Trying to decide on what camcorder to buy. Just would like to know what everyone here who owns a XL1 uses it for. Weddings, etc.

I use mine for multimedia production for the web, and CD-ROM and also for shooting surfing, snowboarding and the like, and also am currently working on a short. The camera performs flawlessly, however the manual lens would be a better option in some cases.

Hey Zim, I'm a relative newbie to the world of XL1, but recently got a chance to use it at work. I work in television news and was given the opportunity to use my xl1 as a second camera on a shoot. It was a story about an ex crack addict who turned his life around, became a journalist and eventually became a published author. We followed him back to his old haunts in the "badlands" of philadelphia where he used to get high. I shot in frame mode completely handheld and intercut it with clean video from the primary camera. I was really satisfied with the final product and hope to someday show to you all.

We currently have 3 XL-1's that are used to film weddings, school events & musical productions, and corporate events. This camera has worked great for us in all types of situations.

Been using D8 as an alternative to using the Cable Access' equipment and editing on my mac.

Just stepped up and hoping it's worth it. I know it is, j/k

The XL1 is a cam that can be used for just about anything. I use mine for shooting corporate events and documentary footage. Have taken it on the road to NYC, Boston, Las Vegas etc. to record promotional events, billiards and casino games tournaments, consumer interviews, and have submitted some footage for broadcast use (news clips).
If you look at the movie "Swordfish" you will find the XL1 used in the story by both the "bad guys" and "good guys" ... the porn movie mogul has one in his studio to produce his "art" films, and the FBI uses one for surveillance. Interesting where you see these cameras. It would not be an exaggeration to say that the XL1 has changed my life.

Zimvg, you didn't say what you were interested in doing with yours when you said you were trying to decide what to buy...if you want something that you can literally produce an indy movie or any kind of documentary on and grow with in terms of lenses etc. the XL1 is an unbeatable choice.

hold a camcorder out in front of you and people think home movies, put a camera on your shoulder and attitudes change very quickly.

If you haven't, let me rave about the XL1s! Bought it for use in music videos and haven't been disappointed. Looks as good (or better) as the stuff I see on television as long as I have the lighting right. Also shot a wedding the other day; the only problems I found were my own--not the fault of the camcorder. I just ordered another one for my partner yesterday. Especially for the price, I don't think you can beat it.

In addition to what everyone else offered (which I agree with, as an XL1 owner also) I'll also add that it does a pretty good job with sound control, particularly when you add the MA-100 adapter for XLR connections. (Or the MA-200 adapter if you're buying an XL1s.)

I know that these are pretty expensive additions but I highly recommend also buying the 3x wide angle lens. It's extremely handy for tight space situations. I also recommend getting a kit with the black & white CRT head rather than the standard color viewfinder. As with professional/broadcast equipment it really helps with focusing. Yes, it may take some getting used to (if you're accustomed to consumer cams with color viewfinders) but it's worth the effort.

I'd also recommend starting with the XL1s rather than the XL1. It's all gain with no pain.

Have fun!

hey Ken,
what do you find better about the s over the original xl1?

Daniel,

I don't have one of the newer XL1s models, only the XL1. The "XL1 Watchdog" site features a pretty extensive report on the XL1s and its differences from the XL1. As a prospective buyer the ability to modify sharpness, adjust black levels and select the zebra levels are the most attractive new features to me.

Most of the stuff I shoot is for television. As a matter of fact, I just got back from Afghanistan yesterday where I was shooting some footage for a documentary series on the humanitarian efforts there. Over the past two years I've used my XL1 for a number of different docs, most of which have aired on PBS and and on NHK in Japan. A piece I shot on the refugee crisis in Kosovo was even nominated for a Philadelphia area Emmy in 2000. I'm really not trying to blow my own horn here, but rather stress the fact that you can shoot some seriously good video with the XL1. It's a great little camera, plain and simple. I'll take it over a Beta rig whenever I travel.

Very interesting. Your Afghanistan work must have been a bit depressing, judging from what we've seen from over here. Not to mention the physically harsh conditions. How did your XL1 hold-up? Have you been using the standard lens, the 14x manual lens or something else?

