Canon announces professional 4K UHD camcorders: XA40, XA50 and XA55

Canon has announced the latest additions to its professional XA series with three new 4K UHD camcorders: the XA40, XA50 and XA55.

– The XA55 and XA50 are 4K UHD camcorders with a 1.0 type sensor, dual pixel CMOS AF and a 15x Canon 4K optical zoom with Super UD (ultra-low dispersion) elements. The only difference between the XA50 and XA55 is that the XA55 has 3G SDI.

The cameras also use a single DIGIC DV6 image processor and Over Sampling HD processing , as well as 5-axis image stabilization. About 80 percent (vertically and horizontally) of the image is covered by Dual Pixel CMOS AF.

Canon has also included the same Dual Pixel Focus Guide found on the C200 and C300 Mark II that provides a graphical user interface to assist manual focusing. This innovative guide applies CMOS Dual Pixel AF phase difference technology to help achieve the same high-precision focusing.

– The XA40 is a palm-sized camcorder weighing 730 g (body only). It weighs in at 1.2 kg with the detachable XLR handle unit, battery, lens hood and microphone mount. Canon claims it is one of the most portable and compact professional 4K UHD camcorders available today.

The camera uses a combination of a 1 / 2.3 inch 4K UHD CMOS sensor and a DIGICDV6 image processor to deliver 4K UHD images and Full HD images using Over Sampling HD processing. The camera only records in MP4 and is capable of 150Mbps UHD at 25P and Full HD at 35Mbps at 50P and 17Mbps at 25P.

All three cameras are suitable for 4K UHD and HD productions. By using Over Sampling, high-definition recordings benefit from the use of the entire sensor area. The new XA series camcorders are aimed at professional users for applications such as news gathering, corporate videos and documentary production.

The new XA series cameras will be sold for the following prices:

• XA40: $ 1,699 USD
• XA50: $ 2,199 USD
• XA55: £ $ 2,699 USD