XL1 / XL1S various posts

[Andrew Kiu]

Does anyone used VITAN VL-80 VIDEO LIGHT (NEW 100W VIDEOLIGHT ) before? Campatible with Xl-1s on Camera light shoe?
Does it share with same camera batt?


Here the links:
http://www.michaels.com.au/video/videoacc.htm

[Danie Pretorius]

I have ordered a Power2000 ACD625 Battery for my XL1 on 9 February from Bugeyedigital.com (got the address somewhere on this site's forum). The service I received from these guys was not great.

I got confirmation from them that the order was received and that was it! I have e-mailed them about 4 times - I only got a reply once. I phoned them three times from South Africa and got some excuses: problem with suppliers,etc. but with the promise: shipment will arrive in 5 days and then the battery will be shipped to me..... That never happened. Today is 7 April 2003 and I have officially cancelled the order telephonically. NOW suddenly I get an e-mail confirming my cancellation. At least, they did not charge my credit card! These guys price and shipment charge was very good - that's why I have chosen them. A pity they could not deliver the service I expected. If you want a good price, use these guys but I don't think you will ever get the equipment! Perhaps I was just unfortunate!

Well, I still do not have the Power2000 Battery and I am still looking for one. I have read good reviews about these batteries on this forum. I have been looking on Internet for suppliers that are willing to ship internationally (to me in South Africa) but most suppliers do not do that and those who do, charge an arm and a leg for the delivery!

Any ideas??

Best regards
Danie
South Africa

[Nathan Nix]

I'm thinking of getting a xl1 (not necessarily s) pal. How much would these go for now since they've been out a while?
Nathan

[Jay Henderson]

about 2000.
i have one. wanna buy it?
pal kicks butt, lemme tell ya. i use dvfilmmaker's "atlantis" software to create ntsc footage (so you can put it on dvds, watch it on a tv, put it back to regular tape, etc). the resolution beats ntsc, and so does the color, and oh yeah the 25 fps frame rate!
there really is a noticeable difference. and if you're thinking of shooting for a film look, or to transfer something to a film print, pal is the only way to go.
...but you probably know all this already, since you're looking for a pal camera.

[Vamshidhar Kuchikulla]

one of the best /stylish audio adapter for canonxl1s fixes beneath. An affordable product.watch the link
http://beachtek.com/dxa4c.html

cheers

vamshi

[Claudia Hoedemaker]

While filming a funk/jazz concert, on tripod on a stage next to the sounddesk, everything on manual, i discovered with every bassvibration the image goes out of focus.
I had forgotten to turn off the stabiliser however. Could this be the cause for this problem?? thanx for your help!

[Jan De Wever]

According to a press release we received from Canon Broadcast, laying out what they will show at NAB2004, it seems unlikely we will see such an announcement at NAB2004.

See the full story at www.abcdv.com

[Marcus Keeler]

Yippee !!! At least I won't have to suffer the pain of knowing I bought my XL1S weeks before it was officially made obsolete !

[Chris Hurd]

Direct links to the various Canon press releases are in my post here. Remember, Canon's Broadcast Lens division has *nothing* to do with Canon consumer camcorders.

You could draw the conclusion that there won't be an XL1S replacement from Canon at NAB from the fact that the current XL1S rebate hasn't expired yet. Typically, new models aren't announced until the rebates on current models go away.

However, you can't draw the same conclusion from the broadcast lens division announcements, because that division isn't related to the XL1S or any other Canon camcorder. Canon's broadcast lenses division and consumer camcorder division are totally unrelated. Hope this helps,

[Jim Sofranko]

Is the Light Wave mini mount the only alternative to the mic mount supplied with the XL1?

I have an AT 835 shotgun and need to get an on-board mic mount. Thanks.

[Rob Lohman]

I've renamed the thread to make it a bit more clear what you
are looking for.

[Jim Sofranko]

Thanks for the help, Rob.

I'll probably spring for the Light Wave if I need to do so. I'm curious if others have found any other mounts worth considering.