Do you end up transferring your footage to a NLE from MiniDV and then sending the edited work back to Beta or DVCAM for broadcast? Also, what NLE platform do you or your editors typically use?

-Ken-

Interesting when you say you'll take it over a Beta rig...did you know that Sony recently discontiued all its Betacam SP products? I think digital is here to stay, and we all can be out shooting without worrying about mortgaging the house to own a proper camera.
Has anyone noticed how often the XL1 is now turning up as a prop in movies? Swordfish showed 2 of them in the story...one in a porn studio and one in an FBI Surveillance job. Also, the other night the TV show "Third Watch" showed a documentary being shot as part of the story line...you guessed it, with an XL1!

I hope I’m not going to violate any length restrictions here, but here goes.

In answer to your questions, Ken, we were actually in the northern part of the country, well away from the fighting. On this trip we were visiting some the warehouses that the NGOs were using to store food, tents and other supplies that are being sent over the mountains to the refugee camps in the south. We’ll be going back to shoot the camps in Mazar-e-Shariff and Kabul in a couple of months.

Although the region we were in did not see much fighting, Afghanistan is suffering the effects of a three-year drought, which has left the country almost completely devoid of vegetation. The sand is so fine that it is more like heavy dust than anything else, but despite concerns about the invasive grit, the XL1 performed like a champ. In retrospect, we probably should have invested in a PortaBrace rain slicker for the trip. Dust did clog the heads in Egypt a couple of years ago, but luck was on our side this time. The camera will definitely not return unprotected next time.

My XL1 is outfitted with the standard 16X lens and the following:

3X Wide angle lens
MA-100 XLR adaptor
Lightwave systems Equalizer wind screen
Tiffen 1/8 Pro Mist filter
Tiffen 812 warming filter

I do my editing on the Matrox DigiSuite platform running Premiere 5.1, upgrading to 6.0 any day now. The Afghanistan footage, however, will be edited in Boston on an Avid XpressDV system. I master to Beta whenever possible; I still love the softer look of analog for the finished product. Barring the ability to do that I’ll master to a DV based format and dub to Beta for delivery. I don’t know of any stations/networks that accept programming on mini DV yet (or ever, for that matter).

If anyone is interested in seeing a few pictures from Afghanistan, drop me an e-mail and I’ll be happy to forward some.

Bill Schlosser

Bill,

Thanks so much for your detailed reply. Again, fascinating.

I found it particularly interesting that you used a relatively modest outfit. But in such a harsh environment (climate and politics) I would imagine that simple is better. It's also very encouraging to hear that your XL1 held-up so well, particularly with such dust. I've read that the NBC crews were virtually brought to a halt for a couple of weeks by dust.

You must have had some way to recharge batteries...a generator perhaps? (Or maybe you just carried bandaleros of Lenmars or Canon 945's and came home when they were exhausted <grin>.

When you get a moment I certainly would be interested in seeing some shots from your expedition. (kentanaka@att.net). I'd -really- like to see the feature if/when it's broadcast.

Best Regards Thanks Again,

Hey Bill,
I would really enjoy seeing footage and stills from your shoot in Afghanistan. Do you have a site where they can be seen?

Bill,

Since your e-mail isn't listed there no way I can
send you one. I'd love to receive some pictures
from you though, you can contact me on my e-mail
addy that is below in my signature.

A couple of questions about the gear you use. How
did you like the MA-100? Was it a good improvement
over the standard semi should thing that is supplied?

One last question is about the filters. I know I want
to get some filters for my XL1S, but it's hard to see
which one. Here in Holland those filters are not in
the stores, they need to be ordered. Before ordering
I'd really like to know which ones are a must have
for the XL1S, etc. Can elaborate some more as to
which ones do what and are good? Why did you choose
the Pro Mist and the Warming filter?

Thank you!

Rob, since you asked Bill about the MA-100, let me jump in and share my experiences. The MA-100 is an incremental improvement over the little shoulder pad that comes on the camera, but still fails to address the basic form factor issue of the XL1, which is that the weight of the camera really isn't on your shoulder but on your right hand. Of course, it works great to plug in your mics if you have XLR jacks, which I do on my wired mics. It also provides a handy platform for wireless mic receivers, external batteries etc.

