Notes from DV Expo West
DV Mag Staff
New Cameras, New Software, New Hardware The second week of November was an eventful one, as Inter BEE (International Broadcast Equipment Exhibition), Japan's answer to NAB, and DV Expo West, occurred simultaneously at opposite ends of the Pacific Ocean. We can't say how Inter BEE went, but DV Expo is produced by the same folks who produce DV, so pardon us while we wax eloquent about some of the cool new gear seen there. Cameras Canon, JVC, Panasonic, and Sony dominated the front of the exhibit hall. All had new goodies on display. Canon's new XH A1 and G1 HDV cameras were arrayed in front of a mad scientist's lab for the attendees' shooting pleasure. The XH A1 ($3,999) and XH G1 ($6,999) produce 1080i HD at 60i, 24F (i.e., 24 Frame), and 30F. But the G1 dominated the interest of show attendees, likely because it offers an HD-SDI output with embedded audio and timecode, genlock, and timecode I/O. Canon's other hot item was the 6x XL wide 3.4mm to 20.4mm L-series zoom lens ($2,999). Announced in late July 2006, the lens was finally shipping and on hand for attendees to test drive. The lens features UA (Ultra High Refractive Index Aspherical) glass elements designed to produce high-quality HD images with low distortion and fluorite elements to reduce glare and ghosting. read more...

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