Video review of the Canon XA-10, XF100 and XF105

Written by Philip Bloom
From: http://philipbloom.net/2011/07/09/video-review-of-the-canon-xa-10-xf100-and-xf105/

Ethics statement: I have not been paid by anyone to do this. I did this review off my own back and purchased both cameras.

Sorry for the delay on this, but it’s worth the wait. I was able to spend a couple of months with the cameras before doing the review which is far better than a knee jerk one.

Why review a small chip camcorder? Are they not a thing of the past? Actually they are a very valuable tool. Easy to operate, stuff is in focus. Great B cams. Yes you don’t get the stunning aesthetic of a DSLR but you don’t get image issues and sound is a piece of cake. These cameras are great cameras for certain jobs and can work well in conjunction with the DSLRs.

First off is the video review, it’s quite long but covers all the info you need, hopefully, then there is some test footage I shot one afternoon whilst on my holiday in Greece with a Gitzo stills tripod.The flickering at around 4 minutes is some glitch. I will go back to the edit…

Enjoy!

Review of Canon XA10 XF100 XF105 from Philip Bloom on Vimeo.

Chania: Test shots done on the Canon XF105 from Philip Bloom extras on Vimeo.

Some test footage I shot in May 2010 with the Canon XF105.

Check out my review of this camera and the XA10 at www.gopb.co/xf

Music is Nana Mouskouri,Mera Mayiou

Filmed on the Island of Crete in Greece whilst on holiday!

Although all cameras have the same sensor the XF100 is by far the best feature/ price camera out of the three.

The XA10 is lovely and small, has the same lens and produces great images, the detachable handle is excellent, the in built memory is useful… but it’s these below things that should make you want to look at it’s bigger brother:

The lack of customisable picture profiles that that XF line has.

Proper switches and buttons in the right place, not touch screen.

Superior codec, 50mbs 4:2:2 is a big deal for such a small camera. You don’t have to record in that high if you don’t want to but it’s there and the files are not that big!

Slow motion, both 720p 50/60p or proper overcrank in those modes. Having slow motion is such a bonus and doesn’t have image issues like the 720p of Canon DSLRs. It’s sharp and looks great upscaled.

Fantastic exposure assist histograms.

Better quality PCM sound on XF series.

Did I mention it has proper buttons?!

Only get the XF105 is you need the Genlock and SDI out. It’s a $1000 more.

You can order from B&H below, although stock is scarce…