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 The XA10 Professional Camcorder allows users to record up to 24 hours of clear high definition video to a 64GB internal flash drive or to two SDXC-compatible memory slots. With Relay Recording, the camcorder automatically switches video recording from the internal drive to the SD memory cards when the memory becomes full. Video can be copied from the XA10’s internal drive to removable SD memory cards. That makes it easy to insert the card into your computer or HDTV’s card reader and view your recorded footage immediately.
 Double Slot Recording allows recording to two SD cards simultaneously, providing an automatic backup while shooting. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
  In addition to professional grade camcorders, AVCHD is very popular in the consumer market and as a result most non-linear editing software, both professional and consumer, have full support for the codec; this makes for easy compatibility with the XA10 no matter what system the user chooses. AVCHD is used for encoding Blu-ray discs, meaning the XA10 is ideal for capturing content for delivery in this format, as well as making conversion to web-based content in H.264 format easy. Additionally, the XA10 records up to 24Mbps, the maximum bit rate of AVCHD, at 1920 x 1080 and 4:2:0 color space for sharp, vivid, and fully professional quality image capture. |
  SuperRange Optical Image Stabilizer The XA10 also incorporates a SuperRange Optical Image Stabilization system (lens shift) with four modes: Standard, Powered, Dynamic and Off. Standard: Lens shift is controlled so that the maximum compensation angle is constant from wide angle through telephoto. Powered: Vibration is suppressed at the telephoto end of the range, where shake is most apparent due to high magnification. Dynamic: Stabilization changes throughout the zoom range to minimize more pronounced shaking. This is especially useful at wide-angle focal lengths when walking. Enhanced Auto Focus When shooting high definition video, sharp focus becomes more critical than ever. Canon's proprietary Instant AF system combines an external AF sensor with Canon's legendary auto focus system for fast and accurate focus. Together, the two sensors reduce focusing time - even in low-light, low contrast, or high brightness situations - and improve focusing performance on difficult subjects. The XA10 gives you a choice of five AF modes for different shooting applications:
Medium AF changes focus at a speed which is softer and smoother than Instant AF, but faster than would likely be possible manually. Normal AF changes focus at a speed that appears natural and doesn't distract the viewer. Face AF tracks focus on faces when present. The user selects the face to be tracked. Face AF has the ability to track even if the subject‘s face is in profile. If the chosen tracked face is not present in a shot, the subject in the center of the screen will automatically be brought into focus. Face Only AF automatically tracks the chosen tracked face in focus but, should that face leave the scene, will reset focus to manual mode. Minimum Object Distance When shooting with the XA10, the minimum focus distance is 20mm (0.78 incles) at the wide macro end and maintains 60cm (1.97 feet) throughout the entire zoom range. This allows excellent versatility in a wide range of shooting situations.  8-Blade IrisIn contrast to a typical 6-blade iris, the XA10’s 8-blade iris captures extraordinarily smooth out-of-focus ‘bokeh' for a more attractive image effect. The additional blades also reduce diffraction of light passing through the iris, allowing for the use of smaller apertures while maintaining image quality. |
| Designed and manufactured exclusively by Canon, the XA10 Professional Camcorder incorporates a native 1/3-inch, 1920 x 1080 CMOS Image Sensor, delivering superb Full HD video recording with minimal noise. The high sensitivity and wide dynamic range of this sensor are what demanding users expect from Canon. |
 The XA10 Professional Camcorder features Canon's powerful DIGIC DV III Image Processor, which provides enhanced shading, lifelike tonal gradations, and lower power consumption. DIGIC DV III is also the high-speed engine which powers a variety of Canon technologies; Genuine Canon Face Detection, Touch & Track, and Cinema-Look Filters. On-the-go videographers will appreciate the ability to track one subject in a crowd of people.Smart Auto  Smart Auto uses the power of Canon’s DIGIC DV III Image Processor to intelligently detect and analyze faces, brightness, color, distance, and movement, and then automatically selects the best settings for the scene.Among the 38 scenes available in Smart Auto, a standout is Tele Macro. Tele Macro automatically zooms the lens of the camcorder to the telephoto end, setting the minimum object distance to approximately 1.3 feet (from 3.3 feet). This gives you the opportunity to shoot spectacular close-ups with the dramatic look of a shallow depth of field. |
  A 3.5-inch, 922,000 dot LCD monitor provides an ample, accurate area for critical focus confirmation and approximately 100% field of view. The display opens on the left side of the camera body. Touch & Track Touch and Track delivers precise tracking of the focus and exposure on any subject - people, animals, vehicles and more. Simply select the point of interest on the Touch Panel LCD and you will have the subject in sharp focus, regardless of where in the frame it moves during the shot. The exposure will be perfectly adjusted for subject and conditions. Touch & Track is the default setting. Focus or exposure may be adjusted independently by turning off Touch & Track, and turning on Touch Focus or Touch Exposure. Touch Focus Touch Focus allows the user to pinpoint a specific area to focus on. This function is similar to the Push AF feature found on other professional camcorders, but can target a subject anywhere in the