Headphone Jack problem
 

Hi guys. I am in the middle of shooting my feature film and after one of the first shoots, I found out that the headphone jack on my Xl-1s had become damaged. It is bent to the left and pulled out a little. I don't know who did it...and no one seems to know either. The predicament, is that my boom operator cannot hear out of his headphones if the camera gets jostled or moved. It is a real pain and a problem. I just cannot afford to go more than a day or two without my camera for shooting, or the shooting schedule will be screwed. Any suggestions?

...other than switching xl bodies with a friend...because that's not an option.

Yes, do it like film teams do it. Record the sound on something
else. I don't know which would be best in such cases but you
can easily get portable DAT or Minidisc recorders etc. Your audio
guy should know what to get and might have extra gear lying
around to connect everything together.

This will put you in the position to make sure audio is rolling as
well as video and you'll need to sync the two up in post. So yes,
it is pretty "inconvenient". But, it does help you around the
problem of the bad port.

An other solution might be to hook up a second small camera
as a slave camera through firewire (this only works with the XL1S
I believe). This camera then records the signal as well and
monitoring can be done on that.

My Battery Pack to Wall Cord...
 

...has been misplaced. I checked the last place I worked with the cord, and my case. No other concievable place it would be. I need to replace it.

Having called a few camera stores, it seems that Canon would consider the part of the power cord (it goes from the pack to the camera too, remember - two-part cord) is considered just that, a 'part,' and I'd be unable to get one through basically anyone but Canon.

Anyone have any suggestions or places to call? eBay, my old best friend (aside from the time I tried to PURCHASE my XL through eBay, which is a long, heartfelt story involving plenty of voodoo), didn't pull through for me.

Even if I WERE to call Canon, I don't know how I'd describe the cord anyway. Gah. I have like three hours in various batteries left, then I'm dead till I get the cord.

Thanks in advance,

Teague

Call Canon parts at 1-800-OKCanon and follow the prompts. I recently ordered a really small part and they were very helpful on the phone. It was rather inexpensive for the part as well although it is backordered for several weeks. Give it a try.

L glass on XL1 ?
 

I have a 24-70 and 70-200 IS lens. I am considering getting a XL1. Is it ok to use these lens with the XL1 or are there lens which would work better?

Thanks

Bob

Keep in mind that they will be telephoto, with an effective field of view that corresponds to a lens with 7.2x their focal length on a 35mm still camera.

Dilema...don't want CVF...want accessory shoe
 

Hola XL1ers.

Long time reader...first time poster.

I've looked high and low for a solution to this problem, but have come up empty.

I use an LCD monitor and a Sennheiser shotgun mic with my XL1s.

Hence, I have no need for the CVF and Canon mic.

I would, however, like an accessory shoe.

Does anyone know of a way...say for instance, a device which attaches to the viewfinder bracket...to obtain the use of an accessory show without using the CVF?

Actually...I do already know one way...but it doesn't work for me at all. Sima (and various other companies) make L- brackets with shoes which attach via the tripod socket.

But not only do I find these to be extremely unstable...I am constantly taking my camera from a tripod to a stabilizer to my shoulder...and it just doesn't work with that bracket in the way.

So the ammended question - does anyone know ANOTHER way to obtain the use of an accessory shoe?

gracias.

Not so Wide Angle
 

I just purchased and received a Digital Optics Wide Angle converter 0.5x with 72MM thread:
http://cgi.ebay.ca/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=3823238241

Attached it to the standard 16x IS II Canon lens (had to remove the hood)... instead of a much wider image, I was disappointed to see that I had almost the exact same field of view! I was under the impression that I would get almost double the view. I'm probably getting about 5-10% more. Was I expecting too much from this lens? Am I doing something wrong? Something wrong with my lens?

Thanks,
Chris

Cold feet & Hotshoes
 

On the XL1s I want to mount 3 items on the hotshoe, 6" LCD Monitor, Sennheisser Mic and the Quickstream HDD capture unit, but alas 3 wont go into 1, does anyone know anywhere where you can purchase an extending hotshoe bar/bracket to mount said 3 items across the top?

Jed "Hotshoe challenged" Stone

There is nothing wrong with your stock lens. These aftermarket, thread on, non zoom through w/a lens add ons seem to come in several variations. Apparently to get the best results from an accessory like this, the price is around 600 bucks. Century?

The description indicates that this is also a macro lens. The 14x manual lens has a macro button that allows the user to touch the subject with the glass and still hold focus. Not cheap, but very pro.

Anyway, the most important accessory I have is the 3x w/a Canon made lens. Yes it is a teeny bit soft on the focus, but when properly lit, the result is perfect.
Non inexpensive, but the image is incredible.

We just recently had an identical thread on the subject. Search on "antler" for the answer.

FWIW, SIMA offers a low cost handle that attaches to the tripod screw on the bottom, provides tow cold shoe that will be to the left of the body. Sells for around $10.

Sounds like a good bit of weight being addd to the camcorder. Can the the Quickstream be mountd on your belt, or the MA-100/200 as an alternative? Beleive Bogen offers some assorted mounts that can be used to hang thing soff a tripod.

I built my own wideangle adapter for about $180. (canabalized a $150 lens.. + $30 filter)..

works great.

(the focus is a bit soft here, and images are pixelated, but you get the point). slight fisheye effect, but i like that.. we shoot action videos, so it's useful. zoom's through to about 5x before it loses focus. EDIT- the distortion on the top image (top right and left corners) is actually the lens seeing the LENS HOOD.. removal of the lens hood fixes this, however since it overscans on TV anyway, i don't bother with hood removal.

http://www.adamgeek.com/wide2.jpg

just bought the 3x though, and using that now, so the adapter i made is on backup duty sitting on a shelf heh.

ME66 setup questions
 

So I'm about to replace the standard mic on my xl1s for a shotgun.

I'm going to buy:

ME66 capsule
K6 power module
Lightwave Equalizer for ME66
Lightwave Isolator
Lightwave Minimount

The mic will be mounted on the camera, and my question is, will the ME66 (and Equalizer around it) protrude into frame when shooting the wide end of the standard 16x Canon lens?

Also, does anyone have any advice about how the Equalizer compares to the Miniscreen? Is the Miniscreen worth the extra money? What are the pros and cons?

Thanks,
James

RF and boom mic recommendation sought
 

My son, now 16.5, is finally taking film making seriously. He and a friend are actually shooting their second video. Last summer was their first but his time around not only do they have a script, they are listening to me when I “suggest” they shoot everything in manual mode or use headsets to monitor sound.

This morning I got a real jolt when my wife - my wife! - called me at the office to tell me our son needs a boom mic. My wife!

Okay, so we need to shop for a collapsible boom pole and look for a decent mic holder and boom mic (one I could use myself in a pinch :-)) - they also need one RF lav. I have a pair of real cheapies I used once when I produced a compilation where I had to mail people a TRV900 and a mic to shoot their stories. But now I'm looking for something better.

We have lots of equipment at work but it's all a bit too high-end to lend out to two teens shooting without a crew or police guards in Central Park, NYC.

I'm open to any suggestions. Cost is not a huge problem although we are not looking for a $200 wired fish pole.

Thanks.