Hi,

after launching the XF200 only a few user experiences on this forum.

It seems not many changed from previous camera towards the XF 200 series.

I am interesting in user experiences with this new camera to see if upgrading will bring more advantages in comparison with the XF100 series. OK I know the differences from the specs but my question is related to the people in the field like making documentaries, etc.

Wil

Nobody with practical experiences!!

Wil, I sold my xf105, for many reasons I didn't like it, compared to many other choices. The xf200 series seems to have a variety of problems. While the length of the zoom is great, the dual recording and mxf format is wonderful, I really can't imagine turning over neutral density settings to the camera. I hated the wheel on the 105, and love the wheel on the C100 that I eventually bought. I've also worked with the 305. The 100 wheel idea is just bad, and from what I've read the 200 is actually worse. The small sensor is a real drawback in this day and age of larger sensors on a huge number of cameras. I find I need full manual control to work properly and get what I need.

Depending on your needs this might work, but if you are thinking of doing true documentary work, clearly understand your requirements before buying, or rent the camera for a week.

Good luck

I am interesting in user experiences with this new camera ... related to making documentaries, etc.

I mainly shoot news not docos and I'd say I like the XF in many ways - it's compact, light, ergonomically good (rotating handle, lots of assignable buttons to set up how you like). Very easy to get focus and exposure etc quickly. Having dual (triple!) cards is good too.

The big downside is that the wretched sensor is so darned noisy. You can see grainy flickery wiggly noise in practically everything. Switching the noise reduction on helps a bit but don't set it too high or it smears the picture horribly.

The best solution is to dial in -6dB gain, add a little noise reduction and shoot in bright light but that's not always possible.

Regards
David

Sorry for the delay.

I had an XF200 for about three weeks before I returned it. The camcorder has many great features. In addition to what others have mentioned, the viewfinder is really good, as is the OLED screen. The image stabilization is very good. Slow-motion (in MPEG-4) is useful.

If you shoot mostly outdoors, or indoors with good lighting, it might be a good choice. The Canon "promotional" videos suggested good low-light performance, but that was not my experience.

Ultimately, I concluded that $3,500 was too much for such a small, single sensor.

I suggest renting one, and perhaps renting a competing camcorder, and judge for yourself. I found these rental rates for 5 days:

Canon XF200 - $194
Sony X70 - $133