Can anyone tell me if it's possible to shoot in progressive scan mode on a Canon XM2? I did borrow the camera owners manual and I couldn't find anything to suggest it will, but just want to be sure.

The reason I'm asking ... I just bought and watched 'Advanced Broadcast Techniques' a DVD tutorial. There is a section where they show several identical pieces of footage in both standard and progressive scan mode. I immediately new that this is what I wanted for our first project.

If the XM2 does not have this facility, which of the other Canon cameras do? Also, is there any way to achieve the same look using something like Avid Xpress if I can't find a camera with this facility?

Tony,

I'm pretty sure the XM2 aint P- Scan.. XL2 is, as is the JVC GD-1(? MODEL)
What was that DVD like - i've seen it around and would be interested to hear your thoughts.. is it worth buying?

Quinn

The XM2 (like the GL2) has Frame Movie mode, which simulates progressive scan.

Thanks a lot Chris! I'll check it out.

Quinn - Okay, remember this is from the point of view of a complete beginner. As someone who knew absolutely nothing I thought the DVDs (2 in the set) were absolutely fantastic. I have ordered the lighting DVDs from the same series. The presenter does not waffle or go over the same subjects again and again - he simply shoots through each section, so the DVDs seem to cover a vast amount of material.

The other thing I really like about the DVDs is that the presenter is upbeat and enthusiastic about what he's doing. Whether he's the consumate pro or not - at my level I couldn't possibly say .. but I'd much rather watch someone who presents material he cares about than someone who just trots through a bunch of technical stuff with little feeling. (And I'm not saying others do that, as this is the only one I've seen!).

At my level - there is plenty on here to keep me going for a good few months at least. I'd recommended it highly to anyone just starting out.

Hope that helps!

Hi Tom, welcome to the forum.

Most cams shoot in interlaced mode, scanning first the odd then the even numbered horizontal lines, each of these partial "fields" being completed in 1/60 of a second and combined to give 30 complete frames per second. It's called 60i.

True progressive scans all the lines in sequence from top to bottom, again producing 30 frames per second. It's called 30p. It gives a subtle flicker in coverage of movement that mimics flim frames. Some cams offer 24p, which is movie film rate.

The XM2 (GL2)'s frame mode scans the odd lines then caclulates the even lines (figuring each calculated pixel should be about the average of the one above and the one below). This works quite well as an imitation of true progressive.

Fred, I think that's a bit of an over-simplification of how frame mode works, based on what I've read. See the following article by Steve Mullen (who is a DVinfo regular) about the difference between true progressive and frame mode. See the section on "Frame Mode Scanning" for details:

ftp://ftp.panasonic.com/pub/Panasonic/Drivers/PBTS/papers/Progressive-WP.pdf

You're right, Boyd--the frame mode part is oversimplified and a tad erroneous. I was passing it on uncritically the way it was explained to me. Thanks. I do like the GL2 frame mode though and leave it on most of the time.