I need help on setting up 16:9 guide on my xl1s. When I'm in 16:9 mode the option under Display setup menu is pink and not available (similar to greyed out sptions in a windows menu) hence, guide can't be activated. In normal aspect mode it can be activated. What am I missing on this?
Thanks
Dennis C

Dennis,

The 16:9 guide can only be used if you are shooting in 4:3 and need to frame your shot for 16:9. If you are shooting in 16:9, you don't need the guide because what you see in your viewfinder/monitor will be 16:9 already. The 16:9 guides are used for those who wish to shoot in 4:3 and then add letterbox "bars" during post production.

After switching to 16:9 from the "Cam.set up menu" I then go to the "Disp.set up" menu to turn the 16:9 guides ON, but the 16:9 guides item is "purple" color and is not available to select.
Thinking it was a camera malfunction, I went to the store and tried it on their camera to no avail. (The guy at the store couldn't do ti either)
Thanks for any help.

Let me guess, you had the camera switched on to Green Box (Easy Recording) mode, right? Not all features are available in this mode, and this is one of 'em.

Turn the camera on to any other program mode, such as A (full auto) mode. That menu item should no longer be purple (unavailable), and you should be able to select it.

Hope this helps,

When you are in 16x9 mode then you don't get the guide bars. The image is stretched vertically to fill the viewfinder. I get around this by using a small 34cd TV/monitor set to 16x9 when shooting to see what you are getting in the correct aspect.
(however I am a newie and could be wrong)

You are correct *despite* your newbie-ness, Tourist.

If you have selected the 16:9 widescreen option, then of course the 16:9 guides will be purpled out. They are available *only* when shooting in normal 4:3 mode.

You win a cookie.

;-)

P.S. -- OILS to return to USA early next year? Hope so!

Doesn anyone have any comments about shooting in the 16:9 mode or using an anamorphic lens?

My tv is regular old 4:3. So 16:9 is not of use to me (yet).

http://members.macconnect.com/users/b/ben/widescreen/index.html

See my article, "The Myth of Mini-DV Widescreen," in the Articles Menu section of the XL1 Watchdog.

Does anyone know how to get 16:9 marking lines on the viewfinder display of the XL1?

I heard the XL1s does have these markers. Are the incorporated into the glass or projected on the screen?

I want to shoot 16:9 but with the camera set at 4:3 mode, because during testing I found it a real pain to keep the microphone out of the frame, I never know how close I can get it until it enters the frame. Besides it gives me the chance to alter the framing in post, compared to 16:9 mode where WYSIWYG.

My local electronics store does sell plastic foils with these markings for smaller camcorders to put on the fold-out screens. Is there something similiar for the XL1? Or has someone found another solution?

Cheers,

On the XL1s the 16:9 guides are projected onto the viewfinder. That is, you can turn them on/off from a menu. This feature was new to the XL1s model.

You may be able to rig some type of template that can be inserted into the XL1 viewfinder's eyepiece. Perhaps someone knows of one available commercially?

Good luck.

Is the 16:9 on the XL1s true 16:9... I want to shoot footage for TV broadcast but cant get an answer wether I should shoot on 16:9 on the canon or not... footage tends to look slightly bunched when I shot on 16:9..
is there anyone that can help..
then another amateur question... What are the bset settings to use on the Canon when filming in a poorly lit room, all my ffotage comes out grainy..
thanks
Brin

Howdy from Texas,

See my XL1 FAQ at www.dvinfo.net/xl1faq.htm -- no camera in this class offers "true" 16x9.

One way to increase low-light performance is with the gain control. Try it at +12db or +18db. There will usually be some grain with this, that's the price you pay for low light shooting. Hope this helps,

Howdy From Cape Town,
Thanks Chris will go ahead shotting in normal size. and the Gain trick worked a charm.. Much thanks, as i wade through getting to grips with the CAnon.
cheers
brin

Hi all....new here.....and I am utterly confused,...

I am having problems with recording to MiniDV using my JVC VS-10 deck..so I thought I'd try the XL1s for testing...

