XL1 / XL1S various posts

Mike Avery · June 12th, 2002, 09:44 PM

I love mine. They're lightweight but solid enough for an XL1.

Yes, they have a spreader and adjustable head.

Mike Avery

Josh Bass · June 13th, 2002, 12:49 AM

Good good. Anyone know anywhere in Houston where I could try one out?

Brad Herbert · June 13th, 2002, 08:31 AM

I was wanting to ask you all several things...

1) When using the K6 Power Module on say a ME 66 Sennheiser, is there any quality difference in using the AA 1.5v battery vs. running 48v phantom power up through the XLR cable?

2) Will the SKP100 plug-on transmitter work with the ME66/K6 setup to make a wireless boom? I think someone said they were doing that.. not sure.

I found a company selling the Evolution wireless 100 System that comes with :

* EK100 portable camera mountable receiver
* SK100 body pack transmitter
* SKP100 plug-on transmitter
* ME2 omni lavalier microphone
* CL100 output cable w/XLR connector

All for $499

I haven't seen a Evolution package like that, that came with the SKP100... I was wanting to purchase the ME66/K6 combo slap it on a boompole with blimp/deadcat, and wireless transmitter, and sidestep the need to buy the ma-200 box for now as long as the SKP100 will work on that mic, and that there is no terrible quality loss running it off the AA 1.5v vs. the Phantom.

Hope you all have some input. Thanks!

-Brad

June 13th, 2002, 03:42 PM

Hi All,

My wife is filming in Yugoslavia and is reporting problems
with her Canon XL1s.

Here is what she says
", the camera has four large horizontal
stripes in the viewfinder when in playback mode.
Miodrag found a place that can play the mini dv and
said that the picture is fine, great. We cleaned the
heads a bunch of times and that's not it. The crazy
thing in today when we were filming in Kalegmegdan a
Russian had my same camera. When we looked through
his viewfinder with our tape it too was a bad picture.
Crazy! Miodrad is going back again tomorrow to check
our filming from today. I have been very stressed over
this situation. "

I've recommended that she import to an NLE to check
the footage.

Any other ideas regarding likely problems/fixes etc would be
very greatly appreciated.

matt

Rob Lohman · June 14th, 2002, 05:33 AM

This might sound dumb, but is the viewfinder cable securely
attached? Try wedging it a bit to see if it goes away. Other
than that, it might be a good idea to send the camera to
Canon for a cleanup and checkup?

Jeff Donald · June 14th, 2002, 11:07 PM

Hi,

You might want to check out http://www.singh-ray.com/index.html they make custom filters etc. They have great phone service.

Jeff

Jeff Donald · June 14th, 2002, 11:13 PM

Hi,

Usually the lower voltages causes a slightly lower S/N ratio and a little loss on the high end. I wouldn't worry unless you're doing very critical digital audio mastering.

Jeff

joshuajr · June 16th, 2002, 01:10 AM

does anybody know where I can find the lens shade that comes standard with the XL1. I lost it at a shoot and have been looking for it, but I can't seem to find it for sale by itself. any info would be much appreciated. thanx

Chris Hurd · June 16th, 2002, 10:36 AM

Call up Canon Service (contact info and phone numbers on the Watchdog under the XL1 Skinny page) and request a replacement lens hood -- be sure to say "lens hood for the 16x lens," that's what it's actually called -- I don't think they'll charge too much for one. Hope this helps,

David C. Scott · June 16th, 2002, 04:04 PM

I'm not having much luck "riding" audio levels with a Canon XL1S camera linked, through the XLR ports, to a Shure FP24 field mixer. I want my audio person, holding a boom mic, to adjust for optimum audio by 1) monitoring via headphones and 2) watching the Shure's LED meter. Of course, all of this could be done with the camera's level control and meter but the boom person isn't close enough to see the camera meter nor adjust the camera level control. So, here are my questions if I use the mixer:

1. Where should the XL1S audio controls be set? Manual, I assume, but at what level? Anything just a hair above "on" quickly distorts the audio.

2. How does one then set the Shure level controls? For example, it seems that setting the XL1S level control at first two or three markers gives best sound quality but the Shure meters never register much past one light on the LED with the Shure level control just barely turned on. I can't figure how the boom person would ever be able to accurately monitor audio via the Shure meter.

