Canon XA10 HD Professional Camcorder

The Canon XA10 HD Professional Camcorder is a fully featured, ultra-compact pro video camera that shares nearly all the functionality of the XF100, but in an even smaller, run-and-gun form factor. Sporting a 64GB internal flash drive and two SDXC-compatible card slots, the XA10 can record literally for days without running out of memory. Able to capture AVCHD video at bitrates up to 24Mbps, the camcorder's native 1920 x 1080 CMOS sensor also lets you choose 60i, 24p, PF30, and PF24 frame rates for customizing the look of your footage. Bringing further professional oomph to that footage is a Genuine Canon 10x HD video lens, with lowlight sensitivity and a 35mm equivalent zoom range of 30.4mm-304mm. The lens features a 58mm front filter thread. Like the larger XF100, the XA10 also provides full image customization, cinema looks, infrared recording (for night shooting), and HDMI/component/composite output. Other professional features include dual XLR inputs, relay recording, waveform, color peaking, and zebra patterns. But the camera has a few extra tricks up its sleeve, including a detachable handle to allow for truly low-profile shooting, and a 3.5" Touch Panel LCD that adds the extremely useful Touch & Track, Touch Focus and Touch Exposure functions, which make pulling focus and adjusting exposure dramatically easier. Combined with its other focus, exposure, and composition aids, this makes the XA10 an ideal blend of portability and professional control--the perfect tool for nearly any on-the-go production. Flash MemoryThe 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 cards. 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.AVCHD CodecThe XA10 features the AVCHD codec. AVCHD (Advanced Video Coding High Definition) was announced in 2006 and is quickly becoming the standard for professional camcorders. AVCHD utilizes MPEG-4 AVC/H.264 compression technology similar to the technology used in Canon's HD DSLRs. In addition to professional grade camcorders, AVCHD is very popular in the consumer market and as a result most nonlinear editing software, both professional and consumer, have full support for the codec; this makes for easy compatibility with the XA10 no matter what system you choose. 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.Genuine Canon 10x HD Video LensThe XA10 features a Genuine Canon 10x HD Video Lens which offers a 35mm equivalent of 30.4mm - 304mm. It delivers unsurpassed image quality, the versatility of a wide angle of view and smooth and professional looking background images thanks to a sophisticated 8-blade iris. A dedicated manual focus ring allows accurate and precise control.Canon Native 1920 x 1080 CMOS Image SensorDesigned 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.Canon DIGIC DV III Image ProcessorThe XA10 Professional Camcorder features Canon's powerful DIGIC DV III Image Processor, which provides enhanced shading, lifelike tonal gradations, new custom picture settings 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 AutoSmart 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.3.5" Touch Panel LCD ScreenA 3.5-inch, 922,000 Dot LCD monitor