frame. Touch Exposure Touch Exposure enables exposure to be locked or compensated for the area touched by the user. EVF The XA10 Professional Camcorder features a 0.24-inch, 260,000 Dot Color EVF and approximately 100% field of view coverage for comfortable viewing and accurate judgment of composition. Brightness, contrast, color and backlight are adjustable. Focus Assist Functions Edge Monitor Focus Assist System With Canon's Edge Monitor Focus Assist system, a green monitor is shown at the bottom of the LCD Display. The green waveform shows overall focus of the image, and the height raises to indicate the area in focus. Through this dynamic focus feedback, you can intuitively tune focus in a scene and quickly change the zone of focus. Peaking/Magnify Two peaking modes and a 2X magnify focus assist function are available in standby and record mode (LCD monitor and EVF), making it extremely easy for the XA10 operator to check and confirm critical focus. |
 A detachable handle provides the pro shooter with expanded audio performance and added flexibility. Removing the handle allows the camcorder to be made more compact for convenient storage when travelling. Included on the handle are the following terminals, controls and monitors:
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| The XA10 camcorder features an Infrared Mode allowing the capture of video in conditions with little to no ambient light, a situation which would make other camcorders useless. It does so by removing the infrared cutoff filter from the optical path. Its specially designed lens coating allows the infrared light to pass through to the image sensor. Additionally, the XA10's detachable handle features an infrared emitter with a diffuser to shoot pleasing infrared imagery even in complete darkness. For nature videographers or law enforcement users, the benefits of a compact, high performance camcorder for shooting in such conditions is obvious. Without the need to add lights, the shooter may remain hidden from their subjects. Also, the XA10 gives the option of recording in green or white light mode. |
| The XA10 Professional Camcorder offers a wide array of functions to provide the professional shooter with an exceptional level of control. Custom Key and Dial A Custom Key and Dial feature allows you to assign functions to an easily accessible key and adjust the settings with a control dial. They include:
To further enhance focusing capability, the XA10 also features Focus Assist. It includes enlargement, which helps in capturing your subject in razor-sharp focus. It works by providing a 2x magnification of your subject, which is automatically cancelled when you start recording. Also included is color peaking, which shows the shooting object’s focused areas in actual colors. With Canon's Edge Monitor Focus Assist system, a green monitor is shown at the bottom of the LCD Display. The green waveform shows overall focus of the image, and the height raises to indicate the area in focus. Through this dynamic focus feedback, you can intuitively tune focus in a scene and quickly change the zone of focus. Typically only found on expensive external units, the XA10 has a waveform monitor built right into the camera. The waveform monitor shows a detailed view of overall image brightness. Enhanced zebra pattern (70% or 100%) indicates ‘blown out’ or high brightness areas to help you set the proper exposure. Composition Aids With the Level Marker feature, it's easy to keep the camcorder level for more accurate framing. The Grid Marker provides a reference grid in your viewfinder. Depending on the background color of your shot, you can choose between two different colors for better viewing contrast. Advanced Control The XA10 features full manual exposure, as well as aperture priority (Av), and shutter priority (Tv) modes. Either color bars or color bars and test tone can be selected and recorded using a menu. The color bars comply with the SMPTE standard. -12 dB, -18 dB or -20 dB can be selected as the test tone. The white balance control has 6 available presets settable through a variety of day and artificial light conditions (Daylight, Shade, Cloudy, Tungsten, Fluorescent H, and Fluorescent), as well as two manual white balance settings. Color temperature may also be manually set from 2,000K to 15,000K in 100K increments for more precise adjustment. Gain may be manually set from 0 dB to 24 dB in 1 dB increments. Additionally, Auto Gain Control Limit allows you to set the maximum gain limit for the image sensor's sensitivity. With this function, brightness and noise can be balanced as required, and image quality can be maximized in low light situations. Power zoom is available in Constant and Variable settings in 3 modes: Fast (approx. 1.9 - 60 seconds), Normal (approx. 3.0 - 180 seconds) and Slow (approx. 4.0 - 285 seconds). To provide added control, there are 16 predefined steps in Constant mode. |
| The XA10 records in Full HD 1920 x 1080 in a variety of frame rates. The XA10 is also capable of recording in several different bit rate modes (24Mbps, 17Mbps, 12Mbps, 7Mbps, 5Mbps) allowing the user to balance quality versus recording time for specific applications. In addition to the standard interlaced frame rate of 60i, the XA10 can also capture video in: PF30 Frame Rate PF30 is the ideal frame rate for video viewed on the Internet. It is also an excellent choice for frame grab during playback. Video is recorded in 60i. PF24 Frame Rate PF24 changes the camcorder’s frame capture rate to 24p, which provides a ‘film look’. Video is recorded in 60i.  Native 24p Frame RateA must for serious filmmaking work, Native 24p matches the frame rate of a traditional film camera giving the same cadence and temporal motion. |
 When Cinema Shooting Mode is selected on the XA10, it is possible to use one of nine different cinematic filters to customize the look and feel of the image. This provides users with almost limitless creative control.
