The Canon XL1s is a very versatile video camera. Even though it is considered a prosumer camera it has been used for shooting feature length movies, documentaries, as well as your every day Internet video.

You can’t hurt the XL1s it is a very sturdy video camera that is able to endure the elements for beyond what you would consider to be normal. I have taken the XL1s out to construction sites and used it to shoot CEO’s of companies, from cold to hot it just keeps working despite the harshest of conditions.

The XL1s is very easy to learn and use. If you feel intimidated by the professional controls and buttons just put it on automatic and start shooting, it will do all the work for you. As you become more familiar with the controls you can start to experiment slowly adding some of the manual functions into your shots.

The same is true when it comes to focusing the lens, you can put it on automatic and it will do all the focusing for you. This feature is great if you keep the camera focused on a subject will little action in the shot. If you have movement forward and backward from the camera the camera will keep trying to adjust the focus. So, this feature is great but some what limited if you are looking for professional results.

One great feature about the XL1s is you can exchange lens. This means that you can put very expensive lenses on the video camera and improve the quality of the shot. Sometimes, you may need to have an adapter to accommodate the lens.

The XL1s comes with its own microphone. I would recommend that you get a high quality microphone at some time in the future. Audio is half the equation to a high quality video. So, take your time and find a good quality microphone, they range in price so it is up to your budget how much you want to spend.

Another nice feature is the mini DV tape it makes it easy to capture your video into your editing software. All you have to do is plug in your firewire into your computer and your editing software will find the XL1s and start the capture. Then you are editing digital video and can save the mini DV tape as a backup.

The Canon XL1s Mini DV Digital Camcorder has been around for a long time and has a great track record. So get one and start making great videos. For more information go to http://canonxl1sminidvdigitalcamcorder.com