Heya folks! I just want to mention the following, because I didn't saw it passing by on the forum and it might be good to know for people living in a PAL land and considering buying the XL H1.

So Final Cut Pro 5.04 can handle the 25F HDV footage of from the Canon perfectly. I found out the other day after my first HDV shoot/Edit with the Cam. Just point the easy setup to HDV 1080 50i or HDV Apple intermediate codec 1080 50i and your set to go!

Thanks Vincent,
1) Does anyone know much it cost to have Canon do the internal upgrade for NTSC & PAL????
Can't find any info on a search...

2) I was at a talk today where a few post houses were Bitching about HDV and
doing a film Transfer from it. They said it was a pain and lots more money! Buty thay dsaid if that is the way you will go, at least shoot in 50i (rather than 24p)
Weird.
I tried to ask questions, but it didn't happen...

alas,

1) Does anyone know much it cost to have Canon do the internal upgrade for NTSC & PAL????
Can't find any info on a search...


Hello John,
It is mentioned here before, see for instance:

http://www.dvinfo.net/conf/showthread.php?t=53881&highlight=PAL+upgrade

If the price is about the same in US and Europe, I don't know.

) So Final Cut Pro 5.04 can handle the 25F HDV footage of from the Canon perfectly.
Vincent, nice to see some europeans around here who are not complaining over the 24F with FCP!
FCP 5.0.4 and PAL version of the XL H1 works fine at 25F as you say. This has has been mentioned in various threads here during about two months as I know. Final Cut Express HD also works fine with Canon and 25F.

I have decided myself to use 25F as a standard setting after comparing 50i with 25F. But you need to be careful and slow with pans and moving objects.

I tried to film without tripod, using the OIS.
Then when I used a steady tripod the result was much better in my opinion.
Especially small details when I compressed the film to a smaller QuickTime sequence. (Using about 10 MB/minute at 960x540 pixels.)
When the camera is moving a little you will often get an unstable picture quality where details are flickering from one pixel to another and from one sampled black value to another.

I filmed a very dark tar painted log house museum with white snow around. When the camera was fixed on the tripod I didn't notice any artifacts but when the camera was handheld and moving up/down/left/right a little, those sampling and compression artifacts moved around on the wall and were much more visible to the human eye because they were moving in the picture.

So when I decide to go on tripod I find it quite difficult to cut it together with handheld pictures. You immediately notice the difference because the picture is so sharp and the 8 bit sampling with only 256 levels are visible when they increase or decrease a bit step.

To me it is nearly to decide to use tripod for the whole film or not use it at all. The worst is when you try to handheld it steady but you can't. However, with this camera we have a fine option: Use the still photo button to take that steady static object for the film without tripod. Then cut that still photo into your film.

This is just my experience so far. You might feel something else.

Best regards /Johan

Hello Johan,

I couldn't find a good statement about the XL-H1 PAL version working perfectly with FCP in the XL-H1 part of this forum. Sorry 'bout that..

About the 25F mode; I shoot a whole series in this mode, it's a documentary series and it works perfectly in it. Indeed you have to be careful with moving etcetera but the overall image is it worth. If you compare it to the good ol' Framemode of the XL1 it such an improvement!

Thanks Johan,
I hope Canon will alow the upgrade AFTER I have already purchased the Camera !
Interesting about the motion aftefacts when moving - I have heard this about HDV but wonder about using the H1 on a steadycam....(maybe I will post a new thread)

J