Thank you for your quick response, Ken! That article was extremely helpful, and will no doubt prevent countless headaches and unproductive hours. Thank you!!!

I get about 4 hours from BP 930 on my Nabtek.

I've read the many postings on rain slickers for the XL1 (including the DVInfo review of the Kata). Most discussion threads are circa 2002/3 when it appears that only PB and Kata had product. I see Petrol now offers a product similar to the Kata and VideoSealSkins one similar to the PB.

I cannot find a definitive answer on whether the PB or VideoSealSkins fits with the Lightwave Mini-mount (not SI) and I'm assuming the PB works on a tripod the same way the VideoSealSkins does by simply opening the bottom velcro.

Can anyone confirm the PB or VideoSealSkins works with the Mini-mount and tripod?

TIA

I use the Porta Brace rain jacket, and, the winter jacket. Both have zipper openings on the bottom that allow you to attach the cam to a TP.

If by the Lightwave Mini-mount, you mean the mike isolation system, the answer is yes.

As a product, the Porta Brace rain & snow jackets have served me well over the last 2 years. The only problem that I have encountered, is that I broke a zipper on the rain jacket, through my own negligence.

I am not familiar with the Video Seal Skins.

Good Morning...

I recently purchased a Marshall 4" High resolution LCD monitor with the intent of using it instead of the EVF. The monitor has two BNC inputs. How do I actually connect the XL-1 and the monitor?

Any help would be appreciated.

CMV

well, i guess with a cinch cable and a cinch/bnc adapter when every bnc is for video

I've recently purchased the .6x wide angle adapter for the Canon 16x manual lens. I'm aware that the .6x is a partial-zoom adapter, which is supposed to work only at the wider end of the 16x lens. Yet, with the zoom wide-open (5.4mm) I can't get the lens to focus correctly. No matter how I turn the focus ring, everything is way blurred.

I figured that turning the macro mode ring halfway can help me get correct focus, but it's very unreliable and cumbersome. Does anybody have the same problem with this piece of glass? Or any resoultion? There was no users manual in the box, so I'm not even sure if it's normal behavior.


And a piece of information that might be of use to some of you: the bayonet mount on the .6x adapter for the 16x manual lens can be easily modified to fit on the standard XL1s 16x servo zoom lens as well. By loosening the tiny screw on the side and untwisting the bayonet about 2 revolutions, you can make it fit, and it takes only a few seconds. The attachment guiding yellow dots get misaligned this way, but you can securely lock the adapter on the servo lens by feeling it.

Oddly enough, the stock 16x servo lens has NO trouble focusing with the wide angle adapter on. On the wider end of the zoom range, where it's supposed to, anyway. Push-AF works miracles.

Hello,
I am using an XL1s with the standard 16x XL lens at work. We are considering the OpTex Nikon to XL Lens Adapter to mount the following lenses to our XL1s:

Nikkor 50mm (1:1.4D)
Tamron 28-200mm (1:3.8 - 5.6)
Tokina 19-35mm (1:3.5 - 4.5)

Our main goal is to achieve a wider angle than with the standard lens (and to avoid purchasing the 3x Canon Lens). We know about the magnification factor and so there are some questions:

1) Does it make sense to use those lenses anyway?
2) Will we have a wide angle effect or will the magnification make that unnoticable ?
3) Will the 200mm lens be usable at 1400mm ?

Any thoughts?

Thanks.

This makes no sense at all, especially since you want to get a
wider angle. This is not possible with that adapter (which
magnifies 7.2 times):

50mm => 360mm
28 - 200mm => 201 - 1440mm
19 - 35mm => 136 - 252mm

These are all way more telephoto than the standard 16x lens!

So you either have to go with one of the following systems:

1. wide angle adapter
2. wide angle lens (canon)
3. mini35 adapter with true 35mm lenses

The 1400mm will not be usefull at all if it doesn't have an optical
image stabilizer (which it probably won't).