The brightness of each filter can be adjusted low, medium or high, for even greater control. When Cinema Standard is selected, color depth, softening and contrast can also be adjusted. |
 HD-to-SD Downconversion allows you to convert recorded high definition video to standard definition files while safely preserving the original HD video. These standard definition files make it even more convenient to share video online. The video can be transferred to your computer via traditional methods – i.e. USB connection, card slot – or wirelessly to sharing sites with an Eye-Fi SD memory card. Canon camcorders are not guaranteed to support Eye-Fi card functions, including wireless transfer. In case of an issue with the Eye-Fi card, please consult with the card manufacturer. The use of Eye-Fi cards may not be approved in all regions, or from one region to another; please contact the card manufacturer for status of approval in the country/region of use.Canon makes no representations or warranties with respect to any third party accessory or product mentioned herein.  |
 The XA10 Professional Camcorder offers a built-in stereo microphone to capture high-quality audio. It offers a significant reduction in noise at medium and low frequencies.  The microphone's direction can be adjusted four different ways to match your needs and taste. Choose from: Monaural: Single point direction Normal (Stereo) Wide: Provides a more enhanced, separated stereo effect than normal Synced with Zoom: Directionality is adjusted to match the zoom position In addition, the frequency response characteristics of the microphone can be adjusted between low, mid-range and high frequencies. Normal: Provides a balance throughout all frequencies The Automatic Attenuator feature prevents high volume distortion and optimizes audio quality in situations when sound levels quickly change. It automatically keeps the audio clean and even.Low-range emphasis: Excellent for recording live music with impact Attenuate low frequencies: Reduces ambient noise and the sound of traffic outdoors, such as wind, cars, and so on Mid-range emphasis: Ideal for capturing people's voices Low and high range emphasis: Record live music with balanced lows and highs  Additionally, two XLR audio inputs with phantom power can be found on the detachable handle. Both the built-in Microphone terminal and XLR terminals have the option for automatic or manual audio level control. Canon’s new optional WM-V1 Wireless Microphone* allows * This device has not been authorized as required by the rules of the Federal Communications Commission. This device is not, and may not be, offered for sale or lease, or sold or leased, until authorization is obtained. |
 Not only does the XA10 Professional Camcorder provide the professional user with complete control over the image, it also provides complete creative freedom when it comes to inputs and outputs including:
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| Story Creator  Story Creator is a unique function that allows the camcorder to guide users in the creation of different video clips to assemble into a finished story during post-production. With this feature enabled, the user can choose from five different scenarios – Travel, Kids & Pets, Party, Ceremony, and Blog. The XA10 suggests specific shots to tell the story and helps keep them organized.Optional Canon WD-H58W Wide Converter Optically matched for the XA10’s HD lens, the WD-H58W Wide Converter provides a magnification factor of 0.8x increasing wide angle capability to approximately 24mm (35mm equivalent). Intelligent Battery System  The XA10 Professional Camcorder is compatible with Canon’s Intelligent Lithium-ion batteries. These batteries communicate remaining running time (down to the minute) so the user is well-informed at all times.Support for 27 languages Supported are Czech, Danish, German, Greek, English, Spanish, French, Italian, Hungarian, Malay, Dutch, Norwegian, Polish, Portuguese, Romanian, Finnish, Swedish, Turkish, Russian, Ukrainian, Arabic, Farsi, Thai, simplified Chinese, traditional Chinese, Korean, and Japanese. 1 Year Parts and Labor Limited Warranty |
Product Description
The XA10 Professional Camcorder allows users to record up to 24 hours of clear high definition video to a 64GB internal flash drive or to two SDXC-compatible memory slots. With Relay Recording, the camcorder automatically switches video recording from the internal drive to the SD memory cards when the memory becomes full.
