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Canon XF305 User Manual

Professional camcorder
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Download this manual See also: Instruction Manual, Instructions
XF305 User guide
Kit contents
Xf305
Battery
Charger
Microphone
XLR cable
Headphones
The Canon XF305 is a BBC approved camera capable of recording 50Mbps HD
1920 x 1080. The reason we like it is because all the main setting are accessible
from the external controls, without needing to scroll through menus to access
the same features. It can also dual record to both card slots for backup, interval
shooting for timelapse and it has a fantastic lens.
Batteries!
Check each battery is charged before leaving with your equipment. They will
usually be supplied already charged and supplied with a mains charger.
Occasionally they can become faulty or get mixed up so please check before you
travel any distance to shoot your footage.
Tripods
Always set up the tripod first, then the camera. Floors can be dusty, dirty, wet,
muddy, snowy...etc. None of these are good for a camera, so never leave it on the
floor especially where it can be kicked, stepped on or crushed and always keep it
in the case or on the tripod, the safest places. Damaged equipment can incur
fines and is also taken off the booking system, which could cause availability
issues for you or other production groups.
Care of equipment
Good house keeping is important, start clean – finish clean! Once you are set up,
close all your bags, cases and store them somewhere neatly out of the way. This
avoids the risk of trip hazards, dirt falling in, or getting wet if it rains!
Memory Cards & Backup
Always format your card in the camera NEVER ON A COMPUTER. Make sure you
have 100% of the cards capacity available by always formatting the card before
you start recording. BE PREPARED!!
BACK UP BACK UP BACK UP!...Once for luck...BACK UP!
Before anything else...whoever uses this camera after you is going to wipe the
card. So always make a copy of your footage and then back it up to another
place/drive/computer/cloud storage before returning the camera.
1 x copy = No backup!
2 x copies = 1 x backup!

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Summary of Contents for Canon XF305

