Glenn Gipson
October 18th, 2003, 09:21 AM
Does anyone like or dislike the Canon Optura Xi? I’m thinking of purchasing this camera, and would like to hear some opinions on it before I do so.
View Full Version : New Optura Xi Owner Glenn Gipson October 18th, 2003, 09:21 AM Does anyone like or dislike the Canon Optura Xi? I’m thinking of purchasing this camera, and would like to hear some opinions on it before I do so. Jeff Donald October 18th, 2003, 10:26 AM Try and do a search. This topic has been covered recently and there are several ungoing threads. Joe Garnero October 18th, 2003, 11:01 AM I don't like the bottom-feed tape loading. Too much hassle for tri and mono pod users. Frank Granovski October 18th, 2003, 04:46 PM Glenn, Allan over at the MX Forum has compared the Xi with the GS100 and PC300. He's has also posted some results/findings of the Japanese Mag. tests. The bottom line was, the GS100 performed better in lower light, but the Optura Xi took the crown with video quality, including with 16:9 mode. The PC300 seemed to have some major problems. Glenn Gipson October 18th, 2003, 05:04 PM Thanks all. Mike Meglen January 26th, 2005, 11:23 PM I just wanted to take a moment to say thanks to a few of you here on this board: Dave Perry, Kevin Sturges, Xander Christ & Chris Hurd, in no particular order just the way I remembered them as I typed. By all means not all that should have thanks but at least those that I remembered. I had researched my purchase for some time deciding on what I wanted when I purchased my new digital camcorder. After deciding on a couple I went to work on researching those few that were left when I discovered this board. I spent several hours here reading confirming my gut instinct from research that the Oputra Xi was going to be a good choice. So thank you all for your intelligent and thoughtful posts pro and con. My main criteria ended up being high quality image, optical image stabilization with choices of Auto and Manual modes. The Xi seemed to win hands down. I had also researched price and decided at the last hour to purchase from a sponsor here B&H Photo. That too was a great decision. I settled on them since even though the camera was not the lowest price, but combined with shipping costs it wasn't going to cost but a couple % more to purchase from an authorized Canon dealer. I just got it last week and was able to get my daughters recital to DV and I am very pleased. This was not an optimal light setting, dark audience with lights on stage I used the spotlight feature to record and was very pleased. I know that low light is considered a big deal for digital but very happy with the results I got then. I just got some clips of them playing at a museum that I have yet to download so we will have to see how that worked out. I am replacing an older VHSc that I had for sometime 8yrs, doing analog conversion to digital via the Dazzle Hollywood hardware. Though that was rather time consuming so looking forward to capturing in digital. I know need to decide on NLE software, hope to not spend too much money in my decision process. I will welcome any ideas you all have. Currently I have available for my use on my XP machine Studio 7, MovieStar5 (no longer supported), MS MovieMaker as well as Adobe Premiere 5. My initial thought is to upgrade Pinnacle Studio 7 to v9 as I like the feature of StoryBoard as an option versus only timeline. I have yet to really play with Adobe much since I know that it is like most Adobe products lots it can do but requires a great deal of learning to get good at it. If anyone has any feedback on NLE I would appreciate it. My main use of camera and NLE will be capturing my two small children to share with grandparents miles away via VCD or DVD. Not being a professional easy to use seems to be high on my list of criteria for an NLE. Thanks again all here on the board Kody Scott January 26th, 2005, 11:44 PM I got my camera from them too! Yeah it wasn't the cheapest one, but I was like I'd much rather pay a few more dollars and not have the stress of dealing with people who might or might not be ripping me off. You should get one of those new Mini Macs and Final Cut Express, although I think it probably comes with iLife 05 installed, which has iMovie and iDVD on it. Those programs are easy breezy cover girl. Amaze your friends and confound your enemies with the power of an Apple!!! Chris Hurd January 26th, 2005, 11:53 PM Hi Mike, Thanks for the great report on the Xi. Sounds like you're putting it to good use. Your question regarding a choice of editing software isn't really related to the Optura itself, so you might want to post it in our NLE message board for the PC platform. The link is http://www.dvinfo.net/conf/forumdisplay.php?s=&forumid=31. Hope this helps, Mike