Customer Reviews
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
234 of 237 people found the following review helpful
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OVERVIEW
There's no doubt that this is a great, well built camera. It is pretty much a five star item with only a few areas of improvement needed. The main question you should ask yourself is if this is the right piece of gear for you. Not only in terms of choosing between camcorders, but also whether you should get a DSLR over a Camcorder. This is something I will address under a separate paragraph below.
IS THIS A PRO CAMERA?
The first thing I would like to shed some light on is the "professional" aspect of the camera. As someone commented earlier, as long as you are making a living with something, you are a pro. Now would this camera be the filming tool of a professional? The answer is yes and no. Yes if you are starting your business, you are on a budget, you are filming mostly events, and you don't mind the few extra steps this camera demands for achieving high end results. If you are filming everyday and you have a real production budget, then you should look into something more robust and flexible.
While it can be used by pros, the camera squarely does not meet broadcast standards, which includes 4:2:2 color spacing, 50 mps codec, and interchangeable lenses (among other things).
That been said, this camera is absolutely not for beginners. It DOES possess all the functions and features of a professional camera, esp. for sound. So if you just want to film your kids at Christmas, your holiday at a resort, Disneyworld or some other stuff like that, this camera is not for you because you would waste your money for advanced capabilities you will never use. And you will find it way too complicated too for what you want to film. There are now plenty of affordable and rather excellent cameras out there for the consumer who wants to shoot in HD. The Vixia line or your mid-range DSLRs will do the job great. If you want a camera that meets broadcast standards and remains small and cheap, the XF100 is the way to go.
WHO IS THIS CAMERA FOR?
I think that this camera is a perfect tool for a few specific groups of people:
1) Serious and professional cinematographers who need to haul gear on their back to film an adventure movie in a remote jungle or a mountain area, or any kind of hardcore expedition demanding extreme portability;
2) Serious and professional cinematographers who are making a travel documentary with a lot of interviews and are traveling for multiple months, backpacking or on a bike or something, and want to have something portable and discreet;
3) Professional video makers starting their business and running on a budget;
4) Serious and intermediate to advanced video makers who shoot various short movies during their free time as a hobby. The learning curve for proper image and sound at the highest level is pretty steep. Once you have mastered all the functions and controls on the camera, you will definitely be able to produce images that will blow everybody away. The sound quality is as good as the microphones you will connect, and there's no limit there.
WHY I GOT THE XA10
I got the XA10 to film a documentary on carpentry in Pakistan. I have a full time job so I can only shoot during the week-end. I am still learning how to make proper videos so I could not justify spending too much on upgrading my gear to broadcast levels which would be at least $10,000-$15,000. When you do a documentary, sound is just as important as images, so XLR inputs were really critical for me. Because I travel a lot and also do mountaineering videos, the 2.2 pound ultra compact camera was also a key factor. The fact that you can even remove the handle makes it ideal.
ALTERNATIVES
The XF100, the XA10's big brother, is the obvious upgrade. If you want to shoot in HD near pro/broadcast level ("close" would mean different things to different people) but you are not too worried about sound yet, I suggest you look into the Sony NEX-VG line: they have large sensors and interchangeable lenses. Sony recently unveiled the NEX-VG900 which will have a full frame sensor. It will cost more, of course, but the full frame sensor is an exciting feature. They don't have XLR inputs but you can equip them later with add-on parts and modules. Also, DSLRs offer amazing image capabilities, but are limited on sound, although upcoming new models should address that, like the Sony a99, Canon 5D, 6D and the Nikon 600/800.
THE IMAGE
The image quality is very good. It is almost like when you walk into the TV section of a Best Buy store and you look at those crazy good images from a Blu-Ray disc and you go WOW. It is that clear. Keep in mind that the sensor in the camera is the same that you find in the broadcast level XF100. The colors are bright and vivid. The contrasts are sharp. The details of every shot are clean. The lens on the camera is pretty good, so what you film comes out clean.
