Chris, as the older XL lenses (such as the 16X manual etc) will not be of any use on the H1, do you or Kakow know if Canon will be launching a wide angle lens (very strange, given the pro-orientation of this camera, that they haven't announced one)? I'm also hoping that I can continue to use my large selection of EDIF Nikkors on the H1 - if I decide to buy one.

I also notice in some web information that Canon will upgrade (around $450) the H1 NTSC version to PAL, and once converted, the user can then swap and change between the two when needed without the need of two cameras (or dreaded Pal to NTSC conversions). This would be an added advantage for people like myself that often work in both PAL and NTSC countries. Do you have more information on this? If this were true, then it would have seemed a smart idea for Canon to simply make one version of the camera that could switch between NTSC & Pal, without the need for an upgrade.

This was split out from one of the Kaku Ito video clips threads...

Hi Tony,

Actually, you can use all older XL series lenses on the XL H1 when recording in SD standard definition mode. The results will be too soft for HD use though. Canon never comments about future products, but I believe the 20x HD lens packaged with the XL H1 is just the first of what will be a series of HD XL lenses, hopefully.

Your Nikkors will work fine with the required third-party Nikon-to-XL mount adapter, but be aware that the field of view will equal the focal length of any given 35mm lens times a factor of 7.2 (a 100mm photo lens gives an image equal to a 720mm photo lens when used with the XL H1).

The separate upgrade means that only those people who actually need it will be paying for it, as opposed to building that feature in and adding the cost to all cameras. Not everyone will need that feature, in fact the majority will not need it at all, so why make everyone pay? It's better to have it optionally available so that you only pay for it if you really need it.

Also, having two separate models for different parts of the world will drastically cut down on the amount of gray-market product sold in areas where it shouldn't be. Hope this helps,

Not to change the topic, but I sure wish Canon used this philosophy when adding a lot of money to the price to have an SDI out "feature" that I will never use. I still think they'd sell about 75% more of these if they reduced the price down to the range of the others on the market. ($5k - 7k)

Kevin

Most of the XL H1 pricetag is in the lens, not in the SDI jack. I agree with you though. It would be nice to see this camera without SDI for about $1000 to $1500 less.

Or $2500 less. :-) Hmm, $6K...sounds familiar.

Kevin

"...Your Nikkors will work fine with the required third-party Nikon-to-XL mount adapter, but be aware that the field of view will equal the focal length of any given 35mm lens times a factor of 7.2 (a 100mm photo lens gives an image equal to a 720mm photo lens when used with the XL H1)..."


Yes, I understand this, Chris, as I already use the Nikkors a lot on my non-HD Canon XL equipment.

My apologies, I should have known!

What nikon to xl third party adapters are people using? I was wondering because I may purchase an XL camera

Les Bosher is the one that I use:

http://www.lesbosher.co.uk/XL1.asp

Les is also the cheapest around, and will even make specials to order.

Optex also sell adapters, but at a higher price:

http://www.zgc.com/zgc.nsf/product/2...256B81000CB326

Les Bosher is an absolute gem -- a superb craftsman at extremely reasonable rates.

Is anyone using Super 8 or 16mm lenses on the canon xl...?
Would Super 8 cover the H1 chip? And what would the factor be for 16mm
lenses. The Beaulieu lenses are pretty decent. It might not make for the prettiest rig on set, but then again I'd shave my hairy Scottish legs and wear a bikini if I thought it would help. Any thoughts (on the lenses) ?

I think a Super8 lens's circle of illumination should easily cover a 1/3" CCD; the Super8 frame is something like 6mm x 4mm, whereas the 1/3" CCD should be about 5.25 x 3mm.

However, the question of sharpness would arise -- it's doubtful any Super8 lens would be able to resolve the 183 line-pairs-per-millimeter that the XL H1's chip sees.

Barry, I wasn't so sure about the resolution by numbers either, but having seen contemporary super 8 films on the big screen, films like Guy Maddin's The Saddest Music In the World starring Isabella Rossellini (content notwithstanding) and Maddin's fabulous The Heart of The World, I think certain super 8 optics might be worth a second look.

www.williamanderson.ca

dit anyone ever use a super8 lens with on a canon xl mount?
is there a mount converter possible?
I have a Angenieux 8-64 lens from a baulieux super8 with compendium for possible testing.