Canon XA55 Review

How many cameras can record content in 4K? More than just a couple of them. However, a significant gap exists between 4K videos of good resolution and 4K videos of poorer quality. There is also a world of difference between having superb focusing features and not having such capabilities, how easily those functions can be accessed, and how adaptive your camcorder can be in different lighting settings.

People who aren’t technology experts could find it challenging to use higher-quality professional camcorders due to the complexity of their features. Because if you can acquire a 4K camera for less than 400 dollars, there is no need to utilize a camcorder that costs closer to 2000 dollars. The response to this question is quite involved. However, for this reason, camcorders XA55 are designed to perform additional functions in addition to recording video.

The Canon XA55 Professional UHD 4K Camcorder is a camcorder that is both compact and lightweight, and it captures video in UHD 4K resolution. It also has a 1 “CMOS sensor, two XLR audio inputs, one mini-HDMI output, and one BNC 3G-SDI output, all of which place this camera squarely in the ENG category for use in productions of a documentary or journalism-style nature.

The optics of the XA55 include a built-in 15x HD optical zoom, a nine-bladed circular iris for producing highlights with a more realistic look, and broad dynamic range gamma support for filming in low-light environments.

Complete manual control, fast- and slow-motion recording, dual pixel and contrast autofocus, optical and electronic image stabilization, a 3 in. The LCD screen has professional-grade capabilities offered by the camera “touchscreen LCD, user-assignable buttons, infrared mode, and a DIG! C DV 6 image processor with high sensitivity and low noise are some features of this camera.

In addition, the XA55 includes a built-in neutral density filter mechanism that provides settings for ND4, ND16, and ND64. Display monitoring functions such as zebra, color bars, and test tone are also included.

The camera captures images in UHD 4K30 and Full HD 1080p60, records those images to dual SD card slots, and broadcasts those images over mini-HDMI and 3G-SDI connections. In addition, due to two SD card ports, the device can automatically transition from recording from one card to another while simultaneously recording to both.

The camera’s mini-HDMI and 3G-SDI outputs can output video with a maximum resolution of 1920 by 1080 pixels and a bit depth of 4:2:2 at a frame rate of 59.94 frames per second. In addition, the XA55 has up to four channels of LPCM audio with customizable or automated recording levels, two XLR inputs with phantom power, and a 3.5mm stereo micro input for its audio capabilities.

In addition to a port for headphones, it has a stereo microphone integrated right in. The camera operations may also be operated by a remote control that is sold separately and designated as RC-V100.

Features

• 8.29MP, 1 “CMOS sensor
• Integrated optical zoom lens with 15 times magnification
• optical image stabilization on all five axes
• Dual-pixel CMOS autofocus feature
• Recording at both UHD 4K30 and HD 59.97 frames per second
• Dual XLR, 3.5mm mic/line audio inputs
• recording in MP4 format
• DIG!C DV 6 processor
• There are two slots for SD memory cards.
• Mini-HDMI and 3G-SDI are the outputs available.
• 1/4 “a tripod mounting thread measuring -20

Professional Camcorder

The recently introduced XA55 from Canon is designed to combine 4K video quality with the essential functions required in a camera that can easily be carried around. XA55 is well-suited for recording documentaries or news broadcasts since they have an all-in-one kit design that enables users to mix audio and edit footage using just one device.

Capacity to Fire Shots

XA55 incorporates a one-inch CMOS sensor into their designs, a pair of XLR audio inputs, and a mini-HDMI output. Notably, the size of this CMOS sensor is roughly seven times greater than the more usual 1/2.84″ CMOS sensor, which is the kind you may find in a camcorder geared more toward beginners. In addition, the bigger sensor offers a significant number of benefits.

Most involve working in lower lighting settings and lowering the noise in your photographs around such conditions. On the other hand, the bigger sensor is advantageous for working with a narrow depth of field with large aperture photos. This allows you to get a deeper depth of visual control due to the procedure.

This sort of range enables a degree of color progression that is almost seamless, which helps your image come out appearing a lot smoother than it would have otherwise. There is also a much-enhanced perception of color fidelity, and with just a little attention to detail, you can get rid of unwelcome highlights and blown-out frames that result from overexposure.

Not only is the fact that these camcorders are capable of shooting in 4K, but also how they enable you to do so is a significant part of their appeal. For example, the face detection auto-finder tool can function in two different ways, depending on your preference. The first mode gives importance to the face, and the second option focuses solely on the front. Both modes explain themselves, but in a nutshell, the face-only method will refuse to focus on anything other than faces. In contrast, the face priority option will precede concentrating on faces whenever possible.

Imagine that your topic will momentarily hide behind something, like ducking behind a tree for a second or hiding behind a telephone pole for a few seconds.

