This has to be the best quality camera review I've ever seen on You Tube. There's none of the humming and hawing we usually get from "reviewers" who clearly had not prepared anything before pressing the record button. The no-nonsense, straight-to-the-meat approach, and especially, the attention to detail (like showing short shots of what the XA 10 had and how it's different from the XA 20) are simply brilliant. Keep up the good work. You've made a fan out of me!
Finally an unbiased review. Other "big" sites seems to always like the products they get for review and generally don't say much about the things they don't like. As someone who's figuring out plenty stuff to start with live streaming, ... reviews like this certainly help! Keep them coming!
This is the best review I have seen for this camera. I have the XA20 and this is dead-on. Here's my take as an owner: 1. If you want a 20x camera that can shoot 1080p60, has pretty good controls, great stabilization, and XLR inputs, you will love this camera. I do. 2. If you are looking forward to all of the cool features talked up in the advertising such as dual recording and Wi-Fi upload, you will be very upset with Canon for not implementing those features in a usable way. I am. Thanks!
…Incidentally, I've read a lot about this camera and yours is the first review I've seen which pointed that out. Thanks for saving me a fair amount of money.
No worries, glad to help. It's frustrating though; I can understand why it can't do dual-format recording in the best quality (not enough processing power) but I'd have thought it should be able to cope with writing to two cards in the same format, for backup purposes. Apparently not :-(
I still like it and you never can say when Canon are going to bring out a replacement. But it depends what you're goi to do with it and how long you want to keep it for as to whether it's a good buy. It won't do 4K which is a bit of a buzz right now (though most stuff is still in Hd really, no matter what the latest trend is)
SRVMOE I don't have a Canon 70D to compare it with. But they're totally, utterly different beasts so not comparable really. Whether the Canon is practical for concert footage depends on how stable a position you're able to set up and how much movement and tracking of the performers you need to do - always tricky focusing a DSLR on the fly and autofocus can prove unreliable. Sound will be better on the XA20.
Can anyone help me? I have the canon xa20. I imported footage to my computer (AVCH format: 50fps PCM audio) and opened to edit in Premiere Pro (5.0). However there is no audio. What's the problem here. Is my version of premiere too old. There is audio when I play the clip in the camcorder but not in my computer (windows 7 64bit) in premiere or windows media player - just the video. How to I access the audio stream. Thanks in advance
Is the video playing back completely fine in Premiere and Windows Media Player? How did you import the clip, did you just copy from the camcorder's card or did you use Premiere's Import tool? I know this sounds like a ridiculous question but are you sure your computer's audio is switched on ie not muted in the Windows Mixer, loudspeakers powered etc? Can you hear any other audio in WMP or Premiere? Have you tried playing it back with VLC? Premiere Pro 5 is a bit old now but I'd be surprised if it couldn't handle the audio if it's managing to handle the video...
I think (may be wrong) that Premiere Pro got to v6 before it converted to what is now Premiere Pro CC for which you have to pay a monthly subscription, so v5 is a tad old, yes - sorry! That is an annoying issue but probably no way to solve it other than your workaround or a new version of Premiere. Surprised the footage is grainy; was it a poorly-lit environment or did you leave the exposure on Auto (ie might it have added lots of gain, which would up the noise?). If manual, what shutter, iris and gain setting did you use?
Yes, I didn't adjust any of the video settings (however I did adjust the audio in accordance with your advice and get much less hiss and a better dynamic range on voice so many thanks) and did some test footage under artificial light at night. Somehow I thought the camera would adjust on auto for these conditions, but to be honest, apart from the widescreen, I see little difference from my 2002 sony video camera - but maybe that's me (not a video expert!)
Your old camera would have been standard definition of course so remember the new one is trying to extrapolate an HD image from a sensor that's got much tinier pixels on it than the old one (cramming 1920 x 1080 pixels instead of the SD standard), it therefore will struggle - as will any non-professional grade camcorder - with low light. All camcorders love light and you really need to blast lots of watts at the subject to make up for the lack of it if you're shooting at night.
Peter Weatherall Hi Peter; no worries about the long post. The reason that broadcast footage handles the contrast better is - in simple terms - that their cameras cost upwards of £15,000 for the body alone, excluding lens!! A lot of money pays for a sensor in the camera that is better at handling a wide dynamic range as well as a range of in-camera adjustments to enable the operator to tweak the way the camera records the footage so as to roll-off and compress the highlights and therefore retain more detail. Having said that, ALL video cameras will work best in lower contrast environments as you have noted from your indoor test where the extremes of dark and bright were much less pronounced. That's why the other thing that TV productions do, if they have the time, is to spend a LOT of time and effort on controlling the light that goes onto a shot, even outdoors. One person with a camera is not going to stand much of a chance matching this effort! I assume you're using the camera on auto exposure? It's essentially struggling to work out where it should set the exposure, knowing that it won't be able to handle both the dark and bright, so it makes a guess somewhere in the middle and this can cause parts of the image to be under or over exposed. Your best option is to set exposure yourself (setting it correctly for the main subject of your shot) and accept that you will have the other parts of the image either burned out or too dark. Even when I shoot for TV news using a £6k Sony pro camcorder, this is the compromise we have to live with because there is not the time or resource to "manage" the light nor can those cameras handle the extremes fully. The nice clips you mention probably actually had low ish relative contrast and were manually exposed (or at least manually adjusted following the camcorder's auto exposure)
I didn't but you'd either have to use separate tablets/smartphones OR constantly switch a single tablet/smartphone between the multiple WiFi networks generated by multiple cameras. I'm not aware of any single device that can simultaneously connect to multiple WiFi networks (and therefore run separate browser windows for each network, thereby giving multiple camera control)
I just got one of these cameras and it was huge improvement over the consumer level Sony cams I had in the past (which I still really like). I'm not sure why people would need FTP when you can take the card out and put it in a high speed reader? Anyway, thanks for a fantastic review. :)
I don't use iMovie but ... in theory, iMovie accepts AVCHD or mp4 files so the best advice would be to shoot at the top quality and try to import that; if it doesn't work, step down one level of quality and try that (and repeat until iMovie accepts the files). If it won't accept any of them you may need to convert them with QuickTime Pro.
