My subjective first impressions of the XL2

Frederic Segard · October 23rd, 2004, 09:33 PM

That's correct! LL Lozeau sells it at $5700 CDN (4600 US), regular price. You can't really haggle at that store. This is the store went to this morning to check the XL2 out. The accessories are not cheap though: the FU-1000 at $2500 CDN ($2000 US), and the manual lens at $2300 CDN ($1850 US). I don't remember exactly, but I think the body only kit was around $4450 CDN ($3600 US).

(Canadian dollar roughly $0.80 US)

David Lach · October 23rd, 2004, 09:46 PM

Yeah they have a great price on the XL2, not so much on accessories. So I bought the XL2 there and will buy the rest of my accessories elsewhere.

Kenneth Irvine · October 26th, 2004, 08:43 AM

I just picked up an xl2 for $5700 Can as well. Mind you that's with a $1000 tripod purchase and an extended 2 year warranty. I bought it from Henry's. Great service so far! I'll keep you posted.

Roger Moore · October 27th, 2004, 03:30 AM

Ah, yes Henry's.

The XL body only:

http://www.henrys.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/ItemsDisplay?itemID=132305&storeId=10001&catalogId=10101&departmentId=10410&categoryId=10731&order=A SC&sortKey=shortdescription

Is that even a canon camcorder they show on that page?

Jean-Philippe Archibald · October 27th, 2004, 07:01 AM

Humm... funny. It's a GL2 on that page...

Kenneth Irvine · October 27th, 2004, 11:38 AM

Yes, they have the wrong photo on the body kit page.

That's $5700 with the 20X lens included. Believe me, I shopped around and they are very competitive. They also have a demo Xl2 in the store here which I can have as a replacement if/when I need servicing.

David Lach · October 27th, 2004, 03:56 PM

Seems this camera is cheaper in Canada. Weird.

Frederic Segard · October 28th, 2004, 05:32 AM

Hey, at least for ONCE we can say it's cheaper NOT to buy south of the border; even with the favorable exchange rate. How many times does THAT happen? ;-)

David Lach · November 4th, 2004, 12:03 AM

<<<-- Originally posted by Marty Hudzik : David,
Can you give me some specifics on the 2x magnifier for the EVF? Is that for the BW only or is there on that will work on the Default color on too?

Thanks,
Marty -->>>

Just received the magnifier for the FU-1000 today and as I expected, it is not compatible with the Canon EVF on the XL2.

BUT, that being said, it is in perfect focus when you place it in front of the LCD with the eyepiece flipped open, and it more or less doubles the 2" diameter, so I'm awfully tempted to try and make a custom adapter to be able to fix it on the EVF too. It really doesn't look that complicated.

More on that later.

Marty Hudzik · November 4th, 2004, 08:29 AM

<<<--
Just received the magnifier for the FU-1000 today and as I expected, it is not compatible with the Canon EVF on the XL2.

BUT, that being said, it is in perfect focus when you place it in front of the LCD with the eyepiece flipped open, and it more or less doubles the 2" diameter, so I'm awfully tempted to try and make a custom adapter to be able to fix it on the EVF too. It really doesn't look that complicated.

More on that later. -->>>

Keep me posted on this. When you place the magnifier in fron of the color LCD does it make it easier to tell if you are in focus? That is my main concern. In a few cases where a subject was about 5-6 feet in front of me with a brick wall 2-3 feet behind them, I ended up focusing on the brick wall! The subject was just a "tad" out of focus but it drives me nuts. This doesn't happen often but it occassionally happens. NEver had this issue on the DVX so I am assuming that it is just the physical size of the LCD that is causing it.

And just for the record, in my mind I was in perfect focus in the viewfinder. NEver had a doubt. But when I watch the final footage it is obvious I wasn't. UNless this is a case of me focusing, then barely bumping the focus ring and then not noticing because once I focused I am concentrating on composing the shot.

Oh well! Let me know about the adapter. Can you post an image or point me to a website that has a review or images?