Meglen January 27th, 2005, 12:22 AM Thanks Chris, I sometimes get going and don't stop typing.... Mike Mike Meglen January 27th, 2005, 12:24 AM Thanks Kody, I have added switching to Mac when I upgrade my PC next but I think my wife will kill me when I tell her I am about to buy a new Mac to use my Camcorder. Maybe in a year or so. Davis Lee March 5th, 2005, 11:17 AM Hi, I have jus received the XI yesterday, and its great..... I have a question about the widescreen mode. I know that on the viewfinder and on the lcd, it looks squeezed and also when i hook it upto the TV, it also does that. Im wondering, if i only have a regular TV, meaning, not a widescreen tv, and want my footage to be anamorphic, so that the black bars show up, and show up "unsqueezed," how should i do that? thanks Tom Hardwick March 5th, 2005, 11:51 AM To get footage that isn't distorted but shows as a 16:9 aspect ratio on a normal 4:3 TV, you'll have to shoot 4:3 on the Canon and add the black bars top and bottom in post. Easily done with two black rectangles drawn in your title program, and pulled the length of your timeline. Only use the Canon's 16:9 mode if you have a widescreen tv, or one of the pretty rare 4:3 sets that allows switching via the remote. tom. Michael Wisniewski March 5th, 2005, 12:57 PM You can also put the video onto a DVD. The DVD player will properly display your widescreen video on a 4:3 TV. Dave Perry March 5th, 2005, 01:16 PM Michael is correct. As long as your NLE and DVD authoring programs are set to flag the footage as 16:9, any 4:3 set will show it as wide screen and there is no need to fake it with black bars in post. The main reason I bought the Xi is because it shoots true 16:9 with no loss of resolution. I shoot only 16:9 and do not have a widescreen set but am still able to view widescreen XI movies. To answer your question about play back from the camera, you must have a widescreen set to see it wide screen since the camera is not really a playback device. When the camera plays back, all it does is play back a 720x480 image. Whether it's anamorphic or not, the camera does care. Tom Hardwick March 5th, 2005, 01:34 PM When the camera’s switched to the 16:9 mode the view widens slightly as more of the 1632 x 1224 chip is being used. Graph paper filming tests show that the 16:9 mode uses 20% less vertical CCD pixels than in the 4:3 mode but 7% more horizontal pixels, so this Canon solution is a small step in the right direction and better than simply losing 25% of the vertical resolution as was the case just two years ago. But the Canon lens is superb on this camera, and it's this - more than the pixel count - which makes the pictures look so good. Dave, if you're viewing 16:9 footage on a 4:3 set, then the set's displaying about 360 lines of vertical resolution. I hope you're saving hard for a 16:9 set. tom. Dave Perry March 5th, 2005, 01:41 PM <<<-- Originally posted by Tom Hardwick : Dave, if you're viewing 16:9 footage on a 4:3 set, then the set's displaying about 360 lines of vertical resolution. I hope you're saving hard for a 16:9 set. tom. -->>> Tom, I understand, BUT, those 360 lines aren't being spread over the entire set. The letterbox accounts for the other 120 lines. I shoot 16:9 because most of my clients have wide screen sets and they can wath it in its native format. Those of us with 4:3 sets can watch letterboxed and when we get wide screen the DVDs I'v produced will fill the screen. BTW, the NTSC version of the Xi is closer to "true" 16:9 than the Pal version. Tom Hardwick March 5th, 2005, 03:18 PM ''BTW, the NTSC version of the Xi is closer to "true" 16:9 than the Pal version.'' Interesting. How do you know this Dave? Dave Perry March 5th, 2005, 05:19 PM Tom, I think it was you that posted the results of your testing with graph paper a few months ago. I remember I tried a similar after I read your post and found my results to be different than yours. I will have to set up a more controled test and try it again, maybe with some screen captures as well. Josh Singer April 6th, 2006, 04:39 PM Hello everyone! I've finally received my first miniDV camera, the Canon Optura xi, via eBay, and have been reading all the threads and posts with great interest. I'm making a list of questions that I hope you can help me with. I'm still very new to this, so please be gentle with me if some of the questions are particularly dopey. Maybe your answers can serve as a backbone for a Newbie Owner's guide... INSPECTION: -- I just received the camera via eBay. It appears to be in good shape. What should I be looking for while inspecting? What tests could I do to let me know if there are serious problems? CARE/STORAGE: -- How do you clean the lenses? -- When storing the camera, what is the procedure? I've read that