Canon XL H1: the professional's camcorder

The XL H1 represents a giant leap forward for camcorder technology, offering both standard and high definition production, as well as a range of features a professional expects to find on a camcorder.

These include HD-Serial Digital Interface output, Gen lock input, time code input/output and full cine and image control. This makes the XL H1 ideal for a wide range of shooting situations, such as an ENG assignment, documentary shoot or a multi-camera studio set-up. And the XL H1's open architecture design offers great flexibility and customisation.

The XL H1 is an HDV camcorder which shoots HD at 1080i with a 50i frame rate. However, there's also the option of selecting a 25 frame (25F) shooting mode. The XL H1 can be customised via a service upgrade for both NTSC and PAL shooting modes, offering a wide range of selectable frame rates including, 60i, 50i, 30F, 25F and 24F. Three 1/3-inch 1.67 megapixel CCDs, a 20x HD lens and a wide range of shutter speeds enable the XL H1 to deliver professional-quality results.

The Canon XL H1 camcorder kit.

The XL H1 offers full manual control, along with image customisation. The camera's custom presets include full colour matrix, colour gain, hue and sharpness, and these can be stored on an SD/MMC card for even greater flexbility.

It's quality that sets Canon's lenses apart from others on the market and the XL H1 uses the highly acclaimed L Lens, which has Fluorite lens elements and Ultra-low Dispersion glass for greater clarity. The L lens rugged construction makes it ideal for shooting out in the field.

The XL H1's HD-SDI output can be used for transporting uncompressed digital video at full 1920 x 1080 resolution with 4:2:2 chroma subsampling. Audio functions include 4-channel recording with XLR audio line and mic level input support.

The XL H1's superb performance, high specification and outstanding versatility make it the camera of choice for the demanding professional.

To find out more about the Canon video products mentioned in this article or to try out or purchase Canon video products, contact your nearest Canon video dealer. For contact details just click here.