XL1 images from COMDEX, Nov 20th, Las Vegas

The images below are various angles of XL1's at the Canon exhibit booth. These images are stills from a mini-DV video cassette which I recorded using one of the XL-1's on display. The DV tape was later bumped to Hi-8 using a Sony PC-7 and a Sony VX-3. A Snappy was used for getting the frame grabs from a Sony EV-S7000 Hi-8 deck, which were then processed in Paint Shop Pro into small-filesize J-PEG's. Definitely a "prosumer" process all the way down the line, but hey, nobody's paying me to do this!

Remember, these are Hi-8 frame grabs that have been compressed; don't make any conclusions about the mini-DV format from these images.

From the top down, an XL1, an Optura, another Optura with a photo flash, and another XL1. The top camera shows the right side which you don't see much in the press releases. The tape loading door and the right-side grip with the zoom rocker are clearly visible. On the bottom camera, you can see the mike clamp -- the mike is interchangeable and the mount should accept a Sennheiser or other brand of ENG mike, using the optional XLR adapter.

This shot shows another view of the mike clamp and EVF assembly, which is easily detachable; and gives a sense of scale. The Asian gentleman holding the camera is about medium size and build, and is probably wishing he'd invented the thing.

A pair of Opturas, for anyone who's interested; plus another idea of the size of the XL1 compared to an average adult male. I really like the nice, large EVF eyepiece.

Left side close-up; my favorite is the Neutral Density filter switch, right where you would expect to find it... a crucial feature that's missing from the Panasonic AJ-D200. The Super Range Optical Image Stabilizer is amazing.

Ergonomics at work -- everything's on the left side, easy to find. All the knobs are normally recessed and push out to adjust. Here the shoulder mount is folded back to let the unit rest on a flat surface... it also folds all the way up to ride flush with the back of the camera. This is another good view of the pro-size EVF.

Some image quality loss here. This shot shows the black dial which powers the camera and selects the different shooting modes. Behind the red slider are the digital effects buttons. The upper black button cycles through the audio monitor, and the lower one turns on the display light. Sorry it's not a very clear .jpg -- guess that's why I saved it for last!

 

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Thrown together by Chris Hurd