Jeff,

I first did a search for black bars and saw most of the threads were for the black bars at the bottom of the frame. I should have checked some of the other pages which refer to the vertical lines I'm experiencing.

Using Cleaner, I crop off the the pixels without fear, because 90 % of my projects are for 320 X 240 for streaming and CD delivery.

Up til now it's never been an issue. But now that I'm moving into the DVD space as well, there could be a JVC 5000u in my future.

I live in Australia and have a friend who is passing through Hong Kong in a week. I know if I buy a Canon XL1s there I can save a lot of money. BUT!!! I know that there are many "shonky" camera dealers there. Can anyone give me info on where to buy my camera in Hong Kong, I need to find someone I can trust..

Thanking you in advance

Tony Morrison

Does anyone know the Canon XL1 Owners Club Hotline Number?
I searched for it everywhere and no luck. Thanks!

They keep this number guarded so that "only Club members may call," but if you dial 1-800-OK-CANON and cycle through the automated menu, you'll eventually drill down far enough to reach a live human being who will assist you in getting that phone number. Hope this helps,

hello,
for anyone using one of these, how do you like it? i did a search and there was only a couple threads just mentioning it in passing more or less. for a 7" lcd they seem pretty darn cheap (price-wise). thank you for any personal experiences with this display.

matt

I bought my XL1s in Hong Kong in Times Square (a shopping center with a floor devoted to electronics) at one of the broadway electronics stores about a year and a half ago for HK$32,000. However they likely do not carry in stock, and at that time i had to order.

However I just helped a friend buy ian XL1s in Pacific Place (another shopping center, located in Admiralty) for under HK$28,000 (could have been even less, I can't remember off hand) at one of two electronics/camera shops on the lowest floor. I know they usually have the XL1s in stock and also offer lenses and some other equipment.

I would recommend the Pacific Place electronics store (i cant remember the name either, but I believe they still have an XL1s in the window). Just make sure to go in know how much you want to pay. I've gotten wildly different quotes from them on occasion.

Not a resident and not being familiar with the ins and outs of Hong Kong, I can only offer this as a visitor:

Most tourists' exposure to Hong Kong shopping is primarily with the main arterial road in the TsimShaTsui district; Nathan Road. The shopkeeps that line the street all know it and price their wares accordingly whether it be a GL2 or a Rolex. "Smoke & Mirrors" at it's finest. Don't know about the Austrialian dollar, but partly due to the economic slump in HK, there's a favorable USD to HKD condition (1:7.7). Despite this, a number of electronic & computer goods aren't much cheaper than if purchased in the US. If anything, I'd blame it on improved worldwide distribution & internet shopping.

Another shopping district further north along Nathan road has less of a reputation of being a Tourist trap: MongKok. Here, approximately 20 square blocks host a beehive of activity east of Nathan Road, south of Argyle. Of sideline interest, there is a HUGE cellphone megaplex and computer megaplex in this area. One or two arcadia shops in the computer building specializes in NLE, but from what I glimpsed, only consumer-level items.

Passing through MongKok today, one of the electronics vendors had a XL1s and GL2 in the window. GL2 wasn't priced, but the XL1s was tagged at $20680hkd. Didn't look further into it as I wasn't in the area to shop for either. I would hedge bets that both were NTSC models (HK uses PAL) since the locals aren't avid videomakers and certainly not the ones who would be buying "large" camcorders. Based on that pricetag, I would extrapolate further that it might be for the body-only and stripped of every/any accessory. There's also a good chance it's gray market stock with no warranties attached. These are the things that have to be explicitly checked when negotiating a sale in HK.

If taking the MTR subway, the MongKok station exit at E2 Bank Centre leads into the hotzone in question. Use www.centamap.com for clarification.

I'm aware it's possible to use the XL1S to make time/date window burms which are useful for legal depositions. Can these window burns be used to reference source video similar to time code window dubs?

