Canon XL2, 16:9 and audio capture in FCE at DVinfo.net

Eirik Berger · June 27th, 2008, 02:16 AM

Hello Forum.

I got a descent deal on a Canon XL2 a few months ago and I have spent much time getting to know the camera. I have worked as a photographer for years, but this is my first attempt at video. Exciting and of course many new things to learn.

I have been reading through many of the posts in "Canon XL2 Watchdog" and it has without doubt been the most important source of information. I have established a workflow I am happy with, both when it comes to camera settings and choice of audio. All thanks to this forum. Internet is good :)

I have established a relationship with a freelance journalist and together we will sell news-clips to Norwegian TV, we live on an isolated island in the high Arctic so it is a hassle for them to send people all the way up here if something newsworthy happens. We will also make a documentary this summer, from the abandoned Russian settlement "Pyramiden" (The pyramid) here on Svalbard.

I have ended up with shooting almost all my video in 16:9, as I understand that the camera has a native 16:9 CCD. I also like composing images with that aspect ratio compared to 4:3.

My first attempt to capture film in Final Cut Express (FCE) worked fine, the only thing is that the film was 'squashed' to 4:3 in the Viewer (when I opened the file in QT it was viewed in 16:9). I experimented with the settings in Easy Setup and changed from "DV PAL" to "PAL Anamorphic" and then my film was viewed in 16:9 in FCE. Was this correct procedure? It looks ok, but I am worried that I will ruin the capture with wrong settings.

I have understood that one cannot capture all 4 audio channels in one capture. I have used the front mic (2 channels recording) the background sound, and a mic in the rear XLR for voice/interviews. When I capture video in FCE, I use the "Now"-button that captures the entire job/tape in one clip. When capturing the second run to get the rest of the audio, will I meet trouble when it coms to sync between video and the second audio capture?

Jonathan Kirsch · June 27th, 2008, 08:21 AM

Hi Eirik

If you shoot 16:9, the correct easy setup is the (in your case) PAL Anamorphic.

You shouldn't run into a problem with the syncing when capturing the second run of audio, provided you don't change the in and out points. You can record 4 channels if you go into the camera settings and change the audio to 4 chan/12 bit audio. BUT be aware that standard DVD audio is 16 bit...so you'll have to do some resampling to the audio in Soundtrack Pro or another program.

Jonathan

June 27th, 2008, 02:16 AM	#1
Eirik Berger Tourist Join Date: Feb 2008 Location: Longyearbyen, Svalbard Posts: 2	Canon XL2, 16:9 and audio capture in FCE Hello Forum. I got a descent deal on a Canon XL2 a few months ago and I have spent much time getting to know the camera. I have worked as a photographer for years, but this is my first attempt at video. Exciting and of course many new things to learn. I have been reading through many of the posts in "Canon XL2 Watchdog" and it has without doubt been the most important source of information. I have established a workflow I am happy with, both when it comes to camera settings and choice of audio. All thanks to this forum. Internet is good :) I have established a relationship with a freelance journalist and together we will sell news-clips to Norwegian TV, we live on an isolated island in the high Arctic so it is a hassle for them to send people all the way up here if something newsworthy happens. We will also make a documentary this summer, from the abandoned Russian settlement "Pyramiden" (The pyramid) here on Svalbard. I have ended up with shooting almost all my video in 16:9, as I understand that the camera has a native 16:9 CCD. I also like composing images with that aspect ratio compared to 4:3. My first attempt to capture film in Final Cut Express (FCE) worked fine, the only thing is that the film was 'squashed' to 4:3 in the Viewer (when I opened the file in QT it was viewed in 16:9). I experimented with the settings in Easy Setup and changed from "DV PAL" to "PAL Anamorphic" and then my film was viewed in 16:9 in FCE. Was this correct procedure? It looks ok, but I am worried that I will ruin the capture with wrong settings. I have understood that one cannot capture all 4 audio channels in one capture. I have used the front mic (2 channels recording) the background sound, and a mic in the rear XLR for voice/interviews. When I capture video in FCE, I use the "Now"-button that captures the entire job/tape in one clip. When capturing the second run to get the rest of the audio, will I meet trouble when it coms to sync between video and the second audio capture?

June 27th, 2008, 08:21 AM	#2
Jonathan Kirsch Major Player Join Date: Jul 2006 Location: Denver, Colorado Posts: 204	Hi Eirik If you shoot 16:9, the correct easy setup is the (in your case) PAL Anamorphic. You shouldn't run into a problem with the syncing when capturing the second run of audio, provided you don't change the in and out points. You can record 4 channels if you go into the camera settings and change the audio to 4 chan/12 bit audio. BUT be aware that standard DVD audio is 16 bit...so you'll have to do some resampling to the audio in Soundtrack Pro or another program. Jonathan