Canon XL H1
January 11, 2006 in cinematography by Josh
- Uncompressed 1080/60i 4:2:2 HD-SDI output at 1.485 Gbps
- Multi-format external HD recording to HDCAM, DVCPRO HD, etc.
- Genlock input and TimeCode input /output
- 20x HD L/SR OIS lens (5.4mm-108mm, f/1.6-f/3.5, 72mm fil.)
- 3 x 1.67mp CCDs (native 16:9 shape), 1440 x 1080 effective
- Digic DV II processor supporting 30fps & 24fps (25 fps in Europe)
- This camera has been updated and replaced with this model.
Related posts:
Canon XL H1 HD Camcorder wins Six Awards:
http://www.letsgodigital.org/en/news/articles/story_7950.html
Editing presets for Canon Progressive-scan HDV cameras
This update provides presets that enable Adobe Premiere Pro 2.0 to edit progressive-scan HDV video recorded with the Canon XL-H1 camera. Supported frame modes: 24F, 25F, and 30F.
http://www.adobe.com/support/downloads/detail.jsp?ftpID=3408
DVGuru review:
http://dvguru.com/2006/04/04/canon-xl-h1-review/
XL H1 skinny:
http://dvinfo.net/canonxlh1/xlh1skinny.php
Review from Scott Billups:
http://dvinfo.net/canonxlh1/articles/article13.php
“I recently did a film-out test of images captured using Canon’s XL H1 HDV camcorder,” Billups revealed, “and what it can do is absolutely mind-boggling.”
“There was a room full of people, some heavily vested in other, far more expensive camera systems, and they were shocked; they couldn’t believe it,” Billups confided of the XL H1 test. “The test was screened for a packed house that included people from major motion picture industry standards groups. It was just amazing.” Billups said that the XL H1’s “real genlock-out feature and HD-SDI also blew everybody away.” He added that he has a “substantial” motion-picture cinematography assignment coming up for which he is seriously considering using the XL H1 “for pickups, second cameras, and location stuff. Until you really shoot with the XL H1, play with it, and print it to film, you really can’t tell until it’s up on the screen. The XL H1 is ready to go,” he affirmed.
Billups had special praise for the 24F feature of the XL H1 as well. “Canon’s 24F system produces an output that looks and feels like 24- frame movie film,” he says. “While the technology is a closely guarded Canon secret, the proof is in the image. When digitally projected or printed to film, the image from the XLH1 compares more closely to those of ultra-high-end HD cameras than it does to the growing assortment of consumer HDV camcorders.
“The pixel block on the XL H1 is state of the art,” Billups added. “The cups (microscopic portions of the XL H1’s three 1440 by 1080 CCD imaging chips that takes the incoming light and turns it into electrical signals) are more tightly packed than those on more expensive digital cinematography cameras.
Reiterating his earlier comments, Billups feels that the XL H1’s digital compression capabilities are what truly makes it ready for serious moviemaking. “The XL H1 also has a very far-advanced chip set,” he observed. “The future of all HD recording is based on good, new compression algorithms. The best production package for the next generation of digital movies will be based on the best compression. Compression is basically the management of data. The cleaner the signal, the better it compresses, the nicer the images it makes. That’s what the Canon XL H1 does; it’s a new-world camera.”
ere’s a side-by-side comparison of four low-cost HD camcorders: the Canon XL H1, JVC GY-HD100U, Panasonic AG-HVX200, and the Sony HVR-Z1U from DV magazine:
“Of the 1/3″ cameras, the 1440-pixel, 1080i Canon XL H1 was the clear winner in horizontal resolution, and it was second only to the 1920-pixel CineAlta…”
http://www.adamwilt.com/HD/4cams-part1.html
Silly question. Will the “Professional JackPack” help at all if your first camera doesn’t have one? Or will it only help if your second camera has the same deal? Anything you can do in post to lock it up?