Canon fans, your time has finally come. Canon has just unveiled two new additions to its HD lineup of digital camcorders. The new Canon XH G1 and Canon XH A1 both record at the spectacular resolution of 1080i in HDV format. They both also record at 60i, 30F, or 24F (Canon’s version of 24P) frame rates.
In comparison to the Canon XL H1, the new camcorders seem to be much like what the GL2 is to the XL2. If you’re not familiar with either of those models you can skip this paragraph all together and get to the juicy stuff:
Both the XH G1 and XH A1 feature three 1/3″ CCDs. The lenses are non-interchangeable, but are the usual high-quality L series, image stabilized, 20x optical zoom lenses popular to many high-end Canon camcorders. Both camcorders also feature a 2.8″ LCD screen, which actually folds up underneath the handle. Very cool. Also, if I am reading the Japanese translation correctly, it looks like you may be able to change the viewfinder from color to monochrome, but no promises.
For microphone input, both the Canon XH G1 and XH A1 feature XLR inputs, which will make many audio nuts very happy, I’m sure. Both also have stereo microphones built onto the unit as well as microphone clamps.
So where do the differences come in? According to the product page, the only differences between the XH G1 and the XH A1 are that the XH G1 has HD/SD-SDI output, Genlock, and TC input/output, while the XH A1 does not.
The prices? Looks like the Canon XH G1 will go for about $6,800 US, while the Canon XH A1 will be priced at about $4,700 US. Will the extra couple thousand be worth it for the HD/SD-SDI output? While you stew on that, go ahead and ogle the camcorders on Canon’s Japanese website.
UPDATE: Also see this post and this one for links to more information on the new Canon camcorders
