hi to everybody,

i'm sorry that my first post contains such a big question, but i think i can't solve this problem on my own.

so, here it comes: a few weeks ago i bought a canon xm2 (gl2) - by the way, i'm very happy with it - and since christmas is coming i would like to buy a few accessories. although i looked around on the internet several hours, i don't know which brands etc. to choose (xm2 is my first cam). ok, i need the following:

- a microphone. how good works the canon dm-50? or would a sennheiser or something like that be better for this price (~$180)?
- a wideangle-converter (zoomable). again: what about the canon wd-58? i think 0.7x is a bit too less conversion, 0.66x or even 0.5x would work better, since it changes the focal length of the cam to approx. 26 mm/20 mm. perhaps a raynox? i would like to film in a car and in small rooms, so, what do you suggest? a hood for it would also be good!
- and finally a videolight. are 10 watts enough (canon vl-10)? it should be a good and smooth light, bright enough to lighten a nearly dark room but doens't blend the filmed person too much. which are good manufacturs?

this is all, or do i need any other things? it would be nice if you could also tell me the prices of the things you suggest me to buy.

i see one problem: both the videolight and microphone need an accessory shoe, but the xm2 only has one. what can i do? canon has the sa-1, but it's mounted at the hole which is usually used for the tripod (sorry, don't know the exact name), so it would be there where the lcd screen or my hand usually is located - it would disturb. and it costs $40, which is i think too much for a piece of metal. voigtländer offers a double shoe adapter, but without any energy supply for the attached accessories - the mic would'nt work, would it? so, what do you do, if you want to attach a microphon AND a videolight?

thanks a lot,
mark

ps: sorry for my bad english, hope you understand it! and yes, i used the search-function of the bb already :)

I don't know if Raynox has changed their technology but the lenses I got from them were inferior, but this was back in the '90s. I have a WD-58 from Canon and you can view the results in much of my video stills, especially "Big Eyed Boy" and "Yellow Jr Pirate" at this link:

http://homepage.mac.com/bhardy3/PhotoAlbum8.html

You can then decide if a more powerful lens is better for you.

I also have an "L" shaped hand grip. the bottom of the "L" slides under the GL2 and attaches with a screw to the GL2's bottom screw hole. The side of the "L" is a hand grip and on the top of the "L" you can attach a video light or other accessory. I am sure a camera shop would have a name for what I am talking about and the item should be common and in stock. It works great, making hand held shots great, because your left hand finally feels at home, having a sure way to secure the camera. Make sure there is enough room that you can pull the LCD screen open fully before purchasing your "L" grip.

I have had a huge boil on my leg for about 10 days. The fever and redness seems to be subsiding so hopefully I can get a chance to use and test my Steadytracker, another item you may want to look into. I managed to get it balanced fairly quickly in the house, but have yet to really give it a thorough test. Will post results soon, hopefully.

thank you for your thoughts, the tip with the L-grip is really good. what do these things usually cost?

Mark - Got my XM2 two days ago.

The Sennhiesher is remarkable. I've got the Canon 58w wideangle and the Canon accessory shoe.

PROBLEM: when I mount the Sennhiesher in the Canon Accessory shoe and then slip the 20 watt additional lamp lamp on top of this [ starts to look like a Christamas tree!] - I get a "shadow" of the Sennhiesher mic IN SHOT while using the wide angle - This is not acceptable. Sooooo.... unless I/we can think of a fix, then it is either reverting to the "shorter" Canon mic or shorter Sennhiesher. Do you understand what I mean? I haven't seen any reference to this mic shadow effect using the Canon 58wd - but if it has, I haven't seen it.

- Anyway, it is really something worth considering when buying accessories.

Oh yes, the Canon accessory shoe is pretty stiff when I first slipped it in, so I am thinking of leaving it in all the time. However, this does "knock-out" the onboard mic. You need to consider this as well.

Otherwise I'm over the moon about this remarkable cammy.

Grazie

I've used the dm-50, I think, on a GL1. It worked pretty good. The cat's _ss would be the Senn ME66/K6 with a Beachteck. However, that's a lot of money.

Get yourself a UV and polarizer, along with a good bag like Lowepro's Nova 5 or 6. The 4 will work too, but it's a tighter fit.

An extra battery is a must; and a good tripod/fluid video head is useful.

thanks for these really helpful answers! think i'll buy the wd-58 then. i already own an extra-battery (bp-930), but a uv- and pol-filter are on my list too, yes. who makes the best filters?

the sennheiser me66 is too exepnsive, sorry, 200 $ are the max i think. so should i go with the canon dm-50? is it really better than the onboard-mic?

but what about a good videolight (plus battery)? this would be important too. which one do you use?

thanks a lot!