Canon XH A1 Camcorder Reviewby David KenderPublished on Nov 21, 2006 12:00 PM
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The Front (10.0)
The XH A1 has a relatively conventional body design that looks at first glance more like Panasonic’s AG-HVX200, Sony’s HDR-FX7, or Canon’s own GL 2 than its beefed up counterpart, the XL H1. From the front, the detachable lens hood is the most prominent feature of the XH A1, and it is deep enough to provide decent lens shading. The lens cover is removable, and unlike on Sony’s FX7 which sports a barn-door-style lens cover, it is not integrated into the hood.
The Canon 20x HD zoom lens is not interchangeable, and this is one of the major differences between this camcorder and the XL H1 which is compatible with both DV and HD XL Series lenses. This lens was designed specifically for the A1 and G1, and its specifications differ slightly from the 20x XL H1 lens. It has a 35mm equivalent of f=4.5-90mm, f/1.6-3.5, and a filter diameter of 72mm. Like other Canon lenses, the elements are composed of fluorite and UD (ultra low dispersion) glass. To the left of the lens is the External Sensor for Instant AF which cannot be obscured for this feature to function properly. The lens hood has a window to accommodate the sensor, but Canon notes that third party matte boxes and some adaptors – including Canon’s own – may block the sensor.
The lens includes three rubber control rings, with the focus ring closest to the lens, followed by the zoom ring and iris ring. On the XL H1, an ND filter ring occupied the position of the iris ring, and the iris adjustment was a small dial located on the camcorder body. Iris is more frequently adjusted than ND filters, and we think the iris ring is an improvement over the dial found on the XL H1. All three rings on the XH A1 are distinguished tactilely from one another: the plastic iris ring is the narrowest, the zoom ring is a bit wider, and the focus ring is the widest of the three and has a slightly larger diameter than the other two.
Above the lens, the onboard stereo microphone adorned with a Canon logo is the only other notable feature visible from the front. The microphone is mounted on the handle, and protrudes several inches forward of the body. A removable external microphone holder that attaches to the handle just behind the onboard mic can also be seen jutting left. The mic holder is a thoughtful addition, and should accommodate most third-party boom microphones with little or no customization.
The Right Side (15.0)
The right side of the XH A1 is host to many of the camcorder’s ports including XLR terminals, as well as the tape compartment and primary grip. The right side also offers a good view of the handle, which extends horizontally from the back end of the camcorder to rejoin the body just behind the iris ring. The onboard microphone attaches to the front of the handle, and the external microphone holder meets the handle just behind it. A switch that enables/disables the secondary zoom controls on top of the handle is visible near the external mic holder. A stereo mini jack is inset into the handle below the external mic holder.
The XH A1’s XLR connectors and their associated controls are directly below the stereo mini jack, on a distinct subsection of the camcorder body. The camcorder’s XLR terminals are on the outside surface of this “audio box,” with CH1 on top and CH2 below. Above the XLR terminals on the top surface of the box are four selection switches. On the left under the header label XLRMIC ATT. are two switches for CH1 and CH2. These switches turn the 20dB attenuator on or off for the respective channel. To the right is a switch labeled LINE/MIC for setting the audio signal type.
Below that is the XLR input channel selection switch. The CH1 setting will send audio from XLR input terminal 1 to channel 2, and audio from XLR input terminal 2 to channel 2. The CH1 CH2 setting splits audio from XLR input terminal 1 between channels 1 and 2. I find Canon’s labeling here confusing – the CH1 label does not intuitively imply that both terminals are used, but with only two options the switch shouldn’t give you trouble. Two more switches are on the front face of the audio box under the header label +48V. These two switches send 48V power to terminal 1 and terminal 2, and can be set on or off.
The main grip occupies the mid-section of the XH A1's right side, and the tape compartment is enclosed by the grip area. The tape compartment release latch is on the top surface of the grip, adjacent to the zoom lever. The grip zoom lever on the XH A1 is considerably smaller than the full-sized lever on the XL H1 but is still designed for two-finger operation. Behind the zoom lever are the photo button and zoom speed adjustment dial. Both of these controls are accessible with your index finger when gripping the camcorder with your right hand. The record start/stop button is on the rear surface of the grip encircled by a 2-position standby-lock switch.
