Canon XA35 and XA30 Camcorders Unveiled

Canon has announced its next evolution of the XA camcorder line – the XA35 and XA30 camcorders, which replace the XA25 and XA20 models.

The Canon XA35 and XA30 remain HD camcorders and are differentiated by a HD/SD-SDI output on the XA35. The cameras borrow from the Cinema EOS System with a new Wide DR mode for greatly-expanded dynamic range. They also offer dual band WiFi support at 5GHz and 2.4GHz with FTP file transfer possible.

As with their predecessors, a detachable carry handle offers dual XLR inputs with phantom power and manual audio controls.

Infrared capture has also been improved. According to Canon, “the brightness performance of these camcorders when shooting infrared has been improved approximately 1.4 times higher than the previous models. Infrared shooting uses an infrared diffused LED light to enhance brightness to the very edges of the image while shooting in low-light situations. The sensitivity of the new sensor also enhances this feature.”

Additional new features include “slow (maximum 0.4x) and fast (maximum 1200x) recording options, further enhancing a videographer’s ability to shoot creatively. Professionals can access these modes through the easy-to-operate user interface displayed on a vivid 3.5-inch, 1.23 million-dot OLED touch-panel display and 10,000:1 contrast ratio Electronic Viewfinder with controllable iris. The display features a view assist function which provides users the ability, while in highlight priority (gamma) mode, to adjust brightness and gamma setting of both the display and EVF to help display subjects in the most realistic way possible. To help facilitate better focus ability and clearer, more pristine images, these models feature High Definition Peaking for Focus Assist. In addition, both models allow for full manual control and assignable buttons for custom shooting and also have advanced display features that allow for adjustment of zebra, color bars and test tone.”