Canon® Canon XF300

The XF300 represents Canon’s entry into professional solid-state video acquisition. Key features include:

• 3-chip 1/3″ 2.07MP Full HD CMOS sensor

• 29.3-527.4mm F/1.6-2.8 18x optical zoom lens

• Capture MPEG-2 HD 422 up to 50 Mbps in MXF with dual CF slots

• Professional build with balanced ergonomics

CMOS Sensors. The XF300 uses three 1,920 × 1,080 1/3-inch CMOS sensors, and you can choose among 60i, 60p, 30p, and 24p settings to achieve just the look you want. The camera supports Full HD 1,920 × 1,080 resolution at up to 50 Mbps bit rate with 4:2:2 color sampling.

Fast- and Slow-Motion Recording. This camera can record at one frame rate and play back at another, allowing fast- and slow-motion recording without loss of image quality. The XF300 can also do interval frame recording at any of 25 rates, from one second to ten minutes.

Compact Flash Card Recording. The camera records to and has two hot-swappable card slots, allowing you to change cards without interrupting shooting.

Canon 18x HD Zoom Lens. The XF300’s L-series lens has a 35mm-equivalent zoom range of 29-527mm, twin autofocus systems, and three-mode optical image stabilization. A waveform monitor and vectorscope are built right into the camera. The freely rotating 3.5-inch LCD monitor and 1.55MP electronic viewfinder show a 100% field of view.

Additional Features. Inputs and outputs, including HDMI Output, Component Video Output (using the included DTC-1500 cable), Composite Video Output (BNC and 3.5mm), USB 2.0 Hi-Speed Terminal, and a Remote Control Terminal (compatible with LANC protocol). There’s also a built-in stereo microphone and two XLR audio inputs with +48V phantom power.

A terrific offering from Canon for event videography, documentary filmaking, or even narrative features. This camera has been largely overlooked due to that little HDSLR “revolution” you might have…

A terrific offering from Canon for event videography, documentary filmaking, or even narrative features. This camera has been largely overlooked due to that little HDSLR “revolution” you might have heard about. That’s very unfortunate, because the Canon XF 300 is one of the best cameras Canon has ever made. Perhaps more exciting than the camera itself is the codec it records with; you can record 50mbps and full 4:2:2 colorspace without having to use an external recorder. Not only that, but it records these super high-quality files to standard compact flash cards. Just keep in mind, this new codec is quite demanding of your editing suite; so older computers need not apply.