Canon unveils XA25 and XA20 professional camcorders

Canon has announced two new compact professional grade camcorders that support wireless digital content transfer. The new camcorders include the Canon XA25 and XA20 featuring 20 times HD zoom lenses. Both of these professional camcorder models weigh 2.6 pounds making them compact and highly portable.

Both of the camcorders feature a 1/2.84-inch CMOS imaging sensor and a RGB primary color filter. Both of the camcorders feature approximately 3.09-megapixel resolution total with 2.91-megapixels effective. Both units also feature 20 X optical zoom with a focal length of 3.67-73.4 mm.

The camcorders also feature a hybrid autofocus system supporting face priority autofocus, face only autofocus, and complete manual focus. The cameras both support full 1080p HD resolution recording in AVCHD and MP4 format with multiple frame rates. The camcorders also have special low light modes needing only 0.1 lux.

Other common features for the cameras include integrated dynamic Super Range optical image stabilization using lens shift technology. The cameras have an integrated optical viewfinder and 3.5-inch OLED displays. Dual memory card slots support SDXC cards. The only difference between the two cameras appears to be that the XA25 has a HD/SD-SDI connector to feed video directly to a microwave van, satellite uplink, or other TV transmission system. The XA25 will sell for $3199 with the XA20 selling for $2699. Both cameras are expected to be available at the end of June.

UPDATE from Canon: "The correct estimated list prices for the Canon XA25 HD ENG camcorder and XA20 HD professional camcorder are $2,999.00 and $2,499.00, respectively."

[via Canon]