The technology is similar to the DIGIC II that Canon uses for their digital still cameras. The digital signal processor that enables the CCDs to capture in the "f" frame rate is called DIGIC DV II ( DIGital Image Core – Digital Video version II). Every two of the 48 fields are captured at precisely the same moment in time providing an image capture in camera without the need of any additional internal cooling devices for the CCDs. 24f, not to be taken as 24p, is derived from cooler running interlaced CCDs that are clocked at 48 Hz. Users can pay for Canon to re-configure the camera to shoot in 50i and 25f. There's also component uncompressed HD output. The camera can also shoot in standard definition in either 16:9 or 4:3.
It can shoot in the HDV standard resolution of 1440×1080 pixels and has 3 native interlaced 1440×1080 CCDs (The photosites are 1.33:1 aspect ratio, allowing for a full 16:9 frame) where Sony's HVR-V1U has 960×1080 diagonal photosites, and Panasonic's AG-HVX200 pixel shifted 960×540 (goes to 1280×1080 but theoretically with pixel shift, has a resolution of 1440×810).
The Canon XL H1 is Canon's first HDV camcorder with interchangeable lenses. The Canon XL-H1 HDV camera, with a few accessories. The XL2 is one of only a few cameras that can record to all 4 miniDV audio tracks simultaneously. The XL2 records to a miniDV tape and can export to a computer via a FireWire (IEEE 1394) port. This makes it useful for use with wireless microphones or other audio sources. The camera also has 2 XLR inputs in the back, as well as the capability to add 2 more with an adapter that plugs into the accessory shoe. Interchangeable lenses, one of the most popular lenses is the 3x zoom wide angle lens often used for short films as it has a low price.
Many features of the XL-1s were carried over into the Canon GL-2 and XL-2. The XL-1 and XL-1s have many features of a high-end camera such as interchangeable lenses, viewfinders, and XLR inputs. The successor to the XL-1s is the Canon XL-2. The XL-1 was the follow-up camera to the GL-1, and it adds new features such as a more powerful 3CCD system. The camera was designed for the prosumer market, and was very popular with independent filmmakers. The Canon XL-1 is a three-CCD standard definition camcorder made from 1997 to 2001.