Thanks
Marty

Patrick Moreau · November 5th, 2004, 09:06 PM

Any idea if there is a website or maybe you could give us a phone number for this location in Montreal. I'm also in the GTA and compared to vistek, it would be worth it to drive down there and pick it up. Was your pricing with the extended warranty included?

Thanks

Andrew Petrie · November 9th, 2004, 02:48 PM

<<<-- Originally posted by Roger Moore : That's a great deal. Did you pay that after some negotiating or is that what they are tagging it at?

Here in Toronto Vistek.ca is selling the lens + body for $6500, and body for $5300. Too bad LLL doesn't have a store in TO. -->>>

No stores in Ontario are well-priced (well, none that I am aware of), I always shop out-of-province for the higher tagged items. I bought my XL1S out of Calgary for $5500 CDN at the time, and that was just as much of a steal as LLL out of Quebec right now.

I'm sure LLL will ship out to you, even with next day delivery, you'd be laughing at the much cheaper price (and lower tax rate)

Andrew Petrie · November 9th, 2004, 02:53 PM

<<<-- Originally posted by Kenneth Irvine : Yes, they have the wrong photo on the body kit page.

That's $5700 with the 20X lens included. Believe me, I shopped around and they are very competitive. They also have a demo Xl2 in the store here which I can have as a replacement if/when I need servicing. -->>>

Wow, are you serious? Henrys has never been well priced aorund here, always sticking to the MSRP. Do you know someone at Henrys that gave you cheaper? Regular $6499 there, $700 in savings, I'm very curious to hear what your secret is :)

David Lach · November 9th, 2004, 03:21 PM

Keep me posted on this. When you place the magnifier in fron of the color LCD does it make it easier to tell if you are in focus?

Yes and no. It somewhat makes it easier, because the screen and every object in it become bigger. So it is easier to see the pixels that are being affected while focusing. However, by magnifying the EVF, you also magnify the pixels, so you're not gaining any valuable resolution.

I'll wait to try it in a real life situation. Right now all I did was to duct tape the magnifier and focus around the living room. I'll try it soon in a real shooting situation to determine if it's worth the bother.

But I can tell you right now, the cost is probably not justified if you plan to only use it with the EVF. I bought it because I'll be using the FU-1000 viewfinder as well, for which it was designed. I would not pay $300 to magnify the EVF.

If you want an easy way to tell what kind of result you get by putting this adapter in front of the EVF, just take a big magnifying glass and look at the flipped open LCD screen through it. It will pretty much give more or less the same result.

Oh well! Let me know about the adapter. Can you post an image or point me to a website that has a review or images?

If you're talking about an image of the Ikegami magnifier, here it is

Roger Moore · November 9th, 2004, 04:45 PM

<<<-- Originally posted by Andrew Petrie : Do you know someone at Henrys that gave you cheaper? Regular $6499 there, $700 in savings, I'm very curious to hear what your secret is :) -->>>

Me too! I'm minutes from the downtown Henry's and I'd buy it tonight if they were willing to pull the price that far below what they're advertisiing...

I'm somewhat wary about buying it out of province, not sure why I feel this way though, because if I ever had technical problems Canon canada is in mississauga not montreal. I'll wait another week before deciding. Did someone say they were going to montreal to buy from LLL, maybe a bunch of us can get a discount purchase? :)

October 27th, 2004, 07:01 AM	#20
Jean-Philippe Archibald Trustee Join Date: Sep 2003 Location: Saguenay, Québec, Canada Posts: 1,051	Humm... funny. It's a GL2 on that page... __________________ Jean-Philippe Archibald http://www.jparchibald.com - http://www.vimeo.com/jparchib

November 9th, 2004, 02:48 PM	#27
Andrew Petrie Major Player Join Date: Aug 2002 Location: London, Ontario, Canada Posts: 484	<<<-- Originally posted by Roger Moore : That's a great deal. Did you pay that after some negotiating or is that what they are tagging it at? Here in Toronto Vistek.ca is selling the lens + body for $6500, and body for $5300. Too bad LLL doesn't have a store in TO. -->>> No stores in Ontario are well-priced (well, none that I am aware of), I always shop out-of-province for the higher tagged items. I bought my XL1S out of Calgary for $5500 CDN at the time, and that was just as much of a steal as LLL out of Quebec right now. I'm sure LLL will ship out to you, even with next day delivery, you'd be laughing at the much cheaper price (and lower tax rate) __________________ Andrew \| Canon XL1s, ME66, Vinten Vision 3, GlideCam V16 (for sale!)

