Annoying Xl1 Problem at DVinfo.net

Ed Grabowski · March 16th, 2006, 12:25 PM

Has anyone noticed that it is very hard to see if your shot is in focus using the viewfinder? I just cant do it. Low light, Sun light, using any light, they always turn out out of focus. I bought an LCD recently and its the same thing. I cant tell even with that attatched. Iv'e had this camera for a while and i dont know if this is an old age problem, or maybe im going blind. Anyone else notice this??

Mike Teutsch · March 16th, 2006, 12:33 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Ed Grabowski

Has anyone noticed that it is very hard to see if your shot is in focus using the viewfinder? I just cant do it. Low light, Sun light, using any light, they always turn out out of focus. I bought an LCD recently and its the same thing. I cant tell even with that attatched. Iv'e had this camera for a while and i dont know if this is an old age problem, or maybe im going blind. Anyone else notice this??

Ed,

Some people have trouble focusing with the stock color viewfinder, FU-500, so many go to the B&W viewfinder, FU-1000. It is an actual CRT with I think about 480 lines of resolution. It does make focusing easier.

Have you tried just picking a good focusing area, and letting the camera auto-focus? If that is not very sharp, you may indeed have a problem with the camera or lens. Has it been cleaned lately, CCD and lens?

Let us know. Also, let the camera focus, and then adjust the eyepiece to your vision, twist ring near the eyecup.

Mike

Mark Bournes · March 16th, 2006, 12:45 PM

If you can afford it , I would recommend getting a manual lens, that will take care of the focusing problem that the stock lens can have.

Ed Grabowski · March 17th, 2006, 08:14 PM

hey guys, thanks for the advice. im seriously going to look into a new viewfinder. no pun intended. thanks

Jimmy McKenzie · March 17th, 2006, 08:45 PM

Take the XL1 and sell it for about 2 grand. Then, add the expense of the B&W viewfinder plus the extra batteries it needs and that will put you close to the cost of an XL2. Buy the XL2. Zoom in at 20x on your subject and pull back for perfect focus and you will have incredible shots on the 16x9 chip that will make you wonder why you kept the XL1 so long......

Ed Grabowski · March 18th, 2006, 12:45 AM

I can't believe i spelled jersery wrong under my name, i gotta fix that, i didn't put in the R. Damnit. Anyway, I have been beating myself up for a while trying to figure out how i can get up enough money to spring for an XL2. Even if i sell the XL1 for 2 grand, which sounds a little high, i would still be about 2 grand short. And since my funds have been drastically depleted from the recent purchase of After Effects 7 Pro and a pulp fiction script signed by the whole gang...i didn't need it but come on, it awesome... Im going to be too short. I could get that HDR-HC1, or whatever that $1700 HD cam is called, but I am not too up on this whole HD thing, and im not even sure if i would be sacrificing the quality of the XL1 picture for just more vibrant colors. But im getting on a whole other topic there. But seriously, i need to know this, would an HD cam stand up against an XL2? Anybody know? And I mean an inexpensive one, not the $9000 Canon version.

Chris Hurd · March 18th, 2006, 12:51 AM

Did you set the focusing diopter on the viewfinder, Ed? Might be a dumb thing to ask of you, but sometimes it's the simplest thing that'll cause a snag.

Ed Grabowski · March 18th, 2006, 01:06 AM

yeah i just checked, everything looks in order. Iv'e been checking everything on the camera but theres only so many things you can look at. I should just feed this lense to the trash compactor. Even when I first got this camera there was a problem with the zoom ring. It still doesnt work correctly but Canon swears on the eyes of their children theres nothing wrong with it. I guess it's not supposed to Zoom when you turn it then huh Canon????? IF i hook the Cam up to my T.V, just for kicks, i can see that there is such a fine line between in focus and out that its no surprise i can barely see it on the viewfinder. It was never like that before, i think something wrong with my Camera....... I do not have the money right now to get this thing looked at. Now it wont focus at all.

Don Palomaki · March 18th, 2006, 05:52 AM

The standard lens is servo coupled, zooming and focus are based on how fast you turn the rings, not how far.

If you can, try a different Canon XL1 lens, onth4e camcorder, see if if behaves diffferently (note that back focus might be a bit off given that it came from a different camera).

Standard EVF at 180K pixels (230 scan lines, RGB) has fairly modest resolution, and is color, making judging focus somewhat problematic for many types of image material.