Unique, thorough, and extremely helpful video. I'm currently researching options in hopes of upping my performance from Canon Vixia HF M41 HD, making the G30 or XA20 a natural place to start. Thanks.
I'm happy overall with this camera and the HF G30, however they don't meet their potential. I'd hope that firmware, Magic Lantern or SDK would solve some of these issues. 1) It is great to have a camera control unit via WiFi - but as soon as this camera begins recording you lose control of iris and other settings. 2) The user interface / menu takes a while to know - and to quickly get to the most used settings. The custom buttons do not offer all of the setting options. 3) My biggest complaint is not being able to quickly switch from auto exposure to manual exposure. I usually rough set exposure using the camera's automatic aperture - then with a single button or lens slider switch to manual exposure to increase or decrease F stop. This camera doesn't allow for a one step process to do so. It is great that in manual setting the custom button on bottom next to rotation knob allows you to toggle between aperture, shutter, and gain - but there isn't a quick way to get to auto aperture from the manual mode. If you set one of the other custom buttons to exposure - it doesn't work in manual setting. Pros - gain does a fine job with low noise. I hope these issues can be fixed with firmware updates.
Can you comment on the new 5-way stabilization? I'm particularly interested in its ability to reduce image 'roll' in handheld footage which is a feature the XA10 lacks. I find that roll is a significant issue with XA10 footage when holding by the handle.
Hi; it's very good although I think still not quite as good as on the (much cheaper!) Panasonic x920. If you look at my other CZcams channel, UKAirscape, you'll see two test videos of the XA20 stabilisation which may be of interest. Hope that helps.
Why do you need SDI for your work? Just wondering why you wouldn't use the XA20 without SDI, or even the consumer version which loses the handle/XLR's.
Hi, I need an information about the camcorder Canon XA20 (XA25 / HF-G30). In video output AV(composite) on an external video monitor, it shows information about battery, time recording ? Thank you.
Ok. If ...with LCD camcorder and viewfinder off you turn the button to mode CAMERA, camcorder shows video signal AV(composite) on external monitor? Thank you.
exqmedia Yes. Provided that you do not also have an HDMI monitor connected as well because in that case the Canon appears to favour the HDMI output and turns off the AV out.
thanks for the review,really interesting, which camera would you suggest for a professional music video production, i prefer a cam coder to a DSLR and i could stretch my budget to 2000 euros, somebody told me about the new Sony ax53 to be release this month, been looking at different cameras and kind of confuse now,pls helo if you know, thanks
+MostwantedtvChannel Virtually impossible to answer that without knowing your expertise, the actual shooting scenario and so on. And for a "professional music production", I think your budget is way too low. Have you included any allowance for lights etc (which will probably have a more dramatic effect on the final video than the camcorder). The AX53 looks to be a fine camcorder but it's a home use device, not a pro tool. You don't want to hear it but I think a DSLR type would give better results but you need to know how to use it properly.
I like you video clips, but I have a question. If I needed a camcorder to do wildlife and to do some weddings and also sports, and can have an external mic ontop or clipped onto a person for like a documentary/interview and has good image quality, what could/would you recommend to me? I don't mind if the camcorder is a few years old and I have about a grand "$1,000" to play with. Your help is appreciated.
Jay Wolf It sounds like you need a general purpose camcorder to do a bit of everything so that doesn't narrow the choice down. Also, once you start talking about buying second hand then I can't really help because you might be able to find almost anything in your budget depending on how old you're willing to go and how well used it is. It also depends on whether you want HD or whether standard def is good enough for you. Do you want a consumer type camcorder or a pro unit? Too many possible variables here to be able to sensibly help you, unfortunately.
TubeShooterMag Ok, if you had to choose something for weddings and wildlife, which out of these would be best... Panasonic HC-V750K or Canon XA20, and is there another that is similar to these to I should also be looking at for example, the Sony CX900 or some other ? Thank you.
Jay Wolf The XA20 would be better than the Panasonic in part due to better manual controls but also the XLR audio which for weddings will enable you to plug in a greater variety of microphones etc. It's much more than $1,000 though, as is Sony's CX900. The XA20 is in a different class to either the CX900 or HC-750 both of which are more "home / consumer"-oriented. The 750 is more of a point-and-shoot (leave it in Auto) kind of camcorder; the other two permit you to have more manual control. Maybe you prefer just point and shoot (that's fine) in which case the Panasonic might do you. I think it's the cheapest option. I'm not a huge fan of the CX900 (presume you've watched our review, if not click here tubeshooter.co.uk/2014/05/14/review-sonys-hdr-cx900-hd-camcorder/). If you can afford an XA20, take a look at Sony's new PXW-X70 which is even better and not that much more costly.
