Has anyone tried an audio plugin like Antares Microphone Modeler, while editing their footage? I used the Antares program inside of Vegas Video, and got some pretty impressive results from it.

I wonder if modeling a $4'000 microphone after the fact on the internal mics is as good as adding a better $150. microphone externally? (irony intended ;) )

Question about Xi's image sensor...
 

I have a question about the Xi's image sensor spec:

Does the 1,230,000 effective pixels-tape apply to the video that is being recorded or still images?

Thanks inadvance.

Applies to video. The DSP then downconverts this to 720x480 to create "legal" DV. So in other words the video is sampled from the CCD at 1.3mp but is written to tape as plain vanilla 720x480 DV. Hope this helps,

Is the XI the only sub GL2 model with Optical Image Stabilization?
 

anyone?

Yes it's the only one. All the other Canon models use electronic image stabilization.

OIS
 

Thanks...i assume it's the same technology of the GL2 and XL1S/XL2

How does XI display 16x9 in LCD and Viewfinder
 

squeezed in both?

Yes.

Capturing Tapes Shot On Optura (xi I think)
 

This problem may apply to more than Optura, and may have nothing to do with the Optura at all, but I'm getting timecode breaks about every second. I'm capturing footage shot on an Optura, some of the tapes run fine and capture fine (in a SONY DSR20 DVCAM deck to G4 dual 867MHz, 1.5GB RAM, FCP HD, OSX 10.3.6), while some of them jerk and retain pixels from second to second (looks like something compressed with keyframes set every 500 frames), and the audio gets choppy.

To me, it looks like dirty heads on the camera the tapes were shot on (I don't have the camera though, it is a client's), because the problem is NOT occurring with the tapes shot on Day 1, but IS occurring on the tapes shot on Day 2.

Obviously I can't log or capture the footage using in and out points, so if I did want the useless video footage or the possibly salvagable (sp?) audio I'd Capture Now with Abort Capture During Time Code Breaks turned off.

Guess I just want to see if there are other possible explanations.

Thank you.

It's hard to say where the problem lies, but it indeed sounds like
an issue with this camera. Time for some headcleaning and such.

In theory it could also be the tape, the deck or some other thing.
Only testing the tape in different equipment will help you nail down
where the problem is (try it another brand deck or in the original
camera etc.). But before you do so I would capture as much of the
tape as I can to make sure I have at least some footage before it
stops reading it alltogether.

SONY v. Canon, consumer is only casualty
 

An update.

As so often seems to happen, when I played the tape in the camera it was shot on, it played fine. I was able to capture, no timecode breaks, no pixelization, no nothing.

Why is this?

The only explanation I've ever heard is that it is a proprietary thing between SONY and Canon.

That happens a lot between Sony and Canon camera's indeed.
Not much you can do about that I guess. This probably happens
due to different head alignments etc.

Optura XI good compliment to GL2??
 

I have a Canon GL2 right now and I am looking for a cheaper camera to use with it as a 'B' Roll Camera at weddings.

Right now my Sony TRV38 just isn't close at all to the GL2.

Is the Optura XI reasonably close to the GL2?

What size chip does it use?

Thanks

Yes, the Optura XI's image quality is quite comparable to the GL2's. If you're really picky about image quality (like me) the only real difference you'll see is that the GL2's colors are 'slighty' (ever so 'slightly') more saturated. To a casual viewer, it's not noticable.

The XI's chip size is 1/3.4" which is right between 1/4" (GL2) and 1/3" (XL1s). Coupled with the most awesome lens in the universe and an RGB primary filter, the XI has the best image quality of any one-chip camera out there (IMHO)... ;^)

Jeff,

I think the Xi is probably better than the GL2 in some respects. First of all it shoots native 16:9. That was the main reason I bought mine. I've never used a GL2 but have used a Sony TRV 950 and the Xi iamges are comparable to the 950.

I'm very pleased with my Xi and agree with Xander about it being the best single chipper on the market.