When I hooked up my s-video cable to the XL1s's s-video input and then the other end to the output of my VS10, I got a 16:9 flag in my viewfinder......

After much experimenting I have concluded two things: First, my VS10 is erring when recording any source to MiniDV...

The other is that the XL1s is seeing ANY S-video signal as 16:9...

The camera is set to 4:3 as far as I can tell...

Am I missing something!?!?

When I look in the viewfinder, the signal coming in looks normal.....the recorded tape plays back in 16:9 though on any video out!!!!!!

Can anyone shed some light on this? Thanks in advance.....

SVHS should not have anything to do with 16:9.... should. Perhaps
something is wrong? ... i haven't gotten to much experience with
16:9 myself yet, so perhaps someone else can tune in here

hey yall,
i have read some things about how the canon xl1-s will give you white bars to use as "guidelines" if you are shooting with the intention to convert to wide-screen.
i tried it on my cam and didn't get the lines. I just got the elongated lookthat I have also read about.
how do i get the guidelines??
thanks.

check the manual but I think you can goto display then 16:9 guides when in M mode.

Rob:D

I'll try that when I get home, thanks a lot.

Katherine

Be sure to switch OFF the 16:9 mode from the camera menu. Then go to the display menu to turn on the guides. The guides work only in the standard 4:3 shooting mode. The manual is in error somewhat as it leads you to believe that the guides can be displayed in 16:9 mode. They can't -- they're only for shooting in normal 4:3 mode, for cropping to 16:9 later in post. It doesn't matter which camera mode you're in, however (auto vs. manual, etc.) -- hope this helps,

chris,
thanks so much.
perfect info.
it sounds like it will work when i get home to try it.
thanks, take it easy.

As pointed out, guide lines will only work when NOT in 16:9
mode. This is ofcourse what you want, you can't have 16:9
lines in 16:9 mode because you are already in it ofcourse....

thanks a lot yall. i got it to work. i like it. it is a very nice feature.

You also seem to know about the canon xl1. (not the S) I have a small question and just need to be sure. I am going to shoot with my camera for dutch television station that wants it broadcast done in 16:9. I know the canon does not shoot native 16:9 but neither does the Sony pd150. They accept the way the sony shoots, does it shoot the same 16:9 like the Canon? (it will be edited on Avid)
greetings

You need to buy an adaptor for the XL1 or PD150, as this is the only way to get a true 16:9. Century Optics sells them and here is a link to a film that was shot one an XL1 using a more expensive adaptor.

http://www.moviemaker.com/issues/50/chineseshoes.html

Not really, the PD10 is already used as it is by the broadcastcompany, I just want to know if they are the SAME. That is it is the same sort of 'fake' 16:9. I know the canon is. but what about the PD150?

Please read what Adam Wilt has to say about this...

http://www.adamwilt.com/DV-FAQ-etc.html

do a find on PD150

thanks for the tip Sharon. I havnt seen much of you here but i kindly thank for your contribution. And the answer is Yes they are the same not native 16:9 but they are constructed both differently The Canon and Panasonic use both vertical-pixel-shift method and the sony uses field-doubled/interpolated method. Both are not real and you loose a lot of quality. But that is no problem if the client knows but still wants to shoot with Mini-DV like my case.

Just read http://www.dvinfo.net/canon/articles/article52.php

wish I read it before shooting my last doco. I have an XL1 which I used to shoot footage in 'fake' 16:9 mode.

I now have a problem....this doco incorporates a lot of still photos in 4:3 mode.

Given that the XL1 16:9 is not true 16:9, is there any way to load the footage as 4:3 without it appearing squashed??

There is almost no true 16:9 con/pro-sumer camera out there,
except for the new XL2 and the HD camera's. This is a "known"
thing.

I'm curious as to your line "I now have a problem...". This suggest
your problem has cropped up now that you KNOW you don't
get a resolution increase (which is what it is, you still DO GET a
16:9 signal, only not with more resolution), however I don't see
why you would not have this problem originally if it was "true"
16:9 (in regards to the 4:3 stills).