Hi there, and thanks for a nice walkthrough of this camera. I'm going to buy an extra camera in about a month or two, and the ones I'm thinking about is the Canon Legria HF G30 and the Sony HDR-CX900. They are priced equally, and have their +'es and -'es, both of them. I already got a Canon Legria HF G10 which I'm using now, but I'm having some problems shooting amateur music videoes in low lighting, therefore I'm leaning a little towards the Sony. What would you suggest for an extra camera for me? Mostly shooting music videoes and recording meetings/speeches and so on. Thanks in advance :)
Andreas Ougland I'm tempted to say the HFG30 because it will be familiar to you is better in low light than the G10, and not much worse than the CX900. I trust you've also watched my CX900 review? I'm not really a fan BUT if you can stretch the budget to the "pro" version, the PXW-X70 it is a much better camcorder.
TubeShooterMag I can't go that high :/ But I'm thinking that the G30 is the best for my needs at the moment. But that camera is from 2013, right? Do you know when Canon will release their next camera in this "family"? Like a HFG35 or 40? :)
Andreas Ougland I don't have any inside info on that, sadly but Canon do have remarkably slow product cycles unlike other vendors (like Sony especially who can barely let a month go by without releasing a new camcorder!). I'd be surprised if an HF-G40 came out next year to be honest but don't hold me to that! The Sony IS better in low light than the Canon but the ergonomics aren't as good IMHO.
The idea is for video journalists out "in the field" so they can shoot footage of a breaking news story and then send it back to base without having to muck about with laptop editing. Unfortunately, the implementation is highly flawed, sadly.
It's impossible to say without more information about what you want. Define "better". The x920 is smaller, cheaper, has better stabilisation, offers WiFi streaming and other features; the XA20 has XLR audio inputs, can record 35Mbps mp4 and has more manual controls - but it's considerably more expensive. So, it depends what you want and need as to which one is better.
Awesome review! I was thinking about the XA20, but your review helped me to make my decision. I'm going with Sony FDR-AX100. Thanks a lot buddy! One more subscriber! :)
Yeah! I thought about the CX900, but I chose to pay a little more and get a "future proof" camera. I think, now, 4K is great to have more room to stabilize and crop shots. I saw some footage from CX900 and AX100 and I might say the dynamic range looks awesome! We're going to be happy in the end o march! lol
The only reason I won't get the 4K version is that it only shoots 25p (30 in US and similar countries) and that motion just looks too jerky when played back on TV. As soon as they release a version that does 50p, I'll be more interested! But yes, March / April can't come soon enough!
Are you aware that this Camcorder range CANNOT cope with flash guns going off, it displays vibrations lines destroying footage, I had to send my unit back to Canon who were unable to fix the problem and told me to shoot in 1/125th - the video of the problem is on my channel but my advice is to stay clear of this range if being used for weddings or events where flashes are going off, your footage will be ruined.
Yes, I am aware of that and have seen your video on it; have also tested it on ours and can confirm your findings (I think we had a discussion on Facebook about it too?)
TubeShooterMag WOW! This seems like a major problem. I am going to be filming and interviewing Musicians at Music Festivals where there will be lots of flashes, lasers, visuals going on in view. Does this mean I should not go for the Canon XA20 then? What would you recommend instead for professional interview/documentary quality? Thanks!
seriously AVOID this camcorder, sent it to Canon, they recognized the problem, but didn't provide a fix so I sold it on ebay. I use DSLR's and reverted back to using my XA10 as my B cam but looking to upgrade to C100 - The Sony NX3 and NX5 camcorders are well reviewed
Tom Jauncey You have two issues to contend with in your scenario. First. with many camcorders you are highly likely to get the infamous CMOS flash-band effect due to the way CMOS sensors are read but secondly, the Canon (XA20/HFG30/XA25) has this other, additional, weird problem with flashes as identified by WorldofYPod. The only way to get round "regular" flash banding is either to buy a camcorder that does a full frame scan (they're relatively few and far between - and expensive at present), or get one that offers some kind of flash-band compensation. The way to get round the second problem is not to buy the Canon :-(
WorldofYPod I would probably concur with your choice of C100 I think, for Tom's use. Costly, but lovely footage which will work well with music festival type of application.
I just rented this camera to try out and when monitoring audio through the headphones it creates a really distracting echo. Has anyone else noticed this? I can't believe the camera does this and can't understand why anyone wouldn't be annoyed by it. Any work arounds?
I'm puzzled by what you're describing. Are you using open-backed headphones, close to the camera, with the volume at max? In that case the sound may be feeding back from the headphones into the camera microphone and then back out to the headphones (ad infinitum) thereby creating an echoey feedback loop. Is the echo a single instance of the recorded sound, delayed by a fraction or is it multiple instances (eg an echo of an echo of an echo, in a loop)
Im using sony pro can headphones. While monitoring the sound echoes. On playback the echo is goneHave you not heard this? I hope there is a workaround.
Peter Vandall That doesn't identify the headphones, there are many Sony Pro headphones. What's the model number? I have not heard what you're describing. But you say the echo is not actually being recorded? You're only hearing it in the headphones when filming, it's not on the recording? I'll ask again: is the echo a single instance of the recorded sound, delayed by a fraction or is it multiple instances (eg an echo of an echo of an echo, in a loop) Can you use another sound recorder to record what it is you're hearing in the headphones, and post that up as a video so we can take a listen?
