GL / XM assorted posts, 2003

[Jack Robertson]

Hello there,

I have found that after powering the XM2 camera off, the below setting reset as follows:

1, Manual Focus reverts to Automatic Focus
2, Gain usually boosts up from 0db
3, White balance changes from a preset to Automatic
4, Title Mix function (undocumented) dissapears and has to be reapplied. (this is only used if a supperimposed 16x9 letterbox is needed)

I use the "Lock" feature so that the settings are retained in the memory (as per the manual) but when I need to check the recording on occasion, I have to slide the main power switch to "off" and then to "VCR" mode, which seems to cause these settings to reset as a result.

This can be extremely annoying as you have to check and re-set these settings everytime before recording, which slows the process down and most of all, leaves room for error!

Did anyone encounter this similar behaviour?

Regards,
Jack

[Matthew Kaplan]

The Canon GL-2 is on my short list of cameras to buy.

But I have questions of course that I don't seem to find the answers to looking around the internet for them.

Anyway;

If I bought this camera I would buy a beacktek adapter or the adapter Canon sells to get XLR inputs.

• Does the audio you get using one of these adapters, any good? How does it compare to say the DVX-100 using the same mic?

I have a felling that going from a mini-plug to an XLR jsut can't get you as good sound as going straight into the built in XLR of say the PD-150 or DVX-100.

But maybe I'm wrong.

• Does using the mini plug mean that you can only get mono sound? Or does it become stereo with the adpater

EDITING

Is there audio drift in this camera? I heard all MIni-dv suffers from this, by a frame or two.

• Have you noticed audio drift?

• I know apple sells this camera on their website, but how well does this camera work using Final Cut Pro?

Any problems?

Thanks for your time.

[Jonathan Richards]

Yes.

There's nothing you can do.

Sorry

[Graham Bernard]

I've got a friend who I do weddings work for. He shoots and uses both channels to get his work onto his edit deck.

I've got the Senni MK66 mounted on the Canon MA300 XLR-ed into the LEFT channel. This gives my friend ONLY one channel. Is there an easy way to either use the Senni and place it on both tracks OR should I now be considering a FURTHER ambient mic to mount atop the MA300 to plug into the RIGHT channel? OR remove the whole lot and just use the Canon ambient to get me the 2 channels he wants?

I know there's an answer in here somewhere - but at present I just can't put my finger on it . . . hmmm....

Grazie

[Ken E. Williams]

<<<-- Originally posted by Graham Bernard : Is there an easy way to either use the Senni and place it on both tracks OR should I now be considering a FURTHER ambient mic to mount atop the MA300 to plug into the RIGHT channel? OR remove the whole lot and just use the Canon ambient to get me the 2 channels he wants?-->>>

Grazie,

The XLR box that I use has a mono/stereo switch that lets you mix the mic over the L & R tracks. If you don’t have the same feature, perhaps for these events, you could borrow an XLR box that does.

FYI see http://www.studio1productions.com/xlr-bp_pro.htm

Regards,

Ken W.

[Brian M. Dickman]

Depending on how much review you need to do, the record search might do the job, without resetting things. Use the two buttons to the rear of the main power switch. Tapping the "record review" button (the one with the loopback icon) will playback the last 3 seconds and automatically return to your previous record point. You can review farther back or forward by holding down the '-' or '+' buttons. Letting go will re-engage record pause right where the tape is at.

[Rob Wilson]

Graham,

Using the adapter you are kind of ties your hands to single channel when using one mic. Not sure why your friend needs two channels? In post its way easy to copy on channel to the other when you only captured one. That would be the easiest solution and best of all, it's FREE!

[Graham Bernard]

Yeah - I did suggest this to him. Perhaps I'll pursue this with him.

Hmmm....

Grazie

[Bob Benkosky]

Well, overall I do love it. The 8meg card they include is practically pointless. I'll have to get a 64 meg card or larger for those pics.

It definitely needs an arm brace for normal recording if u want steadier shots compared to the larger older cameras but the quality is pretty impressive. Very sharp. On my DVD player a VCD looks better than other VCD's I've encoded.

I did have a dead pixel in the LCD screen but I hear it's pretty common, so no big deal.