March 16th, 2006, 12:25 PM	#1
Ed Grabowski New Boot Join Date: Mar 2006 Location: manalapan New Jesey Posts: 10	Annoying Xl1 Problem Has anyone noticed that it is very hard to see if your shot is in focus using the viewfinder? I just cant do it. Low light, Sun light, using any light, they always turn out out of focus. I bought an LCD recently and its the same thing. I cant tell even with that attatched. Iv'e had this camera for a while and i dont know if this is an old age problem, or maybe im going blind. Anyone else notice this??

March 17th, 2006, 08:14 PM	#4
Ed Grabowski New Boot Join Date: Mar 2006 Location: manalapan New Jesey Posts: 10	thanks hey guys, thanks for the advice. im seriously going to look into a new viewfinder. no pun intended. thanks

March 17th, 2006, 08:45 PM	#5
Jimmy McKenzie Major Player Join Date: Jan 2004 Location: Waterloo Ontario Posts: 721	3 steps to easy focussing. Take the XL1 and sell it for about 2 grand. Then, add the expense of the B&W viewfinder plus the extra batteries it needs and that will put you close to the cost of an XL2. Buy the XL2. Zoom in at 20x on your subject and pull back for perfect focus and you will have incredible shots on the 16x9 chip that will make you wonder why you kept the XL1 so long......

March 18th, 2006, 12:45 AM	#6
Ed Grabowski New Boot Join Date: Mar 2006 Location: manalapan New Jesey Posts: 10	well I can't believe i spelled jersery wrong under my name, i gotta fix that, i didn't put in the R. Damnit. Anyway, I have been beating myself up for a while trying to figure out how i can get up enough money to spring for an XL2. Even if i sell the XL1 for 2 grand, which sounds a little high, i would still be about 2 grand short. And since my funds have been drastically depleted from the recent purchase of After Effects 7 Pro and a pulp fiction script signed by the whole gang...i didn't need it but come on, it awesome... Im going to be too short. I could get that HDR-HC1, or whatever that $1700 HD cam is called, but I am not too up on this whole HD thing, and im not even sure if i would be sacrificing the quality of the XL1 picture for just more vibrant colors. But im getting on a whole other topic there. But seriously, i need to know this, would an HD cam stand up against an XL2? Anybody know? And I mean an inexpensive one, not the $9000 Canon version.

March 18th, 2006, 12:51 AM	#7
Chris Hurd Obstreperous Rex Join Date: Jan 2001 Location: San Marcos, TX Posts: 27,368 Images: 513	Did you set the focusing diopter on the viewfinder, Ed? Might be a dumb thing to ask of you, but sometimes it's the simplest thing that'll cause a snag. __________________ CH Search DV Info Net \| 20 years of DVi \| ...Tuesday is Soylent Green Day!

March 16th, 2006, 12:45 PM	#3
Mark Bournes Major Player Join Date: Nov 2005 Location: Jupiter, FL Posts: 565	If you can afford it , I would recommend getting a manual lens, that will take care of the focusing problem that the stock lens can have.

March 18th, 2006, 01:06 AM	#8
Ed Grabowski New Boot Join Date: Mar 2006 Location: manalapan New Jesey Posts: 10	a live pain in the a$$ yeah i just checked, everything looks in order. Iv'e been checking everything on the camera but theres only so many things you can look at. I should just feed this lense to the trash compactor. Even when I first got this camera there was a problem with the zoom ring. It still doesnt work correctly but Canon swears on the eyes of their children theres nothing wrong with it. I guess it's not supposed to Zoom when you turn it then huh Canon????? IF i hook the Cam up to my T.V, just for kicks, i can see that there is such a fine line between in focus and out that its no surprise i can barely see it on the viewfinder. It was never like that before, i think something wrong with my Camera....... I do not have the money right now to get this thing looked at. Now it wont focus at all.

March 18th, 2006, 05:52 AM	#9
Don Palomaki Wrangler Join Date: Sep 2001 Location: Northern VA Posts: 4,488	The standard lens is servo coupled, zooming and focus are based on how fast you turn the rings, not how far. If you can, try a different Canon XL1 lens, onth4e camcorder, see if if behaves diffferently (note that back focus might be a bit off given that it came from a different camera). Standard EVF at 180K pixels (230 scan lines, RGB) has fairly modest resolution, and is color, making judging focus somewhat problematic for many types of image material. __________________ dpalomaki@dspalomaki.com