So my brand new XL2 finally arrived by Fed Ex... it looks amazing! Much bigger than I had anticipated, but that isn't a bad thing necessarily.

Now that I've had a chance to play with it though, there is something I've noticed. I've read that some people have found it a little awkward to shoulder mount, but I never realised how uncomfortable the weighting was until I started using it.

All the weight is in the lens, which means you have to support it with you arm, rather than your shoulder...ouch!

It also appears to want to lean to the left due to a fairly heavy viewfinder.

Has anybody figured out any clever ways of balancing the Xl2? Why Canon didn't counterbalance the weight of the lens I have no idea..

Hi Susann,

many users have complained about the much to be desired balancing of the XL series of camcorders when shoulder mounted.

One way to counterbalance it a bit is to use the dual charger/battery holder CH 910 and two of the large batteries (the battery holder is mounted on the bracket that comes with the XL2). That pushes the center of gravity backwards by a certain amount. However, some people find the battery banging against their head a bit unnerving. Personally, I have no problem with that, so I guess it depends on your build (is that the correct word?) wether it works for you or not.

The drawback of this solution is of course, that the camera set up gets even heavier. Personally I very much prefer to put the cam on a sturdy tripod. Well, Im getting older...

Hi Susann,

many users have complained about the much to be desired balancing of the XL series of camcorders when shoulder mounted.

One way to counterbalance it a bit is to use the double charger/battery holder CH 910 and two of the large batteries (the battery holder is mounted on the bracket that comes with the XL2). That pushes the center of gravity backwards by a certain amount. However, some people find the battery banging against their head a bit unnerving. Personally, I have no problem with that, so I guess it depends on your build (is that the correct word?) wether it works for you or not.

The drawback of this solution is of course, that the camera set up gets even heavier.

Hmmm. Well I hadn't actually considered buying the battery holder though I know I will at least need a couple more batteries.

My brother has suggested unscrewing the shoulder pad and putting something in between to weight the rear more, but as you say that would increase the overall weight.

I'm probably average build (for a girl), though not that tall and my upper body strength could be better too.

Personally I very much prefer to put the cam on a sturdy tripod. Well, Im getting older...

Definitely my preference too, though when you are shooting on the fly as I expect to be sometimes, handheld will be the way to go.

I might have to hit the gym heh...

Susan,

I shoot with the 16x manual servo, the Fuji - 1000 Black and White viewfinder and the Dual Battery pack on back with BP945 batteries... and IT'S HEAVY. Yeah, it kinda twists in your girp. Cinching the strap up tight around your hand helps, but it's a bear nevertheless. A good tripod is absolutely necessary, and yeah... hit the gym.

Another problem I have, at 6'4" tall, is that I often have to 'hunker down' or crouch to get at eye level in a run and gun interview, so by the end of the day, I'm reaching for the advil.

The images are fantastic though...

You might want to consider buying a Steady Stick or a DV Caddie or something of the sort. They are essentially just short monopods that attach to a belt or shoulder strap and take some of the weight of the camera. If you are a DIY type of person, they're easy to make.

the steady stick is what i use. i'm lefthanded, which with the XL2 means doubly-disadvantaged, because the shoulder mount is already geared to my weak side. the stick on the steady stick extends far enough to provide additional shoulder mount support and there's a platform for the camera. i can wear this for a few hours without much fatigue. looks kind of stoopid but works great.

my wife and I have two xl2's; the one she uses most of the time is the heaviest. I highly recomend getting the dual battery pack for counterbalance. Use the supplied (small) battery for the left side (closest to your head) and get one of canons bigger batteries for the otherside (the right side). That way the larger battery will be used down first.


FYI check out our website www.visualmasterpiece.com and there is a photo of my wife holding the camera under "contact" also footage in our demo. She's 5.5 107lbs. and holds (creativly) a 13 pound camera.