i have a canon gl1 and am waiting patiently for the xl2 to come out. by waiting patiently i mean that i am saving money because i dont have nearly enough. i would ust like to know when i should have my small fortune ready.

Nobody that really knows can say, and those that are saying, don't really know. I would say it is a safe bet that there will be some kind of announcement within the next year.

the 300 and the xi

With a rebate on the GL2, one could surmise that more new models on the way very shortly.

All I know is that it better have an LCD on board!

I think that we should start putting in our two cents and make sure that the quality does not go down.

I myself have a menu of wishes. I only hope that Canon listens to its customer base when it comes to product design & features.

Very light, portable with an LCD on board for starters!

Would it be unreasonable to ask for an OPTICAL viewfinder in addition to an LCD control monitor?

Assuming the XL2 is HD of course. :)

I pray that it doesn't have a LCD.
Leave the LCD on the GL line.
LCD's mislead you , you cant really compose a good shot with one, or check colors properly.

LCD's are good if you run and gun documentary style, but it really takes away from other features engineering-wise. They also break easy, add cost, and drain batteries.

I second that. Maybe the XL2 will be 3 CCD HD :) Lets hope its good in anycase, although Canon has yet to let me down.

-- "I pray that it doesn't have a LCD."

Why can't it have the best of all worlds?

I happen to use both the LCD and the Viewfinder for focusing and for framing... Highly productive!


-- "LCD's are good if you run and gun documentary style, but it really takes away from other features engineering-wise. They also break easy, add cost, and drain batteries."

I have yet to break an LCD in the few years of highly active ( 25 hrs. per week average) videography work.

Not to mention out in the field and highly mobile...

It does not have to take away from any other feature and if you do not use it then... you do not have to worry about draining battery.

I agree with you that it will add a couple of dollars, literally, to the retail price.

Even the Industrial/Pro Market Camcorders are now equipped with LCD's because they provide serious "on the fly" options to the camera person.

Even when one has a sound crew and a video/monitor crew at one's disposal during production.

LCDs also eat batteries. Save the $200 they would probably add to the cost and add something much more useful.

LCD's only eat batteries when you're using them. If you don't need them (on a tripod, on a set with a external monitor) they stay folded up and use no power. When you do need them (in the field, on the run) they sure improve the flexibility of your shooting since you can hand hold over your head, out a car window or where ever required and still frame a shot. I'm voting FOR an LCD.

I dont know why anyone wants that kind of redundancy. A viewfinder and a LCD? Just learn to frame with the viewfinder. LCD shots usually allow people to take really bad shots. They aren't good for composition or for checking color or focus.

They generally make the camera fragile and drain engineering resources for really useful and revolutionary features. It's like a step backward. If you really want to run and gun, get a GL2. It's lightweight and has a LCD. Why make the XL1S into a GL2?

Important to note that a couple of larger professional shoulder-mount cameras now have flip-out LCD screens... Sony DSR250, JVC GY-DV5000U, I think there's a Panasonic also... SDX900 maybe?

Personally I doubt the XL2 body will be that much different than the XL1... I don't know, of course; just guessing... where would you put an LCD? And currently, you can just add any LCD screen you want; whether it's a 16x9, or a small 4x3, or whatever... the LCD screen is already part of the modular concept of the existing XL1 / XL1S.

Right: I think thats the best thing about the Canon XL series, you can add a LCD as it fits your needs, just the way you select a lens that fits your needs at the moment. Hardwiring a LCD to the XL or ANY camcorder actually gives you less choices, and on the prosumer and high-end, choices is what it's all about.


I'd rather they focus the XL2 featureset on core things like a strong larger chipset that can do 16x9 natively and shutter speeds to infinity, innovative progressive and interlaced modes, timecode and the ability to sync to devices. good output, better sound and XLR from the door.

Maybe something to hold settings, like a SD card or compact flash. It would also be nice if that SD could hold shot information (f-stop, shutter speed, gain, zoom range and focal lengths! (uh oh, new lens needed for that! ) so that you could be a real one man army and forgo having someone having the tedious job of writing down each shot setting. Let the camera be the second AC. Then you could easily find out what settings produced that pleasing look, instead of guessing.

I'm sorry I sound so opinionated on the issue, but I realize how much has to be taken away for them to include a LCD screen and still hit a certain range of the market in terms of price.

There are lots of cheap cameras that shoot well when you want to run and gun, add one of those to your arsenal of weapons. You won't want to mount an Arri SR-3 or Viperstream to the side of a car going 100 mph during a stunt, you would use a cheaper camera..

A question Chris since you have seen those cams, is the flip-out LCD much better than the one on the GL2? Can it be used for adjusting color, etc? How much do you think it add$ to cams?
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I am not saying I would want a flip-out LCD, but it would not be among the priority items I would want on the XL2. 16X9 native is one of my high priorities.

<<<-- Originally posted by Nathan Gifford : LCDs also eat batteries. -->>>

I really don't know anything about the XL-1s or any other Canon cameras, but I can tell you that on my Sony VX-2000 with the NPF-960 battery I've run for 6 hours straight with the LCD on the whole time, and the battery meter still showed plenty of reserve. So I think it has a lot to do with the design of the camera and battery, and you shouldn't make too many assumptions. For example, do you know for a fact that a flip out LCD draws more power than the XL-1s color viewfinder?

i think this thread proves that one cam can't be all things to all people, and if it attempts that it will fail on all accounts, i like that the xl1 is the only prosumer cam without an lcd (other then the one in eye piece)...

i also agree with Chris that xl1 body style will not change much, i have grown to love the xl1 and it's for saken comfort, so i doubt the xl2 will have one

with that said, it is much easier to frame shots in a gl1, gl2 using the lcd then the eyepiece, unlike the xl1, that may be why it's a sore point with folks that use those cams...

finally an lcd does come in handy, very handy, like shooting around corners, over bushes, and all the other wired places me and my gl1 ended up, handy enough to let go of this add on in an xl2, well that is the question...

You're exactly right, Robert. No camera, car, house, computer etc. can be all things to all people. Myself, I would never consider the XL1 to be a run and gun outfit. It's too big and bulky to be really effective. The whole style and configuration of the XL1 does not lend itself to a LCD screen (despite the lack of physical space to put a LCD screen). I would rather see the dollars spent on other features.

While I certainly understand and appreciate Virginia's comments, I just don't see it happening.

I've always thought that if you want an XL1S with a flip-out LCD, then you really need a GL2. The GL2 is basically an XL1S with a flip-out LCD. Otherwise, add *any third-party LCD* you want to your XL1S.

I have met a canon tech guy here in japan, asked him whne the next cam would be coming out.
He says, "due to the agreement of Sony canon panasonic jvc, a newer uniform DV format 30i, 24p etc. , (relaseased a month ago?) if we were to release a newer model, we would want to add this format in it as well. This could take a whille to impliment. "
Sounds like it will come with 24P. huh.
It sounded as if it was coming out soon, but got delayed from this. How long does it take to modifiy stuff like that on a camera? Anyone know?
Not anytime soon I think.
Takeshi

I always remember one of Chris' Real Audio files where he interviewed someone from Canon years ago. In that interview Canon said that the XL2 would likely be HD. I am beginning to wonder if that has been in the plans for a number of years...