Buying Advice: Canon XA30 VS Canon XC10

[nickyj182]

i'm in the market for upgrading my video equipment. I run a small videography company on the side and film a lot of local events, making run and gun very essential. I also like to make short films as a hobby, and some YouTube type stuff as well.

I have been using Canon my entire life and would prefer to just stay with them, they haven't failed me yet. The two cameras I am debating between are the Canon XA30 and The Canon XC10.

First of all, the 4K aspect of filming isn't extremely important to me. I know it's the wave of the future, but realistically the majority of my work will be just 1080HD.

The XA30 appears to be one mean machine with all the bells and whistles and could easily be a great purchase, but I am intrigued by the XC10 a great deal. I know a lot of people have given it a lot of hate, but for what I do specifically, it seems like it would be a wonderful device to have. Kind of get that great DSLR video look, but in the form of a camcorder. Plus it is 4K, so if down the road I want to make than transition, whereas the XA30 is just 1080P max.

What do you guys think? Should I play it safe with the XA30 or roll the dice on the XC10? It all comes down to wanting my footage to look as best as it possibly can. Thanks in advance everyone!

 

[joema2]

...I run a small videography company on the side and film a lot of local events, making run and gun very essential. I also like to make short films as a hobby, and some YouTube type stuff as well....I am debating between are the Canon XA30 and The Canon XC10...the 4K aspect of filming isn't extremely important to me. I know it's the wave of the future, but realistically the majority of my work will be just 1080HD....

For a few things my documentary group uses the XA35 and HFG30 -- they are pretty good, easy to use, and have excellent stabilizers. However they ultimately produce video-like footage, not cinema-like footage as from a larger-sensor camera.

We usually use large-sensor cameras like the Sony A7RII and Panasonic AG-DVX200 camcorder. However we also have a Sony RX100 II which has a constant-aperture f/2.8 zoom, 1" sensor and shoots 4K. I have not used the Canon XC10 but it would be interesting to see a side-by-side comparison with the less-expensive RX100 II which uses the same size sensor and has a faster lens: http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/1159880-REG/sony_dsc_rx10_mark_2_digital.html

If you want to save money get the HF-G30 or G40 and add a hot-shoe shotgun mic and/or use a wireless lav or field audio recorder. They have the same lens, sensor, image pipeline and image quality as the XC-series, just no XLR or handlebar.

This area is always a dilemma. The camcorders work well are reliable and easy to use, yet increasingly customers expect a more cinema-like appearance. Lots of lower-end Vloggers just use an inexpensive DSLR and they look great. However those aren't ideal for run-and-gun.

Large-sensor camcorders are still very expensive, e.g, Canon C100, Sony VG900.

One of the least expensive larger-sensor routes is using a Panasonic GH4 and a few lenses. It is "only" micro-4/3 but it's way better than a 1" sensor. However you have to commit to micro-4/3 ecosystem and lenses. It will probably be updated relatively soon; maybe September. Our group a GH4 for some things and it's very nice.

 

[BeechFlyer]

If you want to save money get the HF-G30 or G40 and add a hot-shoe shotgun mic and/or use a wireless lav or field audio recorder. They have the same lens, sensor, image pipeline and image quality as the XC-series, just no XLR or handlebar.

I just got a HF-G40 a few weeks ago. Very happy with it so far. I usually record audio separately, so the lack of XLR is not an issue for me. No 4K, but great looking 1080p video. For run-and-gun in particular, I think the wide DR gamma and image stabilization modes are pretty darn useful.

 

[nickyj182]

Wow, so the Canon XF-G40 is essentially the same thing as the XA line, just minus the XLR audio inputs and the handle bar? So is it the same quality footage?

 

[BeechFlyer]

Wow, so the Canon XF-G40 is essentially the same thing as the XA line, just minus the XLR audio inputs and the handle bar? So is it the same quality footage?

Quoting from http://camcorders.reviewed.com/news/canon-2016-vixia-camcorder-lineup

If you're looking for substantially more power from your camcorder, the Canon HF G40 is a consumerized version of the excellent professional-level XA30.

You won't get the built-in handle, XLR microphone jacks, or HD-SDI port, but you do get the same lens, image stabilization, and sensor combination from the more expensive XA-series models.