There is an old piece of wisdom that often shows up in these pages, and that is when Canon puts a rebate on a product, it is about to come up with something to replace it. Any rumors about what might be coming up to replace the XL-2?

Not sure what you mean by 'replace'. I think Canon has gone on record as saying that the XL2 would be it's last SD camera. That was certainly bourne out by the appearance of the xlh1- which certainly 'replaces' it in form factor. All cameras since have been some HDV format versions.

All to say that 'no', I don't think any NEW SD format camera will come out to replace the XL2

I think Canon is pretty much done with standard definition all the way around. They might retain some entry-level $300 consumer SD camcorders for one more year... maybe.

When Canon or any other manufacturer puts a rebate on a product, it *could* be an indicator that something will replace it, but it's *never* a certainty. For example, there's been a rebate on the GL2 for more than two years now.

Chris,
It would be a crying shame if Canon left all of us middle income videographers out in the cold with its only interchangeable lens camcorder in the $8,000-9,000 range. They may think that price is "affordable". It's not.

Steve Siegel,
Miami

Yes, I only purchased my XL2 last year and there was ABSOLUTELY no way I could've come up with the additional 5 grand for the XLH1. 9 grand is *not* a viable option for me right now, or the foreseeable future. I just hope that I didn't sink 4,000 into something that I'll not be able to use in a couple of years.