So either you have wrongly decided to go with 16:9 (whether it
is true or fake) or you where planning on cropping your photo's.

If it is the latter then continue with everything in 16:9 and just
crop your photo's and be done with it. Your signal is still 16:9.

If the former then there are two ways to convert your 16:9
footage to 4:3 footage:

1. letterbox the footage so you get a widescreen image inside a 4:3 picture (this might still mean cropping your photo's or otherwise you will switch between a widescreen "look" and fullscreen)

2. crop the side of your widescreen image (ie, zoom in digitally) so you get a 4:3 frame

What works best depends on your project requirements. How you
can do this depends on the NLE you are using.

Why not crop the pictures to fit the 16:9 aspect ratio?

Isn't that what I said just above my list of two points Jean-Philippe?

Ho, You are right Rob, sorry :)

I misunderstood your first point.

Hi

Just a quick question, I'm to start filming a making of video for a feature film, but the producers are concerned about my camera not filming in 16:9, but in 4:3.

Could anyone please advise me on what difference there would be if I convered it into 16:9 in post.

I'm using Final cut pro - how do I convert 4:3 to 16:9?

Thank you.

Llewellyn

you will lose pixels thus image. the xl1 records electronic 16:9. I would buy an anamorphic (spelling) lens to shoot real 16:9

Actually,the XL1S does do 16:9 in camera ,albeit semi 16:9.Do a test as some find it to be of acceptable quality.It it not true 16:9 but it it also doesn't just cut the top and bottom it does use the pixels for added resolution.

Thanks, I'll give it a go.

I have been doing this often recently. It is simple and straight forward. You will need to evaluate the results for yourself. The means by which the result will be viewed is a big factor. A 16:9 projector in a large room will give you results where the loss in resolution won't be noticable to the regular person. If it's going to be an up close 16:9 monitor with a critical crowd, then maybe not.

There are 3 techniques: Shoot using the XL1 electronic anamorphic, lens anamorphic, shoot using 16:9 guidelines. Each has it's pros and cons. There are good articles on this topic that discuss it at length.

I shoot in electronic anamorphic (everything is tall and skinny in the EVF). FCP detects the footage is anamorphic. Set the Anamorphic checkbox in your FCP Sequence Settings and you will get the properly shaped canvas. Edit as usual. FCP stretches the tall and skinny footage to the right shape. Export to DV and you will see that everything gets tall and skinny again as the QT player and iDVD display in 4:3. That's OK. When you play your DVD on a 16:9 TV or projector, it gets stretched out to the right aspect ratio.

I find that DV's normal lack of resolution in a long shot is a little more noticable when shot in anamorphic (which makes sense) so I zoom in closer. When you consider the frame is much large in 16:9, you'd want to be closer anyway. I'm very pleased with the results and the fact that I can milk more life out of my XL1s before having to invest in an HD or 16x9 camera.

I shoot in electronic anamorphic (everything is tall and skinny in the EVF). FCP detects the footage is anamorphic. Set the Anamorphic checkbox in your FCP Sequence Settings and you will get the properly shaped canvas. Edit as usual. FCP stretches the tall and skinny footage to the right shape. Export to DV and you will see that everything gets tall and skinny again as the QT player and iDVD display in 4:3. That's OK. When you play your DVD on a 16:9 TV or projector, it gets stretched out to the right aspect ratio.
ernest, i have noticed this tall skinny footage in the viewfinder before and just thought i'd done something wrong..

are you saying that if i opened up a new project in premiere pro and selected widescreen instead of standard, that the footage would be true widescreen? edit: ive tried it and it seems that way!

What if i just connected the camera to a widescreen tv to watch the rushes, would they still be squashed? edit: nope.. try something out before asking these poor men about it in future!

and finally if i exported this edited widescreen project to an avi and watched it on a pc, would this be proper widescreen or still tall and skinny? edit: exporting as we speak so i'll soon know the answer to this too!

