Shoot Review: Canon XL H1S

At first glance, the Canon XL H1S is almost identical to its predecessor, the XL H1. Upon closer inspection, however, one can see that the improvements are well thought out and very user-friendly.

When it comes to HD camcorders, Canon is an anomaly. Panasonic, Sony, and JVC have all made broadcast cameras for years, while Canon — which got its start in the 1930s creating a Japanese Leica — has hewn closer to its roots, never straying far from optics and still cameras. Oh yes — and those lucrative scanners, copiers, and printers too.

This puts Canon in the unique position of being the only optics company that also makes HD camcorders. Carl Zeiss, Leica Camera, Schneider Optics, Fujinon — they don't make camcorders on the side like Canon does. On the other hand, Panasonic, Sony, and JVC don't make state-of-the-art broadcast lenses either.

So you'd expect an advanced marriage of optics and camera design from Canon, and that's what Canon gave us with the introduction of the XL H1 in September 2005: lens interchangeability; a 20X optical zoom with optical-image stabilization (which JVC's interchangeable-lens GY-HD100U couldn't provide); the first use of 24p HDV native progressive format recording (newly featured in Sony's HVR-Z7U) for the XL H1's unique 24F mode; HD-SDI, genlock, and timecode in/out (all firsts in a 1/4in. tape HD camcorder); and four channels of audio with independent level controls.

Then there's the XL H1's distinctive “chainsaw” profile, now appearing in other designs such as Sony's PMW-EX3 XDCAM EX — which traces back to Canon's MiniDV XL1 and XL2 series from 1997. (Which, in turn, traces back to Canon's interchangeable-lens L1 and L2 Hi8 camcorders, which were popular among embedded journalists in the first Gulf War.)

The Canon XL H1S adds a third ring—an electronic iris—to the 20X optical zoom. It is an instantly familiar and welcome addition.
Photo by D. W. Leitner

In fact, most of the controls and layout of the original XL H1 are virtually identical to those of the MiniDV XL2. If you sense a pattern in all this, a Canon modus operandi, you're right. Canon is never first in the marketplace with a new-format camcorder — it usually follows the leaders by a year or so — but when the company does introduce a new design, it makes a virtue of sticking to what worked best the last time around. It refines instead of replacing. Improvements are aggressively incremental at best: the L1 becomes the L2; the XL1, the XL2.

Which brings us to the XL H1S. The DNA is so intact, you have to use a magnifying glass at first to spot any differences from the XL H1. But there are indeed a significant number of improvements, and of the most satisfactory type. What do I mean by this?

Looking back at my notes from reviewing the XL H1, I found many positive comments. I liked that, as in the XL series, all major controls and adjustments — even SD and HD formats — were available (checkable by eye) as external buttons and dials, not buried in menus. I thought the color viewfinder's peaking function was especially effective: subtle, with just the right amount of edge enhancement. I liked the 2X magnification (pause mode only), although the placement of the 2X button on the operator's side behind the lens meant fumbling for it by removing my left hand from the lens while handholding. Not ideal.

I especially appreciated the switches for variable and constant zoom-speed control located on the handgrip. In this regard, Canon is unmatched. With the XL H1, I got the smoothest, most glacially slow handheld zooms of any camcorder out there — never any mid-zoom stuttering or pausing.

In a shrewd move by Canon, the audio controls have been streamlined and simplified from the old XL H1 (left) to the new XL H1S (right).
Photo by D. W. Leitner

Lastly, I liked the straightforward menu layout and efficient navigation using a combination of menu button, select button, and thumbwheel. (Although I still find myself to this day attempting to press the thumbwheel to make a selection.) This made accessing the custom preset menu to adjust a matrix of 23 image parameters — including gamma, knee, pedestal, sharpness, etc. — a snap.

What didn't I like? I'm not sure that professional videocameras should have aperture and shutter priority modes (confusingly labeled “Av” and “Tv”), just as I'm not sure professional videocameras should take still photos. (How do you take a vertical photo, turn the XL H1 on its side?) I don't think I've ever seen an XL H1 user take a still, ever. Including me.

But I can live with added, if questionable, functionality. Confusing or underdeveloped features are another matter. The XL H1's zebras can be set anywhere from 70 to 100 in five-point increments. Both extremes are inadequate. (By comparison, Sony EX1 zebras can be set from 50 to 107 in one-frame increments — ideal.) And the XL H1's 4-channel audio controls (inherited from the XL2) are a cluttered, convoluted puzzle that in a peak moment of crisis on the set will cause steam to come out of your ears. (I've been there.) While we're on the subject of audio, it would be great if the onboard mic used a conventional XLR connector instead of Canon's amateur dual mini-phono plug.

