Shoot Review — Canon XL H1

VideoSystems By D. W. Leitner XLH1HDV camcorder is keen on optics and 24fps. Of the first crop of professionalized HDV camcorders with 1/3in. sensors, only the latest, Canon's XL H1, can claim to have been created by a lens manufacturer. Canon kept the familiar “chainsaw† profile of the XL series for the new XL H1 and added useful I/O functionality for the HDV camcorder. Four BNC connectors for timecode in and out, genlock, and HD-SDI comprise the Professional Jackpack. This is a meaningful distinction. With fixed-lens HDV camcorders retailing for less than $5,000 — 2/3in. HD lenses are typically $20,000 alone — HDV camcorder design has necessitated compromise and trade-off, optics included. Depending on how you look at it, a $5,000 HD camcorder is either a modern-day miracle or a collection of technical concessions to the mass marketing of affordable HD. (It's both, of course.) read more...

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