Someone posted this link earlier:

How Autofocus Cameras Work

http://electronics.howstuffworks.com/autofocus.htm

I bought mine from bhphoto.com.

You can also check out the sponsors of the DVInfo website:

http://www.dvinfo.net/sponsors/

They are cheaper at Leo's, depending on the brand.

GL2 $250 Rebate ending 9/30
 

Just curious. I,m still saving for my GL2 but won't make the deadline in order to qualify for rebate( Rebate ends 9/30 ). That rebate was really a great incentive to buy the GL2 ( I was at B & H Tuesday and the guy purchasing a GL2 stated that he knows he's getting best Cam for his money and also the rebate from the Canon helped him decide ). Has anyone heard if Canon will extend 9/30 expiration date on rebate, or will resellers adjust the selling price by minus $250. Just curious....

Who knows, perhaps a month after the rebate period has ended, there will be a $250 price drop---that is if a GL3 is just around the corner. And if that's the case, every GL2 owner here will be posting in the buy/sell forum, hoping to sell their GL2 in order to buy the GL3. What I'm saying is, don't worry. Just keep saving. :)

LCD Hood
 

Are there any preferences for either the Hoodman LCD hood or the Petrol PMH-1 Mini Monitor Hood? Thanks, Craig Hollenback

Hello Craig,
I've not used the Hoodman lcd hood, but I do have the Petrol hood.

The good: It's feather light, easy to pack and works reasonably well to cut glare on the screen.

The bad: it does not fit the GL2's screen very well. The problem is that the hood, once assembled, cannot get close enough to the GL2 body to avoid covering a narrow portion of the lcd's right edge. You can sometimes futz with it to get better fit but as soon as you reposition the lcd you're back at square one.

Given this, I'd try the Hoodman first.

birthday comin up..
 

i want to get something for the camera.. any suggestions under say $200

i'm thinking about teh wd-58h but i may get that anyways, so whats another option.. i'd like a shotgun mic, but they are mostly very pricey..

any lighting stuff i should get?

thanks,
ryan

Porta Brace Cover with Integral LCD Hood . . ooohh . .
 

"With Winter coming and those long cold wet Winter nights drawing close - why not treat your cute GL-Toosie to a cuddly, warm, snug fitting overcoat - Show that you care! - Yes, make sure your cammie does not get clammy and cold - with flu sniffles - show that you care by getting this new product from Porrta Brace - The People for Pampering your Cammie - You know it makes sense!"

. . . . my copy . . my wit . . .

. . anyways I got my XM2 this overcoat [ thanks Ken! ] apart from getting the cammie clean and a bit more protected, the flipout LCD camera obscura device, is excellent in bright BRIGHT sinshine - worth it just for that . . I see you could pick it up for $144 - heck you've got nearly 60 bucks to left to spend on filters and odd 'n sods

Portabrace RS-GL2

http://www.zgc.com/zgc.nsf/0/cbeec23...4?OpenDocument

. . . oooh I love spending other people's money .. . . ..

Grazie

Thanks Ken...I'll order the Hoodman tomorrow from B/H photo and post a reply as to how it performs when I get it. Also ordering a GL2 with WA adapter and a Beachteck DXA-6 phantom power audio adapter. Xmas comes early. Best, Craig

is that just a rain cover? unless its pretty tight fitting and doesn't get in the way/snag on things, i wont be getting it.. anybody know of a picture of one in use?

i've also thought about getting a XLR box, because i want to eventually get a nice(r) shotgun mic, and i would need the box sooner or later..

what about filters.. what are some things i need and how much would they run me?

-ryan

beachtek adaptor runs under 200

Indecision...GL2 or PDX10...any new thoughts or opinions?
 

Hi everyone. I just discovered these message boards the other day and am really impressed by the great amount of participation...keep up the great work everyone!

Anyway, I'm going to be buying a new camera soon, and up until a couple of days ago, I was set on the PDX10. I think it looks like a great camera, and among it's many other features, I really like the B/W viewfinder and thorough XLR block. I just realized a couple of days ago, however, that the GL2 is now available with a $250 rebate, thereby putting it pretty much in the same price category as the PDX10. Now that I've had a chance to read up on the GL2, I've found that it too has desireable features, both picture and audio-wise, so now I'm in somewhat of a stage of indecision. I think both the PDX10 and GL2 have strengths and weaknesses when compared to each other. At this point, I think I'm actually leaning more toward the GL2, even though I realize that I'd be giving up a nice, clear B/W viewfinder, a larger LCD display, and an inculded XLR adaptor with microphone. However, I think I prefer the larger size of the GL2, the carrying handle is a definite plus in my book, and I now know that Canon's MA-300 accessory can provide XLR inputs. Unfortunately, although a few local camera stores carry the GL2, none around here have the PDX10, so I'm not going to be able to do a side-by-side comparison. I played around with the GL2 a while back when I really wasn't in the market for a new camera, but now that it's a camera I'm seriously thinking about buying, I'm going to check it out again in the next couple of days. I realize that the GL2 vs. PDX10 debate has come up previously in these message boards, but I thought I'd bring it up again to see if anyone has any new thoughts or opinions to add. I guess the bottom line is that features and manual controls are important to me, but having the camera that will produce the best overall image is very important too. I realize that comparison of image quality is largely subjective, but any comments about this or any other aspects of the GL2 vs. PDX10 would really be appreciated.

As a side note, one thing that I really appreciate is Canon's thorough website highlighting the GL2. When making a purchase like this, I often like looking through the operating manuals of items I'm considering, and I wasn't able to find the PDX10 manual online anywhere. I ended up just ordering the PDX10 manual from Sony...

Also, just thought I'd mention that I've also posted this message in the PDX10 discussion forum.

The GL2 is my first DV camcorder so I can't really compare it to anything else, but here are my thoughts anyway:

- Keep in mind that Sony & Panasonic supposedly do low-light situations better (at least, that's what I've read).

- XLR adapters are readily available (I use the XLR-PRO from Sign Video), so that shouldn't be a problem, although I wish Canon would have built XLR inputs into the camera.

- Features like Frame Mode and 16x9 "anamorphic" mode can come in handy if you're going for that film-look everyone always talks about.

Just a side note, as Canon Video is a consumer products division, it's highly doubtful that we'll ever see XLR connectors built in to any higher-end 3-chip Canon camcorder. The vast majority of Canon Video customers have no use for XLR... those of us who do need it and use it are a slim minority of their market, so I'd say you can almost count on always having to use an external adapter of some sort. We may not like it... but that's the way it is.