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CANON CAMS ARE LIVE AND KICKING Canon has always taken its range of camcorders very seriously, and is now aiming to offer something for everyone at all prices. Recently, the company unveiled four professional camcorders – the XA65, XA60, XA75 and XA70. All record in 4K as well as stream in HD via USB-C, with advanced autofocus and face detection functionality, MP4 recording and XF-AVC codecs to support professional broadcast applications. Each model has HDMI output and simultaneous backup and relay recording via dual SD cards, with the XA65 and XA75 offering an additional 3G-SDI output. The XA75 costs £2719/$2999 and the XA70 £2180/$2499, while the XA65 is £2089/$2299 and the XA60 is £1540/$1799. Canon additionally offers the £4319/$4699 XF605 and flagship £5998/$6999 XF705 cameras for more advanced users. The XF705 uses the XF-HEVC codec to shoot UHD 3840x2160 at 50p in 4:2:2 10-bit to SD cards, or 4:2:0 8-bit in XF-AVC codec. It uses a 1.0-type CMOS sensor fixed L-series Canon lens, which has a 15x optical zoom range and maximum aperture of f/2.8, adjustable to f/4.5 at longer zoom settings. The wide-angle is equivalent to 25.5mm and the telephoto is to a lengthy 382.5mm. Meanwhile, Sony’s most popular cameras are the 4K Z190
and Z280, which were the first to offer 4K from a three-chip set- up. The £7182/$6950 Z280 is the top-of-the-range model, and has a half-inch CMOS sensor offering 4K/60p in XAVC-I, in 10-bit 4:2:2 at 600Mbps, while the £3318/$3749 Z190 has a third-inch CMOS and generally lower specs, but is a bit more compact as well as being marginally lighter. However, the absolute king of connected cameras has to be JVC; mostly thanks to the £3180/$3295 HC500, which the brand launched three years ago. JVC took what it has learnt from years of working with television and blended it with the latest large-chip sensor technology, resulting in its range of cameras like the GY-HC500 – the most affordable in the line. With phenomenal low-light performance, 4K and HDR as well as streaming, the HC500 has been a hit since it was unveiled to the public. For livestreaming, you can either plug the camera into a wired network via its Ethernet socket, or use an inexpensive plug-in Wi-Fi or 4G dongle. The camera’s bigger brother, the more expensive HC550, comes with its own Wi-Fi capability built-in. It also has the TV-standard MXF format, GPS and broadcast overlays, so is more suitable for professional television and live broadcasting purposes. The HC500 camera can stream in HD or SD at up to 24Mbps with very low latency of around 0.5 seconds. That’s an incredibly high bit rate for streaming, in truth. For example, Facebook Live only runs at 5Mbps and Sky Sports transmits live football at 12Mbps. The HC500 is way above what anyone currently needs, making it a potential future- proofing option.
X-CELLENT Canon’s range of XA camcorders are all designed for easy streaming in HD
For multicamera shoots, there needs to be some sort of device to switch between audio and video inputs, plus graphics and holding screens. A popular choice is the Blackmagic Atem range, such as the £349/$295 Atem Mini Pro, which accepts four HDMI inputs and has output options such as recording of streaming data to USB flash drives and direct streaming output via Ethernet and HDMI. Connect your computer to the Atem with an Ethernet cable or Wi-Fi, and use the Atem software on your screen as the switching software. Or look at the latest Atomos monitor/recorders, which now work as multichannel recorders and switchers. A recent free firmware upgrade for the Shogun 7 and Sumo 19 allows them to record up to four SDI camera inputs as a touchscreen switching unit. Better still are the new Atomos Zato Connect, Atomos Connect for Ninja V and Ninja V+, as well as Shogun Connect seven-inch monitor. These work as touchscreen switchers and access the Atomos Cloud Studio program, including cloud and livestreaming. THE OLD SWITCHEROO
GUNNING FOR GLORY 4K recording comes on all the new Canon XA series camcorders for high-quality edits
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