First I would like to explain my setup, I have a standard XL-1 (2000) vintage with a 16 X lens. I have purchased an after market Matte box called an Image 2000 that attaches to the front of the Lens.
I was wondering how I could apply a Hard matte plate to this type of setup for doing a Letterboxing effect. I know I could apply a Letterbox in my editing program (Final Cut Pro) but this takes too long to render out. Any ideas?

Thanks
Dennis Morgan
St Louis

Hello Dennis,

I don't have a suggestion for you per se, having never done this myself. But I'm curious about why you just want to mask-out the top and bottom of your lens' (4:3) image. Are you trying for a faux anamorphic look? It seems to me that if you mask-out parts of your image you may have some formidable focus and exposure issues that you'll have to compensate for.

I am using a XL1 with a Fujinon lens. Does anyone have any good methods for calibrating and color correcting monitors used for video taps?

Hello Eduardo,
Video University's site has a pretty good instructional page on this subject at:

http://www.videouniversity.com/tvbars2.htm

Note, however, that the instructions require that you display true SMPTE color bars for the calibration, something that the XL1 cannot do. (The XL1's bars are not SMPTE-compliant, but the XL1s bars are.) Your editing software might be able to generate true color bars which you could then record to tape to display for calibration. If not, you might be able to just wing-it with the XL1's bars and then use flesh tones to fine-tune to taste.

I am looking for a small/light weight video light < $150 for fill-in for less than 5 feet closeup.

Does anyone have experience with Optex Digilite 15?

I found some feedback on Canon VL-10i, but not on Digilite 15.

The Canon light is good for an on camera fill light. I use it for that purpose and the only thing is it needs a bit of diffusion. I use some oven proof baking paper taped to the body of the light.

XL1 and Storm Sync Probs!?!

Somebody tell me I'm not alone ! I have shot 25 hours on XL1 for mega-documentary and bought a storm to cut it. If I capture an hour tape from XL1 via DV in - the audio lags by 6 or so frames. Tried Canopus UK and ini.file suggestions didin't work. If I go S-video or composite out of XL1 to Storm then it's fine.
Heard on a Canopus forum that Storm was designed for use with SONY cameras?! I used a DVCAM PD150 recorded tape as an experiment into Storm and it was fine!

yours pulling hair out and looking for a fix !

Craig Pancrack, Middlesbrough, England.

Turn key System: Windows 2000 Pro, Pentium 4 1.7, 512 RAM,75gb hd,StormSE Plus with DSR11 DVCAM deck ( and that didn't help either!)

I'm currently having a problem with the ntsc video display whenever I plug the firewire into my XL1. I can view the picture and connectivity is fine, but I get thick, horizontal lines crawling up the screen. This happens with or without the computer on and only when the firewire touches my camera's firewire port. Any clues or suggestions?

It sounds like you almost certainly have a grounding issue. You're probably seeing hum -- my guess is that there are conditions under which you could hear it, as well.

Make sure your computer and all peripherals are plugged into a grounded receptacle. You shouldn't need separate grounding wires; they just introduce ground loops. I'd also try a different firewire cable. If none of that works, then you could start isolating the computer and peripherals -- radio shack makes such a device.

These can be tricky to run down -- good luck!

The statement that the Storm was "designed for use with Sony cameras" is inaccurate. Actually all Sony cameras are compatible with Storm because Storm, while using Sharp chips, is based on the DVRex design which used Sony chips.

Canon's audio falls within the DV specification but is a bit off by a few decimal places. If you've made the .ini file change already, then the workaround is to capture shorter clips. Don't rely on the batch capture feature. You'll have to break each tape up into a series of shorter files. This method should maintain your audio synch.

Im shooting a scene where a character walks with the sun behind him, in a silohuette. Can i damage the camera in any way if the sunlight hits directly into the lens.

Im shooting a scene against a bright window. I want my character to be in silohoutte. Is there something i should know about grain or "noise" being in such extreme situations. Will lowering the gain to -3db, also help in this situation.

Solved it today by capturing in SEAMLESS CAPTURE as 6 x 10 min. clips. The whole tape captured in one go and seamless when assembled on the time line AND IN SYNC!!!

What ini.file codes do you know? I tried the following without any success...cap32to48=-1
canonaudio1=1
canonaudio=-1

?

Hello,
I will soon buy a second hand XL1S (Pal), and I would like to know what I need to check on the camera to be sure it is on perfect condition.
If somebody can write a check list, it would be helpfull.
I think for exemple, about checking CCD (dead pixel?).

