GL / XM assorted posts, 2003

Barry Goyette · March 26th, 2003, 10:27 AM

Scott,

Unfortunately, what you are trying to do is virtually impossible with the gl1/2. The xl1s ramps manual aperture changes, giving you a smoother transition, but the gl1 just bumps the exposure in notches (the gl2 may be a bit smoother, but is still very noticeable).

Barry

Tom Hardwick · March 26th, 2003, 12:31 PM

Scott, you've voiced a complaint I've had for ages, that the half stop increments of the little exposure wheel are very visible on screen. Ah, but I've found a camera where they're invisible, and the Panasonic DVX100 deserves great praise for circumnavigating this problem. Maybe the XL1-s is the same - I don't know as I haven't tried one. Anyway, the TRV 900/950 and VX2000 all suffer this fault.

I can't go along with you though Ken. Leaving the camera in full automatic (which is what Tv and Av are) is allowing the exposure to be influenced by white shirts, dark backgrounds and lights in frame. This looks worse than the half-stop hicups in my view.

tom.

Felix Jones · March 27th, 2003, 03:36 PM

Been waiting for a little bit now as my GL2 was coming from insurance replacing my Panasonic MX500 (a great camera as well)

Frank Granovski · March 27th, 2003, 04:24 PM

Hey---congrats! I guess we won't be seeing you on the MX Forum anymore. Those 50 Fuji miniDV tapes should hold you over for awhile---I guess you'll have to get an extra, longer battery now.

Tony Marino · March 30th, 2003, 01:53 AM

Sorry if this is a silly question, but I'm a novice and want to make sure I don't lose any quality.

I'm dubbing mini dv tapes from a gl-2 to a gl-1 but it is very difficult to see what I'm dubbing because of the small lcd screen, so I hooked up an s-video from the vcr to the camcorder that is playing the tape (source I guess) so I can view it on the tv while I dub it. I'm pretty sure since I'm not recording to the vcr that I should not lose any quality at all but want to make sure just incase that extra connection somehow throws off the signal.

In the manual it said that if a digital vcr is connected and an anomalous signal is sent from the vcr the images recorded on the tape may also be anomalous (although it may not appear so on the TV image) or not recorded at all. The vcr I have is a svhs. I could hook the s-video to the tv, but it won't reach.

Any help would be appreciated

Thank you,
Tony

Don Palomaki · March 30th, 2003, 06:00 AM

You should be OK.

Ryan Martino · March 31st, 2003, 10:40 PM

hi everyone.
i just aquired a really nice used GL1. i'm stupid with exitement!! now i can make the movie i've been composing in my head! i have a few random questions for the experts here on the forum:

1. the guy i bought the camera from said he only ever used TDK minidv tape. i know it's not smart to just switch to another brand, but i've read that you can do it fairly successfully as long as you run a head cleaning tape through the camera first...? everyone here seems to use FUJI or PANASONIC tape. all i want to know is if TDK tape sucks... does anyone have horror stories about it? if not, i'll just stick with it i guess. i certainly don't want to beg for trouble with a used camera, even though it's in perfect shape.

2. one of the things i want to try on my movie is using filters on the lens. i'd like to try a pro mist warming filter, and i know i should probably use a polarizer for outdoor shots. i live in new mexico, and the sunlight here can be very stark, even late in the day. but it's great light... anyway, what i'm wondering is, can i use both filters at the same time? also, if and when i got the wide angle lens for this camera, could i use the filters with it?

3. i need a case for the camera, and what i'm really lusting after is a pelican case. are there other companies that make this type of case? it doesn't necessarily have to be watertight, etc. basically, where can i find a cool hardcase with customizable foam that doesn't cost an arm and a leg?

sorry for the length of the post! i've been reading the forum diligently for a while now, so i wanted to be thorough and ask all my dork questions at one time. (who am i kidding... i'll have more!)
thanks in advance.

martino

Stewart McDonald · April 1st, 2003, 03:01 AM

I will be going ahead with buying an XM2 this month I hope. Now I want to know if the camcorder comes with its own firewire to firewire cable? The sockets on the back of my PC are 6 pin I believe. Also, I read somewhere about a very cheap but good battery for the XM2. Anyone have the link? and do they ship to England? Also, tapes. Any tapes will do? Or do I need specific ones to get the best out of the camcorder?