November 9th, 2004, 02:53 PM	#28
Andrew Petrie Major Player Join Date: Aug 2002 Location: London, Ontario, Canada Posts: 484	<<<-- Originally posted by Kenneth Irvine : Yes, they have the wrong photo on the body kit page. That's $5700 with the 20X lens included. Believe me, I shopped around and they are very competitive. They also have a demo Xl2 in the store here which I can have as a replacement if/when I need servicing. -->>> Wow, are you serious? Henrys has never been well priced aorund here, always sticking to the MSRP. Do you know someone at Henrys that gave you cheaper? Regular $6499 there, $700 in savings, I'm very curious to hear what your secret is :) __________________ Andrew \| Canon XL1s, ME66, Vinten Vision 3, GlideCam V16 (for sale!)

October 23rd, 2004, 09:33 PM	#16
Frederic Segard Major Player Join Date: Jul 2003 Location: Montreal, Canada Posts: 209	That's correct! LL Lozeau sells it at $5700 CDN (4600 US), regular price. You can't really haggle at that store. This is the store went to this morning to check the XL2 out. The accessories are not cheap though: the FU-1000 at $2500 CDN ($2000 US), and the manual lens at $2300 CDN ($1850 US). I don't remember exactly, but I think the body only kit was around $4450 CDN ($3600 US). (Canadian dollar roughly $0.80 US)

October 23rd, 2004, 09:46 PM	#17
David Lach Major Player Join Date: Oct 2002 Location: Montreal, QC, Canada Posts: 570	Yeah they have a great price on the XL2, not so much on accessories. So I bought the XL2 there and will buy the rest of my accessories elsewhere.

October 26th, 2004, 08:43 AM	#18
Kenneth Irvine New Boot Join Date: Oct 2004 Location: Ottawa, Canada Posts: 23	I just picked up an xl2 for $5700 Can as well. Mind you that's with a $1000 tripod purchase and an extended 2 year warranty. I bought it from Henry's. Great service so far! I'll keep you posted.

October 27th, 2004, 03:30 AM	#19
Roger Moore Regular Crew Join Date: Jun 2004 Location: toronto Posts: 99	Ah, yes Henry's. The XL body only: http://www.henrys.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/ItemsDisplay?itemID=132305&storeId=10001&catalogId=10101&departmentId=10410&categoryId=10731&order=A SC&sortKey=shortdescription Is that even a canon camcorder they show on that page?

October 27th, 2004, 11:38 AM	#21
Kenneth Irvine New Boot Join Date: Oct 2004 Location: Ottawa, Canada Posts: 23	Yes, they have the wrong photo on the body kit page. That's $5700 with the 20X lens included. Believe me, I shopped around and they are very competitive. They also have a demo Xl2 in the store here which I can have as a replacement if/when I need servicing.

October 27th, 2004, 03:56 PM	#22
David Lach Major Player Join Date: Oct 2002 Location: Montreal, QC, Canada Posts: 570	Seems this camera is cheaper in Canada. Weird.

October 28th, 2004, 05:32 AM	#23
Frederic Segard Major Player Join Date: Jul 2003 Location: Montreal, Canada Posts: 209	Hey, at least for ONCE we can say it's cheaper NOT to buy south of the border; even with the favorable exchange rate. How many times does THAT happen? ;-)

November 4th, 2004, 12:03 AM	#24
David Lach Major Player Join Date: Oct 2002 Location: Montreal, QC, Canada Posts: 570	<<<-- Originally posted by Marty Hudzik : David, Can you give me some specifics on the 2x magnifier for the EVF? Is that for the BW only or is there on that will work on the Default color on too? Thanks, Marty -->>> Just received the magnifier for the FU-1000 today and as I expected, it is not compatible with the Canon EVF on the XL2. BUT, that being said, it is in perfect focus when you place it in front of the LCD with the eyepiece flipped open, and it more or less doubles the 2" diameter, so I'm awfully tempted to try and make a custom adapter to be able to fix it on the EVF too. It really doesn't look that complicated. More on that later.