Also, where are the serial numbers ont the camera and lens.

Thanks

Does Canon or other manufacturer make an attachment for the eyepiece that will have different aspect ratios. ie 1.85:1, 2.35:1

None that I am aware of.

The serial number for the body is in the main battery compartment, along with the date of manufacture. The serial number for the lens is on the lens back plate, where it attaches to the body.

The most important thing to keep in mind when buying any used camcorder is to immediately send it in for service and cleaning... in your case, send it to Canon UK. This is the best way to insure that it's brought up to scratch.

"Dead pixels" visible in the viewfinder may be a result of the viewfinder (acceptable) or the CCD block (not acceptable). You would need to see a recorded DV cassette to determine which is which. Again, a trip to authorized service is the best approach to take, if you can't buy new.

If you simply want a silohoutte I would imagine that you would meter on the window, lock the exposure and shoot. Under reasonably bright daylight conditions this should give you the effect you want. You can shoot a 2nd take with the gain turned down and then decide which you like later in post. I'm not sure you'll need it but it's certainly a low-cost/no-cost experiment.

Hi everyone, My company has purchased the XL1s Pal format and we are going to shoot music videos and Independent films with the camera. Now I've run into a snag, well more than one. First it took Microsoft a while to get me updates for all the video editing software I'm using and I still feel they don't work properly. But my MAJOR snag is that windows XP home edition that came with the computer does not find the patches need to let me import my video from the XL1s firewire. However when I take the camera home and hook it up to my other computer which is running windows 98 the camera works fine. So I'm thinking of changing Window XP to another Operating system, I don't want to use windows 98 so that leaves my with either windows 2000 or windows XP prof edition which I don't trust yet.. Does anyone have any suggestions? I'm wondering if anyone else has had the same problem.

I am buying a Canon XL-1 this month and would like to be able to make a movie with a wide-angle lens and 16:9 view (ala "Rushmore"). What would be the best way to do this with current accessories?

My current plans are below

-for wide-angle lens, I plan to use EITHER use the Canon 3x lens OR the Canon 16x manual lens with a wide-angle adaptor?
CONSIDERATIONS:
- some posts say the Canon 3x lens has a soft focus?
- I think I read that the new 16x manual lens cannot take a wide-angle adaptor? Is this true?
- WHICH is better option, or suggest 3rd option.

-for 16:9, I plan to use 16:9 squeezed setting in Canon XL1.
CONSIDERATIONS:
- I don't believe there are any anamorphic lens that fit the 72mm Canon lens?
- I believe that video-to-film transfer companies prefer the squeezed mode to cropping the 4:3 image in post.

Any suggestions or advice would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks.
Phillip Ellett

I am looking for a wireless mic for my XL-1. I have been looking at the Sony WRR-862B receiver and the WRT 860A Transmitter as well as the Countryman B6 lavalier mic. Any opinions or suggestions would be greatly appreciated. It's not really a money issue. But I don't want to over buy if I don't have to.

David

I'd go with Win 2000 for now. I've been using it since it came out with my XL1 and Pinnacle DV500. The OS has never let me down. When running NTFS it's very stable, wish I could say the same for Premiere. The main thing is make sure you have at LEAST 256MB of RAM, and keep your OS on a seperate drive to your video files.

Does anyone know if the Porta-brace MXC-32(for the FP-32 mixer) case fit the Shure FP-33 mixer? The catalogue says to buy the MXC-33 case but as far as I can see the two mixers(FP-32 and FP-33) are pretty much the same in size and shape. I have an opportunity to buy the MXC-32 case, but can't see it first. Thanks for your time.

I saw some posts that some of you were looking for a Depth of field calculator, etc. There is a program for the Palm Pilot called pCAM. You can find it at http://www.davideubank.com/

Basically you can input something like your exposure and focal length and it will calculate your depth of field and vica versa. It even graphically displays your field of view as if you were looking through the viewfinder with a 5'10" person as a reference. You can input your desired focal lengths and it will calculate your needed aperture and focal length settings etc. It's very very very cool and well worth it for any serious DP's out there. You can custom your lens settings from various 16mm, S16mm, 35mm, HDTV, Still Lenses and CCD chips sizes for use with the XL1 & DV lenses. I find it works great and if properly configured is accurate to the inch, in my rough experiments with the XL1.

Mike

Yes, pCam is great. I frequently use it when we need to match image sizes--like shooting one side of a conversation at a certain focal length, then having to change the focal length on the other side for one reason or another but keeping the same framing on the other actor. You give pCam the original focal length and distance as well as the new distance, and it calculates the new focal length. Very handy.