I used the camera in a number of situations and what strikes me is how incredibly crisp and sharp the images are, along with contrasts and colors. It is very sports like, very vivid and bright. If you saw BBC's Planet Earth documentary, I would say the image is similar in clarity (but of course does not have its depth and color!) It is so sharp that in some cases it has the look of the image in the movie "3 Kings" with George Clooney. That is not a flaw in any way: this is just the style of the camera and it might please some but annoy others. For example, folks who love the smooth, flat-ish, velvety, and brushed up look of the 5D Mark II might find the image overwhelming. I like it and there's ways in post to edit the image to your liking. You could also manually adjust the camera to get more toned-down images.
I use Adobe Premiere Pro CS5 for editing the camera's footage and the program' s analysis reveal that there usually is minor accuracy issues with the luma (or Y/C) curves: it seems that there could be deeper blacks and more uniformity for the whites (they don't top nicely along the 100 mark). The inaccuracy is very subtle and can be easily adjusted in post. With regards to the RGB curves, I found that the spreads are nicely and accurately laid out. The skin tone line is also neatly where it should be, especially if you manually adjusted the white balance correctly when filming. So overall the image is good and accurate.
THE CODEC
The XA10 records the footage in the AVCHD codec, which has both advantages and shortfalls. AVCHD codec is a compressed version of your images (like JPEG compresses photos) which will result in some quality loss - not much, but still there is some quality loss, the most visible aspect being some distortion at the far sides of the image when the footage was taken when the camera was oscillating both vertically and horizontally when the subject had a lot of movements or details. The solution is simply to film on tripod or with any form of stabilization. AVCHD is also one of the most efficient compression codec out there (at the moment) so while some quality loss is going to occur, as with any compression, it is less bad than others. If you want to record non-compressed or RAW footage, you'd have to look into a whole different and muc more expensive setup than this. AVCDH is also known as MPEG-4 or H.264, making it the most commonly used codec on web-based video communities and editing software, so you will not have to buy super high-end editing programmes.
THE RATTLE (NON) ISSUE
The handle DOES rattle if you shake the camera but the mics you will plug into the XLR jacks will not pick up the sound (esp. if unidirectional) and in over 70 hours of filming I have not noticed the sound. The only way to hear the rattle would be by using only the camera's built-in mic, keep the XLR handle on, and literally jump or run around with the camera, which is a shooting setup that makes no sense and would result in unusable footage anyway. Also, why would you use the built-in mic if you have XLR inputs? If you do want to do that, you can remove the handle, and the problem is solved. So the rattle thing is really not an issue and I think that people who complain about it have yet to understand how to use the camera.
DEPTH OF FIELD
Crazy shallow depth of field (DOF) is extremely popular at the moment (There's f/0.95 lense coming out at photokina!) but achieving shallow DOF with the XA10 is difficult. The aperture can be set at a maximum of 1.8, which is plenty for shallow DOF, but because the zoom control is electronic, it can be a bit difficult to control the DOF when moving the camera in a hand held situation. Also, the out of focus areas / background is not blurred with the same smoothness that you could get with a 1.8 lens on a DSLR with a larger sensor. But with some fiddling of the camera settings and practice, you should figure it out, but it will remain difficult to achieve.
FEATURES THAT MATTER 1: IMAGE
There are many advanced features that will allow you to get really good images: Zebra lines for zoom / exposure levels, automatic exposure gain control, manual exposure, manual shutter speed, manual aperture, manual white balance, peaking, auto gain control, backlight correction and a y/c vector scope (luma curves). I found that the image transmitted to the LCD is a correct representation of what is filmed and reliable enough to use for adjusting your filming setup.
Believe it or not, the infrared function is great. At first I ignored it as a gadget for attracting consumers but I tried it a few times out of curiosity and it produces very interesting footage and the quality is not bad at all. Try filming someone smoking a cigarette in the dark: you can see everything clearly and the cigarette will light up in a beautiful flare. Read more ›
There's no doubt that this is a great, well built camera. It is pretty much a five star item with only a few areas of improvement needed. The main question you should ask yourself is if this is the right piece of gear for you. Not only in terms of choosing between camcorders, but also whether you should get a DSLR over a Camcorder. This is something I will address under a separate paragraph below.
IS THIS A PRO CAMERA?
The first thing I would like to shed some light on is the "professional" aspect of the camera. As someone commented earlier, as long as you are making a living with something, you are a pro. Now would this camera be the filming tool of a professional? The answer is yes and no. Yes if you are starting your business, you are on a budget, you are filming mostly events, and you don't mind the few extra steps this camera demands for achieving high end results. If you are filming everyday and you have a real production budget, then you should look into something more robust and flexible.
