Canon XH-A1 Camcorder

In the world of non-linear video recording, Canon came up with this tape-based Canon XH A1S. Of course it is not ground-breaking, but with that almost $4000 price tag and a whole lot of very cool features, it is worth to be reviewed. So here goes.

Many pro camcorders are beginning to include the ability to record video to memory cards, but tape-based camcorder like this one has its own charm and definitely helps keep the costs of production down.

The XH A1S is actually very similar to its brother, the Canon XL H1A. They both have three 1/3-inch CCD sensors and they both record HD video to tape using the HDV codec. The big difference between the two is size and design—the XH A1S is a hand-held model that doesn't have a removable lens system, while the XL H1A is shoulder-mounted and can use any XL series of lens.

The best part of the XH A1 are in its abundance of manual controls. I'm not impressed with the design of the camcorder (and yes, design-wise, I still love Sony), as its right side felt a bit cluttered and its LCD and viewfinder offered limited resolutions.

But for you control freaks,the XH-A1 prosumer camcorder has more function and image control options, making it an ideal camcorder for the budding director of photography. It has that shooting mode wheel or what we call "steering wheel". It also has some unexpected features. One is the top placement of the LCD display. I personally think this is a very nice decision by leaving the left side of the camcorder accessible. The LCD is a tad small but it's not big-a-deal. We think 3" is a minimum for an HDV prosumer camcorder and, while its 207K resolution ain't bad, focusing is a consideration.

The trump card is, Canon has implemented a new Instant Auto Focus feature (known as "Instant AF"). This helps snap the focus more quickly and accurately into the ballpark focal length at a fraction of a second before the typical auto focus adds the precise touch. Instant AF uses an additional focus sensor on the outside of the lens, which means matte boxes and other accessories might interfere with its effectiveness. It can be deactivated, but if you're really such a control freak, you'll likely use just the manual focus. Using the LCD display only, we were able to manually focus in an extreme close-up successfully 3 out of 4 shots. The missed shot was just a touch soft. An external monitor could fix that for more accurate focus control.

The $3999 price tag of the XH A1 isn't bad, but if you don't need XLR inputs, I think the Sony HDR-FX1000 is a better value. I'll review that Sony product a bit later. You can save roughly $800 and did just as well or even better.

image source: www.itchyhousefilms.com