Hey guys...
I can't connect my camera to my computer.
And when I put the camera in VCR mode the "DV IN" shows even though the cable is not connected.. Is it supposed to be like this? Or is my firewire port on the camera broken?

/Andreas

Everyone,

I was wondering if anyone has any info on, based on serial numbers of the cameras, if there is any way that we can determine when my XL1 was manufactured?. If I am not mistaken, the earlier models had some issues that were corrected. I am curious to see if mine was an early model or a later version.

thanks.

-paul.

On the XL1, the date of manufacture is inside the battery compartment. Mind says December 2000. I purchased it in March 2001.

Try reinstalling the firewire cable into the camera port with the camera off, turn on the camera then remove it.
smitty

Hi Folks,
I'm using FCP 4.5 for my NLE with my XL1-s. How can I ensure that the subject I am shooting will be within the action safe area when I go to edit my footage? I want to make sure that I don't cut off heads or other important items when I frame my shot.

Any help would be great!

Jerome

There is no hard and fast method for 100% insurance, Jerome. It just takes a bit of practice and experience (and a few mistakes).

One of the few advantages of using the XL1's standard color LCD viewfinder (over the FU-1000 high-res monochrome unit) is that it comes pretty close to only showing the action-safe area of the image. See the comparative viewfinder images at the bottom of my FU-1000 review page (http://www.dvinfo.net/canon/articles/article83.php) for an idea of how the safe areas compare with your viewfinder view.

Ken,
Thanks for the info. I'm going to do as you suggest. I wish there was a way to take the DV output of the XL-1s and feed it directly into my Mac, start FCP and see what the output looks like. :-)

Jerome

Can anybody explain how the canon EF adaptor actually does the magnification side of things. Is it literally just the lenses that magnify or is there something in the unit that enhances it. I am having a problem with my adaptor where it will not give very good telephoto with a 300mm lense. If I fit the 300mm lense it only gets as close to a subject as the normal lense that came with the XL1s does. I`m led to believe that an adaptor with a 300mm lense would give the same effect as a 2100mm lense.

The adaptor needs a battery, what is the battery for ?, has this something to do with the zoom ?. I have changed the battery, but it makes no difference.

Does anyone live in the south of the UK that has an Canon EF adaptor that I could come along and see working. At least I could check mine against someone elses that I know works.

Anyones help would be very much appreaciated.

What do yo mean by get as close? Do you mean distance from subject to camera? The lens will make the subject appear larger in the viewfinder. The EF adapter does not magnify the image. The image size is purely the result of the focal length of the lens. Depending on which lens you have for the XL1, you can zoom the lens to about 80mm to 90mm. Attaching the 300mm lens will make the subject about 3.5 times larger in the VF.

I'm looking for a solution that would allow me to shoot through the viewfinder of a Nikon D70 (similar to a 35mm SLR viewfinder) so that I can capture the viewfinder display. Is there any combination of lenses and adapters that you could suggest for my XL1s to accomplish this?

Thanks!

Are you trying to get the footage to look more filmic and have
a smaller depth of field and such?

Hi,

I'm just wondering, what is the type of connection between the stock XL1/1S microphone and the XL1/1S? Is it possible to use this microphone with other devices, say, a Minidisc recorder? I don't know all the different connections, but the one for the XL1/1S mic seems pretty different from any other ones I've seen...

Dennis

It's fine if everything's in focus. This is actually for a training video about how to use aspects of the camera.

Can the Xl-1 and Xl-2 share lenses??? (Perhaps this question has already been asked somewhere else but I wasn't able to find it)

Thanks!

Yes they have the same XL lens mount. These articles (http://www.dvinfo.net/canonxl2/articles/article04.php) might be of interest to you.

Thanks

The stock XL1 mic requires an external source of 5 VDC power. That tends to limit its use to Canon camcorders that have the power jack next to the mic input. This feature was common to other Canon camcorders including those dating back over 10 years to the L1/L2 and A1.