While it can be used by pros, the camera squarely does not meet broadcast standards, which includes 4:2:2 color spacing, 50 mps codec, and interchangeable lenses (among other things).
That been said, this camera is absolutely not for beginners. It DOES possess all the functions and features of a professional camera, esp. for sound. So if you just want to film your kids at Christmas, your holiday at a resort, Disneyworld or some other stuff like that, this camera is not for you because you would waste your money for advanced capabilities you will never use. And you will find it way too complicated too for what you want to film. There are now plenty of affordable and rather excellent cameras out there for the consumer who wants to shoot in HD. The Vixia line or your mid-range DSLRs will do the job great. If you want a camera that meets broadcast standards and remains small and cheap, the XF100 is the way to go.
WHO IS THIS CAMERA FOR?
I think that this camera is a perfect tool for a few specific groups of people:
1) Serious and professional cinematographers who need to haul gear on their back to film an adventure movie in a remote jungle or a mountain area, or any kind of hardcore expedition demanding extreme portability;
2) Serious and professional cinematographers who are making a travel documentary with a lot of interviews and are traveling for multiple months, backpacking or on a bike or something, and want to have something portable and discreet;
3) Professional video makers starting their business and running on a budget;
4) Serious and intermediate to advanced video makers who shoot various short movies during their free time as a hobby. The learning curve for proper image and sound at the highest level is pretty steep. Once you have mastered all the functions and controls on the camera, you will definitely be able to produce images that will blow everybody away. The sound quality is as good as the microphones you will connect, and there's no limit there.
WHY I GOT THE XA10
I got the XA10 to film a documentary on carpentry in Pakistan. I have a full time job so I can only shoot during the week-end. I am still learning how to make proper videos so I could not justify spending too much on upgrading my gear to broadcast levels which would be at least $10,000-$15,000. When you do a documentary, sound is just as important as images, so XLR inputs were really critical for me. Because I travel a lot and also do mountaineering videos, the 2.2 pound ultra compact camera was also a key factor. The fact that you can even remove the handle makes it ideal.
ALTERNATIVES
The XF100, the XA10's big brother, is the obvious upgrade. If you want to shoot in HD near pro/broadcast level ("close" would mean different things to different people) but you are not too worried about sound yet, I suggest you look into the Sony NEX-VG line: they have large sensors and interchangeable lenses. Sony recently unveiled the NEX-VG900 which will have a full frame sensor. It will cost more, of course, but the full frame sensor is an exciting feature. They don't have XLR inputs but you can equip them later with add-on parts and modules. Also, DSLRs offer amazing image capabilities, but are limited on sound, although upcoming new models should address that, like the Sony a99, Canon 5D, 6D and the Nikon 600/800.
THE IMAGE
The image quality is very good. It is almost like when you walk into the TV section of a Best Buy store and you look at those crazy good images from a Blu-Ray disc and you go WOW. It is that clear. Keep in mind that the sensor in the camera is the same that you find in the broadcast level XF100. The colors are bright and vivid. The contrasts are sharp. The details of every shot are clean. The lens on the camera is pretty good, so what you film comes out clean.
I used the camera in a number of situations and what strikes me is how incredibly crisp and sharp the images are, along with contrasts and colors. It is very sports like, very vivid and bright. If you saw BBC's Planet Earth documentary, I would say the image is similar in clarity (but of course does not have its depth and color!) It is so sharp that in some cases it has the look of the image in the movie "3 Kings" with George Clooney. That is not a flaw in any way: this is just the style of the camera and it might please some but annoy others. For example, folks who love the smooth, flat-ish, velvety, and brushed up look of the 5D Mark II might find the image overwhelming. I like it and there's ways in post to edit the image to your liking. You could also manually adjust the camera to get more toned-down images.
I use Adobe Premiere Pro CS5 for editing the camera's footage and the program' s analysis reveal that there usually is minor accuracy issues with the luma (or Y/C) curves: it seems that there could be deeper blacks and more uniformity for the whites (they don't top nicely along the 100 mark). The inaccuracy is very subtle and can be easily adjusted in post. With regards to the RGB curves, I found that the spreads are nicely and accurately laid out. The skin tone line is also neatly where it should be, especially if you manually adjusted the white balance correctly when filming. So overall the image is good and accurate.
