XL2 color LCD viewfinder

Eduardo Mayen · June 26th, 2005, 12:34 AM

Im getting very contrasty images out of my XL2, is there a way to flatten out the contrast.

Wes Coughlin · June 26th, 2005, 01:09 AM

If it looks fine on the camera, it could be the monitor or hardware settings. You should check the basic settings on the xl2 for the contrast problem; it mostly depends what mode you shot in; manual mode: you have total control over the image.

Ash Greyson · June 26th, 2005, 10:59 AM

Thru the eyepiece the XL2 monitor is junk. Try flipping up the magnifier to get a better idea, still not great though and not good for focus. Until you get a better feel for it, you really need an externla monitor when shooting...

ash =o)

Richard Hunter · June 26th, 2005, 12:04 PM

Eduardo, the EVF display can be adjusted through menu settings. I "calibrated" mine using my TV monitor as a reference, and adjusted the EVF until the image looked as close as possible to what was displayed on hte monitor. Before I did that, I tended to produce rather dull video because what looked right on the EVF was actually not bright enough on other displays.

Richard

Ash Greyson · June 27th, 2005, 04:28 PM

Correct, that is the best thing to do... hook it live to a TV and adjust the LCD as close as possible...

ash =o)

Tracy Graziano · July 7th, 2005, 11:13 AM

Hi,
I was running some "tests" yesterday -- playing with the camera settings. I noticed that purple does not show up in the color viewfinder on the XL2, it shows up as blue.
Any ideas why? Does it have to do with RGB / CYMK? It seems to show up ok on the television when I play it back, but not in a saturated purple sense. All the other colors show up great (red, yellow, orange, blue, green, white and black).

I did this outside (all natural light, where I normally shoot) and was taking shots of a clematis (a deep purple flower, for those of us garden-challenged people :) ) I tried all three of my lenses (the 20x, the 3x, and the 16x servo -- none of which provided good purple results).

Anyway, I've also heard that purples are in general difficult to photograph -- any ideas on filters or gadgets to correct this?

Thanks a bunch!
Tracy

Lauri Kettunen · July 7th, 2005, 11:40 AM

Tracy, did you try to set the aperture? I've noticed that when shooting sun set or sun rise, the colors in the viewfinder depend on how open the aperture is. For example, if the sky is light yellow, but the aperture is too small, in the viewfinder the sky appears orange. The settings of the knee and black may also affect the colors.

Jay Gladwell · July 8th, 2005, 05:34 AM

Tracy, this sounds odd. Just last week-end I was with Bruce, a friend and member here. Using his XL2, we shot the Macbeth color chart, which has purple on it, and the color came out on the studio monitor beautifully.

Something to keep in mind... The color view finder on the XL2 is not the best in the world (it's not the worst, either). You can't determine color fildelity with this view finder. The only way to determine color correctness is by viewing the results on a monitor (or TV if you don't have an NTSC monitor).

Step up the shot again, adjust for your proper white balance and exposure, record the image, and look at it on your studio monitor or TV. You'll see a huge difference, as well as your purple!

Jay

Senan Bahrani · July 29th, 2005, 06:20 PM

is the lit speck in the viewfinder on my xl2 normal or fault.

thankyou

Lucinda Luvaas · July 29th, 2005, 06:31 PM

Is it on the inside of the viewfinder or outside? have you tried, and this is a dumb question, forgive me for asking, to clean it to see if it's a speck of dust?....

Patrick King · July 29th, 2005, 07:13 PM

Lucinda, Congrats on "Major Player" status! (BTW, Chris or Moderators, the page that used to define the status levels now has definitions of Smilies)

Senan, If the speck is illuminated then I would suspect it is a blown pixel in the viewfinder. If so, it will/may be distracting, but won't cause any degradation of your recorded imagery. To test this, just replay some recorded imagery on a computer or TV or monitor. If you see the same illuminated pixel on the playback, its on the acquisition CCD and will require repair at the Canon facility.

