Hi All,

I'm not exactly new here, but I lost my old password and used a different email a few years back and haven't been around for a while, soooo ... I'm kinda new (again).

so... anyway ....

the good news: my xl1 isn't broken
the bad news: maybe my XDA-4C is????

I hope someone can help! Here's my problem:

When my DXA-4C is attached to the audio on the cam makes a high frequency (very annoying) hum that I hear thru the headphone.

Input is set to mic, 16 bit. DXA is set to mic and stereo). Changing settings (ie: mic input to ATT) didn't make any difference.

It happens as soon as I turn it on (even when not recording). And also happens even if no mic is attached.

It's not constant -- it even appears to fade the longer the cam is on, but that comes back loud and clear if I go into standby and turn it back on. And that may just be coincidence, since there's no real rhyme or reason.

It also gets recorded which, as you can guess, is really a bummer!!

When I disconnect the XDA-4C the sound goes away. When I use just use the standard canon mic all is good (well, except that I don't want to use that mic!! =).

I bought the XDA used from B&H about 3 years ago, so maybe it's just lived it's life?? But I'm looking for any input, ideas, similar experiences before I go shopping. I'd sure rather spend the $$ ona NEW toy -- not a replacement!

thanks in advance!!
deb

I ran a head cleaner tape and got the camera to rewind....once....The next time it ate the tape...chomp. Yes it looks like a trip to the service center.I am a XL1s club member so they said it would be a 3 day turn around ....should I have to pay for the shipping to New York?I have 2 shoots set up for Sunday/Monday this week. The camera seems to capture fine but it makes me a little uneasy as I will not be able to recreate these filming dates. Haveing a hard time finding another camera.Do you know a good rental company for XL1s?(North Carolina) They said at cannon that they ship out a loaner if they have it but have been unable to get anyone on the phone...just rings and rings. Thanks Chris for helping me navigate these waters and for your time.
Brian

i'm curious cause the lens guide from DVI states that it is worth $1,600 but after visiting our sponsors i can't seem to find that lens onsale.

I couldn't find anything either, perhaps call someone like ZGC?

When camera is turned on, the zoom usually won't work and on the rare occasion it does, any movement causes the viewfinder to fade to black. Tried trouble shooting with new lithium lens battery but no joy. Nothing in the manual troubleshooting to cover it. Suspect it might be to do with circuits. Camera bought new only a couple of months ago. (Will play back on VCR-no problems there) Any thoughts or advice would be appreciated.

Welcome Anne.

Sorry to hear of your trouble. You must be pretty disappointed with your new camera. Unfortunately, this is clearly a manufacturing defect that you will not be able to fix for yourself. Send the camera to Canon Service as soon as possible, as it's still covered by warranty.

This should be a warranty repair in my opinion.

One quick note, sometimes problems like this can be caused inadvertantly by operator error (although please understand that I'm not at all claiming that this was the case here). The lens has a series of contacts along the back plate that connects to the camera head. If the camera is not switched off prior to removing the lens, then it's possible for those contacts to cross-connect around each other with power going through them during the act of removing a lens or putting one on. It's possible to short out some cicuitry that way. This is why it's crucial to power the camera down when changing lenses.

Regardless of the particular cause in this case, whether it's a manufacturing defect or operator error, it should be repaired free under warranty. Please let us know how it goes.

The stop-to-stop zoom speeds of the ZR-1000 are contained in an article on this site at:
http://www.dvinfo.net/canon/articles/article63.php

Thera also are reviews of sevaral of the VariZoom products among the articles.

The plugs are standard sizes (available even at Radio Shack), but the combination is unique to Canon, and has been since the L1/L2 days. The 3.5mm stereo plug is for the audio and carries the ground and audio output from the mic, and the 2.5 mm mono plug provides power to the mic.

The XDA-4C should be a passive device - meaning no amplifiers in it and thus nothing to generate noise, except perhaps for an open ground or pickup of stray electrical/magnetic fields in the area.

Is this a long-standing problem or has it just started? Have you tried the Beachtek on a different camcorder?

