Canon‘s not about to let Nikon get all the press today, no sir. Two new high-def camcorders, the XL H1S (pictured) and XL H1A, are on the way, and add a couple features that, apparently, were requested by professionals. (That last sentence, by the way, is utterly worthless. When does a company release a new product that doesn’t add “features”?) Both HDV tape-using camcorders have an updated lens, the cleverly named Canon 20x HD Video Lens.
What’s the difference between the two, other than price? (The XL H1S is $9K and the XL H1A is $6K.) Well, the H1S has something called HD-SDI, which is some sort of uncompressed A/V output.
Let’s be real for a moment. These camcorders are for Wall Street executives looking for a new toy, or actual film guys; they’re a little more high-end than the average consumer-oriented camcorder.