They should be, yes. The indicated time/frame number on the screen should precisely match the actual frame number of the video, if that's what you're asking. I use this method frequently by making VHS dubs of my DV originals, to review in the comfort of my living room (ahh, lying on the couch is so comfortable). Tape logging is pretty easy that way (the couch, plus the TC window). Hope this helps,

The AKG is an excellent mic...too bad it wont mount directly on the camera mic mount that comes with the XL-1.....if anyone has a fix, please let me know......as far as sound quality, the mic would be good for:
booming as a second mic, along with a lav.
booming for nats.
camera mounted nat sound mic.
voice over mic.
The presence and super - cardioid adapters may be usefull. This is a very sensitive and awesome sounding mic...I got one last week for $179 at Guitar Center, and obviously, it can do an awful lot...

I already have a Sennheiser ME 66 and I love it. I'm thinking about getting an ME 64 as well and using it as an on-camera mike for safety. Does anyone have strong feelings about this mike for or against? I'm attracted to the small size and the specs look similar to the ME 66. I assume its not as directional, but that might not be such a bad thing for my purposes. Would I be better off just getting another ME 66? It's kind of bulky when its mounted on the camera.

I was recently looking for a 7" lcd monitor for mounting on my steadicam. The models I was looking at were the Lilliput 218GL-70TV, Starvision TM-SVT718M, Digimedia LT-070S, and the Pheonix digital PD-180. I narrowed it down to the Digimedia and the starvision. The starvision has better resolution but the digimedia has an s-video input. I went with the digimedia. The pheonix digital also has an s-video input but i couldn't find much information on it.

You have to be careful when buying LCD monitors from unreputable dealers or ebay. Some of them have old screens that have been recharged and placed into new housings, then sold as new!

hi Jesse,
thank you for the info. i'll look at those models too. i was looking at varizoom's too, which is still priced pretty good. thank you again for the tip about lcd displays. i guess people will try to make a quick buck any way they can now-a-days :/ thanks again, i appreciate your response.

matt

I just got some light water on my lens.
What would you do? Just mop it up gentlely with lens tissue?

Yup. Just mop it up gentlely with lens tissue or lens cleaning cloth. Then let it sit and dry. Hopefully, no water got into the lens---then you'll really be screwed.

Dear All,

I wonder if this is the right place for me to post this?
I have an XL1s and i want to use it for documentry like production, or personal film like production, and my question is are there and PRODUCTION phase recording tips for getting the sound like FILM sound, and are there and POST-PRODUCTION links you can provid for sound EQ/EDITING !

Thanks,
Amr

Welcome Amr
Your question is not a simple one to answer. Acquiring and producing good sound is a science and large skill-set all its own, far too large to adequately cover in a post here. The "audio like film" is the product of some very elaborate professional skills and equipment.

Rather than attempting a tutorial here, the best advice I could pass to you is to point you towards two books by Jay Rose that will give you a wealth of information.

"Producing Great Sound for Digital Video" (http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/1578202086/qid=1045535562/)
and
"Audio Postproduction for Digital Video" (http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/1578201160/qid=1045535562/)

I've provided links to Amazon.com for your reference. Hopefully you'll have a way to get these books in Amman.

thanks alot Ken,

For your valuable links :)

It really helped,

I think yes i can order on-line from AMAZON, i've done it before :)

Regards,
Amr

Hello,

I am new to this forum and am getting close to buying either an XL1s or a SonyVX2000 or PD150

My Question relates to the XL1S.

On Sony Cameras you can use them as A/D or D/A coverters without having to record onto DV tape. For example you can take a VHS recoder connect this to the camera, the camera connected to the computer and the camera acts as an Analog to digital converter. With the Sony you can go striaght through without having to record on the DV tape. It also works the other way round. If you want to take your video from the computer and record onto VHS the camera provides a striaght through for this. The camera being a digital to analog converter without recording to DV tape.

Can yo do this with the Canon XL1s? Some people say you can, others say you have to first record to the DV tape.


Thanks for any help you can give.

You will have to record it to tape first. As soon as you plug in the
firewire cable the XL1s will not look at your analog input anymore.
So first record it, then put it in the computer.

