I did a little video presentation on my own with an XA20, your instruction made it so much easier to control the camera without having to walk back and forth for every take. Thanks
For your information guys - the Canon XA 20 and XA series, will fit on to a Zhiyun Weebill S gimbal (released in October 2019). This 3-Axis gimbal is for DSLR cameras and compact cinema cameras, so I took a chance and purchased the gimbal (£ 369 Oct 2019), and MY XA 20 fits like a glove. I removed the handle and use the 820 battery. So, you can use your mobile phone attached to this gimbal (via a bracket), and connect it up to the Wifi as demonstrated above, if you want to adjust the camcorder control, when using the gimbal. The camcorder, minus the handle, weighs just over 2lbs, and it is well within the weight limit of this small and powerful Zhiyun S gimbal. I have tested the set up with the 5 modes and it works like a dream - rock steady level and professional shots - so my mechanical glide cam is now, at last, been made redundant!
Thank you for your videos. Splendid, clear explanations! I am going to get the HF G30. This features was the deciding factor for me and I would have never understood this from the company website!
You would, yes (or an iphone and a tablet, or two tablets etc etc). Each camcorder generates its own WiFi hotspot with its own ID, so unless you have a tablet that can connect to two WiFi signals simultaneously (and I'm not aware of any that can), you'd have to have separate tablets / phones to connect to separate camcorders.
Thank you! I have done a handful of voiceovers over the years (and am open to offers!) but don't push it much, partly because the voiceover market is so hard-fought and partly because the rates offered sometimes are terrible. But yes, for the right price for the right job... :-)
Thanks for the clear explanation. Is it possible to have the audio levels show on tablet screen? We use an external mixer, and I'd like the person running the mixer to see the levels, without having to lean over the camera operator. Thanks again
Not sure but I don't think so. However, if you correctly match the levels between mixer and camcorder before you start then you need only look at the mixer meters during recording.
Do you have problems using the zoom feature? I notice that when you press it on a tablet it may cause the tablet's view to expand/contract/change as opposed to actually triggering the zoom control. Also, holding down on the zoom button does not allow for continuous zooming, but you have to TAP the control on the tablet, thereby creating the image jumping. Have you seen the same issues?
Not really. Live streaming over WiFi is not enabled on the camcorder as such, it really is more for local previewing. I suppose you could theoretically write a custom app that took the WiFi feed and streamed it but the frame rates you get over the link seem very low so it would be a bit poor.
I know it sounds obvious but have you definitely switched the WiFi on in the camcorder? Your screen should show the word "WiFi" in yellow (perhaps the Japanese equivalent!)
The Panasonic x920 camcorder (and its cheaper siblings the v720 and v520) offer a realtime stream to uStream, though I have not had any luck getting mine to work due to it refusing to connect to my home router though this may be due to my security settings. Not sure how easy it would be do do a multicam livestream though. You may have to invest in a proper video mixer.
Hi, I've been trying to set up the wifi on my newly bought HFG30, but when I type in the address (192.168.0.80) in the browser I get a message in japanese telling me to wait a second. Then nothing happens. The same happens with the Playback via Browser function... Any tips? Thank you.
Via webbrowser I can't zooming the whole range smootly, becasue the long tap invokes the shortcut menu in any browser. Is it any workaround of this? If I tap any of the zoom buttons on moves the object with small steps only.
That's a good and interesting point! I don't have an answer for you unless you can somehow turn off the long-press action within your tablet / phone, somewhere in the device settings?
This is a feature of the browsers, so it is the Canon, who can modify the program to cancel the long tap event on the buttons of zoom or focus. Using the zoom is one of the main feature, that any videomaker uses on the field. I can't imagine nobody missing it, or nobody uses the WiFi remote control at all? Return to the expensive and outdated LANC controller?
Profilax AGM Haha - personally I prefer the good old "outdated" LANC controller; much easier to use a physical control than a touchscreen in any app. I'm very sad that remote controls have disappeared to be replaced by WiFi operation :-( Perhaps many people would set the camera manually and just use WiFi to start / stop recording? I don't know. I use the physical remote that came with the camera.
When the camera built on the top of a high tripod on en event lasting 1 hour, the WiFi remote should be far easier especially because don't have to watch the LCD monitor upper the head level.
+Alejandro Cardenas: This does not record the video to your phone, for one... But, more importantly, the quality of the video is dependent on the settings in the camera. So, if you transfer a high quality video to your phone, then it would be a high quality video on your phone. You probably wouldn't want to do that since the file size would take up most, if not all, of the space on your phone... which is to say, if you want the video on your phone you should probably upload it to TH-cam or Vimeo. The video feed in this application is merely for reference. As a sidenote: If you're looking to livestream the video you would make use of the HDMI port and a capture device that would help with that. You could feasibly then connect your phone to that livestream. Again, the quality of the video as recorded to files on an SD card would depend on the settings in the camera, whereas a livestream of the video will be of lower quality accommodating for bandwidth. An HDMI capture device can also be used to record the HDMI out of the camera in another format depending on the capture device you choose.