Everything works though and it hooks to the computer very quickly and easily. Works great with Vegas 4. I really want to get a DVD recorder so I can get the best output as possible and have the 5.1 option for sound.

I plan on getting a wide angle lens, a tripod, and a glidecam 2000 initially.

[Graham Bernard]

Guess who's got a new toy then?!

Are you gonna have some fun!!!

Veags 4.0c here too! Excellent NLE!!

Tripod - YES most definately!

Arm Brace - Well, not so sure. Practice a technique I've got a "GO" with.

STRAP ADJUSTMENT:Adjust the right hand strap for your hand. Adjust using the velcro adjutment. Take time to get it the way you want it.

RIGHT HAND: Now, slide your right hand through the strap, raise the camera so your right arm is supporting the camera on the heel of the hand - yeah? Feel the balance and weight of it. I've got the strap so that it is below the ridge created by all 4 knuckles - nice and secure feeling there. You should now have your 1st finger - next to your thumb - on the "W" side of the zoom rocker arm, with your middle, longest, finger resting on the "T" of the zoom toggle. Your thumb nicely falls over the RED on button AND it can quickly "flick" the Lock switch over - excellent for putting the XM2 into the power save state - yeah? Your thumb is also good to go, for flicking the cammy into CARD or TAPE mode too. Your fourth and fifth [ little ] finger nicely balance the camera on the "fulcrum" of the heel of your right hand. These 2 fingers also have a bit of grip on the slightly raised "ridge", just forward of the zoom toggle - yeah?

LEFT HAND: Now, raise your left hand and using the "C" shape created by your thumb and first finger, slide your thumb under the cammy and your first finger over and behind the vertical top hand-grip support. Your next finger the middle finger should comforatablky rest on the top edge of the focus ring, and infront of the vertical top hand-grip support. So, you now have your thumb under the cammy and just forward and wedged against the EXP. Lock housing and your first and middle finger "straddling the vertical top hand-grip support. It is now very comfortable to support and balnce the cammy. From this point you can see that the middle finger and the thumb act as the focus ring adjustors - they clamp around the rubber ring - and that your whole left hand "steady" the rcoking of the cammy itself. You will also notice - well it does for me! - that the "muscle" of your first finger's 1st segment neatly falls over the Focus A/M switch. When shooting I can flex this muscle and activate the A/M switch - very useful tip! Okay . . . having now got your middle finger and thumb clamped around the rubber focus ring, it is very easy to rotate your left hand to adjust the focus. The remaining 2 fingers are used to assist in the yawl and dip of the cammy.

POSTURE & HUMAN TRIPOD!: I've now learnt to make use of the flip up eyepiece. When standing or sitting, I have the eyepiece "UP", with my head bowed - as saying prayers! Being a bloke of "heft" - 16 stone here - I have my elbows resting into my "waist". The cammy is now ready to take a shot.

STEADINESS & ZOOM: I've learnt that I really can't go further than 1/4 to 1/3 zoom in, without getting "wander" - I'm getting better, but beyond say a 1/2 zoom I'm a bit wayward. Then I'm in the realms of on-tripod shooting. The Optical Image Stabilizer does work very well. - Please read masses here on OIS system - pros and cons.

So, arm brace? Well it's your money. The downsides? Two I can think of:

1) - You could come to rely on it, and not get your "steady" skills up to speed - that's my opinion. I've also bought a secondhand neck and monopod "belt" waist band device - couldn't get on with it! Had it in my KATA bag for about 4 months, found I wasn't using it and eventually removed it and put it on a shelf in my office, where it is gathering dust - literally!

2) - It's another piece of kit to worry about and maybe wish you hadn't had it in the first place when you are up close and pesonal with several subjects on shoot - yeah?

My advice - as if you weren't going to do this, would be to take new cammy to a place where you could try it out with a steady cam device. Listen, I aint decrying the value of steadycam kits outright - all I'm saying - IMHO - is that there is a time, place and project that requires them. Anyway that's for others to beat me down on - I wouldn't like to think you had spend hard earned cash on something that you might be able to "rectify" with a little time, practice and tips from us all. But, if you have set your heart on this, then who am I to say. I will tell though, I was driving myself up the wall, not liking the unsteadiness of my first few months with this remarkable cammy. Until I gave myself a break and recognised not only my own limitations BUT also the pressure I was putting this cammy under - Now if I need a tripod shot, out comes the tripod - no questions asked! If I want a closer shot? I mkove my ass! Nothing like walking about to get an even better view of the World - eh?

