XF605 4K UHD 10-Bit Professional Camcorder
Product details
Web ID: 220744273 reviews
Hits the sweet spot of image quality, feature set, ease of use & price
I run a video production company focusing on creative arts and events. We shoot a wide range of music videos, live concerts, live-streaming, and some doc work. After getting started with Canon in the 5Dii generation, I've stuck with them through the years, adding 5Diii's, C100 mkII's, C200's, a C70, and our newest addition of 3 XF605's. It's one thing to shoot a doc or narrative with a cinema camera -- when you have time to truly compose the shot - including trying different lenses, adding filters, adjusting lights, etc, the C series has an intuitive feel and exceptional image quality. However these quickly lose their edge when switching to event or live-streaming duties -- changing lenses, attempting to pull focus and zoom, and ultimately having to rely more on touchscreen menus makes it tougher to make C series cameras provide good results. At first I scratched my head as to why I was 'regressing' to research at "old school" camcorders - but that didn't last long. The XF605 came out and was surprisingly affordable, had amazing 10 bit image quality, excellent optics and low light performance, and Canon's newest (and arguably best) AF system. AF is a naughty world in the 'cinema' world, for obvious reasons, but in the event world, it's a game changer. For the 5% I feel like I've "lost" in image quality from my C70 (shooting 4K, 10 bit), I've gained 100% in low-light performance, efficient workflow, silky smooth zooms and a form factor that makes it simple to pull the camera out of the bag and get solid results -- time after time. I just recently shot and live-streamed a three-day music festival with a fleet of static C-series cameras, two PTZ's, a C70 as a master shot and the three XF605's as roaming cameras. The results were spectacular. The artists were extremely pleased with the quality, and the ease of use made the investment worth every penny. if you're shooting events, this camcorder is a beast. No, it's not a cinema camera.... but it has the image quality and low light performance, and delivers all the features you need for live shows and events.
Recommends this product
Customer review from canon.com
Best camera purchase ever
I head up a wildlife film crew and this is our primary camera, in front of an R and XC15. It replaces an xf400, which was really good in its own right. This is a drastic increase in quality for us. Stand out features are endless. The zoom rocker mechanism is exquisitely smooth. The function and status controls make operating the camera so easy regardless of how customizable it is. CLog3 to rec709 conversion never fails to exceed my expectations. Snap on the old trusty 58 mm 500D although unsupported, autofocus works perfectly through the entire zoom range. Snap on a Raynox HP 9000EX and you've got 688 mm of jaw dropping zoom. The camera is surprisingly light and has a very long lasting battery. Freedom to stop the aperture beyond F11. Built-in time code. Unmatched focus accuracy and flexibility. Tons of button customization options. Camera remote allows touchless control at full zoom, so absolutely no camera motion. I always dreamed of owning the XF705, but it was too expensive for our small film crew. Then this came out :-))). Check out samples on our website using my handle. The lichen video close ups we're all recorded with this camera.
Recommends this product
Customer review from canon.com
I have no more money
it was too expensive pretty alright could be better
Customer review from canon.com