XL-h1 vs. Xl2 low light at DVinfo.net

Holly Rognan · October 16th, 2006, 11:08 AM

Does anyone here have frame grabs or footage from low light that show the differences in 60i or 24p with these cams?

I can't seem to find good reviews anywere that focus on this issue. If anyone has any information I would absolutely love it. ( I would verify this for my self at a camcorder store but I don't have one nearby that has the XL-h1) Also how well does the XL-h1 compare to the JVC hdv cam as well?

I know that there will be differences in the progressive modes because the XL-h1 is faux, but I am mostly interested in how well it fares in 60i. (it isn't worse than the gl2 is it?) I am a little worried, just based on the lux rating, and comparing apples to apples, using Canons own system it seems that it might not be very good.

Also how does it look when the gain is applied? Can it go to 9db with decent results.

Also, when gain is used in HDV and it is downconverted to SD, does the footage look cleaner than if the gain was originally in SD. (I ask this because it seems in theory that some of the HDV gain will be lost during the downsampling process.)

Marty Hudzik · October 16th, 2006, 12:31 PM

I don't have any images to back it up, but IMHO the H1 is much better in low light than the XL2. Not sure how that compares to the GL2 as I never used that camera. There is no +9 on the H1 but I shoot at +6 occasionally and it is not bad at all. +12 it becomes rather noticable in the dark areas. Overall I consider it very good in low light.

I have never downconverted to DV since I have had it so I can't speak to that issue. Sorry.

Peace.

Holly Rognan · October 16th, 2006, 03:21 PM

Thank you for the prompt reply I appreciate it.

Doug Bennett · October 17th, 2006, 07:18 AM

Marty - I came across an old post where you were saying that the XL2 was worse in low light than the XL1. Is that still your experience?

Marty Hudzik · October 17th, 2006, 07:39 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Doug Bennett

Marty - I came across an old post where you were saying that the XL2 was worse in low light than the XL1. Is that still your experience?

Absolutely....I think. I didn't do scientific tests or anything and I owned a DVX100 between my XL1 and my XL2. The DVX seemed to be slower than the XL1 and then when I got the XL2 it was slower than my DVX. Part of the reason I went "back" to the Canon XL series was I was expecting better lowlight performance compared to the DVX100. I was disappointed.

I was told by the "powers that be" that having higher density CCD means less light gathering abilities. Thus if I wanted to have higher res 16x9 with the XL2 I had to deal with the poor low light capabilities. That was the tradeoff.

So you can imagine how surprised I am at the H1's ability to shoot very well in average to low light. It is a huge plus for me.

Thanks.

Holly Rognan · October 18th, 2006, 12:23 AM

Does anyone have frame grabs with access to both camcorders? I would absolutely appreciate it.

October 16th, 2006, 11:08 AM	#1
Holly Rognan Major Player Join Date: Sep 2006 Location: Coalville America Posts: 244	XL-h1 vs. Xl2 low light Does anyone here have frame grabs or footage from low light that show the differences in 60i or 24p with these cams? I can't seem to find good reviews anywere that focus on this issue. If anyone has any information I would absolutely love it. ( I would verify this for my self at a camcorder store but I don't have one nearby that has the XL-h1) Also how well does the XL-h1 compare to the JVC hdv cam as well? I know that there will be differences in the progressive modes because the XL-h1 is faux, but I am mostly interested in how well it fares in 60i. (it isn't worse than the gl2 is it?) I am a little worried, just based on the lux rating, and comparing apples to apples, using Canons own system it seems that it might not be very good. Also how does it look when the gain is applied? Can it go to 9db with decent results. Also, when gain is used in HDV and it is downconverted to SD, does the footage look cleaner than if the gain was originally in SD. (I ask this because it seems in theory that some of the HDV gain will be lost during the downsampling process.)

October 16th, 2006, 03:21 PM	#3
Holly Rognan Major Player Join Date: Sep 2006 Location: Coalville America Posts: 244	Thanks Thank you for the prompt reply I appreciate it.

October 16th, 2006, 12:31 PM	#2
Marty Hudzik Trustee Join Date: Jul 2004 Location: Canton, Ohio Posts: 1,771	I don't have any images to back it up, but IMHO the H1 is much better in low light than the XL2. Not sure how that compares to the GL2 as I never used that camera. There is no +9 on the H1 but I shoot at +6 occasionally and it is not bad at all. +12 it becomes rather noticable in the dark areas. Overall I consider it very good in low light. I have never downconverted to DV since I have had it so I can't speak to that issue. Sorry. Peace.

October 17th, 2006, 07:18 AM	#4
Doug Bennett Major Player Join Date: Oct 2004 Location: NYC Posts: 260	Marty - I came across an old post where you were saying that the XL2 was worse in low light than the XL1. Is that still your experience?

October 18th, 2006, 12:23 AM	#6
Holly Rognan Major Player Join Date: Sep 2006 Location: Coalville America Posts: 244	Does anyone have frame grabs with access to both camcorders? I would absolutely appreciate it.