Lucinda Luvaas · July 30th, 2005, 12:04 PM

Hi Pat,

What does this mean?

Lucinda, Congrats on "Major Player" status! (BTW, Chris or Moderators, the page that used to define the status levels now has definitions of Smilies)

I'm totally confused.......and it can't be just the heat!

Patrick King · July 30th, 2005, 12:12 PM

Lucinda,

When I posted the message yesterday, your "Status" (directly under your name) had just changed to "Major Player" since it was your 100th post.

There used to be a page in the FAQ that described the different Status titles and posts necessary to achieve each Status level. Its gone onw and I was just bringing it to the attention of the forum moderators. I think the page was auto-replaced when they did the upgrade to this version of vBulletin, but Chris might have just pulled it down on purpose.

Lucinda Luvaas · July 30th, 2005, 12:56 PM

Ah....well, you see that I haven't paid much attention to the finer details. Just trying to learn about the XL2 and its details. Thanks for letting me know.

Chris Hurd · July 30th, 2005, 09:32 PM

For Patrick, it was lost in the forum sw upgrade; its replacement is just another item on my lengthy "to do" list.

June 26th, 2005, 12:34 AM	#106
Eduardo Mayen Regular Crew Join Date: Feb 2002 Location: LAs Vegas Posts: 32	Reducing Contrast Im getting very contrasty images out of my XL2, is there a way to flatten out the contrast. __________________ Eduardo

June 26th, 2005, 01:09 AM	#107
Wes Coughlin Major Player Join Date: Jun 2005 Location: Bend, Oregon Posts: 206	If it looks fine on the camera, it could be the monitor or hardware settings. You should check the basic settings on the xl2 for the contrast problem; it mostly depends what mode you shot in; manual mode: you have total control over the image. __________________ http://wildlookout.com

July 7th, 2005, 11:13 AM	#111
Tracy Graziano Regular Crew Join Date: Jun 2005 Posts: 41	no purple in the color viewfinder, muted on playback? Hi, I was running some "tests" yesterday -- playing with the camera settings. I noticed that purple does not show up in the color viewfinder on the XL2, it shows up as blue. Any ideas why? Does it have to do with RGB / CYMK? It seems to show up ok on the television when I play it back, but not in a saturated purple sense. All the other colors show up great (red, yellow, orange, blue, green, white and black). I did this outside (all natural light, where I normally shoot) and was taking shots of a clematis (a deep purple flower, for those of us garden-challenged people :) ) I tried all three of my lenses (the 20x, the 3x, and the 16x servo -- none of which provided good purple results). Anyway, I've also heard that purples are in general difficult to photograph -- any ideas on filters or gadgets to correct this? Thanks a bunch! Tracy

July 29th, 2005, 06:20 PM	#114
Senan Bahrani Tourist Join Date: Jul 2005 Posts: 1	Speck in EVF is the lit speck in the viewfinder on my xl2 normal or fault. thankyou

July 29th, 2005, 07:13 PM	#116
Patrick King Major Player Join Date: Jul 2004 Location: Enterprise, AL Posts: 857	Lucinda, Congrats on "Major Player" status! (BTW, Chris or Moderators, the page that used to define the status levels now has definitions of Smilies) Senan, If the speck is illuminated then I would suspect it is a blown pixel in the viewfinder. If so, it will/may be distracting, but won't cause any degradation of your recorded imagery. To test this, just replay some recorded imagery on a computer or TV or monitor. If you see the same illuminated pixel on the playback, its on the acquisition CCD and will require repair at the Canon facility. __________________ Fear No Weevil!