3. And which headphone "out" should we monitor? Logic suggests it should be the one on the camera but, again, the boom person may be too far away. But monitoring through the Shure seems one step removed from what's actually being recorded on the tape?

Help!!! Thanks. DCS

Rick Banfield · June 17th, 2002, 02:22 AM

Is it possible to use a mic. like a Shure 58 for live recording on an xl1s?
I have tried but can't seem to get enough level?
Regards
Rick Banfield

Steve Savanyu · June 17th, 2002, 08:08 AM

Rick,

How are you connecting the SM58?
Are you using the MA100 or 200 XLR adapter?

The SM 58 is a good dynamic vocal performance mic designed to be used fairly close to the sound source. It may not be sensitive enough or have enough output for your application.

I have used similar dynamic mics (A-T ATM 41a's) for handheld interviews where I needed close micing to help minimize pickup of background noise. I used a good XLR - XLR cable and the MA100 adapter.

Hope this helps.
Cheers

Steve Savanyu · June 18th, 2002, 07:26 AM

David,

A couple of questions... Do you have the XL1s inputs set for line level. It sounds like you are using the mixer line level outputs (XLR-M) and the camera input set for mic level.

This would explain the reason you can just barely crack open the levels on the XL1s before it distorts.

I find the key to good audio is a balanced gain structure.

I would start by setting the mixer controls to achieve "0 VU" or optimum audio and then match the cameras inputs.

To do this, first, turn on the "Tone Osc" in the mixer to send a 1KHz tone through the system. (This tone should register "0 VU" on the mixers meters.) Then, use the gain control on the camera to set its level meter to the "0 VU" position. Finally, using the input controls on the mixer, set your mic levels so that they average "0VU" on the mixers LED's with your desired source audio (be sure to turn the tone generator off as it mutes the mic inputs when it is engaged.) If all is set properly, the camera's meters should read "0" as well.

This way, the boom operator can adjust his level using the mixer's LED's as a reference.

The boom op can monitor from the mixer, and I the shooter would monitor at the camera as a extra precaution.

Hope this helps...
Cheers

David C. Scott · June 18th, 2002, 02:08 PM

Buford - Your suggestion (also offered by a few others) got me up and running. I shot about three and half hours today and the sound levels seem right on the money. Thanks very much for taking the time to respond. It truly was a great help. DCS

June 18th, 2002, 11:15 PM

Ok... here's the deal. I use a ADSTech Pyro Basic DV OCHI Firewire card and Windows 2000 Pro. While my computer was in the shop I needed to edit so I took the firewire card and my camera (XL1) to my friend's house who also has Windows 2000 Pro and Premiere 6. I popped in the card, booted the system and viola I was editing without having to d/l anything. Now I get my computer back, pop in the card, computer recognizes the card, but not my camera. It knows the card is there but when I plug in the camera it tries to install it as a new DV devices, now I tried installing it the way windows wants and it doesn't work. Also tried not installing it as a new dv device and it still won't work. I can't capture or dump!! It's like the camera needs a driver... but why would it be so different on two computers that are practically identical??? I've tried all these different patches and updates with no success.... please help cuz I'm going on vacation tomorrow (WED 6/19) and want to dump some stuff to show to some people but I can't unless I get this to work!!!

P.S.
My video card is an ATI All-In-Wonder and the message Premiere tells me is, "The DV device is unavailable for Device Control"

June 12th, 2002, 09:44 PM	#361
Mike Avery Regular Crew Join Date: Dec 2001 Location: Michigan Posts: 87	Great sticks for the money I love mine. They're lightweight but solid enough for an XL1. Yes, they have a spreader and adjustable head. Mike Avery

June 13th, 2002, 12:49 AM	#362
Josh Bass Slash Rules! Join Date: Apr 2002 Location: Houston, Texas Posts: 5,472	Good good. Anyone know anywhere in Houston where I could try one out? __________________ The Bass' camerawork The Bass on IMDB