Peter Vandall I think I've realised what you're referring to. There is a fractional delay in hearing what you're recording - perhaps a tenth of a second or so? That's due to the processing time of encoding the video and audio then decoding it back out into the headphones. The upside is it means you're monitoring exactly what's being recorded rather than just what's being input to the camcorder (which wouldn't necessarily give you the required confidence about your recording)
TrainsHQ Yes but they're only 2 megapixel because the sensor in this cam has a sensor that has only slightly more pixels than an HD video image (1920x1080) and the stills are captured at that HD resolution.
You're going to have to be a lot more specific about the problem you've got if you want a sensible answer to this. What precisely is the problem you're encountering?
Canon have released a new version of this, called the XA 30/35. It would be great if you could get it, and review it. It would also be really good to compare it to the Sony PXW-X70.
I'm aware of the new cam; it's essentially identical to the XA20 but with a better sensor, so all the functionality etc is the same as the old model I believe. So, you can realistically compare my XA20 and X70 reviews and draw a conclusion from that.
+TubeShooterMag Thanks for replying. It would be nice to know how the image compares between the XA30 and the X70, as the X70 of course has the larger sensor.
Understood but I think the only difference in the new sensor is greater sensitivity (else they would have made a big song and dance about it in the announcement). So as far as I can see, the image quality should be the same, just the low light performance will have improved. Resolution etc appears to remain the same. Anyway, if I can get hold of one I will review it but at present I don't hold out much hope, sadly.
+TubeShooterMag That's ashame. I was hoping the new one would be better. Canon should really stay up to date. They seem like they're trying to squeeze the most out of old technology. I love the X70, but I just don't like the lens hood. That kinds puts me off of it. Just a shame that there aren't more of these type of camcorders. It would be interesting to see what Panasonic would do if the did one of these semi-pro small camcorders. Thanks for replying!
+ZacGamesMC I don't think a lens hood can be a reason not to buy a camcorder if the rest of it is decent. The X70 is certainly my favourite compact pro camcorder.
That's a good question to which sadly I do not know the answer. The handles certainly look the same but I think you may need to fire off an email to Canon to check. Unfortunately I do not have an XA10 to check it against; sorry.
Sky Generation Can I be awkward and say Sony PXW-X70? But if it had to be one of those two, personally I'd have the Canon but I know a lot of people would choose the Sony. It's very much a matter of personal taste. Technically the Sony is better image quality and of course shoots 4K which may or may not be important to you. But many aspects of it suck. See our CX900 review which is the same camcorder minus the 4K capability.
***** No, this is incorrect and I have just double checked on the camcorder to be sure. When the recording mode is set to either AVCHD 28Mbps (either audio mode) or 35Mbps mp4, "dual recording" is not available as an option - the menu item is grayed out and unselectable. There is no 28Mbps mp4 option. That bitrate is for AVCHD. The highest quality mp4 option is 35Mbps, after which you can choose 24Mbps.
***** No it isn't (see my other reply to your other comment) though this is a common myth. It was not suggested that the lack of dual-recording at highest bitrate is an inherent deal breaker; that's up to the individual purchaser as to whether it's a relevant factor in their decision. It is, however, a disappointment. Consider for example the broadcast videographer who still needs to output interlaced for TV and progressive for web. Shooting 25p will result in a slightly stuttery playback for broadcast due to the lack of interlacing. Shooting at 50p provides both an easy option to render interlaced as well as 25p for web. But in doing so, that videographer loses the reassurance of the dual recording, which for unrepeatable events footage, is a very important factor to consider.
This has to be the best quality camera review I've ever seen on You Tube. There's none of the humming and hawing we usually get from "reviewers" who clearly had not prepared anything before pressing the record button.
The no-nonsense, straight-to-the-meat approach, and especially, the attention to detail (like showing short shots of what the XA 10 had and how it's different from the XA 20) are simply brilliant.
Keep up the good work. You've made a fan out of me!
Thank you Eric; such praise! Why, I think I'm blushing...
Thank you for the comment, it's greatly appreciated. I agree, another Canon will make the upgrade a smoother process than changing brands.
Finally an unbiased review. Other "big" sites seems to always like the products they get for review and generally don't say much about the things they don't like. As someone who's figuring out plenty stuff to start with live streaming, ... reviews like this certainly help! Keep them coming!
This is the best review I have seen for this camera. I have the XA20 and this is dead-on. Here's my take as an owner:
1. If you want a 20x camera that can shoot 1080p60, has pretty good controls, great stabilization, and XLR inputs, you will love this camera. I do.
2. If you are looking forward to all of the cool features talked up in the advertising such as dual recording and Wi-Fi upload, you will be very upset with Canon for not implementing those features in a usable way. I am.
Thanks!
…Incidentally, I've read a lot about this camera and yours is the first review I've seen which pointed that out. Thanks for saving me a fair amount of money.
No worries, glad to help. It's frustrating though; I can understand why it can't do dual-format recording in the best quality (not enough processing power) but I'd have thought it should be able to cope with writing to two cards in the same format, for backup purposes. Apparently not :-(
Very kind of you to say so, thank you!
Good Review, thanks! i buye this camara like a second camera, smal and easy,for tv work out side i recomend it
Thanks for the comment!
Excellent, balanced and thorough review. Refreshing not to see a simple regurgitation of the marketing blurb.
today 5/5/15 is still a good buy the G30? it is $1,200.00 on bh, adorama and amazon or should I wait for a G 40 ?