Ho . . I didn't realise I had rambled on so much - sorry Bob. I just want the best shot at this cammy for you - yeah?

NOW the dead pixel! That's another story! Well you know what I would say - get it best to start with! If you can, have the cammy replaced. Thank the Lord, now jitters here. . . . But I'm a stcikler for Consumer rights - Hey it takes enough energy to make the cash - yeah? You can do this politley and still get your rights. Let me invite you to think several months down the track - you're looking and seeing this dead pixel more and more, until one morning you wake up and say "Now why didn't I get this right, from the start?!?" I don't wanna be around you when this hits home - and it will. But there again you aint me ;-)

'Nuf said -

Best regards,

Grazie

[Bob Benkosky]

Yea, I was really thinking about adding that strap and getting some practice in, but I've seen some sick movie like shots with some steadicams. Practice makes perfect with any technique though I admit.

As far as the dead pixel. Well, as much as it bugs me to not have a perfect camera, it would be such a pain in the ass to put everything back in the case and ship it back. Overall though, it doesn't bug me as much as it might others. It's doesn't show up in the recording process which is far more important and everything seems to be working really well.

Imagine I get another camera that doesn't have a dead pixel but it eats tapes. I mean....it's a $2000 camera but I've heard far worse stories about getting a new camera not working and what-not on this board. If there was like 3 dead pixels I might have something to worry about. Once is kinda tolerable. The viewfinder doesn't have any dead pixels. 1 small green pixel is all I have to deal with. If I was to ship it back.....I'm not sure about how much I would really save grief wise. I'd have to wait about another 2 weeks to get the other camera.

[Bill Hardy]

Using a tripod with legs retracted but spread apart can yeild some surprisingly good results with reguard to stabilization while mobile. I hold the tripod by its extended neck as I walk/run.

http://homepage.mac.com/bhardy3/iMovieTheater30.html

Congrats on your new GL2

[Bud Kuenzli]

• Does the audio you get using one of these adapters, any good? How does it compare to say the DVX-100 using the same mic?

I'm not a pro and I can't compare it to the DVX-100 but I can tell you that the audio is very clean to my ear and having manual audio adjustments on a camera in this price range is a great thing.

I have a felling that going from a mini-plug to an XLR jsut can't get you as good sound as going straight into the built in XLR of say the PD-150 or DVX-100.

The need for xlr comes in when you need a long cable run. I don't think there is a audible difference between mini and xlr if the cable run is short, but it's when you need to run 50 feet of cable that xlr connectors become important and if I understand it correctly there is little/no loss or concern if it terminates in the end at a mini plug.

But maybe I'm wrong. Plenty of people add a beachtek and do very serious pro work with this camera.

• Does using the mini plug mean that you can only get mono sound? Or does it become stereo with the adpater

It is stereo. There is no adapter needed with the camera out of the box. The mic on the GL2 is stereo as indicated by the left and right stereo gauges. When you use an xlr connector you can connect two separate mics.
EDITING

Is there audio drift in this camera? I heard all MIni-dv suffers from this, by a frame or two.

• Have you noticed audio drift?

I have noticed none. If you shoot at 30fps and import that you might have some issues if your NLE is bringing it in at 29.97 but there is no inherent problem that I'm aware of.

• I know apple sells this camera on their website, but how well does this camera work using Final Cut Pro?

Any problems?

No problems with FCP. I've never had a hiccup with it. I just ordered a 2nd GL2. Couldn't be happier.

[Ryan McCrary]

sorry if this has been asked before.. i'm a newbie.. i did a search and didn't find anything..

i know the xl1 has an adapter to use canon SLR lenses on it, does the gl2?

i have a canon rebel with a few lenses and would love to be able to use my lenses for both.. (way easier to justify buying new lenses :) )

[Don Palomaki]

The GL1/2 cannot use Canon SLR lenses. They can use many adapters/converters that mount onthe end of the existing lens.