November 4th, 2004, 08:29 AM	#25
Marty Hudzik Trustee Join Date: Jul 2004 Location: Canton, Ohio Posts: 1,771	<<<-- Just received the magnifier for the FU-1000 today and as I expected, it is not compatible with the Canon EVF on the XL2. BUT, that being said, it is in perfect focus when you place it in front of the LCD with the eyepiece flipped open, and it more or less doubles the 2" diameter, so I'm awfully tempted to try and make a custom adapter to be able to fix it on the EVF too. It really doesn't look that complicated. More on that later. -->>> Keep me posted on this. When you place the magnifier in fron of the color LCD does it make it easier to tell if you are in focus? That is my main concern. In a few cases where a subject was about 5-6 feet in front of me with a brick wall 2-3 feet behind them, I ended up focusing on the brick wall! The subject was just a "tad" out of focus but it drives me nuts. This doesn't happen often but it occassionally happens. NEver had this issue on the DVX so I am assuming that it is just the physical size of the LCD that is causing it. And just for the record, in my mind I was in perfect focus in the viewfinder. NEver had a doubt. But when I watch the final footage it is obvious I wasn't. UNless this is a case of me focusing, then barely bumping the focus ring and then not noticing because once I focused I am concentrating on composing the shot. Oh well! Let me know about the adapter. Can you post an image or point me to a website that has a review or images? Thanks Marty

November 5th, 2004, 09:06 PM	#26
Patrick Moreau Still Motion Join Date: Oct 2004 Location: Toronto, Canada Posts: 1,186	Any idea if there is a website or maybe you could give us a phone number for this location in Montreal. I'm also in the GTA and compared to vistek, it would be worth it to drive down there and pick it up. Was your pricing with the extended warranty included? Thanks

November 9th, 2004, 03:21 PM	#29
David Lach Major Player Join Date: Oct 2002 Location: Montreal, QC, Canada Posts: 570	Keep me posted on this. When you place the magnifier in fron of the color LCD does it make it easier to tell if you are in focus? Yes and no. It somewhat makes it easier, because the screen and every object in it become bigger. So it is easier to see the pixels that are being affected while focusing. However, by magnifying the EVF, you also magnify the pixels, so you're not gaining any valuable resolution. I'll wait to try it in a real life situation. Right now all I did was to duct tape the magnifier and focus around the living room. I'll try it soon in a real shooting situation to determine if it's worth the bother. But I can tell you right now, the cost is probably not justified if you plan to only use it with the EVF. I bought it because I'll be using the FU-1000 viewfinder as well, for which it was designed. I would not pay $300 to magnify the EVF. If you want an easy way to tell what kind of result you get by putting this adapter in front of the EVF, just take a big magnifying glass and look at the flipped open LCD screen through it. It will pretty much give more or less the same result. Oh well! Let me know about the adapter. Can you post an image or point me to a website that has a review or images? If you're talking about an image of the Ikegami magnifier, here it is

November 9th, 2004, 04:45 PM	#30
Roger Moore Regular Crew Join Date: Jun 2004 Location: toronto Posts: 99	<<<-- Originally posted by Andrew Petrie : Do you know someone at Henrys that gave you cheaper? Regular $6499 there, $700 in savings, I'm very curious to hear what your secret is :) -->>> Me too! I'm minutes from the downtown Henry's and I'd buy it tonight if they were willing to pull the price that far below what they're advertisiing... I'm somewhat wary about buying it out of province, not sure why I feel this way though, because if I ever had technical problems Canon canada is in mississauga not montreal. I'll wait another week before deciding. Did someone say they were going to montreal to buy from LLL, maybe a bunch of us can get a discount purchase? :)