Thanks for your Help

I use the C1000s for interviews and weddings. Doesn't have the gain I was accustomed to when using the Sennheiser ME66/K6 shotgun but I noticed that, in post when I normalized the audio, the signal is very clean and yield great results!

The C3000B is a good all-around mic with one drawback: no 9V on-board power which means that you must have phantom power ...no problem with most studio mixers but could be a problem for you in the field (ie: weddings) where you probably do not want to tote around extra gear to make the 3000 work.

I know of at least one successful audio production house and a couple of individual freelancers who use the 3000b with great results.

Could someone please explain in depth about the ME66? Is it mono or stereo? If mono, what do I do if I want stereo? And I know it says for use in loud environments, but I need to use the mic in quiet places too. Is that ok?

Thanks,
Corey

Hello Corey,
Most mics (aside from those found on video cameras) are, indeed, mono by design. There are also stereo mics, such as the Audio-Technica AT822.

Producing 2 channels of sound from a mono mic is generally a simple manuever from within your editing software.

There's a tremendous amount of information already here on the ME-66 and the general principles and distinctions of various mics. Just do a Search (http://www.dvinfo.net/conf/search.php?s=) on "ME-66".

Hey just a simple thing to save you one more step in post...

if you want stereo sound from a mono XLRmic and you are using the MA-100/200. Use a Female to 2 Male splitter between the mic and adapter. It will send the same signal to both the L&R channels in the camera. I know it isn't true stereo, but this way the sound is already recorded in stereo so you don't have to worry about remembering to do it in post

just my 2 cents
~Mike

There is an ad in my local newpaper for an XL1 w/ 16x zoom lens. he price for it is $4000 Canadian(roughly about $2440 USD). My question is, is this a good deal for this camera or not?

That's a reasonable price for a local purchase used XL1 in Canada. Not a wicked deal by any means, but not over priced. I'd try and bargain them down to $3800cdn.

If it just the camera that's a reasonable price. Since it does not appear to include the accessories, the seller is pobably upgrading to newer cam.

Have it check over throughly before you buy and try the price Dylan recommends.

Does the lens hood of Standard zoom lens connect onto filter thread or does it click or twist lock into 'lip' around the front of the lens as other cameras have.

So no problems using a filter with standard lenshood... Am I correct in assuming this?

Thanks

The lens hood actually attaches to a locking lip (sounds exotic, eh?) on the outer edge of the lens, not to the filter threads. So you are correct; there is no obstruction with screw-on filters.

Yeah nice and exotic....Locking Lip...that like a french kiss with a latin twist??? lol

But thanks for the info.....just waiting for my camera and trying to get gear as and when I can while waiting.

Can I use audio 1 RCA jacks on back of XL1s handle to input a live feed from a mixer board in a sound studio without damaging the camera? And do I put it on mike or line?

Thanks Dan

Generally you can, but using AC power supply with the camcorder might introduce power line induced ground loops or hum. The camcorder input level should be set to match the mixer output. The tape outputs of some mixers are a match for consumer line in (-10 dBV) and that is the input level you should use.

If you have +4 dB output from the mixer, you may want to pad it down.

If the mixer has mic level output, that is often balanced and a good option if you have a MA-100/200 and need to run cables more than 20 or so feet. Just be sure that the mixer output is set to mic output (i.e., -30 to -60 dBV output).

But best to check with the engineer at the studio. He should have the pads you need to get the proper level, and perhaps necessary adapters.

Thank You very much Don, the shoot went well, I switched to line in and using the RCA's on the back the sound was nice. Put it all together and copied to VHS and the sound was very clean and crisp.

Thanks again for your help, I had to be at the shoot in 2 hours so I posted the question and within an hour you gave me my answer. It's nice to know you guys (and girls) are out there!

Dan O'Bannon

Has anyone taken this class in LA? I figure it can't hurt and I may learn someting new. I'm curious if I should be more concerned with taking notes or taking my camera...

HOW good are the AZDEN Mics?? for the Xl1s with beachtek???

