The Great Canon XL Series Revival Thread

[Marty Hudzik]

Originally Posted by Cole McDonald

On my XL1s, I ground down an elevator bolt (1/4-20) to fit in my hot shoe and added wingnuts and washers to hold it in place on the top of the camera...

http://www.yafiunderground.com/Video/bog-bts.mov

Cole....what are you referring to here? I watched the video and I see a monitor mounted on the top of what appears to be the XL1S but not sure what you are demonstrating in this clip. Monitors mounted on the hot shoe are pretty common.

Earlier I was inquiring about the SmallHD monitors with the XLh1....is that what this was in response to?

[Mark Watson]

Marty,

Some pics of the DP6 mounted various ways. I would not go smaller than this size monitor. My favorite config is to remover the stock EVF and mount the DP6 so it can be viewed from the side. I find I can get smoother pans by pulling the pan arm while facing the side of the camera. I haven't used the sun shade, but tossed in some pics with it. Actually the first time I mounted it and it's a nicely designed accessory. I ordered the adjustable arm you see in these pics from SmallHD. I would like to find some more ways of attaching the monitor to the camera, but it does allow lots of positioning freedom.

Mark

[Marty Hudzik]

Mark,
Very nice indeed! I was going to ask you about the component cable but I realized that you have the newer XLH1 with the monitor out near the traditional viewfinder output. Mine is the original and as such I need to snake the cables from the back jack area to the monitor. Since this is a proprietary Canon cable, I would be stuck using a 10-12' cable run to come from the back to the front....far less than ideal. I would not be able to afford the SDI version of the small HD equip.

Actually I was considering the DP4 and mounting it in a manner that would replace the EVF....I really like pressing my eye to a viewfinder for stability reasons. I have an arm that looks identical to that but I am not sure if it would come loose when pressing to the eyes. I also have an Atomos Samurai attached to my cold shoe so I'd need to come up with some other options there too.

Thanks.

[Cole McDonald]

@Marty: yes, this was in response to the question above... the mounting piece is an "elevator bolt" that set me back < $1 for all of the parts and a little bit of time trimming the edges back to fit in the hot shoe.

[Mark Watson]

Marty,

I was looking at the DP4-EVF and it looks like you need something terminating in a 1/8" mini plug.
If you're going to be shooting handheld/on the shoulder, then you will probably want a lightweight solution for your monitor mount. Maybe just have a shop fabricate something for you.

If tripod supported, then maybe you could go with Zacuto parts and put together a rail system to hang the monitor off from, they seem to have every conceivable doo-dad for doing so. The items shown in the picture will run you $946 more than Cole's elevator bolt solution, but you won't need to trim anything.

Mark

[Robert Sanders]

I'm very seriously considering selling my XL-H1 package. But I'm not sure if I'd get much out of it these days. I have the 20x and the 6x lenses. I have an external 7" monitor. I have a hard case with rollers. Extra batteries. An extra charger.

But I'm afraid I'll take a bath on it all now.

Trying to desperately figure out how to finance a C300. LOL!

[Marty Hudzik]

I hear you Robert. I am not hanging onto mine because it is better than anything else I could get obviously. I am interested in upgrading but the difference in price from what I could get for the XL and the next camera I consider to be a decent upgrade is too wide. I am better of getting another camera more specialized in "35mm sensor imagery" and keeping the XL for events and ENG style shooting. I am dying to get away from my 7D and into a higher end cinema camera, but my feet are planted in too many ENG shoots to abandon a shoulder mount and the range of the XL lenses. I have to many unorganized client shoots to worry about the workflow of a 35mm camera rig and focus pulling and what not. The XLh1 is solid and trustworthy (except the EVF which I'd like to crush!)

Plus, everytime I feel as though I am about to write it off, I shoot something and I am blown away by the quality. Keep in mind that I am shooting to Samurai in Pro Res which took my camera to a whole new level. It had been sitting in the bag for months as I dreaded the footage from the HDV tape. Now....I dread the 7D footage as it looks soft compared to the XLh1 pro res.

What to do.....what to do......???

[Robert Sanders]

I was using my rig exclusive for narrative work. I basically equipped it to be a cinema camera even though that wasn't it's main purpose when Canon built it. But I didn't care for the HVX at the time (which was all the rage then) and the XLH1 was by far the resolution king amongst those cameras of '06/'07.

The 1/3" look isn't something I'm interested in anymore. Also, I'm trying to put together a camera package that's significantly smaller than the H1. Something discreet and lightweight.

Since I bought my 7D two years ago, the H1 hasn't been used once. So it's just kinda sitting there.

[Kevin Martorana]

It's funny to read all the posts in this thread. I too..who was NEVER a Canon fan, fell in love with the H1. But in MHO...here's the bottom line. All this gear we buy is an investment. Hopefully you can pay off the gear in a reasonable and quick amount of time, make $$$$ off it...and then...when the time is right..get your next camera.