I still like it and you never can say when Canon are going to bring out a replacement. But it depends what you're goi to do with it and how long you want to keep it for as to whether it's a good buy. It won't do 4K which is a bit of a buzz right now (though most stuff is still in Hd really, no matter what the latest trend is)
Do you like this camcorder better then Canon 70D w/ 70-200 2.8 Is & 17-55 ? used mainly for concert footage .
SRVMOE I don't have a Canon 70D to compare it with. But they're totally, utterly different beasts so not comparable really. Whether the Canon is practical for concert footage depends on how stable a position you're able to set up and how much movement and tracking of the performers you need to do - always tricky focusing a DSLR on the fly and autofocus can prove unreliable. Sound will be better on the XA20.
I usually use a rode mic as well and a manfrotto monopod .. Thanks for your input .
Hi; thanks for the feedback! Glad you enjoyed the review.
Can anyone help me? I have the canon xa20. I imported footage to my computer (AVCH format: 50fps PCM audio) and opened to edit in Premiere Pro (5.0). However there is no audio. What's the problem here. Is my version of premiere too old. There is audio when I play the clip in the camcorder but not in my computer (windows 7 64bit) in premiere or windows media player - just the video. How to I access the audio stream. Thanks in advance
Is the video playing back completely fine in Premiere and Windows Media Player? How did you import the clip, did you just copy from the camcorder's card or did you use Premiere's Import tool?
I know this sounds like a ridiculous question but are you sure your computer's audio is switched on ie not muted in the Windows Mixer, loudspeakers powered etc? Can you hear any other audio in WMP or Premiere? Have you tried playing it back with VLC?
Premiere Pro 5 is a bit old now but I'd be surprised if it couldn't handle the audio if it's managing to handle the video...
I think (may be wrong) that Premiere Pro got to v6 before it converted to what is now Premiere Pro CC for which you have to pay a monthly subscription, so v5 is a tad old, yes - sorry!
That is an annoying issue but probably no way to solve it other than your workaround or a new version of Premiere.
Surprised the footage is grainy; was it a poorly-lit environment or did you leave the exposure on Auto (ie might it have added lots of gain, which would up the noise?). If manual, what shutter, iris and gain setting did you use?
Yes, I didn't adjust any of the video settings (however I did adjust the audio in accordance with your advice and get much less hiss and a better dynamic range on voice so many thanks) and did some test footage under artificial light at night. Somehow I thought the camera would adjust on auto for these conditions, but to be honest, apart from the widescreen, I see little difference from my 2002 sony video camera - but maybe that's me (not a video expert!)
Your old camera would have been standard definition of course so remember the new one is trying to extrapolate an HD image from a sensor that's got much tinier pixels on it than the old one (cramming 1920 x 1080 pixels instead of the SD standard), it therefore will struggle - as will any non-professional grade camcorder - with low light.
All camcorders love light and you really need to blast lots of watts at the subject to make up for the lack of it if you're shooting at night.
Peter Weatherall Hi Peter; no worries about the long post. The reason that broadcast footage handles the contrast better is - in simple terms - that their cameras cost upwards of £15,000 for the body alone, excluding lens!! A lot of money pays for a sensor in the camera that is better at handling a wide dynamic range as well as a range of in-camera adjustments to enable the operator to tweak the way the camera records the footage so as to roll-off and compress the highlights and therefore retain more detail.
Having said that, ALL video cameras will work best in lower contrast environments as you have noted from your indoor test where the extremes of dark and bright were much less pronounced.
That's why the other thing that TV productions do, if they have the time, is to spend a LOT of time and effort on controlling the light that goes onto a shot, even outdoors. One person with a camera is not going to stand much of a chance matching this effort!
I assume you're using the camera on auto exposure? It's essentially struggling to work out where it should set the exposure, knowing that it won't be able to handle both the dark and bright, so it makes a guess somewhere in the middle and this can cause parts of the image to be under or over exposed.
Your best option is to set exposure yourself (setting it correctly for the main subject of your shot) and accept that you will have the other parts of the image either burned out or too dark.
Even when I shoot for TV news using a £6k Sony pro camcorder, this is the compromise we have to live with because there is not the time or resource to "manage" the light nor can those cameras handle the extremes fully.
The nice clips you mention probably actually had low ish relative contrast and were manually exposed (or at least manually adjusted following the camcorder's auto exposure)
I didn't but you'd either have to use separate tablets/smartphones OR constantly switch a single tablet/smartphone between the multiple WiFi networks generated by multiple cameras. I'm not aware of any single device that can simultaneously connect to multiple WiFi networks (and therefore run separate browser windows for each network, thereby giving multiple camera control)
Exceptional review, couldn't have asked for anything better!
Cheers!
"Pressing your grubby finger all over the touch screen" lol :D Nice review.
I just got one of these cameras and it was huge improvement over the consumer level Sony cams I had in the past (which I still really like). I'm not sure why people would need FTP when you can take the card out and put it in a high speed reader? Anyway, thanks for a fantastic review. :)
intheblues meanwhile back at the ranch.....
I don't use iMovie but ... in theory, iMovie accepts AVCHD or mp4 files so the best advice would be to shoot at the top quality and try to import that; if it doesn't work, step down one level of quality and try that (and repeat until iMovie accepts the files). If it won't accept any of them you may need to convert them with QuickTime Pro.