THE CODEC
The XA10 records the footage in the AVCHD codec, which has both advantages and shortfalls. AVCHD codec is a compressed version of your images (like JPEG compresses photos) which will result in some quality loss - not much, but still there is some quality loss, the most visible aspect being some distortion at the far sides of the image when the footage was taken when the camera was oscillating both vertically and horizontally when the subject had a lot of movements or details. The solution is simply to film on tripod or with any form of stabilization. AVCHD is also one of the most efficient compression codec out there (at the moment) so while some quality loss is going to occur, as with any compression, it is less bad than others. If you want to record non-compressed or RAW footage, you'd have to look into a whole different and muc more expensive setup than this. AVCDH is also known as MPEG-4 or H.264, making it the most commonly used codec on web-based video communities and editing software, so you will not have to buy super high-end editing programmes.
THE RATTLE (NON) ISSUE
The handle DOES rattle if you shake the camera but the mics you will plug into the XLR jacks will not pick up the sound (esp. if unidirectional) and in over 70 hours of filming I have not noticed the sound. The only way to hear the rattle would be by using only the camera's built-in mic, keep the XLR handle on, and literally jump or run around with the camera, which is a shooting setup that makes no sense and would result in unusable footage anyway. Also, why would you use the built-in mic if you have XLR inputs? If you do want to do that, you can remove the handle, and the problem is solved. So the rattle thing is really not an issue and I think that people who complain about it have yet to understand how to use the camera.
DEPTH OF FIELD
Crazy shallow depth of field (DOF) is extremely popular at the moment (There's f/0.95 lense coming out at photokina!) but achieving shallow DOF with the XA10 is difficult. The aperture can be set at a maximum of 1.8, which is plenty for shallow DOF, but because the zoom control is electronic, it can be a bit difficult to control the DOF when moving the camera in a hand held situation. Also, the out of focus areas / background is not blurred with the same smoothness that you could get with a 1.8 lens on a DSLR with a larger sensor. But with some fiddling of the camera settings and practice, you should figure it out, but it will remain difficult to achieve.
FEATURES THAT MATTER 1: IMAGE
There are many advanced features that will allow you to get really good images: Zebra lines for zoom / exposure levels, automatic exposure gain control, manual exposure, manual shutter speed, manual aperture, manual white balance, peaking, auto gain control, backlight correction and a y/c vector scope (luma curves). I found that the image transmitted to the LCD is a correct representation of what is filmed and reliable enough to use for adjusting your filming setup.
Believe it or not, the infrared function is great. At first I ignored it as a gadget for attracting consumers but I tried it a few times out of curiosity and it produces very interesting footage and the quality is not bad at all. Try filming someone smoking a cigarette in the dark: you can see everything clearly and the cigarette will light up in a beautiful flare. Read more ›
66 of 66 people found the following review helpful
Even coming from the prosumer Canon HV30 camcorder, the professional XA10 is a huge improvement. The camera is easy to hold, the buttons are all in good locations, and the camera just feels easy to use. Compared to some other HD camcorders I used in film school, the XA10 feels much easier to control.
The difference is even more dramatic comparing it to my old HV30 rig. It's much nicer to not have the added awkwardness of a battery-powered XLR adapter. Honestly, the XA10 must look much more professional to clients as well.
Image quality is simply stunning. There is a slight look of shallow depth of field that is very pleasing to the eye. It's subtle, but noticeable. I've heard it has something to do with the 8-blade iris, but I won't pretend to know what that really means. All I know is the video quality is the best I've personally ever held in my hands.
The XA10 also gives much greater control over the image than the more consumer-focused HV20 and HV30. Now that I've used the XA10's manual focus ring, I really don't know how I made movies without it. The assignable control where you can adjust the exposure, shutter, aperture, and so on is also a great feature for an HD camcorder this inexpensive.
I haven't experienced the rattle problem with the handle that some users have mentioned, maybe there was a bad batch produced? The XA10's production seems to have taken place in different sections, so they may have corrected some of the bugs at various times. I'm not sure, YMMV. I haven't had to deal with customer service from Canon except once to order an XH-A1 hood a few years ago, so I can't comment on that either.
No problems at all importing the AVCHD footage into Final Cut or iMovie. I haven't tried with any Windows editors yet, but I'll update this review when I do.
With typical shooting (no IR), the stock battery lasts about as long as you'd expect, maybe a bit more. Not mind-blowing, but most importantly not too short. I'd recommend getting a high capacity battery like the BP-827 if you're planning to shoot for extended periods (I think the stock battery is a BP-819).