I can't speak for Premier but in Final Cut Pro, one sets a property of the timeline to be anamorphic. That causes FCP to stretch it out to 16x9 and it then looks right.

I widescreen TV in widescreen mode will do the same thing. It will stretch squished video which results in the proper aspect ratio.

If you can set the aspect ratio of the AVI file to be 16x9, then it will look right. However, it may squish it back to 4x3. But, if you burn that onto a dvd and play it on a widescreen TV, it will be stretched and voila! You've produced widescreen video.

I can't speak for Premier but in Final Cut Pro, one sets a property of the timeline to be anamorphic. That causes FCP to stretch it out to 16x9 and it then looks right.

I widescreen TV in widescreen mode will do the same thing. It will stretch squished video which results in the proper aspect ratio.

If you can set the aspect ratio of the AVI file to be 16x9, then it will look right. However, it may squish it back to 4x3. But, if you burn that onto a dvd and play it on a widescreen TV, it will be stretched and voila! You've produced widescreen video.

excellent,thanks for your help. I'm going to view the dvd i created on a 4:3 tv today just to see if it still remains in shape and them I'm all clued up when it comes to premiere pro's 16:9 options! thanks again

I've got a shoot coming up for a showroom video and the client wants to have it displayed on Plasma Screens. I have an XL1s. I have tried to talk him into renting an HD camera for the week, but to no avail he just wants to use what we have.

I know that I can shoot 16:9 (or at least there is a setting in the menu) that will allow this. Has anyone had any experience shooting in this format and are there any potholes to be aware of?

Also is there any software out there that converts across formats? DV to HD and so forth

Thanks for any imput

Maybe if you have access to a high end converter 4:3 converted looks better but with a format like DV, I always think you want to try and get it in camera because the heavy compression soon breaks up when you mess it about. When I used to use an XL1, I found that shooting in 16:9 gave better results than resizing 4:3 footage in FCP.

I usually shot with a HDR-FX1, but my usual camera rental guy up and left the US to move to Japan so I am currently renting two XL1 cams (an XL1 and an XL1s) for a wedding shoot this weekend.

That brings to mind that I usually shoot in native 16:9 and I'll have to work around this exact same issue myself. Is there a setting that is best for 16:9 use?

If I have to just chop all the footage in post then I suppose I'm OK with that, but I'd like to see some bars overlay if possible.

I've never shot in the faux 16:9 mode because it looks funny to me in the viewfinder. I'll have to try it.

Jason, in the display setup menu you can turn on 16:9 guides.

I shoot in 16x9 30fps frame mode all the time. There are no potholes. Bring the footage into your NLE as an anamorphic clip and have at it. It displays just fine on 16x9 screens.

I bought an XL1 recently, and I'm wondering about shooting in 16:9 as it relates to transferring to different formats. I'm planning to shoot a movie, and of course I'd like to shoot in widescreen, but I'm trying to think about how it would look on big screens (if that's possible) as well as on TV screens. I'm assuming it's going to be seen mostly on non-widescreen TVs. Is it better to shoot in 16:9 or not for overall transfer? I'm a little worried about it looking fine on bigger screens, and the picture ending up looking smushed on TV screens when it's transferred to DVD and shown on normal TVs, for example. Or vice versa : I don't know. But I don't know which shooting mode is going to elicit the best results. Or can shooting in 16:9 be doctored in post to where it would fit different sizes of screen? Any thoughts?

Welcome to the boards Nathan.
I own the XL2 and have asked myself the same question. In one way you can assure you're "futureproofing" your work by shooting 16:9 as HD sets are rapidly appearing in more and more homes. On the other hand, you're right in feeling you want to be able to show your work properly on what TV sets are common.
Ultimately, I decided to shoot my personal projects in 16:9 and then convert a duplicate file into letterbox format, a very easy procedure that even iMovie with the right plug-in can accomplish.

Cool. That's what I'll do then; knowing that shooting in that scope will be covered makes things a lot easier. I appreciate the welcome and the reply Eric.

No problem. Best of luck, Nathan.