What is the best LANC out there for the XL2 for live performances? I need control of focus/zoom and prefer Iris as well. The Varizoom controllers I have looked at will manual focus on the XL2.

What are the makes and models that work well in a live situation?

The LANC protocol doesn't allow for direct control of aperture / iris, but there is one controller that will allow you to adjust AE up or down a few steps, and that's the Canon ZR-2000.

Moved from Canon XL2 to Remote Lens Controllers.

I only found one vendor that carries the XR-2000 on the Internet and with a $400 price tag. I see less expensive on other LANC controllers but don't know about whether they will work well or not.

Whoops, that's ZR, not XR, my mistake. At any rate, any of our DV Info Net site sponsors who are authorized Canon dealers will be able to get that controller (ZGC, Zotz, B&H, Abel, TTW etc.) If you want the AE Shift function, this is the only LANC controller that has it.

Are there others that work the focus but not the AE shift? I have read about the cheap quality of the Canon case on the ZR-2000 and am afraid that, at that price, it might be a bad choice. Certainly there is something less expensive. My ministry budget was chewed up with the price of the camera, filters, batteries, case, and tripod.

All LANC controllers offer zoom and rec / pause.

Many (but not all) LANC controllers offer focus control as well.

The ones that actually work are not clearly documented. It would be nice if there were good reviews of what works and doesn't work well with the XL2.

Start with Best LANC Controller for XL2 (http://www.dvinfo.net/conf/showthread.php?t=38740) and continue your search from there by expanding to include Bogen, Libec and other manufacturers.

Thanks Chris. This is good information.