I will be buying extras like a mic, tripod etc, but that won't be straight away.

*Stew thinks a bit more*

erm, anything else I might need straight away?

Thanks

Hans Henrik Bang · April 1st, 2003, 03:36 AM

It doesn't come with a firewire cable. There is an USB cable for the stills, but you will have to supply the firewire. Mine came with the 1394 adapter.

Cheap batteries can be "Hänchel", hope I spelled it right.

Someone else wrote about cheap batteries here:

http://www.dvinfo.net/conf/showthrea...&threadid=5290

or here:

http://www.dvinfo.net/conf/showthrea...&threadid=6672

Tapes: Stick to one brand due to lubricant issues. As long as you don't get dropouts you are pretty much set, since DV is digital. I personally go for Sony tapes, but a lot of people here swear to Panasonic.

Good luck

Hans Henrik

Don Palomaki · April 1st, 2003, 05:29 AM

Filters: The more glass the more chance for flare, etc. and greater chance for vignetting in wide shots. Best to minimize the number of filters. Also, dust on filters can show in images due to the large depth of field, especially in wide shots.

Some wide angle adapters/converters can take a filter, and some cannot. Depends on the model. Again, vignetting is more likely with wide angle adapters.

The camera offers manual and auto white balance. You maybe able to achieve a color filter effect by white balancing on a card of the complementary color. But some prefer to apply color effects in post. That way you can change it if the effect turns out wrong.

Have not used TDK tape, and have not read many comments about it. Test a few cassettes and see if you want to continue to use it. Keep in mind that tape is ususally lowest cost part of any production.

Ignacio Artiñano · April 1st, 2003, 01:05 PM

Hi

I recently read a thread about the Canon wide angle converter. Is any input on the tel converter(1.7x) because I'm planning to buy the Sony plus a Matte box in order to fit a polarized filter on it.

Any other options.

Regards.

GaryBushey · April 1st, 2003, 01:12 PM

Here is my dilemma: I will be shooting a cooking show at a location that has cameras mounted above the grill which is nice since I don't want to get food splattered on my camera.
The only way I can see to get the feed from these cameras is to have it taped on a S-VHS system. My question is when I put these two feeds together on a video how noticable will the difference be?
If I were to capture the feed on a GL2 would it be better? How about a regular DV VCR?

Don Palomaki · April 1st, 2003, 07:06 PM

If you have the original S-VHS tape, and the camera is high quality, the scene is well lit, the S-VHS recorder is a good one and the final format for the edited tape is VHS (with its limitations), it should be OK. You probably will have to do some image matching in post

If you can get a second MiniDV recorder (even a MiniDV camcorder with analog input) and record from the camera or S-VHS recorder's analog output during recording rather then workign from the S-VHS tape you should get better results.

Stewart McDonald · April 2nd, 2003, 03:32 AM

Thanks Hans. I'm getting more excited everyday :)

Any sites you recommend me getting tapes from? Or should I just order them along with the camcorder?

And does the camera come with a power lead, and batteries?

Thanks

Hans Henrik Bang · April 2nd, 2003, 05:00 AM

It comes with battery (the small 1 hour one), charger, and a cable to power the camera directly from the charger.

There have been several sites mentioned here where you can buy tape cheaply in bulk. I cannot remember any off the top of my head, but I am sure a quick search on the board will find you an answer for that.

Hans Henrik

March 27th, 2003, 03:36 PM	#213
Felix Jones Regular Crew Join Date: Jan 2003 Location: Auckland, NZ. Posts: 60	Finally got my GL2! Been waiting for a little bit now as my GL2 was coming from insurance replacing my Panasonic MX500 (a great camera as well)

