I just realized that the XL2 stock viewfinder (yes, it's lacking, we need not go into that) does not offer a "TV safe" area in the menu. My problem is, and always has been the XLs, that I tend to compose too loose for fear of losing something when viewed on TV in 4:3.

Any suggestions?

Jay

What would be wonderful is an external LCD monitor mounted on the XL2 with a switchable TV-safe overlay. I'll bet they exist, but I haven't heard of them.

Jay,

The stock color viewfinder displays what approximately would be the TV safe zone. I noticed this when doing a resolution test:

http://www.geosynchrony.com/scratchpad.htm (about half way down the web page in the resolution test)

Quote:
I'll also note that the XL2's viewfinder has a LOT of overscan -- much more than I think is necessary. It was enough to just make the 1.5" wide tape not visible on the viewfinder when PPro's capture window showed perfect edge-to-edge coverage.

Roughly speaking, if you can see it in the viewfinder it'll show up on a TV with typical overscan. Personally, I don't like the viewfinder to have overscan but that's the way it is; no changing it as far as I know, unless you use a different viewfinder/monitor while shooting.

Pete, that's what I thought, but such is not the case with mine and the three TVs I have here (no two are alike).

With the run-and-gun shooting I do, using a monitor is impossible.

Jay