June 13th, 2002, 08:31 AM	#363
Brad Herbert New Boot Join Date: May 2002 Location: Dallas, TX Posts: 20	K6/ME66 AA 1.5 vs 48v Phantom and SKP100 I was wanting to ask you all several things... 1) When using the K6 Power Module on say a ME 66 Sennheiser, is there any quality difference in using the AA 1.5v battery vs. running 48v phantom power up through the XLR cable? 2) Will the SKP100 plug-on transmitter work with the ME66/K6 setup to make a wireless boom? I think someone said they were doing that.. not sure. I found a company selling the Evolution wireless 100 System that comes with : * EK100 portable camera mountable receiver * SK100 body pack transmitter * SKP100 plug-on transmitter * ME2 omni lavalier microphone * CL100 output cable w/XLR connector All for $499 I haven't seen a Evolution package like that, that came with the SKP100... I was wanting to purchase the ME66/K6 combo slap it on a boompole with blimp/deadcat, and wireless transmitter, and sidestep the need to buy the ma-200 box for now as long as the SKP100 will work on that mic, and that there is no terrible quality loss running it off the AA 1.5v vs. the Phantom. Hope you all have some input. Thanks! -Brad

June 13th, 2002, 03:42 PM	#364
mjammann Posts: n/a	Black Bars in XL1s veiwfinder Hi All, My wife is filming in Yugoslavia and is reporting problems with her Canon XL1s. Here is what she says ", the camera has four large horizontal stripes in the viewfinder when in playback mode. Miodrag found a place that can play the mini dv and said that the picture is fine, great. We cleaned the heads a bunch of times and that's not it. The crazy thing in today when we were filming in Kalegmegdan a Russian had my same camera. When we looked through his viewfinder with our tape it too was a bad picture. Crazy! Miodrad is going back again tomorrow to check our filming from today. I have been very stressed over this situation. " I've recommended that she import to an NLE to check the footage. Any other ideas regarding likely problems/fixes etc would be very greatly appreciated. matt

June 14th, 2002, 05:33 AM	#365
Rob Lohman RED Code Chef Join Date: Oct 2001 Location: Holland Posts: 12,514	This might sound dumb, but is the viewfinder cable securely attached? Try wedging it a bit to see if it goes away. Other than that, it might be a good idea to send the camera to Canon for a cleanup and checkup? __________________ Rob Lohman, visuar@iname.com DV Info Wrangler & RED Code Chef Join the DV Challenge \| Lady X Search DVinfo.net for quick answers \| Buy from the best: DVinfo.net sponsors

June 14th, 2002, 11:07 PM	#366
Jeff Donald Warden Join Date: Mar 2002 Location: Clearwater, FL Posts: 8,287	Hi, You might want to check out http://www.singh-ray.com/index.html they make custom filters etc. They have great phone service. Jeff

June 14th, 2002, 11:13 PM	#367
Jeff Donald Warden Join Date: Mar 2002 Location: Clearwater, FL Posts: 8,287	Hi, Usually the lower voltages causes a slightly lower S/N ratio and a little loss on the high end. I wouldn't worry unless you're doing very critical digital audio mastering. Jeff

June 16th, 2002, 01:10 AM	#368
joshuajr New Boot Join Date: Jun 2002 Location: Los Angeles Posts: 6	XL1 sunshade does anybody know where I can find the lens shade that comes standard with the XL1. I lost it at a shoot and have been looking for it, but I can't seem to find it for sale by itself. any info would be much appreciated. thanx

June 16th, 2002, 10:36 AM	#369
Chris Hurd Obstreperous Rex Join Date: Jan 2001 Location: San Marcos, TX Posts: 27,368 Images: 513	Call up Canon Service (contact info and phone numbers on the Watchdog under the XL1 Skinny page) and request a replacement lens hood -- be sure to say "lens hood for the 16x lens," that's what it's actually called -- I don't think they'll charge too much for one. Hope this helps, __________________ CH Search DV Info Net \| 20 years of DVi \| ...Tuesday is Soylent Green Day!

June 16th, 2002, 04:04 PM	#370
David C. Scott Regular Crew Join Date: Mar 2002 Location: Atlanta, Georgia Posts: 43	Struggling with XL1S and Shure Field Mixer I'm not having much luck "riding" audio levels with a Canon XL1S camera linked, through the XLR ports, to a Shure FP24 field mixer. I want my audio person, holding a boom mic, to adjust for optimum audio by 1) monitoring via headphones and 2) watching the Shure's LED meter. Of course, all of this could be done with the camera's level control and meter but the boom person isn't close enough to see the camera meter nor adjust the camera level control. So, here are my questions if I use the mixer: 1. Where should the XL1S audio controls be set? Manual, I assume, but at what level? Anything just a hair above "on" quickly distorts the audio. 2. How does one then set the Shure level controls? For example, it seems that setting the XL1S level control at first two or three markers gives best sound quality but the Shure meters never register much past one light on the LED with the Shure level control just barely turned on. I can't figure how the boom person would ever be able to accurately monitor audio via the Shure meter. 3. And which headphone "out" should we monitor? Logic suggests it should be the one on the camera but, again, the boom person may be too far away. But monitoring through the Shure seems one step removed from what's actually being recorded on the tape? Help!!! Thanks. DCS __________________ David C. Scott