June 26th, 2005, 10:59 AM	#108
Ash Greyson Trustee Join Date: May 2003 Location: Tulsa, OK Posts: 1,689	Thru the eyepiece the XL2 monitor is junk. Try flipping up the magnifier to get a better idea, still not great though and not good for focus. Until you get a better feel for it, you really need an externla monitor when shooting... ash =o)

June 26th, 2005, 12:04 PM	#109
Richard Hunter Trustee Join Date: Dec 2004 Location: Lipa City Batangas, Philippines Posts: 1,110	Eduardo, the EVF display can be adjusted through menu settings. I "calibrated" mine using my TV monitor as a reference, and adjusted the EVF until the image looked as close as possible to what was displayed on hte monitor. Before I did that, I tended to produce rather dull video because what looked right on the EVF was actually not bright enough on other displays. Richard

June 27th, 2005, 04:28 PM	#110
Ash Greyson Trustee Join Date: May 2003 Location: Tulsa, OK Posts: 1,689	Correct, that is the best thing to do... hook it live to a TV and adjust the LCD as close as possible... ash =o)

July 7th, 2005, 11:40 AM	#112
Lauri Kettunen Major Player Join Date: Aug 2004 Location: Kangasala, Finland Posts: 445	Tracy, did you try to set the aperture? I've noticed that when shooting sun set or sun rise, the colors in the viewfinder depend on how open the aperture is. For example, if the sky is light yellow, but the aperture is too small, in the viewfinder the sky appears orange. The settings of the knee and black may also affect the colors.

July 8th, 2005, 05:34 AM	#113
Jay Gladwell Join Date: Jul 2002 Posts: 1,244	Tracy, this sounds odd. Just last week-end I was with Bruce, a friend and member here. Using his XL2, we shot the Macbeth color chart, which has purple on it, and the color came out on the studio monitor beautifully. Something to keep in mind... The color view finder on the XL2 is not the best in the world (it's not the worst, either). You can't determine color fildelity with this view finder. The only way to determine color correctness is by viewing the results on a monitor (or TV if you don't have an NTSC monitor). Step up the shot again, adjust for your proper white balance and exposure, record the image, and look at it on your studio monitor or TV. You'll see a huge difference, as well as your purple! Jay

July 29th, 2005, 06:31 PM	#115
Lucinda Luvaas Major Player Join Date: May 2005 Posts: 233	Is it on the inside of the viewfinder or outside? have you tried, and this is a dumb question, forgive me for asking, to clean it to see if it's a speck of dust?....

July 30th, 2005, 12:04 PM	#117
Lucinda Luvaas Major Player Join Date: May 2005 Posts: 233	Hi Pat, What does this mean? Lucinda, Congrats on "Major Player" status! (BTW, Chris or Moderators, the page that used to define the status levels now has definitions of Smilies) I'm totally confused.......and it can't be just the heat!

July 30th, 2005, 12:12 PM	#118
Patrick King Major Player Join Date: Jul 2004 Location: Enterprise, AL Posts: 857	Lucinda, When I posted the message yesterday, your "Status" (directly under your name) had just changed to "Major Player" since it was your 100th post. There used to be a page in the FAQ that described the different Status titles and posts necessary to achieve each Status level. Its gone onw and I was just bringing it to the attention of the forum moderators. I think the page was auto-replaced when they did the upgrade to this version of vBulletin, but Chris might have just pulled it down on purpose. __________________ Fear No Weevil!

July 30th, 2005, 12:56 PM	#119
Lucinda Luvaas Major Player Join Date: May 2005 Posts: 233	Ah....well, you see that I haven't paid much attention to the finer details. Just trying to learn about the XL2 and its details. Thanks for letting me know.

July 30th, 2005, 09:32 PM	#120
Chris Hurd Obstreperous Rex Join Date: Jan 2001 Location: San Marcos, TX Posts: 27,368 Images: 513	For Patrick, it was lost in the forum sw upgrade; its replacement is just another item on my lengthy "to do" list. __________________ CH Search DV Info Net \| 20 years of DVi \| ...Tuesday is Soylent Green Day!