March 30th, 2003, 01:53 AM	#215
Tony Marino Regular Crew Join Date: Feb 2003 Location: St. Louis, MO Posts: 55	Dubbing while viewing source on tv Sorry if this is a silly question, but I'm a novice and want to make sure I don't lose any quality. I'm dubbing mini dv tapes from a gl-2 to a gl-1 but it is very difficult to see what I'm dubbing because of the small lcd screen, so I hooked up an s-video from the vcr to the camcorder that is playing the tape (source I guess) so I can view it on the tv while I dub it. I'm pretty sure since I'm not recording to the vcr that I should not lose any quality at all but want to make sure just incase that extra connection somehow throws off the signal. In the manual it said that if a digital vcr is connected and an anomalous signal is sent from the vcr the images recorded on the tape may also be anomalous (although it may not appear so on the TV image) or not recorded at all. The vcr I have is a svhs. I could hook the s-video to the tv, but it won't reach. Any help would be appreciated Thank you, Tony

March 31st, 2003, 10:40 PM	#217
Ryan Martino Regular Crew Join Date: Mar 2003 Location: Albuquerque, New Mexico Posts: 48	various GL1 questions... hi everyone. i just aquired a really nice used GL1. i'm stupid with exitement!! now i can make the movie i've been composing in my head! i have a few random questions for the experts here on the forum: 1. the guy i bought the camera from said he only ever used TDK minidv tape. i know it's not smart to just switch to another brand, but i've read that you can do it fairly successfully as long as you run a head cleaning tape through the camera first...? everyone here seems to use FUJI or PANASONIC tape. all i want to know is if TDK tape sucks... does anyone have horror stories about it? if not, i'll just stick with it i guess. i certainly don't want to beg for trouble with a used camera, even though it's in perfect shape. 2. one of the things i want to try on my movie is using filters on the lens. i'd like to try a pro mist warming filter, and i know i should probably use a polarizer for outdoor shots. i live in new mexico, and the sunlight here can be very stark, even late in the day. but it's great light... anyway, what i'm wondering is, can i use both filters at the same time? also, if and when i got the wide angle lens for this camera, could i use the filters with it? 3. i need a case for the camera, and what i'm really lusting after is a pelican case. are there other companies that make this type of case? it doesn't necessarily have to be watertight, etc. basically, where can i find a cool hardcase with customizable foam that doesn't cost an arm and a leg? sorry for the length of the post! i've been reading the forum diligently for a while now, so i wanted to be thorough and ask all my dork questions at one time. (who am i kidding... i'll have more!) thanks in advance. martino

April 1st, 2003, 03:01 AM	#218
Stewart McDonald Regular Crew Join Date: Feb 2003 Location: UK Posts: 130	Necessities when buying an XM2 (GL2) I will be going ahead with buying an XM2 this month I hope. Now I want to know if the camcorder comes with its own firewire to firewire cable? The sockets on the back of my PC are 6 pin I believe. Also, I read somewhere about a very cheap but good battery for the XM2. Anyone have the link? and do they ship to England? Also, tapes. Any tapes will do? Or do I need specific ones to get the best out of the camcorder? I will be buying extras like a mic, tripod etc, but that won't be straight away. Stew thinks a bit more erm, anything else I might need straight away? Thanks

April 1st, 2003, 01:05 PM	#221
Ignacio Artiñano Regular Crew Join Date: Oct 2002 Location: Madrid/Spain Posts: 44	Tele converter SONY VCL-HG1758 Hi I recently read a thread about the Canon wide angle converter. Is any input on the tel converter(1.7x) because I'm planning to buy the Sony plus a Matte box in order to fit a polarized filter on it. Any other options. Regards. __________________ Ignacio Artiñano

March 26th, 2003, 10:27 AM	#211
Barry Goyette Trustee Join Date: Oct 2001 Location: San Luis Obispo CA Posts: 1,195	Scott, Unfortunately, what you are trying to do is virtually impossible with the gl1/2. The xl1s ramps manual aperture changes, giving you a smoother transition, but the gl1 just bumps the exposure in notches (the gl2 may be a bit smoother, but is still very noticeable). Barry

March 26th, 2003, 12:31 PM	#212
Tom Hardwick Inner Circle Join Date: Mar 2003 Location: Billericay, England UK Posts: 4,711	Scott, you've voiced a complaint I've had for ages, that the half stop increments of the little exposure wheel are very visible on screen. Ah, but I've found a camera where they're invisible, and the Panasonic DVX100 deserves great praise for circumnavigating this problem. Maybe the XL1-s is the same - I don't know as I haven't tried one. Anyway, the TRV 900/950 and VX2000 all suffer this fault. I can't go along with you though Ken. Leaving the camera in full automatic (which is what Tv and Av are) is allowing the exposure to be influenced by white shirts, dark backgrounds and lights in frame. This looks worse than the half-stop hicups in my view. tom.