June 17th, 2002, 02:22 AM	#371
Rick Banfield Regular Crew Join Date: Feb 2002 Location: Australian Posts: 34	re: using Shure58 Is it possible to use a mic. like a Shure 58 for live recording on an xl1s? I have tried but can't seem to get enough level? Regards Rick Banfield

June 17th, 2002, 08:08 AM	#372
Steve Savanyu Boss Hog Join Date: May 2002 Location: Hudson, Ohio Posts: 51	Rick, How are you connecting the SM58? Are you using the MA100 or 200 XLR adapter? The SM 58 is a good dynamic vocal performance mic designed to be used fairly close to the sound source. It may not be sensitive enough or have enough output for your application. I have used similar dynamic mics (A-T ATM 41a's) for handheld interviews where I needed close micing to help minimize pickup of background noise. I used a good XLR - XLR cable and the MA100 adapter. Hope this helps. Cheers __________________ "Film is Art; Theatre is Life; Television is Furniture!"

June 18th, 2002, 07:26 AM	#373
Steve Savanyu Boss Hog Join Date: May 2002 Location: Hudson, Ohio Posts: 51	David, A couple of questions... Do you have the XL1s inputs set for line level. It sounds like you are using the mixer line level outputs (XLR-M) and the camera input set for mic level. This would explain the reason you can just barely crack open the levels on the XL1s before it distorts. I find the key to good audio is a balanced gain structure. I would start by setting the mixer controls to achieve "0 VU" or optimum audio and then match the cameras inputs. To do this, first, turn on the "Tone Osc" in the mixer to send a 1KHz tone through the system. (This tone should register "0 VU" on the mixers meters.) Then, use the gain control on the camera to set its level meter to the "0 VU" position. Finally, using the input controls on the mixer, set your mic levels so that they average "0VU" on the mixers LED's with your desired source audio (be sure to turn the tone generator off as it mutes the mic inputs when it is engaged.) If all is set properly, the camera's meters should read "0" as well. This way, the boom operator can adjust his level using the mixer's LED's as a reference. The boom op can monitor from the mixer, and I the shooter would monitor at the camera as a extra precaution. Hope this helps... Cheers __________________ "Film is Art; Theatre is Life; Television is Furniture!"

June 18th, 2002, 02:08 PM	#374
David C. Scott Regular Crew Join Date: Mar 2002 Location: Atlanta, Georgia Posts: 43	XL1S and Mixer Buford - Your suggestion (also offered by a few others) got me up and running. I shot about three and half hours today and the sound levels seem right on the money. Thanks very much for taking the time to respond. It truly was a great help. DCS __________________ David C. Scott

June 18th, 2002, 11:15 PM	#375
Suikeoden Posts: n/a	Premiere + XL1 + Win2k Pro + Pyro DV = BOOM! Ok... here's the deal. I use a ADSTech Pyro Basic DV OCHI Firewire card and Windows 2000 Pro. While my computer was in the shop I needed to edit so I took the firewire card and my camera (XL1) to my friend's house who also has Windows 2000 Pro and Premiere 6. I popped in the card, booted the system and viola I was editing without having to d/l anything. Now I get my computer back, pop in the card, computer recognizes the card, but not my camera. It knows the card is there but when I plug in the camera it tries to install it as a new DV devices, now I tried installing it the way windows wants and it doesn't work. Also tried not installing it as a new dv device and it still won't work. I can't capture or dump!! It's like the camera needs a driver... but why would it be so different on two computers that are practically identical??? I've tried all these different patches and updates with no success.... please help cuz I'm going on vacation tomorrow (WED 6/19) and want to dump some stuff to show to some people but I can't unless I get this to work!!! P.S. My video card is an ATI All-In-Wonder and the message Premiere tells me is, "The DV device is unavailable for Device Control"