Canon XA10 - v 5D Mark III/D800

[expatinasia]

Is anyone using Canon's XA10? It looks neat, portable and has XLR ports which is handy for press conferences and other events.

All the reviews suggest that if you can get a model which does not have buttons on the handle that rattle you are fine. But how does it compare to the 5D Mark III or D800?

To be honest, I just want to carry one thing and the lack of autofocus on the 5D Mark III is putting me off that, as there are times when AF is very important.

Edited:
Corrected the D5 mistake to 5D. Will teach me to post at silly times of the morning!

 

[Jedifarce]

Re: Canon XA10 - v D5 Mark III/D800

Is anyone using Canon's XA10. It looks neat, portable and has XLR ports. All the reviews suggest that if you can get a model which does not have buttons on the handle that rattle you are fine. But how does it compare to the D5 Mark III or D800?

To be honest, I just want to carry one thing and the lack of autofocus on the D5 is putting me off that.

I own the Vixa HF G10 which is basically the same thing without the IR or external mic. You're not going to take pictures with your camcorder, you have limited ability to customize the picutre style settings - as an example -2 contrast is the lowest that is possible. Low light capability is nowhere near what a DSLR is capable of, and if you're hoping for shallow depth of field you're looking in the wrong place.

However, as a camcorder it's pretty good. It's just not comparable to a DSLR.

 

[expatinasia]

Re: Canon XA10 - v D5 Mark III/D800

Is anyone using Canon's XA10. It looks neat, portable and has XLR ports. All the reviews suggest that if you can get a model which does not have buttons on the handle that rattle you are fine. But how does it compare to the 5D Mark III or D800?

To be honest, I just want to carry one thing and the lack of autofocus on the 5D MIII is putting me off that.

I own the Vixa HF G10 which is basically the same thing without the IR or external mic. You're not going to take pictures with your camcorder, you have limited ability to customize the picutre style settings - as an example -2 contrast is the lowest that is possible. Low light capability is nowhere near what a DSLR is capable of, and if you're hoping for shallow depth of field you're looking in the wrong place.

However, as a camcorder it's pretty good. It's just not comparable to a DSLR.

Well that is the thing. AF is important at times which sort of rules out the 5D MkIII and leaves me with the option of the D800 or getting the XA10 and sticking with two cameras - one for video and one for stills. The latter option is what I am trying to avoid, as it is heavier and takes up valuable baggage space when travelling. To be honest I prefer the Canon brand, am used to their cameras and do not want to switch to Nikon if I do not have to.

Maybe their new C DSLR will be the answer but if it is over US$ 7000 I doubt I would choose that either.

 

[flbs]

I do video with both XA10 and 7D and I am impressed with the video quality of the XA10. I does have all individual settings needed via the touch screen. We just shot a 2 hour concert of a scotich band with 2 XA10 for multicam recording, and the result was broadcast quality. The XA10 is easy to use and have a very accurate autofocus. The camera is ecentially the samme as the Canon XF100 except for the manual settings being on sreen. I would not hesitate buying this camera for video recording.

 

[Jedifarce]

. I does have all individual settings needed via the touch screen.

That's the worst thing about the this camcorder is the touch screen and interface. It can be a pain to search through the menu via touch screen compared to a sony because it doesn't move very smoothly. Had they put in a tiny nipple or joystick navigating this camcorder would be easier.