March 27th, 2003, 04:24 PM	#214
Frank Granovski Outer Circle Join Date: May 2002 Location: Hope, BC Posts: 7,524	Hey---congrats! I guess we won't be seeing you on the MX Forum anymore. Those 50 Fuji miniDV tapes should hold you over for awhile---I guess you'll have to get an extra, longer battery now.

March 30th, 2003, 06:00 AM	#216
Don Palomaki Wrangler Join Date: Sep 2001 Location: Northern VA Posts: 4,488	You should be OK.

April 1st, 2003, 03:36 AM	#219
Hans Henrik Bang Regular Crew Join Date: Feb 2003 Location: Frederiksberg, Denmark Posts: 133	It doesn't come with a firewire cable. There is an USB cable for the stills, but you will have to supply the firewire. Mine came with the 1394 adapter. Cheap batteries can be "Hänchel", hope I spelled it right. Someone else wrote about cheap batteries here: http://www.dvinfo.net/conf/showthrea...&threadid=5290 or here: http://www.dvinfo.net/conf/showthrea...&threadid=6672 Tapes: Stick to one brand due to lubricant issues. As long as you don't get dropouts you are pretty much set, since DV is digital. I personally go for Sony tapes, but a lot of people here swear to Panasonic. Good luck Hans Henrik

April 1st, 2003, 05:29 AM	#220
Don Palomaki Wrangler Join Date: Sep 2001 Location: Northern VA Posts: 4,488	Filters: The more glass the more chance for flare, etc. and greater chance for vignetting in wide shots. Best to minimize the number of filters. Also, dust on filters can show in images due to the large depth of field, especially in wide shots. Some wide angle adapters/converters can take a filter, and some cannot. Depends on the model. Again, vignetting is more likely with wide angle adapters. The camera offers manual and auto white balance. You maybe able to achieve a color filter effect by white balancing on a card of the complementary color. But some prefer to apply color effects in post. That way you can change it if the effect turns out wrong. Have not used TDK tape, and have not read many comments about it. Test a few cassettes and see if you want to continue to use it. Keep in mind that tape is ususally lowest cost part of any production.

April 1st, 2003, 01:12 PM	#222
GaryBushey Regular Crew Join Date: Dec 2002 Posts: 27	Quality of GL2 DV versus S-VHS Here is my dilemma: I will be shooting a cooking show at a location that has cameras mounted above the grill which is nice since I don't want to get food splattered on my camera. The only way I can see to get the feed from these cameras is to have it taped on a S-VHS system. My question is when I put these two feeds together on a video how noticable will the difference be? If I were to capture the feed on a GL2 would it be better? How about a regular DV VCR? __________________ Gary A. Bushey

April 1st, 2003, 07:06 PM	#223
Don Palomaki Wrangler Join Date: Sep 2001 Location: Northern VA Posts: 4,488	If you have the original S-VHS tape, and the camera is high quality, the scene is well lit, the S-VHS recorder is a good one and the final format for the edited tape is VHS (with its limitations), it should be OK. You probably will have to do some image matching in post If you can get a second MiniDV recorder (even a MiniDV camcorder with analog input) and record from the camera or S-VHS recorder's analog output during recording rather then workign from the S-VHS tape you should get better results.

April 2nd, 2003, 03:32 AM	#224
Stewart McDonald Regular Crew Join Date: Feb 2003 Location: UK Posts: 130	Thanks Hans. I'm getting more excited everyday :) Any sites you recommend me getting tapes from? Or should I just order them along with the camcorder? And does the camera come with a power lead, and batteries? Thanks

April 2nd, 2003, 05:00 AM	#225
Hans Henrik Bang Regular Crew Join Date: Feb 2003 Location: Frederiksberg, Denmark Posts: 133	It comes with battery (the small 1 hour one), charger, and a cable to power the camera directly from the charger. There have been several sites mentioned here where you can buy tape cheaply in bulk. I cannot remember any off the top of my head, but I am sure a quick search on the board will find you an answer for that. Hans Henrik