Thank you very much for taking the time to do this comprehensive review. Truly appreciated.
No worries, thanks for your comment!
It probably helps that this was purchased by us rather than supplied for review by Canon so we can say what we like! Thanks for the feedback.
"Some of the implementations is odd, bizarre or unhelpful" - indeed. Thanks for the thorough review!
:-)
Hi; thanks for the feedback! You're spot on, I reckon.
Big thanks for a helpfully detailed and balanced review.
Thanks for your feedback! Much appreciated.
Thank you! Very pleased to hear it :-)
wich zoom controler you are using , you have shown in this video , what is called it . and you have purchase that external
It is a Manfrotto 521i
Great review. Always enjoy watching your videos I am subscribed to both channels!
Unique, thorough, and extremely helpful video. I'm currently researching options in hopes of upping my performance from Canon Vixia HF M41 HD, making the G30 or XA20 a natural place to start. Thanks.
Thanks for sharing. great info.
I'm happy overall with this camera and the HF G30, however they don't meet their potential. I'd hope that firmware, Magic Lantern or SDK would solve some of these issues.
1) It is great to have a camera control unit via WiFi - but as soon as this camera begins recording you lose control of iris and other settings.
2) The user interface / menu takes a while to know - and to quickly get to the most used settings. The custom buttons do not offer all of the setting options.
3) My biggest complaint is not being able to quickly switch from auto exposure to manual exposure. I usually rough set exposure using the camera's automatic aperture - then with a single button or lens slider switch to manual exposure to increase or decrease F stop. This camera doesn't allow for a one step process to do so. It is great that in manual setting the custom button on bottom next to rotation knob allows you to toggle between aperture, shutter, and gain - but there isn't a quick way to get to auto aperture from the manual mode. If you set one of the other custom buttons to exposure - it doesn't work in manual setting.
Pros - gain does a fine job with low noise.
I hope these issues can be fixed with firmware updates.
Can you comment on the new 5-way stabilization? I'm particularly interested in its ability to reduce image 'roll' in handheld footage which is a feature the XA10 lacks. I find that roll is a significant issue with XA10 footage when holding by the handle.
Hi; it's very good although I think still not quite as good as on the (much cheaper!) Panasonic x920.
If you look at my other CZcams channel, UKAirscape, you'll see two test videos of the XA20 stabilisation which may be of interest. Hope that helps.
Why do you need SDI for your work? Just wondering why you wouldn't use the XA20 without SDI, or even the consumer version which loses the handle/XLR's.
Great Review !!!!
Thanks for the review. Very useful.
Who would downgrade a file to to be able to upload it to somewhere?
I am a paparazzi and I use the XA25. It is perfect for that use because it's so tiny!
Would you say the video quality on all 3 models is the exact same for live output?
Yes, as far as I'm aware.
Excellent review , still thinking in buying a XA20 or a Sony NX30
Thanks. Good luck with your decision!
the best review! thanks!
Hi,
I need an information about the camcorder Canon XA20 (XA25 / HF-G30).
In video output AV(composite) on an external video monitor, it shows information about battery, time recording ?
Thank you.
Yes.
Ok. If ...with LCD camcorder and viewfinder off you turn the button to mode CAMERA, camcorder shows video signal AV(composite) on external monitor? Thank you.
exqmedia Yes. Provided that you do not also have an HDMI monitor connected as well because in that case the Canon appears to favour the HDMI output and turns off the AV out.
thanks for the review,really interesting, which camera would you suggest for a professional music video production, i prefer a cam coder to a DSLR and i could stretch my budget to 2000 euros, somebody told me about the new Sony ax53 to be release this month, been looking at different cameras and kind of confuse now,pls helo if you know, thanks
+MostwantedtvChannel Virtually impossible to answer that without knowing your expertise, the actual shooting scenario and so on. And for a "professional music production", I think your budget is way too low. Have you included any allowance for lights etc (which will probably have a more dramatic effect on the final video than the camcorder). The AX53 looks to be a fine camcorder but it's a home use device, not a pro tool. You don't want to hear it but I think a DSLR type would give better results but you need to know how to use it properly.
Beautiful canon camera
Can you use hdmi for an external monitor? And can you use the wifi as field monitor while recording (for on an gimbal)
Yes to both but there is a delay on the WiFi image due to processing time, this is often the case.
+TubeShooterMag thanks!
I like you video clips, but I have a question. If I needed a camcorder to do wildlife and to do some weddings and also sports, and can have an external mic ontop or clipped onto a person for like a documentary/interview and has good image quality, what could/would you recommend to me? I don't mind if the camcorder is a few years old and I have about a grand "$1,000" to play with. Your help is appreciated.
Jay Wolf It sounds like you need a general purpose camcorder to do a bit of everything so that doesn't narrow the choice down. Also, once you start talking about buying second hand then I can't really help because you might be able to find almost anything in your budget depending on how old you're willing to go and how well used it is. It also depends on whether you want HD or whether standard def is good enough for you. Do you want a consumer type camcorder or a pro unit? Too many possible variables here to be able to sensibly help you, unfortunately.
TubeShooterMag Ok, if you had to choose something for weddings and wildlife, which out of these would be best...
Panasonic HC-V750K or Canon XA20, and is there another that is similar to these to I should also be looking at for example, the Sony CX900 or some other ? Thank you.
Jay Wolf The XA20 would be better than the Panasonic in part due to better manual controls but also the XLR audio which for weddings will enable you to plug in a greater variety of microphones etc. It's much more than $1,000 though, as is Sony's CX900.