What else is connected to the camcorder?

What is the noise level and does the manual gain control effect the noise level?

How are you powering the XL1? If batteries, what brand and rating? Old or new?

Try different batteries and A/C power - see if that makes a difference.

I suggest this because I've noticed when using the MA100 that under some circumstances different batteries can induce a very low level, high pitched noise in the system. While the Beachtek is a different device, there might be something similar going on.

The door over the audio knobs on the back left of the Xl1 broke in a recent accident. I ordered the new part from Canon, however it appears that this is much more than just the door itself. The door and hinge is attached to the white piece of plastic that makes up the majority of the left side body of the camera.

Has anyone ever replaced this part before? How do you get that off to fix it?

Thanks!

Not recommended for the non-technician. It appears to be held on by a screw or two from the inside of the frame. A significant undertaking.

Hallo,

some one know the exact FLANGE FOCAL DISTANCE on the canon XL mount ???

thanks

PR

"sorry for my poor english"

Hello folks and thanks so much for being out there. My question is When shooting with a XL1s you can set the Zebra pattern to show areas of overexposure with the settings of 80-95. I am trying to aquire video that will be broadcast safe (whites under 100) to save time in the editing process. While shooting recently I had my camera hooked up to a NTSC field monitor to get an acurate idea of picture quality. The image in the viewfinder looked a little milky as I stopped down to reduce Zebra in hot spots but looked fine on monitor. I used monitor for referance. I need information on how to set up XL1s to get the best quality picture for TV broadcast.I have not been able to find information on the operation of the camera in reguard to broadcast levels. Any good reference materials would be helpful.
thanks,
Brian

Broadcast save video signals involve luma and chroma combined levels. Unless you have a specific control monitor, like e.g. Barco's (today Scientific Atlanta) CVM 3000 monitor you cannot estimate on a monitor whether or not the signals are legal. If you keep the combined (composite) signal level below 120 IRE on a waveform monitor you will be safe

The outer door will open but can not load tape . The carriage will not budge. No tape in camera.

Thanks
Tony B

xl1-s

You must send this camera in for service right away.

Canon Factory Service
100 Jamesburg Road
Jamesburg, NJ 08831
tel: (732) 521-7007

I think you need a service manual for that kind of information. I
don't think it has been discussed here before to that extend.

I wish to use the Sennheiser ME-66 mounted to my XL1S (on a Lightwave MM-XL) connected to an MA-100. How long an XLR cable should I buy for this configuration? I imagine it will be fairly short.

Anyone knows where can I get just a cable (with two plugs) that connect original microphone with XL1S body? Inside the XL1S mic, cable is connected via small connector so I guess it is possible to change whole cable. Or is it only solution for me to buy another XL1S mic? Anyone knows where?

Please help!

Buying a new mic is an option. If you want to keep with stereo, consider the AT-822 as an alternative to the Canon mic. It is possible to fabricate a substitute cable - the jacks are available on the market. It may be possible to order on from Canon's parts outlet, but I don't know where that is in you area.

hello folks,

I have a JVC GR-d73U consumer camera. I recently bought a canon xl1s. Is it possible to use the LCD screen of the JVC for the canon Xl1. If yes, how?If not possible.Is it possible attach an LCD screen on a caonon XL1? help needed for the novice

You can use your JVC camcorder as an LCD monitor for your XL1S, but it's going to be a hassle. Turn on your JVC camcorder in VCR / playback mode. Run a video cable from one of the video outputs on the XL1S (either the RCA jack or S-video jack) to the video input on your JVC. Check the manual for your JVC camcorder for instructions about using the video inputs in VCR mode. That's pretty much all there is to it. So up to this point it's pretty easy. The hassle is, now you have two cameras to carry around. You could mount the JVC on top of the XL1S, but it'll be a heavy combination that isn't very practical. For tripod work, you'll need two tripods, one for each camera, also not very practical. So, you could do it, but it doesn't make much sense.

