Canon XM2

Information on this page may be out of date or apply to old equipment. Use with caution.

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A Canon DM-XM2.

The Canon DM-XM2s are two SD camcorders bought by YSTV in late 2006. They record to MiniDV tape in 4:3 or 16:9 SD, shoot still photos to tape or SD card up to 1488x1128, and have phono and S-Video composite video outputs for live use. We have 3 batteries - 2 Jessops BP-930-compatibles (~2hr 15m recording) and one BP-915 (~55m). They're perfect for quick-and-dirty VT shooting, monitoring a scene or single-person electronic news gathering. We often use them for big OBs such as Roses, Golden Bodges or the Central Hall monitors rig.

Features

• 1/4” 3CCD PAL sensor
• 20x optical zoom on a variable-speed rocker with optical image stabilisation (Canon Video Lens 4.2-84mm f/1.6-2.9 L IS; minimum focus 1cm at 4.2mm, 1m at 84mm).
• Manual focus, aperture, shutter, gain and audio levels (independent L/R)
• Auto, daylight, tungsten and custom white balance
• PCM 48kHz 16-bit stereo audio through built-in stereo electret condenser microphone or line input
• Configurable zebra pattern
• ND filter for bright environments
• SMPTE bars output and recording (Digital Effects button)
• Interval recording
• Low-angle shooting controls on top handle
• Mains power via charger and battery plate

Notes

• One has a Tiffen 58mm Digital Ultra Clear WW filter, the other a Jessops 58mm Skylight 1A. The Skylight has a slight colour tint and UV reduction properties, the Tiffen is solely for protection (and according to the internet is uncoated and pretty bad quality - if you get flares or reflections in bright light, remove it).
• Behind the LCD screen is a replaceable CR2025 button battery used to remember the camera settings when other power sources are disconnected. These run out after a while: the easiest way to diagnose this is if the camera forgets the date/time between uses. All settings will have to be reset every time the camera is turned on/off until the battery is replaced, including the Demo Mode setting (in the System menu) which will start to demo the camera's features after 5 minutes if left on.
• To use the electronic viewfinder instead of the LCD screen, the screen must be closed or flipped to face forward of the camera.

External Links

• Canon UK product page
• User Guide