Azden is cheaper! Is it as good as the ME66

There are plenty of posts on the Azden. They work fine with the XL-1. If you would like to read more try Azden Search Results (http://www.dvinfo.net/conf/search.php?action=showresults&searchid=67694&sortby=lastpost&sortorder=descending).

According to the LAFCPUG, no, the Azden is not as good. They do a lineup of 3 shotgun mics. It's probably been linked to from here before.

http://www.lafcpug.org/review_shotgun_mic.html

Depends on which Azden mic, Some are a lot better than others. Keep inmind that Azden is a consumer/prosumer product line, and none will match the ME66/K6 for example.

Also, some folks have encountered level issues with the SGM-X. It has a relatively high output impedance.

I have seen that site before, but its always good to get other opinions. Anyone know of any other sites with MIC comparisin tests???????

I wish to record at least 4 microphones on separate tracks. I will also be recording ambient sound via the XL1s on two 16 bit tracks.

Since I want to record in 16 bits or higher, I need to use a separate audio recorder. I would prefer to use 24 bit recording.

I am considering a TASCAM TM-D1000 digital mixer and a TASCAM DA-78HR 24 bit (8 channel) recorder.

I welcome other thoughts and recommendations from this forum.

What are you recording? What is the venue?

Dear Don,

I want to be flexible. Some will be an Elvis Tribute artist, live. Others will be presentations, meetings, racing events, etc.

I want to do the mix after it is recorded on separate tracks.

Please help!!!

I am new to this group but am looking forward to reading all the interesting tech info I see here.

I am a Bigfoot researcher (since 1972) and have been in about 6 documentaries on the subject. I have not been the happiest with the results and so am working towards making my own documentary. I am going to school to learn how to do this and have started getting the equipment. I am not rich but I try to get the best equipment I can to do the job. Right now I have a problem...

I have an XL1s with a MA-100 attached. It has the regular size XLR female plugs, but I have a Sony ECM-55SPT/ECM-55BPT electret condenser lav mic I want to hook up with it by way of cable and it has a mini XLR female plug.

Question:

Is there an adapter available and do I need it to have phantom power? The paper work with the mic says it is hooked up one of two ways... with power requirements either 1.5v or 5v, I don't understand this... either it is one way or the other I thought. It states the mic cable is :2.3mm(3/32in.) dia., 3m (10ft.) long 2-conductor shielded cable (pig tail)."

Two of the film's I was in, used film (16mm and 35mm) but even they used this lav setup. Sometimes they had the lav hooked up to a wireless but the static soundbites were with a corded lav.

Thanks
Rick Noll

Welcome Rick,
I think the connector that you're looking for is called a "P3" connector. I also recently searched for such an adapter and found them for sale on Samson's site (http://www.samsontech.com/products/partaccview.cfm?partoraccsID=1564). Perhaps this will work for you, too.

But I have two Sony ECM-55B lavs, just a bit different from yours, which have an inline power adapter (ie. battery holder) that plugs between the mics and the camera. I actually believe that this is what you'll need, too. My mics came with this adapter but you may be able to buy them separately. Check with Sony's site and/or B&H Photo's site to see if the adapter is available separately.

Does anyone know of a lightweight tracking solution, something like GripControl's "e-track", just for tracks of up to 3 feet. Something that could be mounted on a tripod, and take about 4 kilos of camera (mini 35, XL1S and Nikon prime lens). The GripControl e-track is just too heavy and a little too big.

I made a mistake and purchased the HC-3100? System Hard case from Canon for my camera. It's kinda small and better fitted to being case for some lights than a camera.


i found a way to pack in the ma-200, cavision matte box, microphones , cords, tapes, batteies, tape etc. to be honest, it fits best when i leave the lens and B&W viewfinder on, because there is no place left in the bottom of the box for it seperately.

Is there a roomier case anyone can recommend?

ETrack (http://www.gripcontrol.com/etrack.htm) is the only one I'm aware of, but I'm sure there are others. You might check with some of the big rental houses. You could probably build a short, light duty one for under $500.

Here are some XL1 hardshell case options (http://www.dvinfo.net/canon/articles.php#storage).