Canon XL H1A Product Specs
The Canon XL H1A ($5999 MSRP) offers some small but useful improvements to the first-generation XL H1. An upgraded 20x lens kit lens adds an iris ring to the focus and zoom rings. The in-camera color controls, already beyond what most camcorders offer, has been extended even further. Most importantly, Canon has increased the affordability of a shoulder - mount camcorder. In this latest generation, there are two versions. The XL H1A offers all the handling and controls. The XL H1S ($8999 MSRP) has an identical form factor, but adds uncompressed HD/SD-SDI output, Genlock and Timecode. Both camcorders are damn good, offering the performance and handling that can stand up to the most discerning critics. It's not perfect – the weight balance could be better and the audio was reduced from 4-channel to 2-channel (a minor downgrade). Overall, though, we like them very much.
| Canon XL H1A- Specs | |
|---|---|
| Original Price | 5,995.00 |
| Year | 2008 |
| Format | HDV |
| Class | Pro |
| High Definition | Yes |
| Lens Mount | Yes |
| Filter Diameter (mm) | 72.00 |
| Focal Distance Minimum (mm) | 5.40 |
| Focal Distance Maximum (mm) | 108.00 |
| 35mm Focal Distance Minimum (mm) | 38.90 |
| 35mm Focal Distance Maximum (mm) | 778.00 |
| F-stop Minimum | 1.60 |
| F-stop Maximum | 3.50 |
| Wide Angle (degrees) | 53 |
| Image Stabilization | Optical |
| Sensor Type | CCD |
| Sensor Count | 3 |
| Sensor Size (inches) | 1.00 |
| Video Pixel Count (gross) | 1.67 |
| Video Pixel Count (effective) | 1.56 |
| HD Video Format | HDV |
| SD Video Format | DV |
| Frame Rate(s) | 60i, 24F, 30F |
| Primary Audio Format | MPEG1 Audio Layer II |
| Secondary Audio Format | PCM |
| Primary Media | MiniDV |
| Secondary Media | Memory Card |
| Tertiary Media | None |
| Memory Card Type | SD/SDHC |
| Included Media Capacity | 32MB SD card, MiniDV tape |
| Maximum Recording Time (highest quality in minutes) | 60 |
| Recording Quality Option(s) | HD: SP; SD: SP, LP |
| Uncompressed Video Output | No |
| Zoom Control Type(s) | ring, large rocker, small rocker |
| Optical Zoom | 20 |
| Advanced Zoom | 0 |
| Digital Zoom | 0 |
| Zoom Speed Settings | 16 |
| Manual Focus | Yes |
| Manual Focus Control Type(s) | ring |
| Focus Assist / Peaking | Yes |
| Manual Exposure | Yes |
| Manual Exposure Steps | 13 |
| Manual Aperture | Yes |
| Manual Aperture Steps | 32 |
| Minimum Aperture (f/) | 1.60 |
| Maximum Aperture (f/) | 22.00 |
| Manual Shutter Speed | Yes |
| Manual Shutter Speed Steps | 32 |
| Minimum Shutter Speed | 1/3 |
| Maximum Shutter Speed | 1/15000 |
| Manual White Balance | Yes |
| White Balance Presets | Auto, Outdoor, Indoor, Custom A, Custom B |
| Kelvin Control Steps | 130 |
| Manual Gain | Yes |
| Manual Gain Steps | 38 |
| Manual Noise Reduction | Yes |
| Manual Noise Reduction Options | NR1, NR2, Selective Noise Reduction |
| Audio Dubbing | No |
| Auto / Easy Mode | Yes |
| Face Detection | No |
| Gamma Control(s) | 0 |
| Image Detail Control(s) | 0 |
| Color Control(s) | 0 |
| Skin Tone Control | Yes |
| Color Correction | Yes |
| Low Light Mode(s) | Night AE |
| Scene Mode(s) | Spotlight |
| ND Filter | Yes |
| Customizable Buttons | Yes |
| Other Manual Control(s) | Zebra, Flange Back, Clear Scan, Color Bars, Audio Reference Tone, Faders, Markers, Zoom/Focus Preset |