See also my article "Five Essential Items for Your XL1 / XL1S (http://www.dvinfo.net/canon/articles/article79.php)" for some recommendations on external LCD monitors.

Hi Jason,

You have probably sold your EW 100 ENG (Sennheiser) kit by now, but I might be intrerested if you haven't.

If you did sell it already, can you suggest a good deal elsewhere oin this kit?

Thanks!

I don't know or this will help, Harris, but a couple of days ago I mailed B&H to ask them if they knew with what cable I could extend the mic on the canon, because I want to get it on a boom.
They were so kindley to respond me a complete answer, I copy it here, I hope it is a help:

"Hi there

You will need the following two cables,

Model # HOSMMSMF25 $6.95 (out of stock)
Stereo Mini Male to Stereo Mini Female Cable - 25 ft

Model # VAVZEXTL20 $23.50 (in stock)
VZ-EXTL20 20' Extension Cable - for Control-L
(Lanc) Controllers

The only problem you may have is with space, since
they are very tight on the camera."

Hope it helps. Good luck!

Hello all, been a long time since I've needed your valued help.

Question: would dirty heads on my XL-1 cause dropped frames, jumpy capture in FCP 4HD?

Thanks again for the sage advice. This forum has saved my sanity and bank account more than once.

Michael

Yes, it is quite possible that clogged heads could cause frame
drops during record/capture. Get a cleaning tape? Could also
be other things like a bad firewire cable, failing harddisk or other
running programs for example.

Dear Rob, I do believe that you were the helpful soul who solved my last issue some months ago, too. Thank you kindly for the input.

Michael

My firewire stopped working, meaning stopped outputting any data from the camera. I took it to Canon here in Manila, and they said the motherboard in the camera was blown, that the firewire component was no longer working.

Luckily, they had a new motherboard in stock, and replaced my old one at the hefty cost. When I picked up the camera this afternoon, they connected the firewire to a Toshhiba laptop to demonstrate that the laptop did indeed detect the presence of the firewire data from my XL1-S.

I was satisfied, and came home and plugged everything in. They had made the point that the camera SHOULD NOT BE POWERED WHEN CONNECTING THE FIREWIRE. I had connected it in the past many times while the camera was on, but suffered no adverse effects. There is nothng in the users manual about connecting the firwire to a camera already powered.

Now, tonight, I mistakenly had the firewire connector (the 6-pin connector) in the computer upside down. I proceded to turn on my Mac G4 and the camera, but found that Final Cut Pro was still not detecting the firewire.

What is going on here? Is it possible that putting in the 6-pin connector wrong would or could blow the mother board in the camera?

Since the 6-pin connector's form factor is square on one side while pointed on the other, doesn't that prevent any disallowed contact between the wrong pins in the connector and the computer connector?

Collis

Can't find a sennheiser Evolution 100 at the moment and I need a lav mic for a shoot. It will be a single speaker inside sitting at a desk (tying fishing flies) and I'd like a suggestion for a lower cost lav for my xl1s. I'm thinking I want a cardioid vs. an omnidirectional, but as I'm new to this, I'm open to all suggestions.
Thanks

I use two XL1-s' for video work and have recently purchased a canon MV500i DV camcorder to use purely as a playback machine when uploading to my NLE suite. Problem.. If i have recorded in LP mode on the XL1-s i cannot get any sound playback on the MV500i. I have also tried recording on another canon camera and that's the same. If I record on the other cameras and playback on the XL1-s, no problems.
Any ideas? Do i have a fault on the MV500i?

When using LP speed, there always is the potential for playback problms when taking the tape to a different machine. Also, there is the potential that it may not play well on the same maching years later as the machine accumulates hours of use and/or ages.

If the MV500i was used, it could well hae a problm. If new, call Canon service and ask what they suggest

i'm currently using the standard 16x lens with the panasonic anamorphic adaptor. do the century optics wide adapters have thread in front so i can still use my anamorphic? are there other options to get shorter focal length and still use the anamorphic adaptor?

thanks.

It could in theory if you where able to get it in. But it doesn't seem
to fit on my firewire port here (just tried). So I'm not to sure what
you are getting at?

