Caleb, I have rec'd word from Canon USA that they are double-checking
the accuracy of that particular page. Be advised though that the stock
20x lens already covers the focal length range that you would get with
the EF-S 60mm with the EF adapter (appx. 430mm equivalent). So
there's really not much point to doing that.

Thanks for checking with Canon Chris. About the 60mm lens being the same as the 20x stock lens, I plan on using it for macro work since it is a life size 1:1 macro lens.

EF-S 60mm lens does not work with EF adapter
 

I got my EF adapter from B&H and tried it with my EF-S 60mm f/2.8 macro lens and it didn't work. The back of the lens hits the front of the EF adapter so it does not fit but, I will sell the lens on eBay and buy a canon EF 70-300mm lens for wildlife.

I believe the EF adaptor is only for EF lenses and not for EF-S lenses. I have a Tamron Macro (for Canon) EF lens 100mm f/2.5 (not EF-S) and it works perfectly with the EF adaptor.

I was wondering if is possible to take a photographic lens like this:

VALIDO ZOOM 42/75mm YASHICA FX & CONTAX RTS 137 139 167 su eBay.it per Contax e Yashica, Obiettivi, Fotografia e Video

(just for example, but it might be any other brand); and mount a canon xl flange instead of the lens flange, this way the photographic lens can be mounted directly to the XL body without using an adapter (from what i understood is the adapter that cause the magnification factor?).

The magnification factor is all to do with the gate dimensions and the focal length of the lens, not how many adapters or spacers lie between the lens and the gate.

So to have a wide-angle for a 1"/3 chip you'll need a focal length in the order of 3 mm and for tele you'll need 50 mm or so. The lens you've spotted is a less-than-2x zoom with an f/3.5 max aperture :-( that will equate to something like a 300 to 525 mm telephoto on the Canon.

tom.

Thanks for the clarification; i was suspecting it but i wasn't sure... anyway here is a guy who make nikon/pentax/contax adapter to xl body for nearly 120/130€ (and many other adapters).

Adriano Lolli

EF adapter question
 

New to the XL2 family and was looking at the Canon EF adapter. Are there any advantages to using one of these with the 20X lense the XL2 comes with

Hi Robert,
you can´t combine the 20x lens that comes with your camera and the ef-adapter!

The Canon ef-adapter is used to attach 35mm EF-lenses to your XL2. Note that when you attach EF-lenses to the XL2, due to the much smaller chip you got a magnification factor of at least 7.8 dependig of which aspect ratio you´re using. A 200mm EF lens gives you 1560mm on the XL2!

There is some articles at dvinfo which might be interesting:
The Watchdog Skinny on the Canon XL2
Guide to XL2 Lens Options by Chris Hurd
XL2 Fields of View Comparison by Chris Hurd

So it all depends on what you want to do. Using EF-lenses is more aimed for wildlife shooters. If you want to go the other way in the wide sections you have the 3x wide lens The Canon 3x Wide Angle Zoom Lens by Jim MacAlister

the big debate is always whether the xl2 is better with ef lenses or with a non glass adapter for fd lenses.

I have both and can categorically say that it is a moot point, since footage from either ef or fd lenses is entirely dependent on the optics of the donor lenses and a straight comparison is almost impossible to make unless you have identical fd and ef lenses.

I am currently using a 5d mk2 and have some amazing footage, but the depth of field restrictions are onerous to say the least. At least with small chip cameras like the xl2 there is more leeway.

Anybody knows what happens to RONRAIL
 

I am trying to locate www.ronrail.com or www.ronsrail.com - and both of them gave me "server not found". Is he still in the business of making sights and/or rails?

TingSern, I´m afraid that Ronsrail is out of business! Maybe a search on Ebay for a used one could do?

Another source is here:
- Kennan Ward Super-Tele Package - Kit Configuration Page
It´s look pretty equal to the Ronsrail IMHO!

Per Johan, Thanks for the bad news then. I am looking for the Ronsight equivalent actually. I have a Ronsight that was meant for XL2 mounting. I am wondering if there are equivalent for DSLR cameras - because if I put a 500mm lens with 1.7X teleconverter in front on my Nikon DSLR - I have big problems figuring out where the camera is pointing to. While this question might not be entirely related to video (XL2) - I need some solutions equivalent to a Ronsight. Thank you.

Richard Rouillard
 

I bought a Ronsight before they went out of business. I film wildlife using a Canon XL2 and Nikon lenses with an adaptor. I find it is essential when using my 80mm to 400mm Nikon lens for locating the subject and following it (in the case of birds in flight). The device is a "Red Dot" gunsight modified with an adaptor to fit in the XL2's flashgun mount. It would be worth Googling for red dot sights for rifles and shotguns to see what is available. I'm fairly sure that any small engineering workshop would be able to fashion a mount suitable for an XL2.
The sight basically is a tube incorporating a small LED in the centre of the field of view. There are elevation and windage adjusting screws on the sight that I haven't found necessary to use as yet. As the sight does not magnify the image in any way you retain a wide field of view enabling you to obtain the subject and track it, keeping the red dot aligned on the target.
I tried to purchase the Ronsrail lens support rail at the same time but it was out of stock. I managed to get a very good substitute from "Really Right Stuff" in the USA that actually was less expensive than the Ronsrail.
I had to have an extra I/4 inch tapped Whitworth hole in the support to be able to mount it on my Sachtler DV4 tripod, but a local small engineering workshop only charged me £5 to do so. It works very well in terms of stability but is difficult to balance as it is rear heavy. I can probably address this by adding extra weight further forward on the rail by means of an extra slidable mounting clamp obtainable from "Really Right Stuff".
I really should have a more heavy duty tripod than the DV4 but as I am retired I can't really afford one

m42
 

Hi all,

Just had my account verified and been waiting all week to pose this question.

Does anyone know if you could use an m42 lens with a nikon adapter for the XL series? My XL has a Nikon adapter, and as I have loads of old m42 lenses I was wondering if I could attach them to the camcorder via another adapter. This would mean 2 adapters between the camcorder and lens, although only one will have glass in.