and camcorder size a little bit, we moved the battery inside the camera. So there's now an internal battery compartment.

We've actually incorporated virtually all of the image controls that are available on the XL H1; we've even increased that in some cases. So in terms of customization, there's a total of 23 image settings, including color gain, RGB independent gain, 6-axis matrix. Now there's even a wider degree of parameter adjustment between each of the settings, which is very impressive. And there's even the ability to customize the menu display because we recognize that not every shooter works the same way and that not every application is the same.

There are 21 different items that you can either hide or display, which is great. In addition to that, you also have 20 different custom functions of the camera that you're able to adjust. So really this camera can be made to be whatever you need it to be.

And then there's the Shockless Gain or Shockless White Balance feature. Normally, if you were to white balance automatically from indoors to outdoors, there's always this dramatic color shift that takes place because the camera needs time to readjust itself to the new environment. That causes a sudden change in the image. If you're rolling tape, a lot of times that break of color makes that portion unusable. So there's a function in the menu that you can actually enable that will make that shift in white balance what we call shockless. It means there's a nice soft subtle transition between color temperature environments from indoors to outdoors. This way, you're able then to use that footage. It's almost like there's this soft dissolve between scenes.

What are some other features?

MG: Well, you can set the digital ring to either high speed or standard. You can set this up to simultaneous capture stills while you record video. The focus ring can either be set to normal or set to slow. You can change the subject distance that's in the viewfinder from meters to feet. There's a whole bunch of things you can do. And what this means is, incredible control for the user.

Also, on the XL H1, you don't have an independent color LCD, you have a color viewfinder and you can actually flip that up. So now we put in an independent wide screen LCD that's 2.8 inches that can swing out easily whenever you want to use it.

We also have three toggle switches, which typically these kinds of switches you find on a high-end video product, for gain, color bars and white balance. You don't even have those toggle switches on the XL H1. There, you can control all these things through various dials and menu options, but you don't actually have these switches. But because they're used on a frequent basis, we thought they were worthy of having separate on/off switches.

We even increased the gain to now +36 dB recognizing the fact that law enforcement and the broadcast community will probably be heavily behind these products and if they're going to be shooting in low-light conditions, having that extra gain boost is an enormous benefit between getting a shot and not getting a shot. Admittedly, at +36 dB, the image is going to look kind of grainy, but certainly there are applications where that's going to be a benefit, just having that sensitivity.

Both cameras have two built-in XLR terminals that can either be set for mic level or line level.

What market segment is each camera targeting?

MG: The A1 is going to be a lot broader in terms of who the target user is. It really could be anyone from a wedding and event person to someone doing corporate video production or newsgathering in the field. It can even appeal to the advanced hobbyist.

Now the G1 model is a little bit more specific. It's in a price point of almost $7,000, so we're getting into more serious money. The only difference between them is that Professional Jackpack, which would be for someone that cares about having raw uncompressed HD output—someone who's plugging into a news van, studio environment, maybe doing independent filmmaking but at a higher level, were they need even higher image quality. Unless you really require Genlock, camera switching and multiple cameras in a shoot, you're probably not going to be interested in the G1.

I think with the XL H1 we're targeting news organizations pretty heavily. The broadcast market is where we're putting a lot of emphasis. That's not to say that the other environments are not viable markets. Production facilities and cinematographers are definitely there. But the XL H1 may even be out of the realm of what those particular individuals are budgeted for and maybe in terms of what they need. Maybe they don't need to switch lenses and for someone that doesn't need that functionality, but wants that full range of control and wants to keep the image quality at a very high level, these two models are going to fit right in.

Canon also just announced a new version of its Console software?

MG: Yes, it's version 1.1. For $599, you can download the software right from Canon's Web site. The purpose of the software is to give someone that camera control unit experience by just using a Windows-based laptop with a FireWire cable connected to their camera. So that software is really going to be used for monitoring the signal, there's a vectorscope and waveform monitor and there are windows that allow you to preview the video right on your computer. You can control virtually all camera functions right through the software. Everything from image controls and zoom control, to the white balance and all the settings we mentioned. Console also lets you record directly onto your computer's hard drive. That's pretty significant to be able to control, monitor and record with that one software. I know there are software applications out there like DV Rack that allow you the ability to monitor and also record, but this really puts all the camera control right at the user's finger tips.

What do you most want our readers to know about these new cameras?

MG: That Canon now has a solution in three-CCD HD for those that are maybe more budget minded and yet don't want to sacrifice quality. We're bringing more affordable HD acquisition to the professional.

Availability
The XH A1 will be available in late October for an estimated selling price of $3,999; while the XH G1 (with Professional Jackpack) will be available in mid-November for an estimated selling price of $6,999.

To read the press release on these camcorders plus the new HD 6X Zoom XL 3.4-20.4mm L Lens for the XL H1 click here.