Canon XF705 camcorder

[Bob Safay]

I got the XF705 on the 16th of April so I am still in the process of learning it. I did love my XF300, but after almost 7 years I needed to upgrade. Some of the things that I miss, and that I think Canon should have said in their announcements are:

1- the XF705 does not have the capability of interval recording. So if you do a lot of time lapse forget it.
2- no power save button
3-you can only shoot 120 fps slow motion in 1920x1080 4-2-2, 10 bit HEVC.
4-they took away the front record button as well as the Delete last clip button
5-Battary lasts 2/3 of the time

What I like are:
1-WOW the color is awesome!! Incredibly sharp and vivid.
2-It is the best auto focus system on the market today, especially when tracking a moving subject such as runners.
3-Touch focus on the screen is unbelievably smooth and precise.
4-Image stabilizer is much better than the XF300
5-Even at 1,140mm (3x) the image is pretty damn good!
6-I got to try out the IR on some deer at the Okefenokee swamp and I was surprised at how clear the IR images were.
7-The fan is 100% quiet. Absolutely no fan noise. There are two setting. One where the fan runs when to are not shooting but turns off when you hit the record button, and one where the fan runs continuously.
8- You can edit 4k, HEVC directly into DaVinci Resolve Study (the paid version) with no problem.
9-The barn doors on the lens hood is so much easier to open and close than attaching a lens cap, although front and rear lens caps are included.
10- the external microphone holder is much better that the XF300, it actually holds the microphone

At first I had buyers remorse and missed my XF300. Now that I have had time to learn more about this camcorder and to play around with all the settings I am really glad I decided to upgrade. Bob

[Chris Hurd]

Many thanks, Bob -- pretty accurate!

[Bob Safay]

I took my XF705 with me on a National Geographic ship to Alaska to video the scenery and wildlife. The images were really incredible. I was able to get almost 2 hours and 15 minutes of video on a 64 GB SD card. I shot all my footage in HEVC, 1920x1080 at 422, 10 bit, 60 mbps. Although there are features that were on the XF300 that I miss, I am really getting to feel more confident in the 705.

[Erick Perdomo]

I own the XF300 and a XF-100...getting old for sure but amazing cameras...I considered the XF400 but that's not in the same league...and the XF705 is much more expensive..it looks to be a solid camera. I would love to see some footage. I still can't afford it!
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[Bob Safay]

Erick, here is a Utube link to some stuff I shot in 1920x1080 420 8 bit just to play with the color. Like you I had the XF300. I had it for close to 7 years and took it on many trips to Africa, South America and all over the US. But, after 7 years it was starting to show its age. Bob

YouTube (Short URL)

Enjoy, Bob

[Joachim Claus]

Hi Bob,

great colors and sharpness. However, for my taste too many zooms. Straight cuts from wide shot to close-up do a better job. I would also recommend a light monopod for shooting with long focal length. I use a Manfrotto MVMXPROC5 with a fluid head. It is light, very solid and relatively small for transport - even on airplanes.

Joachim

[Erick Perdomo]

Originally Posted by Bob Safay

Erick, here is a Utube link to some stuff I shot in 1920x1080 420 8 bit just to play with the color. Like you I had the XF300. I had it for close to 7 years and took it on many trips to Africa, South America and all over the US. But, after 7 years it was starting to show its age. Bob

https://youtu.be/dlzfvJR2SVo Enjoy, Bob

hi again...the footage looks good...I'm considering replacing my XF300 and XF100 with new camcorders but the XF705 is out of my budget! for Corporate work i use a C100 mk2 along with a new Canon 90D as a b camera and I use a Sony a6400 on a gimbal for B roll etc...but I do get jobs like live concerts, events etc where I need a camcorder style camera and not a cinematic one...
the XF300 is barely ok in low light (I always use some LED light)- but the XF100 is worse...
so, which brand has something similar to the XF200 for example in size, shape and with decent low light and 4k? I know..I'm asking for the perfect camera! and of course under $4,000 US (although I live in Canada).
thanks for sharing
E

[Bob Safay]

Joachim, thank you for the comments. The soul purpose of this little video was to "test" the camcorder. I wanted to see how the colors held up, that's why I took it to the Botanical Gardens. I also wanted to test the zoom because many people had issues with the zoom prior to the firmware update. I also wanted to see how well the autofocus held up during pans and zooms. Finally, although I usually use a tripod, I wanted to see how well the image stabilization system worked compared to my XF300. I must admit that this camcorder exceeded my expectations.

Erick, this is a great camcorder. I had the XF300 for 7 years and loved it. It went through some rough times (three trips to Africa, twice to the Pantanal, twice to Alaska, and even Chili and Argentina), that's a lot of heat, dust, cold and rain and it never failed me. Canon is built tough!! I expect the XF705 to last me many years of solid performance.

Bob

[Andy Urtusuastegui]

Adobe just released Premiere Pro v14.0 It now supports Canon XF-HEVC