Canon GL2 MiniDV Digital Camcorder

This camera right now is a bit outdated compared to the other professional HD cameras, even a home prosumer camcorders like Panasonic HDC-TM300 and the likes. But hey, this is a review blog and we have to review all the prosumer camcorders in the world, right?

Now this camcorder right here called Canon GL2 MiniDV Digital Camcorder. Compared to what's available now, this camera can seem a bit "outdated". It can record projects with very competitive SD picture quality. It isn't HD and it doesn't have 24P but its "frame mode" does provide a low-cost alternative.

I say this is a very good introductory camera for filmmakers and videographers not looking to spend twice as much for the most current technology. This camera is designed for professional applications and is not a good choice for people shooting "simple" home videos and little league games. If you are not serious about shooting and editing professional video, this camera will easily discourage any buyers not willing to learn a lot of functions.

Canon Vixia HF S21

While Canon spent a acceptable accord of accomplishment convalescent the appearance for the HF S21, it didn't do abundant (if anything) to advance the video achievement of the camcorder. In our testing, the HF S21 absolutely did worse with blush accurateness than aftermost year's HF S11, although it did do hardly added good with video accurateness and low ablaze sensitivity.

The new-and-improved flagship camcorder from Canon is Vixia HF S21 ($1399 MSRP). With 64GB of centralized beam memory, two SD/SDHC anamnesis agenda slots, and a cast fresh touchscreen LCD, Canon appears to accept put in absolutely an accomplishment in revamping aftermost year's HF S11.

As for the improvements on the HF S21, we thoroughly enjoyed them for the best part. The cyberbanking viewfinder is a amusement to see, and the 3.5-inch LCD absolutely helps back you're framing a shot. We had our doubts about Canon's fresh touchscreen system, but it added or beneath won us over in the end. The blow arrangement didn't assignment able-bodied for authoritative absolute adjustments or abyssal assertive menus, but appearance such as atom focus and AF/AE tracking formed so able-bodied with the touchscreen that we were able to absolve its faults. We additionally admired the slight modifications Canon fabricated to its ascendancy dial, the amplification of assertive chiral controls (like accretion control), and the attendance of two SD/SDHC anamnesis agenda slots (the camcorder is additionally accordant with SDXC cards).

The HF S21 is allotment of the HF S alternation from Canon, which additionally appearance the HF S20 and HF S200 (all three are fresh models for 2010).

Pros should additionally adulation the actuality that the Canon HF S21 offers a built-in 24p almanac mode—a affection that was ahead bare on non-tape customer camcorders. Canon additionally still has its PF30 and PF24 modes that almanac at 60i, but actualize the attending of 24p and 30p anatomy rates.

Overall, the HF S21 is an absorbing camcorder; it has aggregate the HF S11 has and more. The alone downside is that Canon didn't advance the video achievement enough. With arresting fresh flagship models actuality appear by Sony, JVC, and Samsung we'll accept to delay and see if the improvements Canon fabricated were abundant to accumulate it abreast the top of our ratings.

Canon EOS 5D Mark II

Three years is a continued time for any artefact to adhere around, abnormally back the technology changes as rapidly as it does for agenda cameras. And with abounding of the imaging apparatus of the 1Ds Mark III (including a after adaptation of the image-processing engine, Digic 4) for a amount tag $5,000 lower, it's absolutely an adorable alternative. Though it's consistently had a big fan base, Canon EOS 5D users accept nonetheless been agog for more. The almsman Canon delivers: the EOS 5D Mark II is in abounding means a must-have upgrade, abnormally for the bells photography army for whom the 5D is a workhorse. It's additionally priced adequately aggressively compared with the antagonism admitting its fresh 21-megapixel CMOS sensor and groundbreaking cine abduction capability.

Slightly added than its predecessor, the Mark II weighs aloof over 2 pounds. Canon says it beefed up the dust and acclimate sealing a bit about the agenda awning and buttons and bigger rated bang backbone for up to 150,000 cycles. The anatomy itself is a animate anatomy covered with magnesium alloy. But while it's acutely absolutely made, it about doesn't feel absolutely as tanklike as the D700. Like all of Canon's pro dSLRs, it's actual adequate to anchor and shoot. The downside of the adapted architecture is that it takes fresh accessories, including a fresh array and fresh vertical grip.

