Keep reading after the break to see some of the latest products we have been following:

Canon Announces two new professional camcorders, the XF300 and XF305

Canon’s latest creation is a 1/3″ 1080P CCD camcorder, which records native 1920 x 1080 4:2:2 video directly to compact flash cards. It is a fixed lens camera, but the 18X Canon L-Series lens should prove to be amazing looking. They are recording in a Mpeg2 50Mbps codec with 4:2:2 color sampling, which is the highest quality codec found in a handheld camcorder. The camera records in 1080 at 24P/30P/ 60i, as well as 720P 24p/30P/60P. In 720P, a variable frame rate mode is available for slow and fast motion.

I got my hands on a non-working prototype a few weeks ago, and I was very impressed with the design of the camera. It is very well built and weighted properly for handheld use. The hand grip is especially nice, apparently borrowed from Canon’s ENG style lenses. The LCD is large, and very high resolution (4.0-inch, 1.23-megapixel) LCD and color viewfinder. Another great feature is that it can be moved to either side of the camera. There are two models of the camera, which are very similar, but the more expensive XF305 adds an HD-SDI output, TC in/out, and genlock.

Canon’s XF305 Professional Camcorder is scheduled to be available in late June for an estimated retail price of $7,999. Canon’s XF300 Professional Camcorder is scheduled to be available in late June for an estimated retail price of $6,799. Read a full press release here.

Marshall Announces 5″ HDMI Monitor – V-LCD50-HDMI

Marshall will be releasing a new 5″ HDMI monitor, which is exciting news for all your HDSLR shooters.

The new Marshall V-LCD50-HDMI, is lightweight, runs up to two hours on four “AA” batteries, and is priced under $600. I’m sure we will see other battery options for it in the future as well, but I’m looking forward to seeing the quality of this monitor at NAB.

Hoodman SxSxSDHC Slo-MO

Sony recently updated the firmware on their EX line of cameras. This firmware updated added the ability to shoot with SxS-1 cards and work with Sony SDHC adapters. Hoodman discovered that this firmware also improved the function of their SxSxSDHC adapter paired with their 32Gb Class 10 card. Previously, you could only shoot up to around 40fps on an SHDC card, but with the firmware and the Hoodman cards you can go all the way up to 60fps.

Anton/Bauer Announced the Tandem 150 Modular Power System

I’ve always liked the small Tandem charger/power supply. It is a must have item for any camera owner with an Anton/Bauer Gold Mount, but the original had a few drawbacks. It could only either charge a battery or power the camera, and it was limited to 70 watts of power output. The power limitation really wasn’t an issue before, but accessories on a 2/3″ CCD camera can easily draw more than 70 watts. The new Tandem 150 solves both of these problems. It can supply an impressive 150 watts of power, and can simultaneously power a device (up to 75 watts) and charge a battery. If more than 75 watts is drawn, then it will stop charging the battery, and supply the full 150 watts. Read the full press release here.

JVC Introduces the GM-HM790

This is an updated version of the HM700 camera from JVC, with an eye towards studio operation. Like the HM700, this camera is a 1/3″ CCD that records in 1080 and 720p directly to SDHC cards. The recording format is a 35 Mbps Long GOP, which produces high quality images and long recording times in either QuickTime or MP4 format. The HM790 adds remote control, timecode input and output and genlock capabilities for studio and multi-camera operation. JVC also has a new studio adapter sled designed to work with the HM790. Read the full press release here.

Switronix Announces the new Powerbase 70 for Canon 7D and 5D Mark II

Switronix has announced a battery pack for the Canon 5D Mark II and 7D cameras called the Powerbase 70. The battery pack is essential a 70W V-Mount battery designed to power the Canon cameras. It powers the camera through the battery port, and the pack mounts to the bottom of the camera with a quick release plate. The battery itself has a power gauge on it, two powertap outputs, and it will charge on any V-Mount charger. When combined with the camera, the battery doubles as a handgrip, which give you several times the power of the standard Canon handgrips. Also, the two powertap connections are great for all the HDSLR accessories showing up to the market.

The Video Storage Pro has low res playback of many different formats. Here is a list of supported formats:

• Panasonic – AVC-Intra 100/50, DVCPRO HD, DVCPRO 50, DVCPRO
  (Note: AVC Intra playback is not yet 100%, this will improve with the next firmware.)
• Sony – XDCAM EX (HQ/SP)
• JVC – XDCAM EX (MP4 format), Quicktime Format in later release
• Convergent Design – XDCAM HD formats (MXF)
• RED – R3D – Next Firmware
• AVCHD – Sony/Canon/Panasonic Flavor – Next Firmware

Look for a firmware release in Quarter 4 of this year.

Update: I tested Red CF Card download speeds and was able to download a 16 GB card in just under 11minutes.

This second video compares the 25mm Zeiss to the stock Fujinon at the same focal length and then at matching field of view.

Philip Bloom has put together a nice review of the new JVC HM700 on his site. I had a chance to see the camera the other day and was impressed by the build quality, huge LCD, and functionality. This really is a nice camera and it records to SD cards in the XDCAM EX codec. These clips are recorded directly in MOV files, so you can start editing right away. You can also get a SxS adapter for it, which attaches to the back. This adapter allows for SxS recording in MP4 files. Come see the camera in our booth at NAB.

Click here to see Philip Bloom’s Video Review of the GY-HM700

Also, here is a very short clip shot with the camera to check out. This was shot in 720P in slow motion – 60 FPS. It’s Matt from our Sales Department doing some ninja moves.  You’ll need the latest version of FCP installed (including updates) to play it. Download it here (right click to save).