The 2.5mm submini phone plug provides +5 VDC via the tip connector. The 3.5mm stereo miniplug is the audio output and also provides the ground return for power.

I just bought a Sennheiser EW122PG2 wireless mic and have it mounted on my XL1s through the MA-100. The omni mic sounds really muffled for some reason. The distant sounds where good but the normal voice coming from the subject sounded muffled. I tried the mic setting on auto and manual and turned the volume gain down but no difference. What should I try?

Can anyone tell me a good quality lav mic for an xl1. I will
be doing most filming outdoors in a quiet setting. I'm looking to spend around $250 or so. Also, is VHF or UHF better?
Thank you

Try MIC ATT setting, and check any ouput level and gain setting options on the EW122.

Last weekend, I shot a lot of footage from my car, going through scenic areas outside of Toronto. The skies were blue, and the sun was beautiful. I had problems while driving through tree'd areas however, the shadows cast really made the image 'muddy'.

I ran the camera at 1/60 (for the most part), f4.6 - 7.x, with a circ pol. (necessary, or else nasty dash glare resulted). I left the white balance to auto settings, as I wanted fewer things to worry about while driving.

I experimented with the ND filter on the 16x ISII, and 3x wide, and tried no filters at all, trying to understand how best to tackle the abrupt shifting of light from sunny, to brief shaded periods. I couldn't nail a satisfactory image.

For kicks I tried the Auto gain to see how the XL1S reacts, nasty grain was the result. Not acceptable.

Can anyone who has shot a similar situtaion, share some pointers on how to deal with it aburpt shifts in light with the XL1S?

Andrew,

Try running the camera in Tv mode. You can select your shutter and let the camera take control of the iris. I would suggest keeping the gain set to 0 or plus 3db. Have used this in outdoor settings and seems to work pretty good within reasonable limits.


=gb=

Has anyone ever purchased adapters which would allow you to plug in a 3.5 mm plug from a Sennheiser or Countryman E6 Lav into a Shure bodypack? The Connection on the Shure bodypack is a Switchcraft TA4M, so I'd need an 3.5 female to TA4F adapter.

My scenario is I travel with a talent who uses the Countryman E6 and I use Sennheiser G2 100 for my XL1 - we travel to some venues where sound and light are supplied in house and many times they use the Shure wireless. Last time this happened, I used my bodypack for the talent and connected my receiver into their mixer but would prefer to use all of their equipment in the future. I also get a line in via XLR cable into my MA-100 from their mixer.

I contacted CUI but they only sell in bulk units...and so far no reply back from Switchcraft...

Thanks for any help with this.....

If you cannot find a premade adapter, you could buy the parts and have a technician make it up. Shure web site lists the TA4F connectors for about $13.26.

hello everyone. I was just wondering how much you think that i could get for a basically new xl1s, all original accessories, the box, less than 10 hours of use and a 4 year extened warranty. thanks for your time i apreciate it.

alex b

Check ebay, they are the best reference for the going rate for used equipment. If the warranty is transferrable I would think that you could get just several hundred dollars less than what you paid. If you need a quick sale you will need to discount the price accordingly.

Thanks Greg, I tried this over the weekend, haven't had time to view the footage, but I'm putting faith in it.

Don-

Thanks for your reply..

Just heard back from Countryman who say that the E6 microphones are supplied with snap on connectors located
behind the ear which allow you to purchase spare E6 cables with the appropriate connector pre installed specific to transmitter model.

So I'm passing this information along to others in case they may be faced with this in the future..

Hi Folks,

I shot my first wedding this past weekend. I used my xL1-s along with my Panasonic Palm camcorder for static shots and cutaways sitting on a tripod. I was wondering what I could get that would maybe match up with my xl1-s? I was thinking 2 Optura Xis. Anybody else shooting in a configuration similiar to this?