Two small toggle switches are located just behind the grip on the XH A1 body. The lower switch selects either constant or variable zoom speeds. Above the zoom speed selector switch is a card/tape media switch. To the left is a BNC terminal labeled VIDEO2 protected by a sturdy rubber port cover. To send a video signal to an external monitor via the VIDEO2 terminal, the video output selection switch (in the terminal compartment on the camcorder’s back side) must be set to V2. The Professional Jack Pack found only on the XH G1 is mounted below the VIDEO2 terminal, but the space is empty on the XH A1. The EVF (electronic color viewfinder) is attached to the back end of the handle.
The Back (8.0)
At first glance, the back of the XH A1 struck me as reminiscent of the Sony VX1000, with its battery door and enclosed battery compartment, and menu dial at lower left. This struck me as a strange bit of historical sampling given that Sony’s newer camcorders don’t bear the same resemblance, but it is a reminder that smart has a way of resurfacing across the years. On the XH A1, the battery door occupies most of the back end of the camcorder body, and is released by a switch just above it. The door hinges at its base and does not swing beyond parallel to the camcorder’s base, so it should never be blocked by a tripod or shoulder mount.
The interior of the battery compartment is a gaping hole that is enclosed but expandable. When the included BP-950G is inserted, nearly an inch of space remains above the battery, and the slot is large enough to accommodate the longer-life BP-970G, which can also be used with the XL H1. This camcorder is compatible with Canon’s BP-930 or BP-945 batteries, which have been in use since the early days of the XL line, and are also compatible with the XL H1. The battery is released via a spring-loaded latch at the lower right corner of the compartment, and slides into the camcorder along a track, terminal side down. The SD card slot is also housed in the battery compartment, and is just above the battery slot.
A narrow plastic port cover runs vertically from top to bottom to the left of the battery compartment door. While the cover itself is sturdy, it is attached to the camcorder by only a thin strip of plastic, and could be easily snapped off if the cover were to snag on something during a shoot. It's serviceable, but on a camcorder in this price range, we’d like to see more attention paid to minutiae like port cover design. The compartment contains 5 ports as follows from the top: LANC terminal, 4-pin Firewire terminal, mini stereo headphone jack, A/V1 terminal, and component out terminal. To the right of the Firewire terminal is a small LED indicator lamp that illuminates when shooting in HDV mode (versus DV), and to the right of the A/V1 terminal is a selector switch. The switch allows you to toggle video output between A/V1 and V2 – or, the VIDEO2 BNC terminal on the right side of the camcorder.
The menu SELECT/SET Dial is at the lower left corner of the back, and can be pressed up or down to move through menu selections. This is a spring loaded dial that returns to its mid-point when released. At its mid-point, the dial can be pressed in to select an option in the menu. This dial doubles as a playback volume controller.
Mounted on the back end of the handle above the XH A1’s body is the EVF (electronic color viewfinder), which can be tilted up to nearly a vertical position. While this EVF is good, the eyecup is made of hard plastic and not nearly as comfortable as the one on the XL H1. I also found it difficult to use without some light leak. The dioptric adjustment lever is on the underside of the EVF.
The Left Side (14.0)
The left side of the Canon XH A1 shows considerable departures in design from the XL H1. The primary differences are in control implementation (ND filter switch on the XH A1, ND filter ring on the XL H1), the movement of some controls to the menu (HDV/DV mode select in-menu on the XH A1, external switch on the XL H1), and the relocation of many audio options to the right side of the camcorder.
The Power/Mode Dial is the centerpiece of the XH A1's left-side, located about a third of the way towards the lens from the back of the body. This control is similar to the one found on the XL H1, and has a small release that must be pressed to switch from one operating mode to another. The dial is unique in design to Canon, and I like the fact that it allows very easy switching between modes. You will need to memorize what each icon or letter indicates, because they are not spelled out – and not entirely intuitive. For example, “Tv” on the dial corresponds to shutter priority mode. You’ll get the hang of it with a little practice if you are new to Canon’s dial but it will be familiar to veteran XL users. The operating modes available on the dial are, from the top: External Control mode, VCR/Play mode, Power off and Auto. These basic modes are followed by presets for Shutter-Priority, Aperture-Priority, Manual, Spotlight, Night, and Green or “easy” mode. A green LED lamp above the dial doubles as a power indicator and mode selection marker.
