New Owner's First Impressions: Elliot Dunwody
posted on rec.video.production 12/31/97
reprinted with permission

"It's awesome, never seen anything like it. Filmed in the afternoon looking over a duck pond with the sun dead ahead low. Looks like a painting. Dumped it down to S-VHS, can't hardly tell the difference. Now all I need is a bag that it will fit in.

"Used my XL1 all day. This thing is unreal. Used some of the out takes for a current video I'm doing for Sunday. Inserted the footage from the XL1 and it looks great. Only one problem... it blows away the S-VHS that was on the orginal tape. The difference is like night and day. Used the Frame Movie mode and it kicks butt. I was in bright sun shine shooting a very white background with shadows all over the place. Camera told me to turn on the ND filter and the final footage was perfect. Play back was like I was looking through a clean window. Was concerned about paying so much for a unknown product, but I was well rewarded. This camera is hot! Can't wait to how this to some of my Beta SP friends, they won't believe it. Oh yeah, it's so small and light you can do all kind of creative positions.

"Used the XL1 tonight in money making mode. Shot some footage of a group cutting a CD. Shot it in Frame mode. Video is wonderful, audio is outstanding. Shot it in a sound studio and picked up alot of the music from the monitors. Played it back and it sound like a CD. Im impressed. Dubbed it down to S-VHS and lost very, I mean very little resolution. Used the camera for over one and half hours on same battery. Used standby quite a bit and shot approximately 40 min of video. Brought it to the studio, dubbed down to S-VHS and have yet to recharge battery. Got to get used to the focus and were all the buttons are but that want take long. Several video guys there and all they could do was "oohh" and "aahh." We were in low light and had a few operator mistakes while in manual but all in all, I'm very happy. The frame movie mode is perfect."

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Written by Elliot Dunwody
Thrown together by Chris Hurd