Rob,

Thanks for responding to my post.

Because one of the FW connectors on my G4 is quite loose, it's easy for me to see the possibility that the FW connector (6-pin) could go in upsidedown, if only partially, but enough to do damage, and short out the motherboard. I am afraid this has occurred.

Operator error. But let this be a word of caution that one cannot be too careful about inserting the 6-pin into the PC correctly.

Collis

Basically don't use LP for any serious work and it is a pretty good
assumption that this is causing your problems.

I am experiencing an intermittent problem with my XL1S. While in record mode, picture in viewfinder will jump/jerk briefly with intermittent white horizontal lines then go completely black including no timecode. However, I still am able to pickup sound. The only way to recover is to turn camera off. If I turn the camera off and wait a couple of minutes it works fine for 10 to 15 minutes then reoccurs. Camera is only 3 months old.
Thanks for any suggestions.

Hello Mike and welcome to DVInfo.net!

Which viewfinder do you have? The stock color LCD or the black
and white CRT one? Are you sure the cable from the viewfinder
to the body is properly connected?

Since the camera is only 3 months old I presume you still have
warranty on the camera? If so (and the cable is secure) it is
best to send the camera to Canon to see what is wrong (or get
the company you bought it from to exchange it).

Did you apply for the XL1 owner's club? Try contacting them/Canon
and see what they have to say.

I have a color viewfinder. I have rechecked my cable connections and they appear fine. I also cleaned the camera with a canon cleaning tape in hopes maybe it is something simple.

I will retest unit and if still experiencing problem will contact Canon about repairs.

Hello,

I wanted to know if anyone has used the Canon EF 24-70mm f/2.8L USM lens with the XL1, or XL1S, or XL2? If so, were there any issues/problems with using this lens or did it work really well? This lens does not have Image Stabilization, do you need the EF lens to have image stabilization when using it with a Canon XL1, XL1s, or XL2? Does the image stabilization from a 35mm lens still operate when used on a Canon Camcorder?

thank you,
Barret.

ok, how about a place to buy a senheiser 100 g2? BandH is out of stock.
Thanks in advance.

i am lucky enough to have access to an XL1 even though I'm a complete novice as my brother's company has one they don't use very often any more
but they don't take care of it (they lost the lens hood, the remote and the shoulder mount). Anyway they've had it for years and they've never had it serviced. Do canon charge a lot of money to get it serviced? Is there much point? Is there a cheaper alternative?
many thanks,
Alex
London, Uk, PAL

I have 3x lens now and need a UV filter to protext it. My Canon fs-72U filters on my 16x lens let me use the XL1s lens cap and I'd like that to be true for the 3x lens.

I can get another Canon kit for around $155 but I only need a UV filter. I see B+W has a filter for around $80.

Anyone know if the XL1s lens cap still work? Is there another brand filter I should look at?

TIA

I have a number of B+W filters, and they all work just fine with the lens cap.

Yes, with the exception of "slim" filters which have no outside thread.

I don't know how much it will cost in the UK (you could maybe try
to ring them up and ask?), but it is a wise thing to do to make
sure the camera is still up to spec. There is no cheaper alternative.

I recently had a multi camera shoot where the XL1 was 1 of 4 cameras feeding video to a switcher. We were not able to keep the viewfinder info (rec., batt., tape count) from being feed to the switcher, therefore; the footage coming from the XL1 was not able to be used. Useless, how frustrating!

What's the trick to keeping the viewfinder info from being feed to an outside source (ie. switcher or monitor)? Thanks.

You need to use the remote control to disable this on screen
information. ALWAYS carry the remote control (and a printed
copy of the manual)! The precise instructions are in your manual!

On the newer XL1S you could also toggle this on the camera
body itself (ie, without the remote control)

Thanks Rob.

My 1998 XL1 seems to be out of registration, if that's possible. The colors appear to smear and cross each other on some shots. Is it possible for me to align the chips myself and how do I do it? Or is it better to send it in to Canon? Thanks