The Mini-DV XL2 features an LCD monitor, two XLR connectors, four-channel audio controls and an open architecture.
Canon has launched the XL2 Mini-DV camcorder, the successor to its XL1 and XL1S models.
The Mini-DV XL2 can operate in multiple frame rates (24p, 30p and 60i) and offers a choice of 4:3 (720x480 pixels) or 16:9 (962x480) aspect ratios, three 680,000-pixel progressive scan CCDs, a color viewfinder (with a 16:9 “letterbox” display), LCD monitor, two XLR connectors, four-channel audio controls and an open architecture that accommodates interchangeable lenses and adapters.
Canon will also offer an SDK for the XL2 to enable developers to write software to control the camera’s features.
In addition, the company introduced a new L-series 20x optical zoom lens that offers a 72mm filter thread, a six-blade iris diaphragm and two independent ND filters, a f/1.6 to f/3.5 aperture. The lens is included with the camera.
The camera's choice of frame rates allows flexibility, with 30p offering the option to freeze an image or slow down motion for an “instant replay” effect and 24p having a “cinema look,” complete with a 1/48th per second shutter speed that matches the speed found in cameras used for typical motion picture productions.
Variables such as gamma, knee, black, color matrix and others can be modified independently for more precise control of the picture, and operators can create three custom presets to recall specific settings at a later date, or to share them with another camera through the camera's firewire 400 port.
