Just wondering what the differences are between the Canon XL H1A and the XL H1S are exactly? Have seen the specs for them both but can't really pick anything substantial.

Thanks

Peter

There's only one difference between the XL H1A and H1S.

The H1S includes the "professional" jacks -- SDI, GenLock and TimeCode.

The H1A doesn't have these connectors. See pics below. Hope this helps,

But the original XLH1 (not A or S) has those connectors... whats the point of taking it out..?

Gave people who did not need the HD-SDI/Genlock/Timecode jacks the option of the rest of the benefits of the XLH1 but at a lower price point.

It's not like Canon "took something out" ... they ADDED a lower cost model option - a benefit, not a negative.

It's the exact same idea that's behind the Canon XH series:

There's the Canon XH G1S for those who need SDI, GenLock and TimeCode. Then there's the XH A1S, which doesn't have those jacks, for those who don't need SDI, GenLock and TimeCode.

Those jacks carry a $3000 premium, so it makes sense to have two separate models (one with SDI and one without SDI) at two drastically different price points. Since they cost a lot less, the non-SDI models tend to out-sell the SDI-equipped versions at a ratio of about 10:1. But, for those who need SDI, the option is there.

The older XL H1 did not have full-spec SDI in that the jack did not carry audio. In the current XL H1S, the SDI output is indeed full-spec, with audio and TC output. It's interesting to note that the older XL H1 was the very first camcorder under the $10,000 price point to include SDI. Hope this helps,