The XA20 is in a different class to either the CX900 or HC-750 both of which are more "home / consumer"-oriented. The 750 is more of a point-and-shoot (leave it in Auto) kind of camcorder; the other two permit you to have more manual control. Maybe you prefer just point and shoot (that's fine) in which case the Panasonic might do you. I think it's the cheapest option.
I'm not a huge fan of the CX900 (presume you've watched our review, if not click here tubeshooter.co.uk/2014/05/14/review-sonys-hdr-cx900-hd-camcorder/).
If you can afford an XA20, take a look at Sony's new PXW-X70 which is even better and not that much more costly.
TubeShooterMag
Thanks kindly for replying, I will take alook at the new Sony, as you mentioned, cheers.
Hi there, and thanks for a nice walkthrough of this camera. I'm going to buy an extra camera in about a month or two, and the ones I'm thinking about is the Canon Legria HF G30 and the Sony HDR-CX900. They are priced equally, and have their +'es and -'es, both of them.
I already got a Canon Legria HF G10 which I'm using now, but I'm having some problems shooting amateur music videoes in low lighting, therefore I'm leaning a little towards the Sony.
What would you suggest for an extra camera for me? Mostly shooting music videoes and recording meetings/speeches and so on.
Thanks in advance :)
Andreas Ougland I'm tempted to say the HFG30 because it will be familiar to you is better in low light than the G10, and not much worse than the CX900. I trust you've also watched my CX900 review? I'm not really a fan BUT if you can stretch the budget to the "pro" version, the PXW-X70 it is a much better camcorder.
TubeShooterMag I can't go that high :/ But I'm thinking that the G30 is the best for my needs at the moment. But that camera is from 2013, right? Do you know when Canon will release their next camera in this "family"? Like a HFG35 or 40? :)
Andreas Ougland I don't have any inside info on that, sadly but Canon do have remarkably slow product cycles unlike other vendors (like Sony especially who can barely let a month go by without releasing a new camcorder!). I'd be surprised if an HF-G40 came out next year to be honest but don't hold me to that!
The Sony IS better in low light than the Canon but the ergonomics aren't as good IMHO.
The idea is for video journalists out "in the field" so they can shoot footage of a breaking news story and then send it back to base without having to muck about with laptop editing. Unfortunately, the implementation is highly flawed, sadly.
And wich one is better panasonic HC-X920 or canon XA20
It's impossible to say without more information about what you want. Define "better". The x920 is smaller, cheaper, has better stabilisation, offers WiFi streaming and other features; the XA20 has XLR audio inputs, can record 35Mbps mp4 and has more manual controls - but it's considerably more expensive. So, it depends what you want and need as to which one is better.
Thanks a lot
Awesome review!
I was thinking about the XA20, but your review helped me to make my decision. I'm going with Sony FDR-AX100.
Thanks a lot buddy! One more subscriber! :)
Thank you! I have a Sony CX900 on order (the HD-only version of the AX100) so I can't wait to get hold of it and do a review on that too!
Yeah! I thought about the CX900, but I chose to pay a little more and get a "future proof" camera. I think, now, 4K is great to have more room to stabilize and crop shots.
I saw some footage from CX900 and AX100 and I might say the dynamic range looks awesome!
We're going to be happy in the end o march! lol
The only reason I won't get the 4K version is that it only shoots 25p (30 in US and similar countries) and that motion just looks too jerky when played back on TV. As soon as they release a version that does 50p, I'll be more interested! But yes, March / April can't come soon enough!
Yeah, It's true. The AX100 NTSC only does 30p and 24p in 4K,
I live in Japan, so it's going to be available this Friday!!! \o/
I'm very jealous! Post up some samples and impressions eh?
it really is an great camera !
maybe i missed it, but heard nothing about the viewfinder quality, otherwise great review as usual
Are you aware that this Camcorder range CANNOT cope with flash guns going off, it displays vibrations lines destroying footage, I had to send my unit back to Canon who were unable to fix the problem and told me to shoot in 1/125th - the video of the problem is on my channel but my advice is to stay clear of this range if being used for weddings or events where flashes are going off, your footage will be ruined.
Yes, I am aware of that and have seen your video on it; have also tested it on ours and can confirm your findings (I think we had a discussion on Facebook about it too?)
TubeShooterMag WOW! This seems like a major problem. I am going to be filming and interviewing Musicians at Music Festivals where there will be lots of flashes, lasers, visuals going on in view. Does this mean I should not go for the Canon XA20 then? What would you recommend instead for professional interview/documentary quality? Thanks!
seriously AVOID this camcorder, sent it to Canon, they recognized the problem, but didn't provide a fix so I sold it on ebay. I use DSLR's and reverted back to using my XA10 as my B cam but looking to upgrade to C100 - The Sony NX3 and NX5 camcorders are well reviewed
Tom Jauncey You have two issues to contend with in your scenario. First. with many camcorders you are highly likely to get the infamous CMOS flash-band effect due to the way CMOS sensors are read but secondly, the Canon (XA20/HFG30/XA25) has this other, additional, weird problem with flashes as identified by WorldofYPod.
The only way to get round "regular" flash banding is either to buy a camcorder that does a full frame scan (they're relatively few and far between - and expensive at present), or get one that offers some kind of flash-band compensation.
