A question about mini 35 mm for XL2 PAL =)

[Andreas Rylander]

I am going to buy a Canon XL 2 soon... I am in Sweden, so naturally I will go for a PAL (which I would probably opt to do even in the states considering resolution and such). I was just wondering, and I do hope I don't sound like too much of a "noob" but I haven't worked with adapters before...

My predicament is this; I am planning to simultaneously obtain a mini35-adapter along with my XL2, and since I will buy a PAL version of the Canon XL2, I feel especially obliged to ask the following questions:

* Will the mini35 adapter work well with a Canon XL2 PAL? Does it even matter in the end? Should I look for a special one?

* How does it work with Settings in the cam? 16:9 mode and progressive capture and such? Are those functions independent of the lens, even if I attach the lenses to the mini35-adapter? As far as I have understood it, all settings INSIDE the camera will be the things directing the actual capture, so what I *want* to believe is that no matter what lens I have, with my mini35-adapter, I can still capture stuff in 16:9 and PAL and with any setting and it will all work magnificiently well? Is this true? =)

* Where do I get a GOOD mini35-adapter? I dont wanna pay a fortune but I want nice quality obviously. What alternatives do you guys recommend?

* Have I missed something important here, within the context of my questions?


- Thank you all in advance =) I am in your debt for any eventual answers =)

[Greg Boston]

Indeed, the 16:9 and progressive modes are a function of the camera. Remember, the Mini 35 is merely a small projector mounted to the front of the camera to project an image of a 35mm lens via a groundglass which can retain the shallow depth of field onto the camera CCDs. In fact, if you are going to use the mini 35, I would think you'd want to go 25P and 1/50 shutter to more closely mimic film.

-gb-

[Andreas Rylander]

Thank you for the information/confirmation =) Invalueable in my current situation, namely that of being a confused filmmaker =)

[Andrew C. Stewart]

Good luck finding a cheap mini35 adapter. There aren't many that are in major production that are also cheap. Several people have plans online to build your own.

There is also the new M2 micro 35mm adapter produced by Redrock Microsystems. It is more affordable but you will need a few peripherals to make it work practically eg a set of still lenses, a rail system (which they sell), and most likely an external LCD to flip the image. You can still score all that for around $1000 through Redrock. So you might want to check them out (www.micro35.com)

[Charles Papert]

It's inevitable that these things happen, but of course Mini35 is a brand name of a specificproduct (made by P+S Technik), not a generic name for all such adaptors. Unfortunately no-one's come up with a quick generic term so this was bound to happen. Same thing with Steadicam--it's certainly common to see the brand name used (often misspelled or with a lower-case "s"). But of course who doesn't ask for a Kleenex when they have a runny nose?