Movin’ On Up!
What you get when you step up to the prosumer market
T
im Jennison, who invented the
Video Toaster for the Amiga per-
sonal computer way back in 1991,
deserves the lion’s share of the credit
for creating the desktop video market.
The relatively inexpensive Video Toaster
made it possible for consumers to
create videos that approached profes-
sional quality; hence, the term “pro-
sumer.” This, in turn, sparked demand
for inexpensive video cameras capable
of doing the same.
The top prosumer camcorders
today are Panasonic’s DVX100a and
the newer DVX200, Sony’s HDV FX1,
and the camera we’ll take a closer look
at here: Canon’s XL2 ($5,000, http://www.
canon.com). One factor that sets the
XL2 apart from these other high-end
models is its interchangeable lenses:
You can remove the XL2’s 20x opti-
cal zoom lens and replace it with a 3x
wide-angle lens, a 16x manual-focus
lens, any of the lenses designed for the
previous-generation XL1, or even—with
an adapter—almost any of Canon’s EF
still-camera lenses. And where con-
sumer DV cams have just one CCD,
prosumer models like the XL2 have
three: one each for processing red,
green, and blue light (the XL2’s are
1/3-inch and offer a native 16:9 aspect
ratio. You can also switch them to
shoot in 4:3 aspect ratio.)
The ability to capture digital video
in progressive-scan mode is a feature
found in only a handful of prosumer DV
cams, including the XL2. Most cam-
corders record an interlaced signal in
which half of the information in a videoframe is scanned each 1/60th of a sec-
ond to create one field. The odd and
even scan lines in two adjacent fields
are then interlaced to create one coher-
ent frame of video. The XL2 can shoot
in this mode, but it’s also capable of
recording video at either 30 frames per
second progressive-scan mode (30P),
in which all the information in each
video frame is captured at once, or
even in a softer 24P mode to produce
video that looks remarkably film-like.
It’s hard to believe how good
prosumer video gear has become. In
recent years, films shot with digital
camcorders like this have taken awards
at the Sundance Film Festival and the
Academy Awards. All it takes is a little
bit of cash and a whole lot of talent.The viewfinder has a large
rubber hood to block
ambient light. Canon’s
decision to omit the
flip-out LCD in the XL2’s
design is questionable,
but you won’t hear any
criticism of the XL2’s abil-
ity to record in your choice
of 60 fields per second
interlaced, 30 frames per
second progressive scan,
or a very film-like 24 fps
progressive scan.Notice where Canon placed the XL2’s boom
mic: It’s up and far away from the tape-trans-
port mechanism, so motor noise doesn’t
bleed into the tape. You can also replace
this mic with another; the camera can supply
phantom power, too. What’s more, there are
two XLR balanced mic inputs on the back of
the camera, and you can record up to four
independent audio tracks.Not all prosumer
cameras are as massive
as the shoulder-carried
Canon XL2, which tips
the scales at 7.8 pounds
when fully loaded. Sony’s
high-definition HDV-
FX1 and Panasonic’s
DVX100a, for example,
look very much like
consumer DV cams.JANUARY 2006 MA XIMUMPC 5
Prosumer cameras offer higher-quality lenses
than consumer models. The Canon XL2’s mas-
sive 20x optical zoom lens is coated with Flou-
rite, to reduce lens flare, and features a highly
effective optical image-stabilization system. But
you can swap this lens for any of several other
special-purposes lenses, or—with an
adapter—any of Canon’s EF-series still-
camera lenses.