you should place the camera in a zip lock bag. There's also mention of a silica packet to remove moisture. Should this be in the ziplock bag? -- Can you (should you) leave a miniDV tape in the camera when not in use? -- Should you remove any attached lenses? Should you remove the battery? -- How often do you use a Cleaning Tape? Are there any other head-cleaning procedures that should be followed, like Q-Tips and rubbing alcohol? What brand of head-cleaning tape is best for the xi? CONSUMABLES -- What brand of DVTapes are best for the xi? I've heard the words "wet" and "dry" used when talking about tapes. What does this mean? -- Are non-Canon batteries ok for use? Any particular brand? PRICING -- What's a reasonable price for tapes? Batteries? Lenses? etc... FILTERS -- Is a UV filter the same as a "neutral density" filter? -- Is there an order to lenses... should it go camera, polarizer, UV.... or camera, UV, polarizer... does it matter? -- The Optura xi takes 46mm lenses. If you want to adapt to a different size, is it better to step up to a larger lens, or down to a smaller one? SHOOTING -- Is TV30 the same as 30p? -- I've heard about setting the white balance with a coffee filter. What is the actual procedure? Point where you're going to shoot, put the filter over the lens, and make the adjustment? Or something else? Thanks for your help! I'm sure I'll have more questions... Michael Wisniewski April 6th, 2006, 06:28 PM Congats on your purchase and welcome to DV Info. I think you will enjoy your Xi. Lotsa good questions too, as they get answered, we'll definitely add them to the Optura FAQ (http://www.dvinfo.net/conf/showthread.php?t=50128). Michael Wisniewski April 8th, 2006, 04:27 PM ... received the camera via eBay. What should I be looking for while inspecting? I'd start by testing the tape mechanism ff/rewind/record to make sure it's working properly. Then double check the image for any lens problems, and test the focus ring. And make sure the firewire, a/v port, headphone, and mic jacks are all working properly. -- How do you clean the lenses?Make sure to gently blow/brush any dirt off the lens. A lens pen is great for this. You can use lens cleaning fluid or soap & water. But it's important to get the proper lens cleaning material to dry and wipe. Generally, it's advised to start in the center of the lens and move outward in a circular motion. -- ... storing the camera ... silica packet ... ziplock bag?I keep my camcorders in a safe with lots of silica packets. But it's mostly just common sense. The zip lock bag is a good idea if you're travelling where it might accidentally be dropped into water. -- Can you (should you) leave a miniDV tape in the camera when not in use?I usually leave the tapes in, unless I'm storing the camera for a month or more. -- Should you remove any attached lenses? Should you remove the battery?Generally, I never take off either the wide angle lens or the battery. -- How often do you use a Cleaning Tape?I usually use it before important events, or if the camera gives me the dirty heads message. The main thing is to stick with one tape brand, and use the cleaning tape from the same brand. -- Are non-Canon batteries ok for use? Any particular brand?Yes 3rd party batteries are commonly used. Check the Optura FAQ (http://www.dvinfo.net/conf/showthread.php?t=50128) for more information on using 3rd party batteries other accessories. -- Is a UV filter the same as a "neutral density" filter?They are different. Here's a good article on UV filters (http://www.photo.net/equipment/filters/) and one for ND filters (http://www.cs.mtu.edu/~shene/DigiCam/User-Guide/filter/filter-ND.html). Check the Optura FAQ (http://www.dvinfo.net/conf/showthread.php?t=50128) for more info on using wide angle lenses with different filters. -- Is TV30 the same as 30p? Nope. Tv30 refers to the shutter speed of the camera - Tv is the shutter priority mode on the camera, 30 is the shutter speed. 30p refers to the way the image is recorded: progressive or interlaced The Optura Xi only records in interlaced mode, specifically 60i. John Reilly April 8th, 2006, 07:14 PM Hi, I own the same camera, and the Canon repair facility told me to use a head-cleaner tape following anytime you use a different brand Mini DV tape than you had used previously...i.e., going from Sony to TDK. Also, the reason I was in for the repair is that the LCD door hinge broke, probably because I nudged it open too far....(and it doesn't really stop or click into its most "open" position, so be careful). The consequence was that it tripped a relay and killed the video display and the camera operation....they were cool and covered it under warranty... It's a great camera, a nice, large 3.5" LCD screen, but be careful with it! Good Luck! John Reilly |