What improvements does the XL H1S offer? Well, the zebras are still trapped between 70 and 100, and Canon's front mic with its nonstandard two-prong connector is still with us — but so many welcome and thoughtful changes, large and small, have been introduced, it feels as though Canon has responded to me personally. It hasn't, but the company has actually been listening to thousands of loyal XL H1 users — and it shows in spades.

Gone is 4-channel recording in HDV. Let's give Canon credit for offering a bold choice of standard 2-channel MPEG-1 Audio Layer-IIHDV audio or advanced 4-channel MPEG-2 Audio Layer-II HDV audio — both identically 16-bit, 48kHz, and 384kbps. When Canon introduced this choice in 2005, 4-channel MPEG-2 Audio Layer-II audio was not yet part of the HDV standard. Perhaps this feature was ahead of its time; in any case, it proved confusing and few in the field took advantage of it. So Canon did the right thing: The XL H1S offers only two channels of HDV audio. Independent limiters now exist. Simplified audio controls are laid out in a standard fashion that will be instantly familiar to any professional.

The photo button (for snapshots) on the lens handgrip, which falls directly under the forefinger, can now be reassigned to the 2X magnification function — an ideal solution. The “on” light on the signature power dial now glows a comforting green instead of an alarming red. (Imagine if the XL H1S were a disk drive.) On the power dial itself, the first setting from the “off” position is now manual instead of automatic — a tiny detail but important to fast-acting pros in fast-breaking situations.

Gain is now adjustable in half-decibel increments to +18dB, with a new +36dB setting as well. HD-SDI output now carries embedded audio and timecode (the XL H1's was video-only). The FireWire port is now a full-sized 6-pin instead of miniature 4-pin. Yes!

The custom-preset menu has been reorganized into a new global-customize menu that includes not only extensive image settings but settings for custom control of the XL H1S. Almost every function of the XL H1S can be tweaked, as well as every element displayed in the viewfinder. All of these settings can be saved to an SD card and even transferred to Canon XH-series camcorders (A1 or G1).

In the ergonomics department, there's a little rubber thingie under the handle for the forefinger to settle into. You'd be surprised how much this aids in balancing the XL H1S when gripping the handle. VCR controls under the flap on top of the handle are now easier to locate because they're enclosed in white outlines. Formerly black-on-black, they were hard to distinguish in low light.

While handholding the XL H1S, perhaps the biggest change your fingers will notice is the addition of a third ring to the 20X optical zoom. The focus ring (infinitely spinning still) has been moved forward to accommodate an electronic iris ring, located at the rear of the lens. The zoom ring takes up the middle. This is a classic arrangement — instantly familiar — and I quite like it.

I did notice that the XL H1S manual makes no mention of Canon's Console software, a Windows-only application introduced in 2005 alongside the XL H1 that provided laptop remote control of image settings, camera and lens operation, recording, and playback. FireWire-based, it also offered video playback as well as waveform and vectorscope displays. It was pricey ($600) and frustrating (slow, buggy, no Mac version) but fascinating nonetheless — another ahead-of-its-time Canon initiative perhaps (very much of its time, I would argue) that I would love to see further developed. Hint: go Mac.

Another example of Canon listening to its users: the introduction of the XL H1S, about $9,000, is accompanied this time by a cheaper version — the XL H1A, about $6,000. The sole difference between the two (besides $3,000) is that the XL H1A lacks the XL H1S's “professional jackpack” of HD-SDI, genlock, and timecode connectors.

For a small fee, Canon can even enable PAL (50Hz) in the XL H1S and XL H1A. These camcorders are inherently multi-standard, but PAL capability is disabled to discourage gray-market trade in the United States (Sony often does the same thing).

Impressive responsiveness on Canon's part is why I describe the improvements in the XL H1S as of the most satisfactory type. Until the XL H2 comes along, the Canon XL H1S is a terrific refresh to the classic XL H1.

bottomline

Company: Canon usa.canon.com

Product: XL H1S

Assets: Independent limiters, simplified audio controls, reorganized custom-preset menu, 6-pin FireWire port.

Caveats: No further development on PC-only Console software.

Demographic: Professional videographers

PRICE: $9,000; $6,000 (XL H1A)

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