When you think about professional cameras you expect them to be huge, like the ones found on Steven Spielberg’s movie sets. Not anymore. The XA10 sleek, almost fashionable style is changing all that.

It’s been said that Canon’s new entry into professional camcorders is the smallest yet. I haven’t seen anything else on the current market that proves this wrong. For what it is, and packed with features, it’s tiny.

Its size is really the same size as any other handheld camcorder out there. What really sets this apart is the external features such as the detachable handle, the front lockable record function, and also 2x XLR ports for external microphones, for that stereo sound setup.

The XA10 uses a 1/3 inch CMOS image sensor, giving sharp HD images. Being a professional camera it films at 24mbps so what your eyes see, the camera gives you. Ultra realistic footage.

The lens is a 35mm equivalent of 30.4mm – 304mm and combined with an 8-blade iris, it’s able to capture every second of every moment, all again, in stunning HD. The camera has a 10x optical zoom, which in my opinion is a little bit of a letdown considering much smaller portable cameras are swamping that. But being a professional camcorder, you’re expected to be in the action.

Being a professional camera, there is multitude of manual controls on offer. These being shutter speed, iris exposure, aperture and white balance, a focus ring on the front of the camera by the lens.

Tech Specs

File Format: AVCHD
Image Sensor: 1/3-inch CMOS
Interchangeable lenses: No
Lens f-stop: f/1.8-2.8
Optical Zoom: 10x
Focal Length: 4.25 – 42.5mm (35mm equivalent 30.4-305 35mm)
Filter Diameter: 58mm
Focus: Auto/Manual
Iris/Gain Control: Auto/Manual
Shutter Speed: Auto/Manual
Maximum Shutter Speed: 1/2000
Minimum Shutter Speed: 1/2
ND Filter: Off/Auto
Manual White Balance: Yes (Auto, Preset, Custom, Kelvin)
Zebra Stripes: Yes (70% and 100%)
Viewfinder: .24″ Approx. 260,000 dots
LCD Monitor: 3.5-inch Touch Panel Approx. 922,000 dots
Progressive Scan: Yes
Video Out: HDMI, USB, component, composite
Microphone In: Yes (XLR (2) Mic/Line switchable, 3.5mm stereo mini-jack
Frame Rate: 60i, Native 24p (records at 24p), 24p Progressive (records at 60i), 30p Progressive (records at 60i)
VU Meter: Yes
Manual Audio Level Controls: Yes
Headphone Jack: Yes
Speaker: Yes
Wireless Remote: Yes
Recording Media: 64GB internal flash drive, dual card slots (SD/SDHC/SDXC)
Accessory Shoe: Cold
Weight: Approx.: 1.8 lbs