Given this, the face-only mode will maintain its concentration on the same point until it reaches the end it was looking at just before it loses track of the person’s face. It will then resume its search for the beginning when the person emerges from behind the object blocking its view.

It is beautiful when the camcorder stays out of your way and lets your work; that is what XA55 was meant to accomplish. It is nice when the camcorder stays out of your way and enables you to work.

Switching between these two focusing modes might be helpful depending on your plan for the following scenario you want to autofocus on. In addition, getting to them is not difficult at all.

You may choose an area by touching the LCD on the camcorder while operating in the face priority mode. This will allow the display to determine which face you want the camera to emphasize. When the camera detects that a look is no longer present within the frame, the auto-focus function will revert to concentrating on the place it was in before.

The Visible Presentation and the Internal Hardware

When discussing the LCD, we should mention that the onboard screen is a touchscreen panel measuring 3 inches in size. Additionally, there is an electronic viewfinder measuring 0.24 inches in length that will assist you in composing your next image.

As was said before, the electronic viewfinder (EVF) is an excellent tool for recognizing faces. Still, it also features a plethora of menu settings that may assist you in configuring and controlling these machines’ creative and professional potential.

In addition, the touch panel was developed to be compatible with the focusing technologies offered by Canon, making for a very simplified method of photography. You may choose between shooting modes with the tap of your finger once or many times.

The hardware itself is just as versatile, with the electronic viewfinder (EVF) enabling a tilt of 45 degrees, allowing for smooth and comfortable use in various positions and orientations. People who don’t necessarily know where to place their camera to acquire the following photo will find this feature helpful.

The sensor has a total pixel collection of around 13.4 megapixels, which translates to a resolution of 4268 by 3148, and is used to record the material you take. However, that is the unprocessed number of pixels you extract from that large CMOS sensor. So the number of captured pixels is around 8.29 megapixels, translating to a resolution of 3840 by 2160. So it continues to be pretty high.

Configuration of the Hardware

XA55 was manufactured with a handle that can be swiftly detached from the camcorder’s body or reattached to it without any tools.

After it has been mounted, you will notice that the handle has an ingenious zoom lever and a start/stop button that is conveniently located so that it can be reached with your thumb while holding the device. Because the handle may be detached, it is essential to point out that it can also be replaced if it becomes damaged or goes missing.

The handle also has a pair of XLR terminals capable of being operated separately from one another. As a result, managing audio levels do not present a challenge in more sophisticated audio settings. Additionally, the handle has a cold shoe and a microphone mount, which means you can always add one of Canon’s other alternative peripherals later.

When you include the handle, the overall dimensions of these camcorders are 8.5 inches in height and 10.4 inches in length. If you do not consider or remove the hold, the size will be reduced to a more manageable 3.6 inches.

Suppose you consider the body’s weight. In that case, they come in at roughly 2.1 pounds, which, even though they contain such a significant amount of power within, are still a good weight and make them relatively easy to handle.

In addition to that, this apparatus possesses a significant amount of power. For example, the optics have a 15x HD optical zoom, the same as having a focal film length range of 23.5–382.5 millimeters. Moreover, the f-stop value used by default can be changed to any value between f/2.8 and 4.5. In addition, because you are not dependent on digital zoom, you can keep the sharpness of the 1-inch sensor regardless of how far you zoom in or out.

Similarly, the maximum shutter speed works out to a very blazing fast 1/2000/sec, which qualifies the XA55 as appropriate for capturing rapid-motion photos, such as recording sporting events.

You have an automatic setting available to manage the exposure, which is not unexpected at all. However, you may also find several gradients inside the manual mode, such as P, AV, TV, manual exposure, and many SCN modes.

You’ll discover that the SCN modes include things like a beach mode, a sunset style, a night mode, and a fireworks option, among other things—all of the standard features found on other Canon camcorders, which users have grown to anticipate having.

You’ll find that the coloring features broad DR gamma support, which makes it possible to achieve incredibly excellent video quality and a better degree of vividness and precision in every shot. In addition, XA55 is designed to assist in retaining clarity even when the lighting circumstances are not as favorable as when you have worked with them.

There is some representation of slow and fast motion, but it is not as robust as the representation provided by cameras developed expressly for such purposes. XA55 takes advantage of Canon’s most recent dual-pixel AF technology. This makes it possible to capture 4K material at a constant 30 frames while still achieving 60 frames per second while operating at 1080p.

In reality, the fastest possible speed is 1200x, while the slowest likely pace is 0.4x at its shortest. Because of this, it is an excellent tool for use in creative industries, professional productions, and other similar endeavors.