Thanks, Jerome

hello all, i was wondering if any of you had some tips on using the zoom ring for nice controled zooms. whenever i use it slowly it ends up being a real choppy zoom. any sugestions? thanks in advance

alex b

can this lens be used on any of canon's slr digital cameras?

thought if so, i could save some scratch and just get a new body for a digital slr to replace my aging AE1.

thoughts?

No, AFAIK you can't do this. There is no slr cam with an XL mount, and I am not aware of any adapter that allow this. (Technically, it should be feasible, but the focal length would not be really usable)

thanks for the response.

back to the drawing board!

Hey guys, me again.

im using a 3x lens with some tiffen filters. when im full wide, the filter is way visible. the dots on the filter show up like a dirty lens. where can i read up on how to properly use these things?

heath

I've been using a XL1s and a Optura Xi for a concert. White balanced the two cameras as similar as possible. Clamped the Xi to a pillar for a wide total shot and moved arround with the Xl1s on a monopod. Since the lightning was all colored spots I had no trouble with any differencies in color between the cameras.

I had all picture controls (sharpness, color etc etc) on standard for both camera, in the hope that Canon sort of calibrates all their cameras to the same standard.

It worked like a charm. Only minimal corrections in post was needed. The differencies in picturequality between the two cameras is not very big, as long as the Xi is operating in "safe waters". Since the camera does not have full manual, and the lens is not up to Xl1s standard - but it is very good, you have to ensure that the automatic is not driven into a point, where picture quality suffers. That means sudden lightchanges, and lightning extremes.

But the Xi is a very good camera - if only they had put in a fully manual mode - sight!

Hey, the microphone which came with my Canon XL1s doesn't work anymore. I think there is a malfunction in the plug. If i twist the plug a little it works until I let go.

So either I need to re-buy the microphone, or I could just put a new plug on the cable. The problem is, that I have no idea what kind of plug i need. The XL1s has this weird two plug system where one plug is smaller than the other. Kinda like they have on the airplanes.

Does anyone know if these plugs are available out there and if yes, where you can buy em and what they are called? Or is this a canon only system?

Any help would be greatly appreciated.

Good thing you're in L.A., just drive the camera down to Orange County:

Canon USA Factory Service
15955 Alton Parkway
Irvine, CA 92618-3616
tel: 949-753-4200

Hi Jos,

Thanks for the info on your setup. I have a friend that uses the Xi. Hopefully I can get him to work with me.

Thanks again,
Jerome

Hi.

So the Canon XL1 has 8 discreet zoom speeds.

The Canon ZR-1000 remote lens controller, and the VariZoom StealthZoom controller, both have 5 preset zoom speeds.

So. Does anyone know which 5 of the 8 zoom speeds available on the XL1 are accessible through the 5 preset speeds on either of these units?

In other words, is it like this (1 being slowest):

8 5
7
6 4
5
4 3
3
2 2
1 1

or like this:

8 5
7 4
6
5 3
4
3 2
2
1 1

or some other correspondance?

The reason it's important is because we make extensive use of the two slowest zoom speeds (1 and 2 on the 1-8 scale above) and I want to make sure I can zoom at these two speeds using a remote controller.

Thank you in advance for any info, technical analysis or anecdotal evidence, etc.

Hello Folks,
I am having problems with my rewind. When I try to rewind tape it does ok for about 5 min of tape then stops and in display a red EJECT TAPE appears in the viewfinder.I tried several tapes and same problem. Never had this problem before. The tape is SONY premium 60 Mini DV. Any help here would be appreciated....in time crunch as usual and it would really help if I could rewind my tapes.
Thanks for your help.
Brian

Sorry but it sounds like a trip to the service center:

Canon Factory Service
Attn: XL1 Service
100 Jamesburg Road
Jamesburg, NJ 08831
tel: 732-521-7007

Maybe you could borrow a camera in the meantime or pick up a DV cassette rewinder.