I haven't tested the infrared (IR) function yet, but the camera gives superb low-light performance even without it. Search or Vimeo 'XA10 low light' and you'll see what I mean by this.
The only thing it's missing that I'd like to see is a built-in neutral density function. I can always just use ND filters on the front of the lens -- used to doing that from the HV20/HV30 days -- but it's less convenient than a switch on the side. Oh well.
Overall, I highly recommend it to anyone who wants to upgrade to a pro-quality HD camcorder with a cinema-quality picture, who doesn't want to spend a ton of money on the more expensive options out there. If money isn't as much of a concern, I'm sure some of the cameras that cost thousands more offer more options, but I'm more than happy with the quality this camera provides.
The difference is even more dramatic comparing it to my old HV30 rig. It's much nicer to not have the added awkwardness of a battery-powered XLR adapter. Honestly, the XA10 must look much more professional to clients as well.
Image quality is simply stunning. There is a slight look of shallow depth of field that is very pleasing to the eye. It's subtle, but noticeable. I've heard it has something to do with the 8-blade iris, but I won't pretend to know what that really means. All I know is the video quality is the best I've personally ever held in my hands.
The XA10 also gives much greater control over the image than the more consumer-focused HV20 and HV30. Now that I've used the XA10's manual focus ring, I really don't know how I made movies without it. The assignable control where you can adjust the exposure, shutter, aperture, and so on is also a great feature for an HD camcorder this inexpensive.
I haven't experienced the rattle problem with the handle that some users have mentioned, maybe there was a bad batch produced? The XA10's production seems to have taken place in different sections, so they may have corrected some of the bugs at various times. I'm not sure, YMMV. I haven't had to deal with customer service from Canon except once to order an XH-A1 hood a few years ago, so I can't comment on that either.
No problems at all importing the AVCHD footage into Final Cut or iMovie. I haven't tried with any Windows editors yet, but I'll update this review when I do.
With typical shooting (no IR), the stock battery lasts about as long as you'd expect, maybe a bit more. Not mind-blowing, but most importantly not too short. I'd recommend getting a high capacity battery like the BP-827 if you're planning to shoot for extended periods (I think the stock battery is a BP-819).
I haven't tested the infrared (IR) function yet, but the camera gives superb low-light performance even without it. Search or Vimeo 'XA10 low light' and you'll see what I mean by this.
The only thing it's missing that I'd like to see is a built-in neutral density function. I can always just use ND filters on the front of the lens -- used to doing that from the HV20/HV30 days -- but it's less convenient than a switch on the side. Oh well.
Overall, I highly recommend it to anyone who wants to upgrade to a pro-quality HD camcorder with a cinema-quality picture, who doesn't want to spend a ton of money on the more expensive options out there. If money isn't as much of a concern, I'm sure some of the cameras that cost thousands more offer more options, but I'm more than happy with the quality this camera provides.
65 of 67 people found the following review helpful
By Doug Flather
The good:
I'm a backpack videographer. I shoot a lot of industrial and training videos. I grew weary of trying to find an easy way to get great audio from a DSLR - too many additional and unnecessary steps -- so I sold mine and picked this up. Best. Move. Ever. Now, I put a Rode NT3 on a boom, plug into the XLR and my audio is warm as a summer day. Video quality is stunning. Focus assist is fantastic. I'm very pleased to get pro-level processor and lens in a camera this small. Surprise: it shoots great stills too. Very very good in lower light scenarios.
Down sides:
The cinema mode feels sort of amateurish/consumer level. Not much there you couldn't do better in post, so, I don't use it. My only other complaint is I wish there were a few other on camera buttons to reduce menu diving, but it's really not hard.
I'm a backpack videographer. I shoot a lot of industrial and training videos. I grew weary of trying to find an easy way to get great audio from a DSLR - too many additional and unnecessary steps -- so I sold mine and picked this up. Best. Move. Ever. Now, I put a Rode NT3 on a boom, plug into the XLR and my audio is warm as a summer day. Video quality is stunning. Focus assist is fantastic. I'm very pleased to get pro-level processor and lens in a camera this small. Surprise: it shoots great stills too. Very very good in lower light scenarios.
Down sides:
The cinema mode feels sort of amateurish/consumer level. Not much there you couldn't do better in post, so, I don't use it. My only other complaint is I wish there were a few other on camera buttons to reduce menu diving, but it's really not hard.
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