Canon XH A1 Camcorder Reviewby David KenderPublished on Nov 21, 2006 12:00 PM 
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Ease of Use (8.25)
When reading this section, it’s important to keep in mind that camcorder’s ease of use must is relative to its intended audience. Could your grandmother, who asks you to set the clock on her microwave, operate this camcorder? No, almost definitely she could not. But could a shooter with a fair bit of experience figure out how to make the basic adjustments and set up a shot without consulting the manual? Well, probably not as easily as they could on the Canon XL H1 (Specs, Recent News, $7947.89). While the XL H1 may appear more intimidating to beginners, all those exterior buttons really lay operation out for all to see.
In order to conserve space on the XH A1 (Specs, Recent News, $3279.99), many of the functions were relocated into the menu. The controls that were left on the exterior are not as clearly laid out, and functions are often split between multiple buttons. As mentioned previously, the entire white balance control set is divided amongst no less than five buttons. While we still managed to find it a surprisingly intuitive process, the XL H1 managed to fit the same functionality in three buttons and an even more intuitive process. White balance is the most extreme example, but it’s representative of the overall loss of functionality in the process of shrinking the XL H1.
If you are still learning the ins and outs of camcorders, but somehow have nearly $4000 to spend, the XH A1 is a good model to learn on. The Auto mode, clearly marked on the mode dial, puts most controls in automatic, allowing you to make adjustments only when you want to override the camcorder’s decisions. For the completely terrified user, or when one of your actors wants to pretend they know how to work a camcorder, the Easy mode renders nearly all of the buttons and dials inactive.
Handling (8.25)
In a strict comparison to the XL H1, the Canon XH A1 has lost a fair amount of functionality. In shrinking the body to about 2/3 the size, a lot of precious real estate was lost for external buttons. To Canon’s credit, they made sure to leave all the crucial controls on the outside. White balance, gain, shutter speed, aperture, gain, ND filter, focus, zoom, audio levels, and a few other convenient controls remain. Lost from the XL H1 are a bunch of audio controls, frame rate selection, and HD/SD selection – all of which have been moved to the menu.
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Held from the right. |
The other major result of the size shrinkage is, of course, that the XH A1 is not a shoulder-mounted camcorder. Now, we had our issues with the XL H1’s balance, which tended to lean to the left. But at least you could take the weight off of your arms once in a while. The XH A1, as a handheld camcorder, is at a much higher risk for shaky footage and arm fatigue. Plan on buying a tripod right away if you don’t already own one.
Thankfully, the XH A1 is relatively light and well-balanced. You’ll probably want to steady it with a left hand on the lens barrel. The grip on the right side is unusually comfortable and perhaps the best part of the handling experience. The record on/off button and zoom toggle are well-placed. The three controls on the lens barrel (focus, zoom, and aperture) are excellent once you get the feel for the no-look interface.
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Handled from above. |
Navigating the menu and all its options will likely require the manual, particularly for the customized set-ups, but busy videographers are going to love the ability to save their personal settings and export them to an SD card for future use. Overall, this is camcorder with great handling.
Portability (8.0)
The Canon XH A1 weighs 2,030g (4.5lb.) and measures 163 x 189 x 350mm (6.4 x 7.4 x 13.8in.) making it considerably smaller than the XL H1 or JVC GY-HD110U, and similar in size to prosumer camcorders without interchangeable lenses. For shooters who travel, this relatively small size may be desirable as there are many good quality cases for camcorders this size that can be stowed in an airplane’s overhead compartment. Its size also makes it a workable option for shooting action or adventure material in the field.
LCD/Viewfinder (7.0)
In our review of the XL H1, we noted that on an HDV camcorder made for professional shooters, the 2.4” LCD/viewfinder combo was a disappointment. In terms of diagonal width, the 2.8” LCD on the XH A1 is an improvement, but still smaller than the 3.5” screens found on competing models from JVC, Sony, and Panasonic. Canon may assume DPs will use a monitor most of the time, but that's not always an option for light and fast field production scenarios. The XH A1 has lost the comfortable form-fitting eyecup found on the XL H1, and its smaller, harder, rubber version isn’t nearly as comfortable. The resolution of the LCD screen is 207,000 pixels while the EVF (electronic color viewfinder) has a resolution of 269,000 pixels and measures .57” diagonally. Display controls are found in the Display Setup submenu, and include settings for brightness, contrast, color, sharpness and backlight.
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This series of images illustrates how the LCD unfurls from under the handle. |
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Battery Life (34.2)
The Canon XH A1 ships with the BP-950G battery pack, the same battery included with the Canon XL H1. It measures 38.2 x 40.3 x 70.5mm (1.5” x 1.6” x 2.8”) and weighs 210g (7.4 oz.). The battery slips into a cavity in the back of the body, and has a spring-loaded release switch. Moving parts like this should worry shooters who play rough with their camcorders, as they are more liable to break than a simple side-mounted battery placement (as on the XL H1). The other problem this creates is that the cavity door must remain open when the DC power is plugged in. The power pack resembles the battery in miniature, with a long cord dangling out. When plugged in, the long, thin piece of plastic that constitutes the cavity door does not seem all the durable. It’s likely that some shooters will simply remove it permanently. Fortunately, the cavity does not connect to the internals of the camcorder where delicate parts like the circuit board reside. When the battery is loaded, there is still about a 1 1/2” clearance from the roof of the cavity, indicating that using an expanded battery pack is still an option.
We tested the battery for endurance during continuous recording. In our test, we put the camcorder in auto mode and hit record (HDV 1080/60i, in this case), never touching any of the controls. When the tape runs out, we shut the camcorder off, plugged in the DC power, changed tapes, shut it off, replaced the battery, turned it back on, and hit record again. In total, the battery lasted an incredible 5 hours, 42 minutes, and 22 seconds (342 minutes and 12 seconds). This is far longer than the XL H1’s endurance - far longer than any battery we've ever seen! It's a promising sign for potential buyers.
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The battery placement may be internal, but room has been left for a longer life battery. |
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