Canon U.S.A. (http://www.usa.canon.com) has announced the new Canon XF105 and XF100 professional camcorders for mobile HD video capture in a compact form factor.

Canon’s smallest professional camcorders, the new XF105 and XF100 utilize the same Canon XF Codec featured in the Canon XF305 and XF300, introduced earlier this year. The Canon XF Codec is an MPEG-2 4:2:2 50Mbps codec used for high-definition image quality and full non-linear editing (NLE) systems.

These camcorders include in-camera features enabling the set-up and capture of high-definition 3-D video when two XF105 or XF100 camcorders are paired, as well as Canon’s built-in infrared low-light feature enabling the capture of HD video in complete darkness. Both models record to Compact Flash (CF) cards and feature hot-swappable card slots.

Differentiating the two models are HD-SDI output and genlock in/SMPTE time code (in/out) terminals available on the Canon XF105. The XF105 and XF100 camcorders are designed for Electronic News Gathering, documentary and independent filmmaking and event videography.

The Canon XF105 and XF100 Professional Camcorders feature dual XLR inputs for external audio sources as well as a built-in stereo microphone. The new camcorders support 16-bit PCM audio at 48 kHz with automatic and manual audio level adjustment Both the Canon XF105 and XF100 are scheduled to be available in the first quarter of 2011. Pricing hasn't been announced.