I keep the MA-100 mounted on the camera at all times, but when shooting hand-held I add a highly modified Vanguard shoulder pod, which solves the problem with its leg and abdominal pad taking all the weight. I can literally shoot hands-free and carry the camera around all night without pain or fatigue. I wold love to get a demo in person of the Varizoom pod, so I can see if it is worth the money.

I too would like to hear from Bill about filteres, I just have the UV now.

My thanks go out to everyone’s enthusiastic response to and interest in my recent adventures. I apologize for not responding sooner, but my world has been a little hectic these last few days. I promise that I will get those pictures out to everyone who asked for them. My e-mail, for anyone who wants to bug me (and please feel free to do so) is:

doboj1@yahoo.com

To Daniel regarding a web site: I am in the process of putting together my production company’s web site, but it’s not online yet, but please e-mail me whenever. It keeps me on my toes.

Regarding the MA-100: I agree with Mike. It’s a definite improvement over the standard shoulder brace and a must if you use external mics. I don’t know that I would want anything more substantial, like the one that Mike mentioned, unless it had some kind of quick release mechanism. I do a lot of shooting from the ground, out of cars, etc, so for me a larger shoulder support would be too cumbersome. That’s just my opinion though.

About filters: I just started using the Tiffen 1/8 Black Pro Mist recently and it’s become as indispensable as U.V. filter. It’s on my lens 24/7. Like I alluded to in an earlier posting, I like to soften the look of DV. I find that this filter does that; not enough to make the images fuzzy or out of focus looking though. Tiffen also makes other Pro Mist filters, but the black seems less prone to haloing and washing out shadow areas. Try higher levels for a more dreamlike effect.

The Tiffen 812 warming filter does pretty much what its name implies. It warms up your picture a little bit. Make sure you white balance before you put the filter on or the white balance will compensate for the slight orange cast of the filter, negating its effect. Or worse, if you then take the filter off, your picture will have a bluish cast to it. For more info on Tiffen filters go to www.tiffen.com where they list and describe the effects of all their filters. Of course the best way to find the filters that best suit your needs is to just get out and start experimenting. I got mine through B & H, by the way.

One more thing: I highly recommend Vortex Media’s Warm Cards for white balancing. I don’t know about anyone else, but my XL1 tends to white balance toward blue. Using these cards really warms up the shot nicely. In lieu of Warm Cards, make sure some one on your crew is wearing a well faded pair of jeans and white balance on them. No kidding, this works. Also (and I know a lot of TV shooters will hate me for this), the color viewfinder on the XL1 does come in handy here.

That’s all I have, and thanks for allowing me to pontificate a bit. Sorry to take up so much space.

Bill S.

Thanks Bill for the heads-up on the filters.

Y'know, I had read up on the Warm Cards, and I thought "wow" somebdy came up with a scientific (and profitable) version of a "cheat" that I have sometimes used...which is to white balance on a piece of blue paper I just happen to carry with me for that purpose...I know, pretty crude but as you pointed out, the "non-professional" color VF tells the tale. Also have tried white balancing on a little light green cloth I use to clean my eyeglasses, which kind of gives another kind of warmness...like for "intimate" shots. Kind of fun.

Sorry, no quick-release on the brace, just the same old 1/4-20 screw which I must screw on-screw off when going to and from tripod...just reminding us every time that it is still a consumer camera after all. Too bad they don't use a tripod plate like the "real" pro cams. But I have gotten quick at doing the changeover. Of course, if I bought a GY-DV500 it would have the plate, but then I wouldn't need the brace, cuz it balances on your shoulder! :-)

Bill, if you want, I'd be happy to devote an XL1 Image Gallery page to you, or any other part of the Watchdog which you feel may be of use. An Image Gallery page would save you from having to e-mail a bunch of pics, and would insure that more folks get to see them.

Thanks, Chris. I'm definitely going to take you up on your offer. Just tell me what I have to do (and give me a couple of days to get my act together.)

Bill S.