  • Page 1 XF305 User guide Kit contents Xf305 Battery Charger Microphone XLR cable Headphones The Canon XF305 is a BBC approved camera capable of recording 50Mbps HD 1920 x 1080. The reason we like it is because all the main setting are accessible from the external controls, without needing to scroll through menus to access the same features. It can also dual record to both card slots for backup, interval shooting for timelapse and it has a fantastic lens. Batteries! Check each battery is charged before leaving with your equipment. They will usually be supplied already charged and supplied with a mains charger. Occasionally they can become faulty or get mixed up so please check before you travel any distance to shoot your footage. Tripods Always set up the tripod first, then the camera. Floors can be dusty, dirty, wet, muddy, snowy…etc. None of these are good for a camera, so never leave it on the floor especially where it can be kicked, stepped on or crushed and always keep it in the case or on the tripod, the safest places. Damaged equipment can incur fines and is also taken off the booking system, which could cause availability issues for you or other production groups. Care of equipment Good house keeping is important, start clean – finish clean! Once you are set up, close all your bags, cases and store them somewhere neatly out of the way. This avoids the risk of trip hazards, dirt falling in, or getting wet if it rains! Memory Cards & Backup Always format your card in the camera NEVER ON A COMPUTER. Make sure you have 100% of the cards capacity available by always formatting the card before you start recording. BE PREPARED!! BACK UP BACK UP BACK UP!...Once for luck…BACK UP! Before anything else…whoever uses this camera after you is going to wipe the card. So always make a copy of your footage and then back it up to another place/drive/computer/cloud storage before returning the camera. 1 x copy = No backup! 2 x copies = 1 x backup!
  • Page 2 Battery Insertion Check the power switch is set to ‘off’ Slide down battery door release switch and open the door. Slide in the battery pack with the arrow facing forward into the battery compartment until it clicks. Close the battery compartment door Checking the battery We always try to supply fully charged batteries when equipment is collected. Occasionally one may get missed or loose charge due to a fault. Always make sure you check the battery charge status before leaving with your booking. Press the “check” button on top of the battery to check it is charged. Battery removal Check the power switch is set to ‘off’ Slide down battery door release switch and open the door. Push the grey battery release button to the left and the battery will spring out. Remove/replace the battery Close the battery compartment door...
  • Page 3 The power switch The off position is in the middle. CAMERA mode allows you to record footage and MEDIA mode allows you to review your footage. The LCD screen You can use the LCD screen or the viewfinder at the rear of the camera. If you are in a situation where there is risk of damaging the LCD screen then we would ask you to use the viewfinder. The LCD screen can be flipped to face forwards, however the mirror button (on the back of the LCD screen) needs to be pressed to invert the image. Always put the LCD screen back in its stowed position when you have finished using the camera. To save battery power, the viewfinder is deactivated when the LCD display is used. This can be changed in settings. If when using the viewfinder the image looks blurred but it looks ok on the LCD screen, check the Dioptric focus slider underneath the viewfinder.
  • Page 4 Insertion & Removal of Compact Flash (CF) memory cards. Removing a card while it is still being written to could lead to loss of data. The CF slots have status indicators to advise you of the slot status. Green = Slot is selected and ready for recording/playback Red = Accessing the card Indicator off = A card is not inserted, the slot is not selected for recording/playback, or the card in the slot is not being accessed or has not been initialized. To insert the card, check the slot indicator is green or off and then move the power switch to the ‘off’ position. This means any accidental recording is not possible and reduces the risk of data loss. Slide the door release to the left for the relevant card slot and the door will pop open. Slide the card in to the slot label up until it stops. Be careful to ensure the card is correctly seated and never force anything as you could cause internal damage to the pins in the slot. Never force the door closed as this could also be because the card is not seated correctly. To remove the card, make sure the status indicator is Green or Off, and switch off the camera. Open the card slot cover, and press the card release button and it will pop out. Press the button again to eject the card. Close the card slot cover.
  • Page 5 Formatting the card We always reformat the cards before shooting because we want to know we have an empty card to record on. Go to menu – other functions – initialize media – select Slot A or Slot B Frame Rate & Recorded image quality This depends on the output of your program: Broadcast - 1920 x 1080 50i (interlaced) Bit Rate @ 50mbps (Will not be compressed for TV) For web – 1920 x 1080 25p (progressive) Bit Rate @ 35mbps (Will be compressed for web) To adjust Bit Rate: Go to menu – Other Functions – Bit Rate/Resolution To adjust Frame Rate: Go to menu – Other Functions – Frame Rate...
  • Page 6 Start & stop recording There are three start/stop recording buttons on the camera • One is on top of the handle. • One behind the handgrip on the right of the camera • One at the front under the lense While recording, a red LED light will illuminate. This can be switched off in the camera menu. Reviewing footage To review your clips, slide the On/Off switch to Media position. You will shown thumbnails of your clips, use the playback buttons on the top of the handle.
  • Page 7 Exposure settings At level 5 you should be taking full manual control over the exposure of your shot. So we need to set up the camera, the XF305 allows us to do it all externally. Focus – M(anual) now adjusted by rotating the foremost lens ring. Iris – M(annual) now adjusted by rotating the rear most lens ring. Shutter - On – slide to select 1/50 Shutter speed, visible on the LCD screen. Automatic Gain Control (AGC) – Off , now adjusted using the L,M,H presets. Automatic White Balance (AWB) – Off, now set using white card or kelvins. Full Auto – Off, only ever use this if you are in: a festival/warzone/riot etc Audio CH 1 – M now adjusted using the dial and lcd indicator to check levels. Audio CH 2 - M now adjusted using the dial and lcd indicator to check levels. ND Filters The XF305 has built in ND filters which are selectable on the left side of the camera. Use these to take control in especially bright lighting conditions.
  • Page 8 White balance White balance correctly without using automatic settings, either using a white card or by dialling in a kelvins value. For manual white balancing using a white card: Move the White Bal. switch to either A or B, fill the frame with your white card and press the White balance button. The indicator on the screen will stop flashing when it has finished the white balance. Or to dial in a kelvins value: Move the White Bal. switch to ‘preset ‘and use the ‘select’ roller dial to choose your value. When you have selected your value press set to confirm your choice. Reminder: When shooting outside or under daylight balanced lights use 5600K When shooting outside with lots of diffused light (overcast) 6000k When shooting indoors with artificial tungsten light use 3200K When shooting under a mixture day light and tungsten, use kelvins values or a white card to find the right setting somewhere in the middle and use your eyes to judge what looks best/correct (e.g. do the skin tones look right?). Zoom You can adjust zoom by rotating the zoom ring on the lens, or by using the rocker switches on the top of the camera or above the hand grip which is also where you can adjust the zoom speed.
  • Page 9 Audio We have set audio to manual in the previous steps. Connect the microphone using the XLR connections on the right hand side of the camera. Next set each channel to be external or internal depending on your setup, using the switches above the XLR inputs. Next choose between a line input (e.g. from a wendt mixer etc), mic input (non powered or with its own power source e.g. AA bettery) or mic & +48v phantom power (where the camera provides power to the microphone). Additional functions: There XF305 has a few handy features that help you shoot good footage but should not be relied upon, you should experiment with them first: Peaking – This places coloured outlines around you subjects when they are in focus. Zebra – This is an indication of exposure & clipping depending on the threshold set in the menu. We set the cameras to show zebra at 90% exposure so when you see the black & white lines, you know you are close to clipping but not quite. Waveform Monitor – This is another exposure indicator. Think of it as a graph, showing you black (dark areas) to white (light areas) from the bottom to the top, and from left to right, where the exposure value is placed in your shot.