The new ultra compact XA10 Professional Camcorder is designed for situations where mobility is critical while shooting. This feature-rich, professional model records Full HD 1080p using an AVCHD codec. The ultimate professional camcorder for run-and-gun shooting, the compact XA10 includes a detachable handle for low-angle shooting and portability. With the handle attached the XA10's functionality is further enhanced with the addition of XLR inputs and an external microphone holder.
The size of the camcorder really beggars belief, especially once the huge internal storage capacity is supplemented by the SDHC/SDXC card slots giving a theoretical maximum capacity of over 4TB. Very few buttons a present on the camcorder body, instead only a few of the most important are distributed in an intelligent manner with the less useful sat in the menu system, which can be found via the touchscreen. This means the likes of exposure and white balance control must be accessed via the screen, obscuring the preview somewhat.
The XA10 sees the world through a Canon 10x zoom lens with a 35mm-equivalent zoom range from 30.4mm to 304mm. The lens is equipped with an 8-blade iris, which forms a rounder aperture than a 6-blade iris and thus helps to produce a more pleasing out-of-focus background, commonly referred to as "bokeh." Everything seen through the lens is captured by a 1/3-inch, 1920 x 1080 pixel CMOS sensor, and is processed by Canon's DIGIC DV III image processor.
The XA10 can record at the maximum AVCHD bit rate of 24Mbps at 1920 x 1080 and 4:2:0 color space. Different bit rate modes (24Mbps, 17Mbps, 12Mbps, 7Mbps and 5Mbps) let you seek an ideal balance between video quality and recording time. Anything recorded in high definition can easily be converted to standard definition while preserving the original HD video. This makes it easier to share video online.
