a few questions that haven't been asked?? at DVinfo.net

July 15th, 2004, 11:48 AM

At least I couldn't find these by browsing the forum.

Does the Gain work in all of the modes? 60i, 30p and 24p?

Does the auto Focus work in all modes? 60i, 30p and 24p?

I read that the viewfinder doesn't show guides for 16x9 mode. Does that mean that the image will be stretched vertically in the viewfinder and on an external monitor? (non 16x9 monitor that is)

Is the iris control now more of a switch and less of a wheel? It looks like it is notched and couldn't spin infinitely but would be pushed up or down and the logic of the XL2 would open or close the iris based on this. Anyone?

Robert Mann Z. · July 15th, 2004, 01:08 PM

Does the Gain work in all of the modes? 60i, 30p and 24p?
yes

Does the auto Focus work in all modes? 60i, 30p and 24p?
yes

will be stretched vertically in the viewfinder and on an external monitor?
no stretch black bands, same goes for monitor

Is the iris control now more of a switch and less of a wheel?
yes and it works very well...

Barry Goyette · July 15th, 2004, 01:33 PM

looks like the same switch canon implemented on the gl2...It took awhile to get use to, but it works fine.

Barry

Chris Hurd · July 15th, 2004, 03:43 PM

16:9 is letterboxed in the EVF and external 4:3 monitors.

CORRECTION: 16:9 is letterboxed in the EVF only.

Bill Pryor · July 15th, 2004, 04:08 PM

Do you know if the viewfinder has underscan?

Robin Davies-Rollinson · July 15th, 2004, 04:34 PM

No, it doesn't have underscan. In fact, the picture area in the viewfinder matched what I was seeing on my domestic tv.
It would be nice to be able to see a little more of things happening in the edges...

Robin.

Rich Lee · July 15th, 2004, 04:41 PM

I'm curious if it has a peaking feature like the dvx, i have grown to love that feature.

Chris Hurd · July 15th, 2004, 05:06 PM

The monochrome CRT finder has a peaking control. The color LCD finder does not.

Don Berube · July 15th, 2004, 05:15 PM

Well, for what it is worth, there is a seperate EVF settings control in the XL2 menu which does include a Sharpness control for the new EVF.

- don

Robin Davies-Rollinson · July 15th, 2004, 05:21 PM

Yes, but it doesn't really make the edges "zing" to be enough of an asset for focussing...

Robin.

Aaron Koolen · July 15th, 2004, 06:23 PM

And now a silly, but very hopeful question. The EVF doesn't have underscan, but if you flip it up into the LCD does *that* do underscan? Just hoping.

Bill Pryor · July 15th, 2004, 06:28 PM

There's no way that flipping up the eyepiece would magically give underscan. It is either there or it isn't. That is unfortunate and reduces the value of the camera a bit in my book. It's not a tota deal killer, but it's a negative.

Aaron Koolen · July 15th, 2004, 06:37 PM

Bill, no I know that, but what I was getting at was, maybe the LCD was underscane, but the EVF edges covered some of this. As I said, I was being hopeful. I'm quite bummed that they've apparently used the GL2 irs control wheel. That thing is stupid - a rolling wheel would have been much better.

Aaron

Bill Pryor · July 15th, 2004, 07:28 PM

It doesn't have iris control on the lens?
Sheesh, my new camera euphoria is really starting to go away. Y'know, a camera is a helluvalot more than just its chips. A little thing like not having underscan in the viewfinder can be a very big thing on a complicated shoot. I've seen shots ruined because the cameraman did not have underscan and couldn't adjust minutely when the soundman dipped the boom just a hair too low....and when you're on a tight set and want to pan as far as you can but not get the damn lightstand or edge of the cyc in the shot, and you can see it coming in underscan.

Someday somebody will come out with a "handycam" style small camera with all the professional features you need to make movies. Seems to me that it wouldn't really cost anymore to do some things right. Not everything, obviously, but...for example, how come I get iris control on the lens where it belongs with a DSR250 but not with a PD150? How come they don't give me a color temperature readout on the 250 like the DSR500 has? The camera white balances perfectly, so it KNOWS what the damn color temperature is. With all the other crap they put in the viewfinder, it's not a huge stretch of the imagination to believe they could give me a color temperature readout just as easily as the little hand that tells me steadyshot is on.

Of course...if they put all the good stuff on the cheap cameras, lots of people would probably not want to spend the money on the better stuff.

Aaron Koolen · July 15th, 2004, 07:42 PM

"Of course...if they put all the good stuff on the cheap cameras, lots of people would probably not want to spend the money on the better stuff."

You hit it right on the head!

Aaron

July 15th, 2004, 11:48 AM	#1
Guest Posts: n/a	a few questions that haven't been asked?? At least I couldn't find these by browsing the forum. Does the Gain work in all of the modes? 60i, 30p and 24p? Does the auto Focus work in all modes? 60i, 30p and 24p? I read that the viewfinder doesn't show guides for 16x9 mode. Does that mean that the image will be stretched vertically in the viewfinder and on an external monitor? (non 16x9 monitor that is) Is the iris control now more of a switch and less of a wheel? It looks like it is notched and couldn't spin infinitely but would be pushed up or down and the logic of the XL2 would open or close the iris based on this. Anyone?

July 15th, 2004, 03:43 PM	#4
Chris Hurd Obstreperous Rex Join Date: Jan 2001 Location: San Marcos, TX Posts: 27,368 Images: 513	16:9 is letterboxed in the EVF and external 4:3 monitors. CORRECTION: 16:9 is letterboxed in the EVF only. __________________ CH Search DV Info Net \| 20 years of DVi \| ...Tuesday is Soylent Green Day!