Also great for telephoto lenses, like one might use with the EOS adaptor: if you are looking to get a head-to-toe shot with a 200mm or something, you can use the FOV section as you described and match the image size to a distance, which will tell you how many counties away you need to set up the camera, without having to truck it around by trial and error.

We have had great results with our Azden UDR400 series. You should definitely get a UHF version of whatever mic you decide to buy.

Does anyone know anything about manual or motorized focus pullers for the XL1 for Rack focusing etc.?
EX:
If they even exist.
Where to get one.
How well they work.

Thanks in advance!
Nate

See www.varizoom.com and www.zgc.com

Manual focus pulling devices aka follow focus, made by various companies such as Cinetech and Chrosziel. Not at all cheap, but good stuff for use with the manual lenses in a serious production environment.

I was here whining earlier in the day about my camera that "won't run". NOW--

Canon tech says, since I've tried all kinds of tapes, blacked, not blacked, "write-protect" on, off and, etc., etc.....They say that the cassette mechanism must be broken. That, becasue the "No cassette"symbol keeps flashing and, obviously, the camera doesn't run. I'd also noticed immedicately that my cassette mechanism was NOT slow and mechanized ---- was UN-like my GL-1. Thought that was odd.

Question: What's best---just send camera body to Canon OR try to make my dealer give me a whole new kit. I bought it 10 days ago but only shot for the first tiime yesterday.Problem immediate. Do I have the RIGHT to a new kit?


Thanks--


Meg

My opinion is that, as long as you have not yet registered the cam with Canon, your dealer should replace the unit. I'm sure they will get a credit back when they return your defective unit.

You seem to have every right to "whine", Meg.

Hi Meg,

First, let's make absolutely sure you loaded the tape properly (as a GL1 owner, I'm sure you did). Were you sure to close the inner tape transport carriage first, before closing the outside white door that covers the mechansim? See "Two Doors to Close" on the User Tips page of the XL1 Watchdog at www.dvinfo.net/xl1.htm

If that's not the problem, then what to do next depends on who you bought it from. A reputable dealer (such as my sonsor ZGC) will exchange the camera, no questions asked. In fact you should ask them to open the box, power up the camera, insert a tape and record a bit of video for you. If they don't choose to accomodate you, then you need to do two things: 1.) don't do business with them ever again and 2.) send the camera to Canon service in Irvine, NJ. Contact info on the Watchdog under "XL1 Skinny."

Hope this helps,

This is a question I have wondered about for some time so here goes.

Why lenses aren't made that display a numerical reference to focus in the viewfinder? In other words focus values would be from 1 to 100. You could easily preset focus points and it would be easy to find them again quickly.

For example at a wedding the back of the church would be 75, the middle of the aisle would be 57, and the place where dad gives the bride away would be 46 and so on.

The numbers wouldn't have to refer to distance in feet but they could.

I use a JVC studio control kit and mark the focus points on the hand control, but the cable has enough play in it to throw the accuracy off.

Just curious why a lens like this has never been offered.

Mike

Hi everyone

I keep reading on the net that most movie production requires an audio mixer. Is that necessary with DV movie production (specifically with the XL-1)? If I run the mics through the XL inputs of the MA-100, aren't the separate sources recorded separately on tape? So can't I remix in post-production?

I suppose a mixer would make sure that the source is in an acceptable range. How to ensure that without the use of an audio mixer?

Thanks.
Phillip

I understand that timecode from the xl-1 isn't able to be transfered into the editing program along with the clip.
Is this a huge inconvienience? How do you handle this?

Also, is the xl-1 timecode 'drop frame"?

I've been working with professional gear for years (shooting and editing), and I was all set to buy xl-1, but now have second thoughts. I don't want the edit to turn into a confusing nightmare.

Actually, could anyone give me an overview of exactly what the timecode situation is with the xl-1?

Thanks in advance. I enjoy this site...I've learned quite a bit about the miniDV world here. :)

You might want to call K&H in Vermont (they make the PortaBrace line) at tel. (802) 442-8171 and ask for Scott Swinarton or John Fairley. If they can't answer this question directly, they'll point you to someone who will. Let us know what you find out,

Hi Phillip,

Actually yes, the audio tracks on the XL1 and other DV camcorders are recorded discretely, separate from each other, and you can re-mix them in post as long as the levels are right when you recorded them (not too high, not too low).

To make sure your audio is in an acceptable range, you'll want to watch the audio levels meter on the camera and adjust your levels accordingly.

