Canon's professional broadcast camcorder — the XF300 with three sensors for broadcast quality.
The Canon XF300 is a professional broadcast camcorder from 2010 featuring three 1/3-inch CMOS sensors in a classic three-chip design. The three-sensor approach dedicates one sensor to each colour channel (RGB), providing superior colour accuracy and colour sampling compared to single-sensor cameras. Designed for broadcast news, documentary, and corporate video production.
Video quality is broadcast-grade with Full HD recording in Canon's MPEG-2 MXF codec at up to 50Mbps. The three-sensor design provides excellent colour accuracy — the hallmark of professional broadcast cameras. The 18x optical zoom covers 29.3-527mm equivalent. Canon's IXIS high-speed AF system. Two XLR inputs with phantom power for professional audio.
Fixed 18x zoom lens — non-interchangeable. Weight is approximately 1,740 grams — moderate for a professional camcorder. Build quality is Canon professional broadcast grade. Dual CF card recording with relay and simultaneous modes. HD-SDI output for broadcast integration. The three-chip design was the broadcast industry standard when released.
Available on the used broadcast market at very low prices — thoroughly superseded by 4K alternatives. Check all three sensors, zoom mechanism, and recording. The three-chip technology produced excellent broadcast HD but is outdated in the 4K era. Only of interest at extremely low prices for HD broadcast work or as backup equipment.