July 15th, 2004, 04:41 PM	#7
Rich Lee Regular Crew Join Date: Jan 2004 Location: Los Angeles Ca Posts: 126	I'm curious if it has a peaking feature like the dvx, i have grown to love that feature. __________________ Rich Lee http://www.rich-lee.com

July 15th, 2004, 05:06 PM	#8
Chris Hurd Obstreperous Rex Join Date: Jan 2001 Location: San Marcos, TX Posts: 27,368 Images: 513	The monochrome CRT finder has a peaking control. The color LCD finder does not. __________________ CH Search DV Info Net \| 20 years of DVi \| ...Tuesday is Soylent Green Day!

July 15th, 2004, 05:15 PM	#9
Don Berube Moderator Join Date: Mar 2002 Location: Boston, MA (travel frequently) Posts: 837	Well, for what it is worth, there is a seperate EVF settings control in the XL2 menu which does include a Sharpness control for the new EVF. - don __________________ DONALD BERUBE - noisybrain. Productions, LLC Director Of Photography/ Producer/ Consultant http://noisybrain.com/donbio.html CREATE and NETWORK with http://www.bosfcpug.org and also http://fcpugnetwork.org

July 15th, 2004, 01:08 PM	#2
Robert Mann Z. Skyonic New York Join Date: Nov 2001 Location: NYC Posts: 614	Does the Gain work in all of the modes? 60i, 30p and 24p? yes Does the auto Focus work in all modes? 60i, 30p and 24p? yes will be stretched vertically in the viewfinder and on an external monitor? no stretch black bands, same goes for monitor Is the iris control now more of a switch and less of a wheel? yes and it works very well...

July 15th, 2004, 01:33 PM	#3
Barry Goyette Trustee Join Date: Oct 2001 Location: San Luis Obispo CA Posts: 1,195	looks like the same switch canon implemented on the gl2...It took awhile to get use to, but it works fine. Barry

July 15th, 2004, 04:08 PM	#5
Bill Pryor Contributor Join Date: Jan 2003 Location: Kansas City, MO Posts: 4,449	Do you know if the viewfinder has underscan?

July 15th, 2004, 04:34 PM	#6
Robin Davies-Rollinson Trustee Join Date: Dec 2002 Location: Gwaelod-y-garth, Cardiff, CYMRU/WALES Posts: 1,215	No, it doesn't have underscan. In fact, the picture area in the viewfinder matched what I was seeing on my domestic tv. It would be nice to be able to see a little more of things happening in the edges... Robin.

July 15th, 2004, 05:21 PM	#10
Robin Davies-Rollinson Trustee Join Date: Dec 2002 Location: Gwaelod-y-garth, Cardiff, CYMRU/WALES Posts: 1,215	Yes, but it doesn't really make the edges "zing" to be enough of an asset for focussing... Robin.

July 15th, 2004, 06:23 PM	#11
Aaron Koolen Trustee Join Date: Apr 2002 Location: Auckland, New Zealand Posts: 1,727	And now a silly, but very hopeful question. The EVF doesn't have underscan, but if you flip it up into the LCD does that do underscan? Just hoping. __________________ My Website Meat Free Media

July 15th, 2004, 06:28 PM	#12
Bill Pryor Contributor Join Date: Jan 2003 Location: Kansas City, MO Posts: 4,449	There's no way that flipping up the eyepiece would magically give underscan. It is either there or it isn't. That is unfortunate and reduces the value of the camera a bit in my book. It's not a tota deal killer, but it's a negative.

July 15th, 2004, 06:37 PM	#13
Aaron Koolen Trustee Join Date: Apr 2002 Location: Auckland, New Zealand Posts: 1,727	Bill, no I know that, but what I was getting at was, maybe the LCD was underscane, but the EVF edges covered some of this. As I said, I was being hopeful. I'm quite bummed that they've apparently used the GL2 irs control wheel. That thing is stupid - a rolling wheel would have been much better. Aaron __________________ My Website Meat Free Media

July 15th, 2004, 07:28 PM	#14
Bill Pryor Contributor Join Date: Jan 2003 Location: Kansas City, MO Posts: 4,449	It doesn't have iris control on the lens? Sheesh, my new camera euphoria is really starting to go away. Y'know, a camera is a helluvalot more than just its chips. A little thing like not having underscan in the viewfinder can be a very big thing on a complicated shoot. I've seen shots ruined because the cameraman did not have underscan and couldn't adjust minutely when the soundman dipped the boom just a hair too low....and when you're on a tight set and want to pan as far as you can but not get the damn lightstand or edge of the cyc in the shot, and you can see it coming in underscan. Someday somebody will come out with a "handycam" style small camera with all the professional features you need to make movies. Seems to me that it wouldn't really cost anymore to do some things right. Not everything, obviously, but...for example, how come I get iris control on the lens where it belongs with a DSR250 but not with a PD150? How come they don't give me a color temperature readout on the 250 like the DSR500 has? The camera white balances perfectly, so it KNOWS what the damn color temperature is. With all the other crap they put in the viewfinder, it's not a huge stretch of the imagination to believe they could give me a color temperature readout just as easily as the little hand that tells me steadyshot is on. Of course...if they put all the good stuff on the cheap cameras, lots of people would probably not want to spend the money on the better stuff.

July 15th, 2004, 07:42 PM	#15
Aaron Koolen Trustee Join Date: Apr 2002 Location: Auckland, New Zealand Posts: 1,727	"Of course...if they put all the good stuff on the cheap cameras, lots of people would probably not want to spend the money on the better stuff." You hit it right on the head! Aaron __________________ My Website Meat Free Media