Look at this still image from my XL2 (PAL)
It's a squeezed anamorph image but the colors are great!

http://groups.msn.com/Mr70sfanclub/shoebox.msnw?action=ShowPhoto&PhotoID=19

I know what you mean. WE just lifted some stills from some footage we shot recently which we will be using as screen shots on the back of our DVD cases. Print resolution is minimum 300 DPI! It looks that crisp and clear.

Your colours look great!

I have only just bought an XL2 and haven't had much off a chance to play with settings. I rushed off to a shoot the other day and shot using the basic settings, it was a bright sunny day so i used an auto outdoor white balance but the finished product was very cool (blue looking), and the colours not as warm and saturated as your own.

I was wondering if you had any tips regarding gamma setup etc. Did u manipulate the footage with editing software? Any tips/advice would be great.

The simple key to proper color is to balance the camera manually for the light and to do it each time the light changes. This is not nearly as difficult as the business with gray cards as described in the manual if you use a neutral diffusing article over the lens. This can be a commercially made device (Expodisk) or it can be a bleached coffee filter. Place the filter over the lens, set the balance control to one of the numbered settings, point at the light source (lamp if indoors, sky if in shadow, sun if in sunlight but do be sure the filter is in place before pointing at the sun) and press the balance button. When the ikon quits blinking you should see a uniform field of gray in the viewfinder and the camera is balanced for the light source you pointed at. Tape you pull of scenes illuminated with that light source will be correctly balanced.

Well Harley,

About my settings that day. I always put my camera in the "Tv" mode.

This mode allows manual shutter and automatic exposure. I think the auto exposure of this camera is verry verry good. And if you want to de a pan or tilt where you dont want it to change, you can press the exposure lock button. And even when you dont agree whit the auto exposure of the camera you can adjust whith the AE-shift.

Set your white balance allways to manual, auto is great, but I think you get even better collors when you adjust it yourself.
Many people set there exposure manual, and White balance to auto. while I think auto exposure of the XL2 is better then the auto white ballance. BTW, White balance adjusting is something you don't have to do as much as exposure adjusting (if you're dooing both manual)

Another thing that gave me great collors: I used a videolight. Something you should allways use inside. (Pro cameraman do it with betacamera's , so you schould do that to with your dv camera) And with the XL2 try to go under +3db. When u have the chance to use -3db, do so!

AND SOMETHING IMPORTANT: It seems to me that 3db inside is verry good, but outside gives me more noise (in the dark area's)
That sounds weired that you have more noise whit one setting outside than inside. It's like the camera is saying: conditions are good, use 0db or -3db.

About collors: Dont be afraid to play with collor gain in the preset settings. By default it is set in the middle, I put it someware between the middle an all to the end.
On some small tv's you gan get horrable moire. (like collors melting together) and you would think that your collor gain setting is to much. But try this: shoot something with bright collors and lower your collor gain. you will see that the moire doesn't go away that much. That's because the moire also has to do with the great resolution of the XL2's CCD's.

For example: play a videogame on that tv, or make graphics with bright collors with your editing software, and play it on that tv, you will notice moire there to.
This all has to do with the fact that your tv can't handle the big resolution of the XL2.
I work for tv and the other day in the edit room I played some footage of my XL2 (wich BTW has a lot of moire on my small tv at home) but on the broadcast monitor: NO MOIRE AT ALL.

I guess that the image of the XL2 is that good, that everyone who owns one should have gotten a free broadcastmonitor to edit whith it:) oke dream on:)

So I hope my tips can help you

greets, Tim

Cheers thanks for your replies.

I usually have my exposure set manually and prefer to white balance manually but thought the auto outdoor balance would be fine. From now on I'll just manually do it. I'll also have a play with saturation in the menus, turn it up a bit and go and shoot some colour flowers or something lol.

Thanks again

<<<-- Originally posted by Harley Heffernan :

I'll also have a play with saturation in the menus, turn it up a bit and go and shoot some colour flowers or something lol.
-->>>

Hi Harley. Good luck with that, but don't overdo the saturation like I did a while back (see clips below for some really overdone reds!).

Richard

http://www.jaegercat.com/~richard/ChangiBeach1.wmv
http://www.jaegercat.com/~richard/ChangiBeach2.wmv
http://www.jaegercat.com/~richard/ChangiBeach3.wmv
http://www.jaegercat.com/~richard/ChangiBeach4.wmv

Cheers Richard,

I won't go too crazy with saturation... I'll check out those clips when i'm back home and have broadband.

Thanks to everyone for their advice.