BBC buys 50 Canon XF305 cameras

The BBC's DV Solutions department has ordered 50 units of Canon's XF305 compact HD camcorder from CVP, the largest supplier of Canon HD equipment in the UK.

The XF300 and XF305 are already selling well to independent production companies, as the cameras are the most affordable models approved for HD use by the BBC. The new order positions the XF305 as the successor to Sony's HVR-Z1 tape-based HDV camcorder, which became the most popular compact camcorder for SD production after DV Solutions had bought large numbers.

The XF300 and XF305 are the first compact camcorders to record internally at a 50Mbps data rate, one of the requirements the BBC has for HD broadcast applications. It records onto solid-state Compact Flash cards.

"We are delighted that the BBC has placed this order with us as it clearly demonstrates that not only is the Canon XF305 the BBC's preferred handheld HD camcorder but that CVP is the BBC's preferred supplier," said Phil Baxter, CVP's CEO.

The BBC has also chosen Sony XDCAM EX PMW-350 and Sony PMW-500 models as its new shoulder-mounted 2/3-inch ENG cameras for news and current affairs (see the full story at TVB Europe). The PMW-500 is the first XDCAM EX solid-state camcorder to record at 50Mbps and has the same form factor as the PMW-350 (which records at up to 35Mbps).

By David Fox