20 years ago I used to buy 40k cameras and get 10 years out of them. Today..you're lucky if the technology gives you 2 years!! But it doesnt mean your rig sucks !!

We are probably going to buy a Samurai to prolong the life of our H1. Just waiting for dnxhd capability.

But here's the real kick. Depending on the type of work you do...old doesn't mean "not good". We still own a lovely and I mean lovely Panasonic SDX900 SD camera with a wonderful fujinon lens. It shoots 16x9 native..dvcpro50 and can do just about everything in matrix and controls that the H1 can do. We continue to utilize that camera for many projects...because those projects are web delivery. In the end I'm crushing the final down to a 500x282 movie in flash, WMV or qt. that camera is now 10 years old and still has a great life and can still make us $$$$.

Dont get me wrong...I'm not busting out our betacam to so a shoot...but I hope you get my point.
Use the tools you have...find the right productions for them, and when the time comes...then buy the next greatest thing. Manufacturers want us all to buy the latest tech....then a year later at NAB they say.."oh..you have that old thing".

Buy wisely...pay it off...make some more money then do it again. It's been my model for years.

[Michael Galvan]

Yeah definitely. I still use my XLH1S all the time for broadcast work and it has paid it self many times over. Adding the Nanoflash has extended its life considerably.

I'm sure it'll continue to do its thing for many years to come.

[Nick Hiltgen]

I've had the camera since december 30 2005 it's been 6 and a half years and I still have a client that uses it. (I actually shot something in 4:3 for them last week) it took me a little longer then I would have liked to pay it off, (I try to get a ROI after 18 months) but it has well paid for itself even the over priced 6x wide lens has been covered.

I purchased an F3 because I was tired of the work flow on the 7d/5d world. I use that for all f my narrative "movie" stuff (well most of it anyway) but the h1 still get some work and everytime I think I'm going to sell it I get another call. IN fact I think since I've purchased the f3 the h1 has out grossed it by about 2:1. (To be fair I have done far less owner oeprator stuff since I got the f3 which is where the majority of the money comes from)

I guess my long rambling point is if the camera still works for you why do you need the next thing?

[Dale Guthormsen]

Good Morning,

If I had a spare ten grand I might buy a new camera.

I use my xlh1a with a fu 1000 view finder, a DP1 monitor and a couple different mics. If I do my job well it produces high quality video that plays well on my 54 inch plasma.

Using a nano flash or samari/ninja recorder will certainly allow one to shoot pretty amazing video that 98% of people can't tell apart from anything on television.

I still like the idea of keeping my tapes on archive.

I really like having four channel audio (not available on h A version) I still use the xl2 for that!

I think the camera is a long way from dead, at least until HD is standardized larger than 1980x1080.

I still get more people wanting their work in SD on a dvd!!!

[Rodney Compton]

Hi Guys - equally enjoyed the XL series for wildlife - Home to 40 years of Nature Photography and Film UK - but now have been left with a Canon FD L series f2.8 with an adapter for the XL's - 7x magnification and fab resolution, excellent shallow depth of field, etc, etc, but does not fit into my latest plans $1500

[Maurice Covington]

Originally Posted by Dale Guthormsen

Good Morning,

I still get more people wanting their work in SD on a dvd!!!

My clients are the same. This is actually a benefit for now because there is no reason to shell out the big bucks until people upgrade their technology to be able to take full advantage of the HD video. In fact, I can honestly say that I have never had a client as for a Blue Ray. That being said, I typically record in 1080i so that I can have the best footage available when its time to down convert to SD for DVD purposes.

This camera is great and as each day goes by, I appreciate it even more. At times, I am amazed by the quality of this camera.

[Owen Dawe]

Well it's over three years since I started this thread. You were right, the XL line is discontinued.

I'm retired now at 74 yrs.old so am not even thinking about new cameras. I have retained my XL 2, XL H1 and XL H1s. Previously I owned XL1 and XL1s. The only version I've never owned or used is the XL H1a. In 2000 I produced and directed 26, 30min tv shows using three xl1 cams. We thought the xl1 was the bees knees in those days, and it was. Funnily enough I still do the odd commercial job and have had no adverse feedback. I phoned Canon New Zealand the other day asking about service should I need it. They said they are still servicing the xl2 and xh cameras. So I guess at least in my world the xl will live on. I've collected so many bits, accessories, lens etc over the past fifteen years I don't really intend spending my reserve cash on a new camera. Gosh they devalue quickly. You would have to now work your butt off to recoup your investment and make a decent living. I'm keeping the XL fleet even if it is mainly for sentimental reasons. I like 'em and they still look pretty smart all dressed up. There is a bit of footage around being shot on the venerable XL1 and with modern software tinkering looks pretty good. In all the years of owning XL cameras I have only had to send one in for servicing. The XL1s viewfinder packed up when only three months old. A better service record than on the Sony stuff I had.

I still do the odd tv job but mainly use their gear.

In conclusion. The Canon XL video camera is dead. Long live the Canon XL video camera