The camera comes in two official configurations: the body-only or a kit adaptation with the EF 24-105mm f/4L IS USM lens. Usually I'm not a fan of the lenses that address as allotment of kits like this, but I concluded up affection the 24-105mm a lot added than I accepted and anticipate it's a acceptable bout for anyone attractive for a aboriginal lens to brace with the camera. As with all of the high-resolution models, however, it absolutely makes a aberration to go for the sharpest lenses in the arsenal.

Canon reorganized the controls a bit from the blow of its models. On the top sits the capital punch additional four dual-purpose buttons that admission adjustments for the metering (huge 3.5 percent spot, 8 percent partial, center-weighted, and evaluative) and white balance; AF (single, AI Servo and AI Focus) and drive modes; and ISO acuteness and beam compensation. Unlike the Sony Alpha DLSR-A900, the top cachet LCD displays complete information; you can cull the accepted settings up on the rear LCD as well, but can't cross them the way you can on that camera. I absence that, as able-bodied as the direct-control metering about-face on the A900 and Nikon D700. The approach punch on the top larboard offers aloof the basics--as it should: Bulb, PASM, Auto, three custom settings slots, and the Creative Auto approach that debuted in the EOS 50D

The top rear appropriate has buttons for initiating AF, acknowledgment lock, and focus-point selection; bottomward the larboard rear are the Live View/PictBridge, Menu, Picture Styles, Info, Playback, and annul buttons. Unfortunately, best of the buttons on the anatomy feel identical to their neighbors. The 5D Mark II uses the aforementioned joystick multicontroller and Quick Control punch with Set button as its added contempo models. I still like them. (Click through the accelerate appearance for added on the camera's architecture and features.)

The viewfinder is hardly beyond and a bit brighter than the 5D's. While it offers broader advantage than the D700's--98 percent against 95 percent--it avalanche abbreviate of the 100 percent provided by the A900 and by midrange models like the Olympus E-3. C'mon Canon, eke out that aftermost 2 percent, please.

The best notable affection advantage the 5D Mark II has over its competitors is the movie-capture capability. Canon supports 1,920x1,080 at 30fps, accurate 1080p HD, with a address mic congenital in and stereo mic input, with clips of up to 12 account (on a 4GB card). All things considered, it's a appealing nice implementation. Though you can't autofocus, you can acclimatize acknowledgment while shooting; the optical stabilization works; and you can administer Picture Styles.

Many of the fresh capabilities absolutely ambition pros: a brace of low-resolution raw formats (10 and 5.2 megapixels), added changeable focusing-screen options, in-camera peripheral-illumination alteration to atone for accuracy contrast beyond the image, and a bashful Live View mode. There's additionally Face Detection AF, but it alone works in Live View mode. If you do HDR work, you'll apparently acquisition the 5D Mark II's bracketing accomplishing a alloyed bag. It's abundantly adjustable compared with most--in some respects. For instance, you can bracket in any increments of 1/3, 2/3, 1, 1 1/3, 1 2/3, or 2 abounding stops, centered about any EV up to +/- 4 stops. Unfortunately, it banned you to three exposures area added cameras let you do bristles or seven.

The 5D consistently acquainted a bit apathetic to me, admitting absolute achievement numbers to the contrary. This camera delivers the aforementioned abstinent performance, but feels abundant zippier. And overall, it fares absolutely able-bodied compared to the D700. It wakes up and shoots in 0.3 additional and takes amid 0.3 and 0.6 additional to shoot, depending aloft lighting conditions. It about runs about 0.4 additional from attempt to shot.