| Still Image Resolution(s) | 1920x1080, 848x480, 1440x1080, 640x480 |
| Still Image Quality Option(s) | Super fine, Fine, Normal |
| Flash | No |
| Simultaneous Video / Still Recording | Yes |
| Self Timer | No |
| Manual ISO | No |
| Manual ISO Steps | 0 |
| ISO Minimum | 0 |
| ISO Maximum | 0 |
| Continuous Shot | Yes |
| Bracketing | Yes |
| Other Still Feature(s) | Save Custom Preset data with image |
| Still Media | SD/SDHC card |
| Still Media Included | 32MB SD card |
| Body Type | Horizontal |
| Shoulder Mount | Yes |
| Weight - Fully Loaded (grams) | 3,935.00 |
| Weight - Body Only (grams) | 2,500.00 |
| Width (mm) | 226.00 |
| Height (mm) | 220.00 |
| Length (mm) | 496.00 |
| Body Color(s) | Black |
| LCD Size (inches) | 2.40 |
| LCD Resolution (pixels) | 215000 |
| Touch Screen | No |
| Viewfinder | Yes |
| Viewfinder Resolution (pixels) | 0 |
| Viewfinder Diopter Adjuster | Yes |
| Video Light | No |
| Composite (RCA) output | Yes |
| Composite (RCA) input | Yes |
| FireWire | Yes |
| Audio-only AV input | Yes |
| S-Video | Yes |
| USB | No |
| Component output | Yes |
| Component input | No |
| HDMI | No |
| Headphone output | Yes |
| Mini Microphone input | Yes |
| XLR inputs (quantity) | 2 |
| LANC / Control L | Yes |
| Accessory Shoe | Yes |
| Accessory Shoe (Hot) | Yes |
| EVF output | Yes |
| Gen-Lock | Yes |
| HD-SDI | No |
| BNC output | Yes |
| Time Code in/out | Yes |
| Included Wireless Remote | Yes |
| WiFi | No |
| GPS | No |
| Other Port(s) | EVF Output |
| Sister Model Up | XL H1S |
| Sister Model Down | XH A1 |
| Included Battery | BP-950G |
| Battery Life - w/ LCD (minutes) | 236 |
| Battery Life - w/ viewfinder (minutes) | 236 |
| Canon XL H1A Scores | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Rating | Score | Weighting | |
| Color Score | 11.70 | 1.0 | |
| Noise Score | 9.56 | 2.0 | |
| Motion Score | 9.30 | 1.0 | |
| Video Sharpness Score | 9.34 | 4.0 | |
| Wide Angle Score | 10.60 | 0.8 | |
| Low Light Color Score | 7.36 | 1.25 | |
| Low Light Sensitivity Score | 8.04 | 1.5 | |
| Low Light Noise Score | 6.29 | 1.25 | |
| Audio Features Score | 8.00 | 2.0 | |
| Compression Score | 8.30 | 1.5 | |
| Media Score | 6.00 | 1.0 | |
| Editing Score | 8.00 | 0.5 | |
| Auto Mode Score | 5.50 | 0.5 | |
| Zoom Score | 12.80 | 0.75 | |
| Zoom Ratio Score | 15.00 | 0.5 | |
| Focus Score | 11.00 | 0.7 | |
| Exposure Score | 5.12 | 0.65 | |
| Aperture Score | 10.20 | 0.65 | |
| Shutter Speed Score | 8.65 | 0.6 | |
| White Balance Score | 10.50 | 0.55 | |
| Gain Score | 13.25 | 0.5 | |
| Color & Image Controls Score | 14.60 | 0.5 | |
| Other Manual Controls Score | 8.75 | 0.5 | |
| Still Features Score | 9.15 | 0.5 | |
| Still Color Score | 10.57 | 0.6 | |
| Still Noise Score | 7.69 | 0.6 | |
| Still Sharpness Score | 3.25 | 0.75 | |
| Ease of Use Score | 8.50 | 1.0 | |
| Handling Score | 8.00 | 1.25 | |
| Stabilization Score | 13.31 | 1.0 | |
| Portability Score | 7.10 | 0.5 | |
| Battery Life (w/ LCD) Score | 11.80 | 0.75 | |
| Battery Life (w/ Viewfinder) Score | 11.80 | 0.75 | |
| LCD & Viewfinder Score | 5.85 | 0.6 | |
| Menus Score | 7.50 | 0.75 | |
| Playback Score | 6.50 | 0.3 | |
| Connectivity Score | 10.50 | 1.0 | |
| Other Features Score | 2.00 | 0.25 | |
| Total: | 313 | ||
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