A small LCD screen sits in the center of the Power/Mode Dial, and provides a secondary display of basic recording information that can also be seen on the LCD screen or viewfinder. The panel displays video signal standard (SD/HDV), time code setting (non-drop frame...), time code sync setting (Genlock), video output HD/SD SDI signal setting, end of tape indication, battery life, audio level bars, and audio setting (manual or auto).
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In close-up, it's evident that Canon still managed to pack a lot of controls into the left side. |
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A number of external image buttons and controls are to the left of the Power/Mode Dial, while another set of controls are aligned horizontally along the base of the left side. When viewing the horizontal “control strip” from left to right, the controls are the Shutter/K dial (replacing the Gain Dial in the same spot on XL H1), Exp. Lock button, three-position Gain switch (L, M and H), video output select switch (CAM or BARS), three-position WHITE BAL. switch (B, A and PRE), manual white balance button, CUSTOM KEYS 1 and 2, and CUSTOM PRESET ON/OFF and SELECT buttons. Just below and to the left of the Power/Mode dial, and above the control strip are two more toggle switches, for AGC ON/OFF and AWB ON/OFF.
Above the control strip and forward of the Power/Mode dial, the XH A1’s body bulges out following the curve of the lens housing. The rear-facing side of the bulge serves as additional real-estate, and four buttons aligned from top to bottom as follows: DISP., PEAKING, MAGN. and record review.
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Another angle of the left side |
On the outside surface of the lens barrel, ahead of the four buttons above are several additional external controls. Most prominent is a 3-position switch labeled POSITION PRESET. The options available are FOCUS, ZOOM, or OFF. Below this switch is a spring-loaded toggle for setting a zoom or focus position as a preset, which defaults to OFF. Pressing the toggle towards ON returns you to the preset position. Below these position preset controls is the auto-manual focus switch labeled AF M, and to its left is the PUSH AF button, which momentarily overrides manual focus.
Near the back of the camcorder are the XH A1's audio level controls, but audio signal selection controls that were positioned here on the XL H1 have migrated to the right side near the XLR terminals. Under the AUDIO heading are dials for CH1 and CH2 that sit flat against the surface of the body. Below is the AUDIO LEVEL toggle switch, with options for A and M. Below that is the all-important but tiny MENU button.
The Top (8.0)The LCD screen is mounted on a sturdy swiveling hinge above the POSITION PRESET switch on the left side, but it uniquely docks into the top of the camcorder. In terms of functionality, the LCD works like most contemporary screens, and it can be rotated through nearly 270 degrees for multiple viewing angles. The primary benefit to placing the screen on top of the body is that it is slightly higher than most screens and sits above the top of the body when open. This provides for an angle of view when shooting hand-held that I find more comfortable than screens that simply open horizontally from a camcorder’s body, and places the screen in-line with your subject. The one drawback I see to this of 207K pixel 16:9 LCD screen is its relatively small size. At 2.8 inches, it’s significantly smaller than the 3.5” screens on competing camcorders from Sony. Without a generously-sized LCD, or the excellent eyecup found on the XL H1 viewfinder, the XH A1 falls a bit short in terms of its onboard video monitoring hardware.
Inside the LCD cavity are three controls with a 2-position MIC ATT. switch (OFF or ATT.) at top left, WHITE BAL. PRESET at top right (indoor, outdoor or K), and an END SEARCH button at lower left. The XH A1’s onboard speaker is at the front of the LCD cavity, and the tiny RESET button is just above the speaker.
The VCR interface is located on top of the handle, directly above the LCD cavity. Read from bottom to top, the VCR buttons are Record, Fast Forward, Play, Rewind, Stop and Pause. The buttons are protected by a hard plastic cover as on the XL H1, and several of these buttons have secondary still photo functions. The secondary controls are labelled on the inside of the cover next to their respective buttons. The Rewind and Fast Forward buttons can be used to navigate still images, while Play starts and stops photo slide show. Pause serves as the Drive Mode selector with options for Continuous Shooting, High-Speed Continuous, Auto Exposure Bracketing, and Single shot modes. The Stop button also serves as a metering mode selector, and pressing the button repeatedly cycles through metering options, including Evaluative, Center Weight Average, and Spot.
In front of the VCR controls on the top surface of the handle are secondary controls for zoom, START/STOP record, and photo. They are positioned for easy operation when gripping the camcorder by the handle, i.e. when shooting from a low angle and monitoring from above. A hot shoe compatible with Canon flashes is positioned forward of these secondary controls. For non-Canon devices, it serves as a cold shoe.
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