The MA100 allows for two XLR inputs, but the MA200 allows for four XLR inputs. A separate mixer gives you some more flexibility... if you have four XLR audio sources but you don't have an MA200, then you can use the mixer to get all four sources to the camera. However the mixer may only have two channels of output, meaning when the audio is blended in the mixer, it's that way for good. You can play with the levels but you can't change the mix.

However having a separate mixer is one way to use multiple audio sources and still record in two-channel 16-bit audio on the XL1 instead of four-channel 12-bit audio.

16-bit audio is DAT quality; 12-bit is CD quality. To some folks this is a big deal but to others it isn't. You should guage for yourself and choose what you need. Hope this helps,

Thanks for the message. I phoned yesterday and I was told that mxc-32 case most definitely won't fit the FP-33 mixer, but the mxc-33 case will fit the FP-32A and Fp-33 mixer. The Fp-32 mixer is slightly different in dimensions.

i saw some posting about Lenmar batteries. Has anyone tries Sakar batteries. I've seen some that claim to last 6 hours (BP-941L for around $219.99) and one that lasts 4.5 hours (BP-930L for around $139.99).

If anyone has tried these batteries, do they hold ther charge well? What about memory and total life of the battery?

I've had the bp941L for 20 months- love it - no problems. I think I bought it from NYC for around $129. send all of them an e-mail requesting price and shipping

Thanks.

I thought I saw something at one time about the XL1/XL1s having a built-in ND filter (of sorts). But now i can't seem to find any info to confirm that. Am I confusing it with the Sony VX2000 (another camera I've had even more experience with) or am I completely loosing my mind.

Derrick
Lompoc, CA

Your recollection is correct...kinda. The XL1/XL1s' 16x auto lens has a ND filter built-in. It's not a function of the camera body.

See the XL1 Watchdog FAQ at www.dvinfo.net/xl1faq.htm and also The XL1 Skinny and XL1S Skinny at www.dvinfo.net/xl1.htm -- hope this helps,

This may stray from away from the usuall topics but..

has anyone ever droped their xl1 yet???

I dropped mine last weekend....nothing major but i noticed that
the inside lens plate popped off alittle in the side..

just some screws came half way out which in turn had to screw them
back in. ,..also decided to play it and see if it still worked..

the funny thing is it gave some pixelated image mess for the first 5 seconds
and then played fine there on out. everything worked fine after that but whew!, i though dropping my cell phone was bad untill now.

just incase..does cannon still repair XL1's now that they have the XL1's??
if so how do i go about sending it in for repair if i ever drop it again...?

Yes they do as I just got my XL1 back from Canon not long ago. I'm sure they always will.

As for dropping your XL1......DOH!

I do not have the ($) capability to take my dv into DVCPRO via firewire. I'm left with s-video or composite. I know the deck I record on to is a whale of an expensive deck, so I assume it has decent (not consumer) filters to make a nice transfer via the analog inputs.

Does anyone have any insight into whether I should use one over the other? It seems that some places use the composite plugs whereas I would think that s-video would be the way to do it.

Does anyone know if the firewire input board on Pana DVCPRO decks allow a clean transfer? I know that from D8 to DV and vice/versa is fine. So is it safe to assume that if the rec. deck (dvcpro) had the firewire input, that I could do a straight transfer?

Canon makes it very well known that you shouldn't leave you battery on your camera if you're not using it because it will drain you battery.
Well I think if you keep on taking off and putting on the battery directly to the camera , you'll probably have to replace the camera body because something is sure to break.
SOLUTION: 1) get the MA-100 2) get the CH-900 dual charger/holder with part # DC-915 which connects the Charger Holder to the side of the camera (included with CH-900)
Go to Radio Shack.
Pick up a one wire on/off switch (2 to a box $1.98)
and a small black plastic box 1 1/2" W by 2" L by
1/2" H ($1.78) Cut one of the wires on DC-915, solder to on/off switch, use dremil to cut out hole for switch, close to one side, drill holes in each end of plastic case to fit wires in & out. RESULT: you can now leave a battery on camera, turn off switch and store camerain case always ready to use.
without draining battery or camera transport system taking a beating..

I have the Canon L2 and im wanting to upgrade to the Canon XL

digi cam.I have several L2 lenes. I was wondering if the lens

mounts are the same for the L2 and XL cams, and will the L2

lenes work on the XL with no problems.

No. See the XL1 Watchdog at www.dvinfo.net/xl1.htm -- go to Articles Menu > Lens & Optics > Can I use a VL Series lens on my XL1? by Don Palomaki.