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USER REVI EW | CANON XF 705
with a calibrated scale and end stops. However, if you press a button and turn the lens barrel behind the focussing ring, the calibrated scale disappears and the focussing ring becomes an ‘endless encoder’, with both manual and auto-focus. If you want to use the lens ring as a zoom ring and not the rocker, there is also a simple slider control directly behind it. DUAL PIXEL AUTOFOCUS Talking of autofocus, the XF705 features Canon’s amazing, wonderful and unique dual pixel autofocus – pause for applause. This system has persuaded a great many anti-autofocus shooters to use it as it’s just so brilliant. On the XF705 this provides the normal accurate and fast autofocus with touch focus control, Face Detection AF and object tracking. You also get a graphical guide to support accurate focusing when manually adjusting the focus. The attention to detail that Canon has given to the handling of the camera isn’t limited to the lens controls, either. There are plenty of dedicated buttons for zebra, peaking, image stabilisation and so on – all well placed and logical. You also get a motor-driven ND filter with three densities, ND 1/4, ND 1/16, and ND 1/64.
ABOVE The UHD recording menu
using the XF- HEVC codec.
RIGHT The recording preset menu page with your choice of HDR and Canon Log 3.
CONTROLS With the years of experience that Canon had for this form factor the hands-on control is as you would expect, everything at your fingertips. There are semi-duplicate record controls up top near the monitor and on the fixed grip. The monitor itself is available either side of the camera and has a tilt-and-slide motion to swap it over and indeed to put it away, much like the Panasonic DVX200. The rocker switch has a magnification button beside it and on top you have media controls and the in-built microphones. Two XLRs are available with Input 1 nearer the lens and Input 2 at the back. Maybe this has something to do with the extra connections which crowd the
back of the camera that are to do with connections out of the camera. Included, and very new for this type of camera, is the 12G-SDI on offer which is four times the bandwidth of 3G-SDI and will allow streaming through one cable, through the on-board Ethernet connection 4k IP. The camera also has Wi-Fi on board for lower resolution streaming. You also get HDMI, timecode and headphone amongst others at the back. But perhaps the standout feature of the XF705 is the way Canon has implemented HDR in to your shooting options. As presets you now have the option of BT 709 all the way to HLG, PQ and Canon Log 3. Let your experimentation begin.
70 DEF I N I T ION | NOVEMBER 20 1 8
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