The way to get round the second problem is not to buy the Canon :-(
WorldofYPod I would probably concur with your choice of C100 I think, for Tom's use. Costly, but lovely footage which will work well with music festival type of application.
I just rented this camera to try out and when monitoring audio through the headphones it creates a really distracting echo. Has anyone else noticed this? I can't believe the camera does this and can't understand why anyone wouldn't be annoyed by it. Any work arounds?
I'm puzzled by what you're describing. Are you using open-backed headphones, close to the camera, with the volume at max? In that case the sound may be feeding back from the headphones into the camera microphone and then back out to the headphones (ad infinitum) thereby creating an echoey feedback loop.
Is the echo a single instance of the recorded sound, delayed by a fraction or is it multiple instances (eg an echo of an echo of an echo, in a loop)
Im using sony pro can headphones. While monitoring the sound echoes. On playback the echo is goneHave you not heard this? I hope there is a workaround.
Peter Vandall That doesn't identify the headphones, there are many Sony Pro headphones. What's the model number?
I have not heard what you're describing. But you say the echo is not actually being recorded? You're only hearing it in the headphones when filming, it's not on the recording?
I'll ask again: is the echo a single instance of the recorded sound, delayed by a fraction or is it multiple instances (eg an echo of an echo of an echo, in a loop)
Can you use another sound recorder to record what it is you're hearing in the headphones, and post that up as a video so we can take a listen?
No the echo is not recorded. But while monitoring through any headphones there is still an echo. I don't know how else to describe it.
Peter Vandall I think I've realised what you're referring to. There is a fractional delay in hearing what you're recording - perhaps a tenth of a second or so? That's due to the processing time of encoding the video and audio then decoding it back out into the headphones. The upside is it means you're monitoring exactly what's being recorded rather than just what's being input to the camcorder (which wouldn't necessarily give you the required confidence about your recording)
What lanc controller are you using?
I think it was a Manfrotto 521 but it's broken now and discarded.
can you take photos on this camera?
TrainsHQ Yes but they're only 2 megapixel because the sensor in this cam has a sensor that has only slightly more pixels than an HD video image (1920x1080) and the stills are captured at that HD resolution.
How do i fix the sound on the XA20?
You're going to have to be a lot more specific about the problem you've got if you want a sensible answer to this. What precisely is the problem you're encountering?
Canon have released a new version of this, called the XA 30/35. It would be great if you could get it, and review it. It would also be really good to compare it to the Sony PXW-X70.
I'm aware of the new cam; it's essentially identical to the XA20 but with a better sensor, so all the functionality etc is the same as the old model I believe. So, you can realistically compare my XA20 and X70 reviews and draw a conclusion from that.
+TubeShooterMag Thanks for replying. It would be nice to know how the image compares between the XA30 and the X70, as the X70 of course has the larger sensor.
Understood but I think the only difference in the new sensor is greater sensitivity (else they would have made a big song and dance about it in the announcement). So as far as I can see, the image quality should be the same, just the low light performance will have improved. Resolution etc appears to remain the same. Anyway, if I can get hold of one I will review it but at present I don't hold out much hope, sadly.
+TubeShooterMag That's ashame. I was hoping the new one would be better. Canon should really stay up to date. They seem like they're trying to squeeze the most out of old technology. I love the X70, but I just don't like the lens hood. That kinds puts me off of it. Just a shame that there aren't more of these type of camcorders. It would be interesting to see what Panasonic would do if the did one of these semi-pro small camcorders. Thanks for replying!
+ZacGamesMC I don't think a lens hood can be a reason not to buy a camcorder if the rest of it is decent. The X70 is certainly my favourite compact pro camcorder.
Can you use the xa20 handle on the xa10?
That's a good question to which sadly I do not know the answer. The handles certainly look the same but I think you may need to fire off an email to Canon to check. Unfortunately I do not have an XA10 to check it against; sorry.
no, they contain different settings and info - stick with the XA10 anyway as the XA20 has a serious fault dealing with flashes!
ok, thanks
Thanks!!
canon xa20 or sony ax100 ?
Sky Generation Can I be awkward and say Sony PXW-X70? But if it had to be one of those two, personally I'd have the Canon but I know a lot of people would choose the Sony. It's very much a matter of personal taste. Technically the Sony is better image quality and of course shoots 4K which may or may not be important to you. But many aspects of it suck. See our CX900 review which is the same camcorder minus the 4K capability.
No simultaneous recording to both cards at the highest quality? Forget about it.
***** No, this is incorrect and I have just double checked on the camcorder to be sure.
When the recording mode is set to either AVCHD 28Mbps (either audio mode) or 35Mbps mp4, "dual recording" is not available as an option - the menu item is grayed out and unselectable.
There is no 28Mbps mp4 option. That bitrate is for AVCHD. The highest quality mp4 option is 35Mbps, after which you can choose 24Mbps.
***** No it isn't (see my other reply to your other comment) though this is a common myth.
It was not suggested that the lack of dual-recording at highest bitrate is an inherent deal breaker; that's up to the individual purchaser as to whether it's a relevant factor in their decision. It is, however, a disappointment.
Consider for example the broadcast videographer who still needs to output interlaced for TV and progressive for web. Shooting 25p will result in a slightly stuttery playback for broadcast due to the lack of interlacing. Shooting at 50p provides both an easy option to render interlaced as well as 25p for web.
But in doing so, that videographer loses the reassurance of the dual recording, which for unrepeatable events footage, is a very important factor to consider.