HD For Indies

Camcorderinfo.com has pics from the IBC floor (it's on public display) of the as yet unannounced Canon HDV camcorder.

No price, details, nada yet.

They have a unit on the floor under glass - that typically indicates a nonfunctional mockup, not even a prototype, meaning the unit is probably 6-9 months away from shipping (hellllooooooo, NAB 2006?).

Extrapolating from rumors and hints from folks at NAB, I'd expect something along the lines of an HDV enabled XL2 - interchangeable lenses, DV & HDV, most likely 24p.

The interesting questions, to my mind:

-will it record in 720p, 1080i, or (dream forth) 1080p?
-will it allow for a direct to disk recording option?
-will it have a pre-compression component HD video out?
-3 chip, I would presume? And 1/3 inch chips at that?
-price? I'd guess in the $6-$7K price range if 720p based, a little higher ($7500ish) if 1080i capable.

It's been interesting that Canon, always a member of the HDV coalition, has waited so long to get in the game.

Their original XL-1 was a genre buster, and one of the favored cameras of the indie set. Can they do it again with this XL3? (Or whatever it is to be called).

Digging through my trusty archives (boy, Google search within my own site is darn handy, you should try it using the bar at top of page), I stumbled across this from DigitalProducer.com earlier this year - at NAB they speculated, based on conversations with Canon reps,

I would put money on the claim that by the end of the year, you will see a Canon HDV solution. I would postulate Canon unveils a GL3 HDV camera first, followed by an end-of-the year XL3 HDV. Why? When I was at the Consumer Electronics Show in January, I mentioned to Canon that they haven't had a GL2 upgrade in some time, and their response was, "That is correct" (nudge, nudge, wink, wink, know what I mean?)."


So, based on that and the pics in the top link, an announcement of a GL3 and XL3, with the GL3 shipping first sometime year hopefully in time for the Christmas shopping season (it's a high end consumer camera, after all); and based on the timing and the mockup status of the IBC unit, sometime in Q1 or launching at NAB 2006 (April) for the new Canon XL3.

Speculation, speculation all. To be answered in a few days. Can't wait - the indie viable low end HD camera market is about to get more crowded - the Sony HVR-Z1U, the Panasonic HVX-200, the JVC GY-HD100, and now the Canon XL3 all have their pros and cons and are worth considering and evaluating for next year's projects.

-mike