EF Lens adapter / EF Lenses / EOS Lens

[Jacques Mersereau]

<<<-- Originally posted by kermie klien>>>

What is funny is, i could never spend $8000 on a mini35 if my output was still in the end PAL resolution, i cant see the worth.

___________________

The worth is in images that come close to 16mm, but at a total cost of
$5 for an hour of editable product instead of THOUSANDS.
Believe me, once you've seen what this rig can do
with an arri film lens, you'll lust for it like everyone else.

[Jacques Mersereau]

I love the look of good glass, and if
I could afford it, I'd be shooting using
the PS Technik adapter and film primes . . . sigh;)

The images produced when using the EV 100-400mm
and EOS adapter are a huge improvement over
the stock 16X, so I am wondering if anyone has tried the EOS with a wide telephoto such as Canon's
16mm or 18mm zoom?

[Jeff Donald]

I've tried it with the Canon EOS EF 17-35mm. The image is very sharp, sharper than the 16x (white lens) and the 14x manual lens. The problem is it is only a 2x zoom (122mm to 252mm) and the range is rather limiting. I've borrowed a Canon EOS EF 14mm and it also is very sharp. But it works out to be a 100mm lens. It's all nice glass and very sharp, but no versatility.

Jeff

[Jacques Mersereau]

Hey Jeff,

thanks for the response. This is the kind of information that really
means something. I want better images out of the gear I presently
own and buying another lens that will bring those home maybe a
cost effective upgrade.

I realize that a 122-252mm lens doesn't have much versatility,
but hey, it will do what it does well. Another screw driver in the
tool box.

I would love to buy a new PS Technik/XL1s combo, but I don't
want to dump a bunch of money on a NTSC or PAL camera just now.
HD and progressive scan are the future imo, and that is where I'd
like to invest when the prices come down in 1-3 years.

I am wishing for a 720P XL1HD cam, but I don't
know if they can pack enough pixels into a 1/3" chip to do that (yet).
If Canon goes to a bigger set of CCDs, then the lenses & adapters we all own
won't work. Issues that manufacturers like Canon have to think about . . .
backward compatability is just one.

The "near future" alternative would be for Canon to license the CCDs from
that new panasonic DVX100, which would at least output 30P.
That's a big improvement, but no where as big a leap as what the
Panasonic varicam achieves with much higher resolution and
variable frame rates. That's what I really want . . . a video "film"
camera.

[Jeff Donald]

Hi Jacques,

I'm a Canon 35mm shooter and I've tried most of their lenses, at one time or another, on the XL1. The L series lenses are the sharpest and on film I can really see the difference. The difference on tape is more subtle. Sharpness is what most people notice. But contrast is greatly improved, as well as color. The multi coating and optics handle high contrast scenes much better. Flare and ghost images are better controlled. Just all around better optics. Standard Canon EF lenses are usually sharper. But I don't see as much difference in contast. I was very surprised recently by the Canon 70-300mm IS lens. I shot jet skis, wind surfers, sailboats etc. at the beach and compared the result to my 100-400 IS L series and was surprised how well it held up.

Jeff

[redcanary3]

I'm wondering what is a good use for my EF adapter for my XL-1. I've tried putting wide angle lens on it. But they just don't look very wide through it.

How are other people using it?

Thanks Todd

[Don Palomaki]

The ef adapter will not get you very wide, because 35mm still camera lenses are just too LONG for the smaller imaging device (CCD) of a camcorder.

The rule of thumb is that the equivalent field of view willbe about 7.2x what it is if the lens is used on a 35mm still camera.

That 20mm super wide, installed on a XL1/EF adapter combo will give the effective field of view of a 144 mm lens on a 35mm camera.

Many folks use the EF adapters for nature photgraphy, surveilance, etc.

[stankern]

I just pruchased the XLS1 camera and seem to be a bit lost.I cannot find the counter reset and when using the vcr playback through a computer using the dv port ,the display shows dv in ,is there a way to switch the dv to output .I am finding the computer does not pick up the dv signal quickly wondering if this is because the dv from the vcr defaults to dv in .
Also I wouldn't mind some views on the ef adapter to enable eos lens use,I bought it but I'm wondering just how useful this will be .

[Marcus Farrar]

Greetings

What kind of computer do you have. I have to guess a PC because a Mac will automatically take control of your camera when you launch the editing software and the camera is plugged in via firewire. What software are you using. I use Final Cut Pro, Primere and Avid. If we know what software it is easy to figure out the device control problem. DV footage on the XL1 records timecode. You can use that instead of thinking of a counter reset. Are you useing composite input/outputs?

[Rob Lohman]

You cannot reset the counter. Timecode is automatically maintained
by the camera. Have you switched your camera into VCR
mode when exporting to your PC?

[Chris Hurd]

To add to Don's post, the primary application of the EF adapter is to achieve extreme telephoto lengths using Canon EOS lenses plus the inherent multiplication of focal length (by a factor of 7.2) when it's used on the XL1.

For more info, see "Guide to XL Lens Options" in the Articles section of the XL1 Watchdog at www.dvinfo.net/xl1.htm

Plus, from the Watchdog FAQ at www.dvinfo.net/xl1faq.htm:

Q: What should I know about using Canon 35mm EOS lenses?
A: The effective focal length of any 35mm still photography lens is multiplied by a factor of 7.2 when mounted on the XL1.

Hope this helps,

[stankern]

I am using a P4 2.4 intel ,I use the dv input to the computer through the ATI video In.I'm using Ulead 5.0 ,tried the ati MMC but it does not see the dv in .I have not tried premiere I always found premiere difficult to use .I also tried roxio's video creator but it only accepts an low res mpg and the output looks low res.
The XP movie maker is quite good but its streaming output is not one to archive.I would like to be able to make dvd quality and store it on dc.
I do switch the camera to vcr mode when outputting ,i thought the vcr would show dv out but it does not ,I wonder if thats why the ati MMC software cannot see the signal.
I do get all the controls to work with the computer but really miss the counter reset.

[Jeff Donald]

I'm still not sure exactly what your problem is. The counter can not be reset. It reads the time code on the mini DV tape. It resets when the cassette door is opened and a new tape inserted. It does not have resetable user data code or tape counter like VHS, Betacam etc.

If you not able to capture try posting the exact nature of the problem and your system specs in the PC section. Have you gone to ATI's site and downloaded the latest drivers for your card?

http://www.ati.com/na/pages/na_index.html

The EOS adapter allows Canon EOS EF lens to be attached to the XL1. Post additional questions in the XL1 lens forum or use the search button at the top right, to search related topics and questions.

[stankern]

thanks for the reply ,I now accept there is no counter reset.
I had the option of returning the eos adapter and decided to keep it.
Using premiere 6.0 I made an avi,then ran it through a conversion prg to make that file a mpg then to roxio to make the vcd format to run in a dvd player.
It works fine except the res could be a lot better ,but roxio only will work with certain files so I guess that the linitation.
I am going to reload the ati MMc and that might pick up the dv input which i would rather use.

[Jeff Donald]

The conversion program is the weak link. Post about MPEG-2 encoders in the PC section and you'll get some suggestions for a better encoder. They may have covered that so, might want to use the search function also. VCD should have the quality of VHS tape or a little lower. SVCD will have DVD quality with a better encoder, but it is not as compatable.

Jeff