[Danie Pretorius]

I wonder if any fellow XL1-cammers have experience/feedback on the following Reinhardt windshield. See link:

http://www.reinhardt-film.com/Windshields.html

The price seems to be very reasonable - claims 12dB noise reduction (??)

See also http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&category=3319&item=3809117756&rd=1

Any comments?

Regards
Danie

[Pete Irving]

I was wondering/hoping if any experienced XL1s users could give me some advice as to whether this camera is suitable for my requirements.

I have been shooting fireworks with consumer camcorders (mostly Sony, single CCD ones) for the last five years and have been very pleased with the results, but want to make the next step to a better quality camera.

In this time I have identified a number of things that I would consider critical to getting good results with fireworks and wonder if the XL1s can cope with or meet these:

Focus:

As most fireworks shooting requires manual focus and in most cases also focus to infinity, how easy is the XL1s to focus to infinity - bear in mind I would have to do this in the dark, often with no frame of reference? Consumer camcorders have the luxury of a focus to infinity button, which I have to say, is very useful.

I know I would be able to autofocus then switch to manual to lock it, but sometimes there is nothing to focus on (until the fireworks start)

Does the XL1s (stock lens) have a position for infinity marked (or if I marked it myself, would it be consistently in the same spot regardless of how much I was zoomed in?).

Are there any alternative lenses that physically stop rotating when they get to infinity that I can get in the UK for this camera?

CCD Smear:

Searching through this forum is seems vertical smearing is something we all have to live with, but I have noticed that the amount of smearing is not reduced the more money you spend on a camera. The problem here is, another critical issue for me, I produce a lot of material for the web and rely on still image grabs (these show the actual firework effects as perceived by the naked eye better than a long exposure digital camera or SLR shots). Fireworks when they explode, produce a huge flash of light, on a dark sky, and this is a major cause of vertical smear.

I would expect some of course, but how is the XL1s compared to other brands?

Other posts in this forum about green vertical lines are a bit worrying.

Here is an example of extremely bad smear from a Sony which ruins both the footage and the still image:
http://www.firework-review.org.uk/exampleofverticalsmear.JPG

Viewfinder & Panning up/down:

Fireworks shooting is a mix of having the camera horizontal then right up to almost vertical. Is the XL1s physically easy to handle in this way? Consumer camcorders have a useful LCD screen which means you can just move the thing around in front of you as you like without hurting your back, with the XL1s I am going to have to film in a completely new way. I guess this would be the same challenge as anyone filming an air show, so, are there any problems here?

In the opinion of people who have also perhaps made the move from cheaper consumer camcorders to something better, is the viewfinder a better way to film than using an LCD screen?

I really like the look and specs of the XL1s but as I am filming a subject that is quite extreme in terms of its technical demands I thought I had better do a bit more research first.

Many thanks in advance for any input anyone can give.

Pete

[Greg Boston]

Pete,

I recorded fireworks last year with my then brand new 953. You are indeed correct about manual focus to infinity. The 953 and the standard IS II lens on the XL1s have servo controlled focus rings. A manual/servo barrel marked focus 16x zoom lens is available for the XL1s which might suit your requirements.

As for getting the focus correct before the show starts, try to get set-up during daylight hours. Poijnt the camera at a distant object and manually focus. Now your are set for infinity. It's much harder IMO to pre-guess the aperture/shutter combo that will be needed.

Both the 953 and XL1s shoot in frame mode which will create nice frame grabs for your web work.

As for tilting and panning, you can buy external LCD monitors for the XL1s that mount on the shoe atop the viewfinder. Highly recommended for trying to follow fast action. I hope you are going to shoot from a tripod. If so, be sure to disable the image stabilization on the XL1s cause it will lag with quick movements.

As you mentioned Pete, some vertical smear is inevitable due to the high contrast ratio of the subject material. DV doesn't handle high contrast ratios very well.

I can pretty much assure you that with proper technique and accessories, the XL1s will deliver the goods for you.

Hope this helps.