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Canon has unveiled a new professional 4K camcorder and a new 8K-suitable pro BCTV zoom lens. The Canon XF605 is a ‘compact’ 4K camcorder designed for solo shooters. The XF605 is 10% smaller and 600g lighter than the Canon XF705. The new lens is the 10×16 KAS S, an addition to Canon’s 1.25″ 8K broadcast camera lens lineup that includes 10x optical zoom from 16mm to 160mm.
Looking first at the XF605 camcorder, it includes a 1″-type CMOS image sensor paired with Canon’s DIGIC DV7 processor. The camera records 4K UHD video at up to 60p. The XF605 records 4:2:2 10-bit in XF-AVC and MP4 formats. FHD video can be recorded at up to 120p. The camera includes Canon Log 3 and HDR.
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The XF605 includes a built-in 4K L-series 15x optical zoom lens with 30x Advanced Zoom (digital zoom) in FHD resolution. The lens has a 35mm equivalent range of 25.5mm to 382.5mm. Its minimum focus distance is 10mm at the wide end and 60cm across the zooming range. Its maximum aperture is F2.8, and it accepts 58mm filters. The lens also includes optical image stabilization.
Autofocus is provided via Canon’s Dual Pixel CMOS AF technology. The XF605 offers Eye Detection AF and provides intelligent head tracking. Focus is controlled via a lens ring and using the camera’s 3.45″ touchscreen, which has a resolution of 2.76M dots. There is a peaking assist function for manual focus. You can customize AF speed, response and frame size, plus you can use AF to assist with manual focusing.
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The XF605 records to a pair of SD card slots and Class U3 V90 cards are recommended. The camera records externally via HDMI or 12G-SDI, and simultaneous recording is possible. When using the XF-AVC format and the maximum bitrate of 410Mbps, the camera can record for 39 minutes. By dropping bitrate down to 260Mbps, recording time increases to 100 minutes. Using MP4 and H.265 codec, you can record up to 118 minutes. In H.264 at 8Mbps, you can record for 2,006 minutes. Full recording time, framerate and quality information can be viewed on the XF605 specifications page.
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In addition to the touchscreen, the XF605 includes a 0.36″-type EVF with 1.77M dots. The camera’s full offering of inputs and outputs includes two XLR 3-pin jacks with 48V phantom power, line and mic. The camera includes a 3.5mm mic input jack with 2.4V DC supply voltage. The camera includes a built-in mic as well. For audio monitoring, there’s a 3.5mm stereo mini jack. Plus, the camcorder includes a built-in speaker. There’s a full-size HDMI Type A port and a pair of USB ports, one Type A and the other Type C. As mentioned, there’s a 12G-SDI output with BNC connector. The camcorder also includes LAN, a remote controller terminal and 3.4mm DC input. The XF605 includes built-in Wi-Fi, too.
The camcorder includes a total of 11 assignable buttons which can be used for over 100 assignable functions. Also, there’s a custom dial that includes Av, Tv, M, AGC Limit, exposure compensation, and more. The camera includes auto ISO and auto gain control functionality. The ISO range is 200-12,800, and the gain range is -6.0dB to 21.0dB. The shutter speed can go up to 1/2000s, and the shutter angle goes from 360° to 11.25°. The XF605 includes a built-in neutral density filter.
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For the full details on the XF605, visit Canon. The XF605 is available for preorder now and has a suggested retail price of $ 4,500.
The Canon 10×16 KAS S adds a telephoto lens to Canon’s 8K broadcast series, complementing the 7×10.7 KAS S. It’s targeted at broadcasters of major sporting events. The 10x zoom lens has a constant F2.8 aperture from 16mm to 160mm. It offers the same operability as Canon’s 4K portable lens line while adding 8K camera compatibility.
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The lens includes special elements such as fluorite, Hi-UD lenses and wide-diameter aspherical lenses. The specialized glass elements reduce chromatic aberrations, spherical aberrations and other image quality defects. The lens weighs 2.94kg, which is reasonably lightweight for an 8K zoom lens. It’s designed for handheld 8K broadcasts. Pricing varies by dealer, but it’s reasonable to expect the lens to be costly.
Articles: Digital Photography Review (dpreview.com)