Canon XA25 Professional Camcorder review

Dear readers of my blog! I want to introduce Canon XA25 Professional Camcorder provided by Canon.

I've been waiting for this camera for a LOOOONG time. Canon got so many things right with this entry-level pro camcorder.

The menus work so much better than the XA10. Just the look and feel of the body speaks quality.

I love the built-in lens cap. And the Wifi is a dream come true. I'm a one-man band, shooting solo on a lot of three-camera events. Now, instead of locking down two cameras and operating the third, I can turn two of the cameras into a wifi hotspot and operate all three cameras from one location using my iPad and iPhone. I just wish the zooming function over wifi was continuous. Unfortunately, if you hold down the zoom for more than one second, the iPad thinks the zoom button is an image you want to copy and a popup interrupts your zoom control, breaking the flow of what could (should) be continuous zoom motion.

Oh, well. Next version, maybe?

Apart from that, I am thrilled with this new Canon camera. I was going to buy three XA20's and save the extra $500/camera by not purchasing the SDI out feature. Fortunately, a videomaker friend talked me into the idea of the XA25s, to afford myself the option of shooting live events (I shoot a lot of live events, and with the SDI/BNC port, you can hookup to a broadcast truck, or a switcher). I compromised... I purchased two new XA25's ($1000 more than I budgeted), but saved $1000 by purchasing an XA10 for my third camera. True, the XA10 does NOT offer the wifi feature, so I lose remote operation capability. But most of the live events I shoot require an anchor (fixed) camera angle. The XA10 is perfect for this. I set it on a nice, wide establishing shot, operate one of the XA25s manually, and remote-operate the other XA25 with my iPad. I also invested in a pan/tilt tripod head, which I can also operate remotely (cable, not wireless), and I have full control of that remote cam. Plus, I still have the ability to go two cameras with SDI outs for live events. All without spending one dime more than I budgeted for three XA20s!

Ideal setup for a live shooter!

When I can afford it, I'll purchase a third XA25 and use the XA10 as my backup camera.

Thanks, Canon! You have a hit on your hands with the XA25/20. Now, if you can fix the wifi continuous zoom issue, this camera will be a perfect 10!

The best place to buy Canon XA25 Professional Camcorder:

With Canon XA25 Professional Camcorder you get:

• Newly designed Genuine Canon 20x HD Video Lens (35mm equivalent: 26.8mm-576mm) with 8-Blade Circular Aperture and Manual Focus Ring. 1080/60p recording in MP4 (35 Mbps) and AVCHD Progressive (28 Mbps) for high-quality capture of moving subjects; Slow- and Fast-Motion recording; plus Native 24p Recording.
• A detachable handle provides expanded audio performance and flexibility including two built-in XLR audio input terminals with phantom power and manual gain control, an infrared emitter and diffuser light, an accessory shoe (cold), an external microphone holder, and zoom control. Infrared shooting mode for extreme lowlight conditions.
• New Canon 2.91 Megapixel HD CMOS Pro Image Sensor and new DIGIC DV 4 Image Processor provide high sensitivity and wide dynamic range.
• Built-in Wi-Fi® technology (Dual Band 5 GHz/2.4 GHz) allows you to wirelessly share WL-D89 Wireless Controller your images and video or send to a PC.
• Industry standard HD/SD-­SDI output terminal for uncompressed output

The XA25 is a compact, high-performance professional camcorder designed specifically for "run-and-gun," ENG-style shoots with enhanced I/O connectivity. The XA25 offers a unique combination of high-precision optics, outstanding image processing, multiple recording formats, flexible connectivity and intuitive user features. But its compact design does not mean compromised functionality - this small and lightweight camcorder meets the quality and performance standards necessary for use in a wide range of applications, including news gathering, law enforcement and military, education and documentary, among others. A powerful, all-new Genuine Canon 20x HD Video Lens with SuperRange Optical Image Stabilization and a new 8-Blade Circular Aperture extends user creativity, while a new 2.91 Megapixel Full HD CMOS Sensor and new DIGIC DV 4 Image Processor capture superb images with outstanding clarity. The camcorder features both MP4 (up to 35 Mbps) and AVCHD (up to 28 Mbps) codecs at up to 1080/60p resolution for virtually blur-free, high-quality capture of fast-moving subjects. Dual-band, built-in Wi-Fi technology allows easy FTP file transfer and upload to the internet. A 3.5-inch OLED Touch Panel Display with the equivalent of 1.23 million dots of resolution offers a high contrast ratio, a wide-view angle and high-speed response, while a pair of SDHC/SDXC-compatible card slots enable Relay Recording, double-slot recording, and all-new Dual Recording, which enables the XA25 to capture video in different recording formats simultaneously. An HD/SD-SDI port allows uncompressed video with embedded audio and timecode data to be output to video editors, recorders, news trucks, workstations and other digital cinema/TV hardware, with greater image fidelity than standard HDTV format. Zoom Ratio - 20x Optical / 400x Digital // Focal Length - 3.67-73.4mm (35mm equivalent - 26.8-576mm wi





Regular price for this product is about $2699 but it is on sale