I have now got my H1 having changed from the sony Z1,very pleased with it. I have managed to adapt one of Lauri's pre sets for good natural outdoor colour filming here in the uk. I have read the threads re the ef adapters could somebody please clarify what functions you do lose or retain i.e autofocus etc. Secondly I have the option of purchasing the 100-400L (IS) or the 70-200 f2.8 (no IS). Does anybody have any up to date info on useing these lens with the ef adapter. Many thanks Mick

I have found the answer to the adapter question on the Xl2 forum but would still like feed back on the len's including the 300 f4 if possible.

Many thanks

Mick

Mick,

When using the EF-adapter you loose autofocus, but image stabilation will function. Myself I would prefere the 70-200mm lens rather than the 100-400mm, for the drawing of these long zooms is not as sharp as those of the primes or the 70-200mm lens.

You will also need a neutral grey filter, or otherwise you end up using the smallest apertures, which is not a good idea.

Lauri,

Many thanks for the reply. The 70- 200 f2.8 is the one I will go for , having now read your comments would the lack of IS on this lens be a problem

Regards

Mick

Hi Mick,
So why not buy the newer 70-200/2.8 IS model and you will get both worlds? (Think Lauri is using that one.) Regards Johan

Johan,
£300 uk pounds difference is one reason! but as I will not be useing this lens with a still camera body only on the HD1, tripod mounted. Will I be gaining any benifit with IS

Regards

Mick

Hi Mick,
Many people on this XL H1 forum say you better turn off the IS on the 20x lens as soon as you put it on a tripod so I bet the same is valid with the 70-200/2.8 IS.
Perhaps it's a good idea to stay with the old 2.8 if you always use it on a tripod which you probably should do anyway to get stability enough. (This zoom will look like a 500-1440 mm zoom on a 35 mm SLR camera.)
Save money, not so many lens surfaces, smaller and perhaps lighter too. Less parts which can break or need service. I don't have any of them so I'm not sure. And I think you can get the old model 2.8 lense cheaper now when the IS attracts the DSLR people. Good luck! /Johan

Johan,

Many thanks for your help.

regards

Mick

In my experience the image stabilizer is most of the time not useful. But, occasionally I've had to shoot in very windy situations, and the camcorder and the lens has vibrated above the tripod. In such cases I've found that setting the IS on helps.

I have read the threads re the ef adapters could somebody please clarify what functions you do lose or retain i.e autofocus etc.

I think I read somewhere that you can't use HD mode with the ef adaptor. You can only use SD. Is this true?

I think I read somewhere that you can't use HD mode with the ef adaptor. You can only use SD. Is this true?

I'm pretty sure that you just get an 'HD incompatible Lens' message in the EVF that goes away after a few seconds. You get the same message when shooting with the 16x manual.

Ken's right. You *can* use the EF adapter for HD recording. Just wait five seconds for the warning to go away.

Ken's right. You *can* use the EF adapter for HD recording. Just wait five seconds for the warning to go away.

That's a shame - I'd just convinced myself that an XL2 would be ok, and I didn't have to spend the extra £2000 :-(

Looks like I'll have to wait a bit longer to get a proper camera.

Mick,



You will also need a neutral grey filter, or otherwise you end up using the smallest apertures, which is not a good idea.

Lauri,
Do you use standard ND filters or are you useing the New Hoya pro digital ones which are designed to work well with digital sensors.

Many thanks

mick

Lauri,
Do you use standard ND filters or are you useing the New Hoya pro digital ones which are designed to work well with digital sensors.


I have only Canon ND filters designed for the EF-series lenses. This is the first time I hear about such Hoya filters.

This is the link to the filter I found on ebay

http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/Hoya-PRO1-Digital-Neutral-Density-ND4-Filter-77mm-ND-77_W0QQitemZ280025289871QQihZ018QQcategoryZ67346QQssPageNameZWD2VQQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItemo

It is probably not so important with video as you only are only useing the centre section of the lens.

Regards

Mick

Hi Mick,

I have both the H1 and the Canon 100-400 L lens. I used the lens and the EF adapter on an XL 1 and was happy with it, but the same setup on the H1 flat out blew me away. Even at 400 the image was crystal clear. If I'm not mistaken, with the multiplication factor, that's somewhere in the neighborhood of a 2800 mm lens equivalent.

Several things to keep in mind though. You need a good sized tripod and head to keep things stable and everyone is correct when they say turn off the stabilization feature of the lens. Secondly, when you have the lens extended out past 200 mm, there is an awful lot of weight on both the EF adapter and the lens mount of the camera. If I was going to do a lot of work with that setup, I'd think about some sort of rail support for the lens. Lastly, use the peeking, viewfinder magnification, and anything else you can lay your hands on. Exact focus with that setup is reeeal critical.

Thanks,
Richard

By chance, did anyone tested a cheaper lense, like a 75-300 ? or other lenses that are not in the L series.

Well, I'm answerring to myself, 15 months after!

I've just tested the Canon 70-300 IS USM lense, on the EF adapter, which has a very good reputation, even if it's not in the L serie. It is cheaper (average 650 euros) and lighter than my 100-400.

Unfortunatly, results are very disapointing. It's very difficult to adjust the focus because the focus ring has a very short course. At 100mm, 200mm & 300mm, the sharpness is clearly inferior to the 100-400.

I've also tried an old manual Nikon zoom, a 80-200, with a ring that convert it to the EF mecanism. That lense was very good in 35mm photography but on the XL-H1 it is not as sharper as the Canon 100-400 and there are some many chromatic aberations with it. I hoped an old lens (not AF) would be easier for the manual focusing, that was a mistake. And the lake of a stabilizer is a problem too.

So, from theses tests, it appears that we should only use the very good 20x zoom of the camera or the L lenses series.

Hi Ronan,

I am not surprised it did not come up to scratch, it not in the same league as an 'L' lens. As an aside I took a look at your latest video on your web site about the wildlife photographers. I though it was very well done, I really enjoyed it, its a shame my knowledge of French is not better so I could have understood the script more. Thanks for the link to your site.

Regards

Mick

Lauri,

When using the EF adapter is autofocus completely inoperable, or is just the quality affected?

Thanks, AL

Hi Alan,

I know I'm not Lauri, but I can answer the question. It is totally disabled.

Regards

Mick

Hey Mick,

Thanks for your reply.

I am curious as to why an EF (Electro Focus) adapter doesn't work. Unless by changing the focal length, the motor can't handle the magnification factor. If that's the case, why does Canon call it an "EF"?

As these 52 year old eyes don't work so well through a viewfinder anymore. I may have to change viewfinders or add a small monitor.

Regards, AL

I am curious as to why an EF (Electro Focus) adapter doesn't work.

My guess is that autofocues requires a control system with feedback between the lens motor and the camera, and the autofocus in EF-lenses and EOS-bodies is not compatible with XL-series camcorders which have CCD's. Prehaps, the autofocus would work if the Xl H1 had a CMOS-sensor.

However, in my experience the peaking and scaling functions in XL H1 helps a lot. I had with all XL-series cameras a bit uncertain feeling whether the focus is right. But, then viewing the footages afterwards on the display realized that the concern was not necessary. Somehow the Canon EVFs manage to create uncertainty although there no technical reason for it.

Thank you Mick !

Regards,