The Significant Variation

XA55 comes with a significant price tag attached to them respectively. However, they can also provide quite a lot of value in return.

They produce material in 4K resolution and deliver exceptionally high-quality content in 4K solution. This is made possible by a 1″ CMOS sensor, support for broad dynamic range, and help from their superb autofocus capabilities.

And it is just the tip of the iceberg. You can capture professional-quality film in various settings thanks to the 15x optical zoom. In addition, there is support for operating in the infrared mode and a pair of XRL inputs equipped with linear PCM 4-channel audio capabilities. That enables these camcorders to significantly emphasize mobile video creation, which is especially possible thanks to the presence of 24-bit audio recording capacity within the device.

The fact that Canon also offers a somewhat extensive selection of additional accessories that can be purchased separately and used with these products is a plus. Therefore, they are worthy of serious attention for nearly everybody interested in capturing 4K videos of professional quality.

Canon XA55 Specifications

Imaging

Sensor Resolution	Actual: 13.4 Megapixel (4268 x 3148) Effective: 8.29 Megapixel (3840 x 2160)
Sensor Type	1″-Type CMOS Sensor
Image Stabilization	Optical in Integrated Lens Digital
Built-In ND Filter	Mechanical Filter Wheel with 2 Stop (1/4), 4 Stop (1/16), 6 Stop (1/64) ND Filters
Capture Type	Stills & Video

Exposure Control

Shutter Speed	1/2000 to 1 Second
Minimum Illumination	1.7 Lux at 1/30 Shutter Speed 0.1 Lux at 1/2 Shutter Speed
White Balance	2000 to 15,000K

Lens

Focal Length	8.3 to 124.5mm (35mm Equivalent Focal Length: 25.5 to 382.5mm)
Optical Zoom Ratio	15x
Maximum Aperture	f/2.8 to 4.5
Minimum Focus Distance	Wide: 0.4″ / 1.0 cm Entire Zoom Range: 23.6″ / 60.0 cm
Filter Size	58 mm
Focus Control	Autofocus Manual Focus
Internal Recording Modes	H.264/MP4 4:2:0 8-Bit 3840 x 2160 at 23.98/24.00/29.97 fps 1920 x 1080p at 23.98/24.00/29.97/59.94 fps [35 to 45 Mb/s] 1280 x 720 at 59.94 fps [8 Mb/s] XF-AVC 4:2:0 8-Bit 3840 x 2160 at 23.98/24.00/29.97 fps 1920 x 1080p at 23.98/24.00/29.97/59.94 fps
Recording Limit	Up to 2120 Minutes
Broadcast Output	NTSC
Built-In Microphone Type	Stereo
Audio Recording	MP4: 2-Channel 16-Bit AAC Audio MP4: 4-Channel 16-Bit LPCM Audio XAVC: 4-Channel 24-Bit LPCM Audio
IP Streaming	Yes

Interface

Media/Memory Card Slot	Dual Slot: SD/SDHC/SDXC (UHS-I)
Video I/O	1 x Mini-HDMI 2.0 Output 1 x BNC (3G-SDI) Output
Audio I/O	2 x XLR 3-Pin Mic/Line (+48 V Phantom Power) Input 1 x 1/8″ / 3.5 mm TRS Stereo Headphone Input 1 x 1/8″ / 3.5 mm TRS Stereo Microphone Input
Power I/O	1 x Proprietary (8.4 VDC) Input
Other I/O	1 x Mini-USB Output 1 x 2.5 mm Sub-Mini Input

Monitor

Size	3.0″
Resolution	460,000 Dot
Display Type	Articulating LCD

Viewfinder

Type	Built-In Electronic (LCD)
Size	0.24″
Resolution	1,560,000 Dot

Focus

Focus Type	Auto and Manual Focus
Focus Mode	Automatic, Manual Focus

Environmental

Operating Temperature	32 to 72°F / 0 to 40°C (Recommended)
Storage Temperature	23 to 113°F / -5 to 45°C
Operating Humidity	85%
Storage Humidity	60%

General

Battery Type	Canon BP-8 Series
Tripod Mounting Thread	1/4″-20 Female
Accessory Mount	1 x Cold Shoe Mount
Dimensions (W x H x D)	8.4 x 4.3 x 3.6″ / 21.3 x 10.9 x 9.1 cm (Without Protrusions) 10.4 x 4.9 x 3.6″ / 26.4 x 12.4 x 9.1 cm (With Protrusions) 10.4 x 8.5 x 5.5″ / 26.4 x 21.6 x 14 cm (With Protrusions)
Weight	2.1 lb / 952.54 g

Packaging Info

Package Weight	6.61 lb
Box Dimensions (LxWxH)	14.3 x 11.9 x 10.4″

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