Canon Might Have A Video Camera With RF Mount On Their Agenda, Patent

RF Mount

Is Canon working on a video camera with RF mount? A patent suggest they might.

Canon patent application 2019‑161567 (Japan) describes a compact video camera that looks like the Canon XC10, and we think it has the RF mount, introduced by Canon with EOS R full frame mirrorless camera system.

Don’t get too excited, however. Most patent applications never go into production. Never the less, it might be a hint that Canon is investing in the RF mount. In any case, an interesting Canon patent application. Please note that the patent application doesn’t explicitly mention the RF mount. We think it might be an RF mount because according to the patent pictures, the lens mount is too close to the sensor to be an EF mount.

More Canon patent applications are listed here. Some particularly interesting patent applications we think might get into production are these:

Deal: Canon XF300 Professional Camcorder – $1999 (reg. $3499, today only)

Canon XF300

Canon XF300 Professional Camcorder at a glance:

  • 3 Native 1920 x 1080 CMOS Sensors
  • 50Mbps MPEG-2 Recording
  • 4:2:2 Color Sampling
  • 60p/60i, 30p, 24p
  • MXF File Format
  • Dual CF Card Slots
  • 18x HD L-Series Zoom
  • Multiple Bit Rates, Resolutions
  • Dual XLR Inputs
  • HDMI, Component, Composite Outputs

Only for today (7/1/2019) B&H Photo has the Canon XF300 Professional Camcorder on sale at $1,999. Compare at $3,499. Free shipping.

Noteworthy Kickstarter projects:

  1. DUO Daypack, quick access camera bag with lifetime warranty
  2. Kamlan 50mm f/1.1 lens for $199
  3. Peak Design super light travel tripod

Selected deals:

More hand-picked deals are listed here.

Authorised Canon retailer B&H Photo has discounted EOS 5D Mark IV and EOS 6D Mark II bundles on offer for the holidays.

We offer 10% discount to subscriptions to Pixpa all-in-one platform for photographers.

Today’s Gold Box and one day only deals at Amazon USAmazon DEAmazon UKB&H Photo, eBayAdorama.

Canon Europe stores have a cash back promotions going on:

Refurbished lenses and DSLRs at Canon Store (best deals to be found here)

Save $10 on Luminar 4 and/or Aurora HDR 2019 using our code “WATCH” at checkout.

Deal: Canon XF100 HD Professional Camcorder – $1299 (reg. $1999, today only)

Canon XF100 HD

Canon XF100 HD Professional Camcorder at a glance:

  • 1/3″ CMOS Sensor
  • 50Mbps MPEG-2 Recording
  • 4:2:2 Color Sampling
  • 60p/60i, 30p, 24p
  • MXF File Format
  • Dual CF Card Slots
  • 10x HD Zoom Lens
  • Multiple Bit Rates & Resolutions
  • Dual XLR Inputs
  • HDMI, Component, Composite Outputs

Today only (6/24/19) B&H Photo has the Canon XF100 HD Professional Camcorder on sale at $1,299. Compare at $1,999. Free shipping.

Noteworthy Kickstarter projects:

  1. DUO Daypack, quick access camera bag with lifetime warranty
  2. Kamlan 50mm f/1.1 lens for $199
  3. Peak Design super light travel tripod

More selected deals:

More hand-picked deals are listed here.

Authorised Canon retailer B&H Photo has discounted EOS 5D Mark IV and EOS 6D Mark II bundles on offer for the holidays.

We offer 10% discount to subscriptions to Pixpa all-in-one platform for photographers.

Today’s Gold Box and one day only deals at Amazon USAmazon DEAmazon UKB&H Photo, eBayAdorama.

Canon Europe stores have a cash back promotions going on:

Refurbished lenses and DSLRs at Canon Store (best deals to be found here)

Save $10 on Luminar 4 and/or Aurora HDR 2019 using our code “WATCH” at checkout.

Canon Announces Four New Professional Camcorders With 4K/30p Video

Professional Camcorders

As anticipated, Canon announced new camcorders ahead of NAB 2019. Pre-orders are open:

Press release:

Four New Canon XA Professional Camcorders Feature 4K 30p High-Quality Recording

XA55, XA50, XA45 and XA40 Camcorders Deliver Crisp 4K Imagery in Compact Bodies at Affordable Price Points

MELVILLE, NY, April 2, 2019 – Meeting videographer needs for a variety of applications, Canon U.S.A. Inc., a leader in digital imaging solutions, today announced four new additions to the lineup of XA Series professional camcorders, the XA55, XA50, XA45 and XA40. These four camcorders are the first in the series to feature 4K 30p recording. They also include a detachable XLR handle and the XA55 and XA45 each feature an HD-SDI terminal. In addition, the company has announced the Canon VIXIA HF G60 4K UHD camcorder, a budget-friendly, compact-and-lightweight camcorder.