The Mark II uses a fresh array pack, the LP-E6, which seems to aftermost a analytic continued time: it's CIPA rated at amid 750 and 850 shots, depending aloft temperature. It additionally supports some adequately avant-garde advertisement features. For instance, you can annals the packs and again the camera will clue the date aftermost used, cardinal of shots you've taken on it back aftermost recharge, and its adeptness to authority a charge, in accession to the absolute accommodation on a allegation status.

However, the camera's still missing some appearance offered by the competition. Admitting one doesn't use the on-camera beam as a aphorism in this class, it absolutely is nice to accept in an emergency. Canon additionally continues its attitude of not including an in-camera wireless beam controller; some traditions deserve to die. And if you appetite on-board angel stabilization, the A900's your alone option.

For access shooting, however, it's the slowest of all the fresh models, partly because of Nikon's decidedly lower resolution and Sony's acceleration up on the processors to advance access rates. Neither its 3.8fps burst-shooting acceleration (unlimited JPEG/14 Raw) nor its center-intensive 9-point AF arrangement absolutely lends itself to actively fast, connected cutting of affective subjects. And if your cutting appearance requires lots of AF credibility above the average division of the frame, this apparently isn't the camera for you. But for centermost focusers like me, it works absolutely well.

I'm acutely admiring with the affection of the photos the 5D Mark II delivers. As you'd apprehend from a archetypal in its amount class, it renders authentic and constant exposures and colors. Given its resolution, its babble contour is decidedly good: no babble or babble abolishment artifacts until about ISO 1600, at which point all you see is a slight bit of softening. Depending aloft accountable matter, photos can abide accessible as aerial as ISO 12,800. My alone artifice is with the ever balmy tungsten white balance. Even the video looks and sounds good, admitting the mic could use a wind filter. (Click through the accelerate appearance for angel samples and added altercation of photo quality.)

When I aboriginal blogged about the camera in September 2008, I commented that it "doesn't abet the knee-jerk WANT acknowledgment I expected." After cutting with it for about a month, I accept to admit, I'm sold. I appetite this camera. I adulation the Nikon D700 as well, but the 5D Mark II's college resolution and decidedly acceptable video abduction put it over the top for me.

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

Canon Vixia HV30 Camcorder

Canon HV30 Camcorder is, just like Sony Handycam HDR-HC9 to HC7, the newer black paint version of its predecessor, Canon HV20, with small lists of upgrades. We already know that the HV20 is the best in its year for its image quality, and you have to spare me by not reviewing it here, because you'll get the idea by reading the Canon HV30 Camcorder. Let's continue...

The good thing about this little fella is that you can get better image quality white cheaper price than Sony HDR-HC9 or even HC7. But ergonomically, HV30 has poor quality.

Shooting with the HV30 feels easy and natural. Canon places the most frequently used options--notably exposure compensation and microphone level--under the control of the set button/joystick. Other shooting options--program, shutter- and aperture-priority, cine, and scene modes, white balance, image effects, and still-image mode--get called up via the function button and navigated with the joystick. Since your thumb controls all of the activity, it's pretty straightforward and fluid to use.

The HV30 uses the same 1/2.7-inch 3-megapixel CMOS sensor as the HV20, capturing 1,440x1,080 (1080i) HD or wide-screen SD video (despite Canon listing 1,920x1,080 resolution in its specs, HDV does not support 1920-pixel horizontal resolution). For SD, it downconverts to fit MiniDV 720x480 format. The camcorder also incorporates the same f/1.8 10X zoom lens, which uses the company's Super-Range Optical Image Stabilization, a technology that tweaks the results based on feedback from its image processor. As long as you use the eye-level viewfinder instead of the LCD, which lets you better brace the camcorder, the stabilization works very well zoomed to its maximum. Since it's harder to keep the camcorder steady when held out in front of you, the stabilization will likely be less effective.

You can still find the HV20 in stores with significantly less price than the HV30. Well, both are usually cheaper than Sony HDR-HC7 or HC9 anyway. In my review, I forgot to mention that HC9 and HC7 have this annoying touch screen issue. Well, if you ask me, I'd put Canon brothers on my buying list and put Sony brothers to someone-with-more-money's buying list.

image source: www.ces-show.com