If I recall correctly, it's just the iphone web browser, not specific software. You connect your phone's wifi to the camcorder then the browser sees the camcorder like a website.
As I don't have the XA20 anymore, I can't shed any light on this. How odd. Maybe something to do with the latest firmware? Another viewer was (rightfully) complaining that Canon had removed the waveform monitor in the latest update so maybe they took out some remote functions too?
Very nice review UKAirscape Regarding the WiFi control, that I hope a firmware upgrade fixes, is that as soon as you start recording, if you are in manual mode, you no longer have control of iris, shutter, or gain. Big disappointment. This camera has a few other disappointments but overall I am happy with it (XA25 and HF G30). The other disappointment is not being able to switch from manual iris to auto iris with a single button in manual mode.
Does anyone know if there are any smartphone apps that can be used to control this instead of having to open it in a safari window? The interface in safari is pretty awkward. It would be nice to use a specialized app.
+yarrowleaves I'm looking forward to testing this with a web browser on a computer, and I'm happy to see that it's probably a possibility. Creating a web interface like this was kind of lazy, but it means they didn't need to develop 5 different apps to be compatible with every possible device. To be honest, I doubt you'll find a specialized app because of that... Why would you create an app when there's already an interface that does what you need to on any device?
As I recall, the camcorder doesn't offer a live streaming capability but it's been some years since I had that camcorder so your best bet is to check the manual.
Anyone know if an Intel/Microsoft type tablet can be used to remote control the XA20? The Canon docs only specify iOS/Android devices, but I'm wondering how the camera would even know the dif since it's going through a browser, not an app. Google's exposed nothing about this.
I did a little video presentation on my own with an XA20, your instruction made it so much easier to control the camera without having to walk back and forth for every take. Thanks
For your information guys - the Canon XA 20 and XA series, will fit on to a Zhiyun Weebill S gimbal (released in October 2019).
This 3-Axis gimbal is for DSLR cameras and compact cinema cameras, so I took a chance and purchased the gimbal (£ 369 Oct 2019), and MY XA 20 fits like a glove. I removed the handle and use the 820 battery.
So, you can use your mobile phone attached to this gimbal (via a bracket), and connect it up to the Wifi as demonstrated above, if you want to adjust the camcorder control, when using the gimbal.
The camcorder, minus the handle, weighs just over 2lbs, and it is well within the weight limit of this small and powerful Zhiyun S gimbal.
I have tested the set up with the 5 modes and it works like a dream - rock steady level and professional shots - so my mechanical glide cam is now, at last, been made redundant!
Thank you for your videos. Splendid, clear explanations! I am going to get the HF G30. This features was the deciding factor for me and I would have never understood this from the company website!
You would, yes (or an iphone and a tablet, or two tablets etc etc). Each camcorder generates its own WiFi hotspot with its own ID, so unless you have a tablet that can connect to two WiFi signals simultaneously (and I'm not aware of any that can), you'd have to have separate tablets / phones to connect to separate camcorders.
Thank you! I have done a handful of voiceovers over the years (and am open to offers!) but don't push it much, partly because the voiceover market is so hard-fought and partly because the rates offered sometimes are terrible. But yes, for the right price for the right job... :-)
Thanks for the clear explanation. Is it possible to have the audio levels show on tablet screen? We use an external mixer, and I'd like the person running the mixer to see the levels, without having to lean over the camera operator.
Thanks again
Not sure but I don't think so. However, if you correctly match the levels between mixer and camcorder before you start then you need only look at the mixer meters during recording.
Thank you for the demo. Does this mean that for two camcorders you need to iPhone?
Thanks - glad you found them useful. Have fun with the camcorder!
Do you have problems using the zoom feature? I notice that when you press it on a tablet it may cause the tablet's view to expand/contract/change as opposed to actually triggering the zoom control. Also, holding down on the zoom button does not allow for continuous zooming, but you have to TAP the control on the tablet, thereby creating the image jumping. Have you seen the same issues?
I'd only use the remote zoom for re-framing before record, not during a recording. It's not exactly precise ;-)
Not really. Live streaming over WiFi is not enabled on the camcorder as such, it really is more for local previewing.
I suppose you could theoretically write a custom app that took the WiFi feed and streamed it but the frame rates you get over the link seem very low so it would be a bit poor.
I know it sounds obvious but have you definitely switched the WiFi on in the camcorder? Your screen should show the word "WiFi" in yellow (perhaps the Japanese equivalent!)
The Panasonic x920 camcorder (and its cheaper siblings the v720 and v520) offer a realtime stream to uStream, though I have not had any luck getting mine to work due to it refusing to connect to my home router though this may be due to my security settings. Not sure how easy it would be do do a multicam livestream though. You may have to invest in a proper video mixer.