“Often spending their days and nights working in fast-paced environments, videographers need a camcorder that is affordable, reliable, and delivers great images,” said Kazuto Ogawa, president and COO, Canon U.S.A., Inc. “These new camcorders meet the needs of a variety of users, including those capturing news, shooting influential documentaries, educating young filmmakers or developing content for their companies.” 

All of the camcorders feature Canon’s five-axis Intelligent Optical Image Stabilization system, providing users with powerful image stabilization via a Dynamic mode, which helps reduce image distortion, even when shooting while moving. The ergonomically designed and highly portable camcorders have a three-inch LCD touch panel screen and user-friendly, tilting, high-resolution Electronic View Finder (EVF).

The XA55 and XA45 are excellent options for news reporting and documentary shooting, while the XA50 and XA40 are geared more towards broadcasting schools, government agencies and corporate-video production companies. The affordable VIXIA HF G60 caters to advanced amateur videographers who need a 4K UHD camcorder to shoot a wedding or a student film project. 

The XA55 and XA50 camcorders both feature a 1.0-inch sensor, nine-bladed circular aperture and Dual-Pixel CMOS AF with a 15x (25.5-382.5mm) genuine wide-angle Canon optical zoom lens. For natural and realistic life-like imagery the XA55 and XA50 camcorders feature a Wide Dynamic Range (DR) Gamma mode. This lowers the barrier for focusing, especially when shooting in 4K, which requires strict focus accuracy. By suppressing overexposure in high- brightness areas of the composition, this mode helps achieve a wide dynamic range of 800 percent to help produce seamless tone gradations, resulting in smooth detail, accurate color and virtually no blown-out highlights. The camera’s Dual Pixel Focus Guide takes advantage of Dual Pixel CMOS AF data to display focus-assist information on the screen. The camcorders also record 4K UHD/30p (4:2:0 8 bit) and 1080p Full HD (4:2:2 10 bit) via SDI/HDMI Output in XF-AVC and MP4 format to dual-card SD card slots with dual and relay recording.

The XA45 and XA40 camcorders both feature a 1.0-inch sensor, eight-bladed circular aperture with the ability to record 4K UHD/30p (4:2:0 8 bit) and 1080p Full HD (4:2:2 10 bit) via SDI/HDMI Output) in MP4 or XF-AVC format to dual-card SD card slots with dual and relay recording. To help provide enhanced image quality over its predecessor, over sample HD processing can be utilized with information obtained from the 4K 1/2.3-inch sensor and the DIGIC DV 6 image processor. Both camcorders boast a 20x (29.3-601mm) genuine wide-angle Canon optical zoom lens.

The Canon VIXIA HF G60 4K UHD camcorder is packed with many of the same great features found in the XA55 and XA50, like a nine-bladed circular aperture, Dual Pixel Focus Guide and Wide DR, but with the budget- conscious user in mind. The affordable camcorder is an ideal tool for young videographers taking their first steps in the craft and will be sure to please due to its compact-and-lightweight form factor in addition to ease of use.

Additionally, Canon today announced firmware updates for the XF705, XF405/XF400 and VIXIA GX10 camcorders. New features by model include:

  • XF705: Firmware Version 1.0.1.1 now features improved zoom response when using the zoom ring or zoom rocker, improved focus following speed during zooming, and improved image quality of interlaced recording.
  • XF405/XF400: Firmware Version 1.0.3.0 now features IP streaming, the ability to set custom white balance, support for the reset function that resets the clip number when the reel number is set and improved image quality of interlaced recording.
  • XF405 only: Firmware Version 1.0.3.0 now features 3G-SDI mapping at level A and level B.
  • VIXIA GX10: Firmware Version 1.0.3.0 now features the ability to set custom white balance.

Pricing and Availability

The Canon XA55, XA50 and VIXIA HF G60 are scheduled to be available in June 2019 for estimated retail prices of $2699.00, $2199.00 and $1699.00, respectively. The XA45 and XA40 4K UHD video camcorders are all scheduled to be available in April 2019 for estimated retails prices of $2199.00 and $1699.00, respectively*. For more information, please visit, usa.canon.com.