Canon Europe has made the XA45 is available in Europe, Middle East, and Africa. This is in response to the growing market for 4K content across multiple genres.
The camcorder has a 20x optical zoom and is paired with a 1⁄2.3 inch-type CMOS sensor. The XA45 can record in 4K UHD, full HD XF-AVC (Canon’s proprietary codec) and MP4 codecs — giving users flexibility.
The 20x zoom range begins at a 35mm equivalent focal length range of 29.3mm at its widest, up to 601mm telephoto. Canon states the 20x optical zoom can also be enhanced using the camcorder’s built-in 2x extender. The camcorder is also capable of 400x zoom using digital zoom and has 3 modes for its image stabilisation (IS): standard IS, dynamic IS, and powered IS.
The XA45 continues on from the XA40 (launched in 2019), with the addition of a 3G-SDI output terminal, allowing users to connect to broadcast standard equipment such as live streaming encoders. Alongside the 3G-SDI output, the camcorder also has an HDMI output, allowing the XA45 to integrate into multiple live streaming set-ups.
According to Canon, the camcorder weighs approximately 730g (body only). Canon has included its DIGIC DV6 image processor with the aim of the XA45 producing sharp 4K UHD and full HD images using oversampled HD processing — despite its body and sensor size.
The camcorder supports a maximum bit rate of 160 Mbps at 25.00P and 45 Mbps when capturing full HD. In full HD mode, the XA45 offers 25.00P, 50.00P and 50.00i. The XA45 can also record 4K/UHD footage to SD cards using the MP4 codec.
Professional audio recording is also supported by the XA45. A detachable handle contains two standard 3-pin XLR connectors for external microphones, supporting two or four-channel audio recording. It also has line, mic and 48V Phantom inputs, an on-board stereo microphone and, a standard 3.5mm Stereo Jack plug which can also supply power to an external microphone.