Should I buy XL1S???

[Andrew Kiu]

Anyone tell me Should I buy XL1S now or wait for the next Version XL2???

Does anyone know how long or when do i need to wait????? Coz i dont want to be the last XL1s buyer just before a minute Canon release the XL2 or newer version of XL1s????

Please guide me on this matter.

[Dylan Couper]

No one knows for sure, and the people that do, won't tell.
Still, most of us would probably agree you won't be able to get your hand on an XL2 until this summer, at very earliest.

If you need an XL1s now, buy it now. If you don't, then wait.

[Neo Castillo]

My theory is that you should buy now that way you can shoot now. Beisdes if you buy now it gives you around 6 months to shoot and actualy use a camera and be productive. Just my 2 cents.

[Robert Knecht Schmidt]

...and shoot now.

[Frank Granovski]

Andrew, the guys suggested buy now if you want to shoot now, with an XL1s. I agree. But the way things are slowly moving to 16:9 and coupled with the fact that there are higher resolution cams on the market for less money, I suggest to do a little more research before buying one. Do you need a cam that has the option for mounting different lenses? If not, perhaps consider the XM2/GL2.

[Chris Hurd]

I feel like I'm repeating myself, but here goes... You could spend a very long time waiting for the next new thing. If you're waiting, you're not creating. That's why *now* is always the right time to buy. Whatever you get, take good care of it, save the original packaging, and when the next new thing comes out, sell the current one and move up. Hope this helps,

[Peter Moore]

Sorry, I have to disagree with the, thus far, basically unanimous line. If you really want a Canon model, I would wait. The XL1S is definitely at the end of its commercial lifespan. There is no doubt Canon is coming out with something else soon. The rebates are a tell tale sign. The question is when, and how long are you willing to wait?

At the very least, I'd get a GL2 at this point and then when Canon comes out with the XL2, sell it. That way youy've got a very good camera to learn with and then you can upgrade within the year if you want. Perhaps consider a used GL2 or XL1S as well. But I think it's a little impulsive to say "If I want to shoot now, then I should buy now!" True you can always wait for the next thing ad infinitum, but you also can take reasonable steps to avoid being caught in the unfortunate position of buying one month before the next great thing actually appears, and regretting your purchase.

[Boyd Ostroff]

I think Frank has the right idea, which is to consider the feature set of the current XL-1s and decide whether it fits your needs. It doesn't do real 16:9, and I'm not sure there are even any viable anamorphic adaptors that will work properly on it. No question it's a fine camera, but it does represent the state of the art from about 3 years ago. Seems like the biggest selling point is the interchangeable lenses and viewfinders. However these are quite expensive; can you afford them?

So my suggestion would be to decide whether the current model will meet your needs and then either buy it or look at other cameras. Waiting for the upgrade is a bit dicey, and nobody really has any idea of what features a new model would offer or when it might arrive. For an example, look at Sony's recent introduction of the PD-170 which took pretty much everyone by surprise. And the new features, although fine, really wouldn't have justified waiting. In fact, the new features were so unexciting that many seasoned pro's around here believed the whole thing was a hoax until Sony actually demo'ed it!

So I'll cast my vote with Chris and the others to buy now if you need now, but add the caveat to make sure that it really has the features you want.

[Andrew Kiu]

Thank you guy!!! You all were giving me a valuable info. For my opinion, Buying first and then sell it or upgrade it, it not a good idea for me coz i only afford to get one with me at least for couple a few years then only trade-in or sell it Since my budget is very tight. I like the feature of Canon XL1s and I think rather for me to wait for the new Xl1s, It worth a wait!!! I knew Canon will release the new XL1s very soon…

[Dylan Couper]

Andrew, how about buying a used GL1? YOu can get one for $1300us or so, and it's gone through the majority of its depreciation, so when the time comes to get an XL2, you can sell the GL1 for close to what you pay for it.