Hi,
I've been trying to set up the wifi on my newly bought HFG30, but when I type in the address (192.168.0.80) in the browser I get a message in japanese telling me to wait a second. Then nothing happens. The same happens with the Playback via Browser function... Any tips? Thank you.
Via webbrowser I can't zooming the whole range smootly, becasue the long tap invokes the shortcut menu in any browser.
Is it any workaround of this?
If I tap any of the zoom buttons on moves the object with small steps only.
That's a good and interesting point! I don't have an answer for you unless you can somehow turn off the long-press action within your tablet / phone, somewhere in the device settings?
This is a feature of the browsers, so it is the Canon, who can modify the program to cancel the long tap event on the buttons of zoom or focus.
Using the zoom is one of the main feature, that any videomaker uses on the field.
I can't imagine nobody missing it, or nobody uses the WiFi remote control at all?
Return to the expensive and outdated LANC controller?
Profilax AGM Haha - personally I prefer the good old "outdated" LANC controller; much easier to use a physical control than a touchscreen in any app. I'm very sad that remote controls have disappeared to be replaced by WiFi operation :-(
Perhaps many people would set the camera manually and just use WiFi to start / stop recording? I don't know. I use the physical remote that came with the camera.
When the camera built on the top of a high tripod on en event lasting 1 hour, the WiFi remote should be far easier especially because don't have to watch the LCD monitor upper the head level.
Profilax AGM Fair point!
Could this be used for live streaming/OB as a roaming camera
I don't believe so, it's not designed for that, purely for control.
can you use this method on a computer for controlling and viewing?
I think so but it was years ago I did this so I can't fully remember
when you transfer a video from the video camera to your smartphone does the video come out good
+Alejandro Cardenas: This does not record the video to your phone, for one... But, more importantly, the quality of the video is dependent on the settings in the camera. So, if you transfer a high quality video to your phone, then it would be a high quality video on your phone. You probably wouldn't want to do that since the file size would take up most, if not all, of the space on your phone... which is to say, if you want the video on your phone you should probably upload it to TH-cam or Vimeo.
The video feed in this application is merely for reference.
As a sidenote: If you're looking to livestream the video you would make use of the HDMI port and a capture device that would help with that. You could feasibly then connect your phone to that livestream. Again, the quality of the video as recorded to files on an SD card would depend on the settings in the camera, whereas a livestream of the video will be of lower quality accommodating for bandwidth. An HDMI capture device can also be used to record the HDMI out of the camera in another format depending on the capture device you choose.
WHERE did you get the software that powers the iPhone?
If I recall correctly, it's just the iphone web browser, not specific software. You connect your phone's wifi to the camcorder then the browser sees the camcorder like a website.
For some reason none of the features work now apart from the start/stop and zoom?? F stop doesn't change on camera for example!!
As I don't have the XA20 anymore, I can't shed any light on this. How odd. Maybe something to do with the latest firmware? Another viewer was (rightfully) complaining that Canon had removed the waveform monitor in the latest update so maybe they took out some remote functions too?
Same exact thing here. Did you ever find a solution?
Excellent tutorial. Thank you.
+IPBullets Thanks!
Very nice review UKAirscape
Regarding the WiFi control, that I hope a firmware upgrade fixes, is that as soon as you start recording, if you are in manual mode, you no longer have control of iris, shutter, or gain. Big disappointment.
This camera has a few other disappointments but overall I am happy with it (XA25 and HF G30).
The other disappointment is not being able to switch from manual iris to auto iris with a single button in manual mode.
Agreed; there are lots of odd little irritations about the camcorder!
Does it send the audio to wifi too?
Good question but I don't remember, sorry.
Does anyone know if there are any smartphone apps that can be used to control this instead of having to open it in a safari window? The interface in safari is pretty awkward. It would be nice to use a specialized app.
+yarrowleaves I'm looking forward to testing this with a web browser on a computer, and I'm happy to see that it's probably a possibility. Creating a web interface like this was kind of lazy, but it means they didn't need to develop 5 different apps to be compatible with every possible device.
To be honest, I doubt you'll find a specialized app because of that... Why would you create an app when there's already an interface that does what you need to on any device?
How can i connect this to ustream account to stream live?
As I recall, the camcorder doesn't offer a live streaming capability but it's been some years since I had that camcorder so your best bet is to check the manual.
My zoom feature does not work
Thank you for this.
Really informative to the 'corder wifi newbie. Great presentation. Thanks!
Anyone know if an Intel/Microsoft type tablet can be used to remote control the XA20? The Canon docs only specify iOS/Android devices, but I'm wondering how the camera would even know the dif since it's going through a browser, not an app. Google's exposed nothing about this.
Mark Ducey I haven't tried it but I can't see why not since, as you point out, it's simply accessing the control page as a website.
UKAirscape Hi again; I just tried it using Chrome on an Asus VivoTab (a sort of tablet-style Windows PC running Win 8.1) and it was fine.
Good; thanks for the feedback.
Nicely done, thank you.
not a special app at least. For a tablet I need to use a Surface pro 2.