Performance of the XL-1s vs the XL-1 at DVinfo.net

July 30th, 2002, 04:21 PM

Need some advice - I have a low time XL-1 with the x16 and x3 lenses (plus the EOS lens adapter) - since I purchased the unit I have not used it very much due to the 9 bit (DSP) signal processing graduation problem most notably when shooting blue sky shots and the poor low light performance in say a typical in-door ambient lighting situation.
A few week ends ago I fired it up and found that the 16x focus design is not very well suited to action shots like the Nascar races here at the TX motor speedway as it can't keep the picture focused and the Canon manual focus ring is way too slow to respond to changes due to it's servo design.

So, I have been thinking of getting a XL-1s and the Canon 16x manual lens but really wonder if the XL-1s is that much better than the XL-1 - for sure the lens would do the job.

Also, I am looking at the JVC GY DV500/550 camera and thinking of just dumping the Canon as the low light, DSP processing, and video resolution of this camera is far superior to the XL-1/S.

The Xl-1's offer a lot of flexibility that bigger cameras don't plus the Canon optics not to mention my investment in the lenses. I guess another option is to keep the XL-1 and get the JVC for the demanding stuff.

What do you more experienced shooters think about my options?

Thanks for any input,

richard schmitter

Maya Taylor · July 30th, 2002, 04:52 PM

Don't bother with the XL1-s. It's not that much better! I sold my XL-1 and got an XL-1s only to realize that the difference is minor and that most of the Xl-1 shortcomings still exist in the XL-1s!!!! I would dump the xl1-s and would pick the JVC GY DV500/550 or even better the Panasonic DVC200.

I have been a Canon fan for a long time, but the XL-1s left a bad taste in my mouth. I have since mooved to better cameras for approximately the same price....

Hope this helps!

Maya

Jay Gladwell · July 30th, 2002, 05:32 PM

Maya,

I would be interested in hearing more about what specifically left the "bad taste" in your mouth with the XL1s.

Chris Ward · July 30th, 2002, 06:48 PM

Basically, the XL-1s is better in low light and has a slightly improved resolution. It is also backwards compatable with the XL-1, but if you need serious low light capability you should move up to 1/2" chips. The JVC gy-dv500 is a good choice, a great deal for the money.

Maya Taylor · July 31st, 2002, 10:28 AM

It left a bad taste because the XL-1S is more like an XL-1 with "service pack" on it. But yet important issues such as a better viewfinder and such have not been addressed! Also what is the pojnt of offering removable lenses when you only make 3 different lenses?? What happened to making different lenses??? How about a 19X manual lens or a 24x manual lenses? How about making faster lenses? I know it would cost more but at least give us some options.... not having a great deal choice makes the whole feature of interchangable lenses a BIG JOKE! It's bad enough that it uses a propriatary lens mount! Giving the choice between a telephoto, a wide angle and a manual lenses is not enough in my opinion....Anyone can get a wide angle or telephoto lens on their camera.... The manual lens is a nice addition but it's not enough... So the whole interchangable lens thing was just a good marketting scheme...and so is the XL-1s....If you want to introduce a new model give me a new camera that trully introduces something new...not a half ass remake of an old technology.
And yes I know many other companies do the same thing, but I guess I expected different from Canon!

When Sony introduced the VX2000 over the VX1000 it offered a lot of new features and technology... Now panasonic is doing the same with the upcoming AG-DVX100 and JVC did the same thing when they introduced the 500 model..... Canon??? They have shown the same XL1 technology for the past 4 NAB shows!

July 30th, 2002, 04:21 PM	#1
richard schmitter Posts: n/a	Performance of the XL-1s vs the XL-1 Need some advice - I have a low time XL-1 with the x16 and x3 lenses (plus the EOS lens adapter) - since I purchased the unit I have not used it very much due to the 9 bit (DSP) signal processing graduation problem most notably when shooting blue sky shots and the poor low light performance in say a typical in-door ambient lighting situation. A few week ends ago I fired it up and found that the 16x focus design is not very well suited to action shots like the Nascar races here at the TX motor speedway as it can't keep the picture focused and the Canon manual focus ring is way too slow to respond to changes due to it's servo design. So, I have been thinking of getting a XL-1s and the Canon 16x manual lens but really wonder if the XL-1s is that much better than the XL-1 - for sure the lens would do the job. Also, I am looking at the JVC GY DV500/550 camera and thinking of just dumping the Canon as the low light, DSP processing, and video resolution of this camera is far superior to the XL-1/S. The Xl-1's offer a lot of flexibility that bigger cameras don't plus the Canon optics not to mention my investment in the lenses. I guess another option is to keep the XL-1 and get the JVC for the demanding stuff. What do you more experienced shooters think about my options? Thanks for any input, richard schmitter

July 30th, 2002, 06:48 PM	#4
Chris Ward Contributor Join Date: Oct 2001 Location: New England Posts: 68	XL-1s Basically, the XL-1s is better in low light and has a slightly improved resolution. It is also backwards compatable with the XL-1, but if you need serious low light capability you should move up to 1/2" chips. The JVC gy-dv500 is a good choice, a great deal for the money.

July 31st, 2002, 10:28 AM	#5
Maya Taylor New Boot Join Date: Jul 2002 Location: Los Angeles, CA Posts: 21	XL1-S....not worth it! It left a bad taste because the XL-1S is more like an XL-1 with "service pack" on it. But yet important issues such as a better viewfinder and such have not been addressed! Also what is the pojnt of offering removable lenses when you only make 3 different lenses?? What happened to making different lenses??? How about a 19X manual lens or a 24x manual lenses? How about making faster lenses? I know it would cost more but at least give us some options.... not having a great deal choice makes the whole feature of interchangable lenses a BIG JOKE! It's bad enough that it uses a propriatary lens mount! Giving the choice between a telephoto, a wide angle and a manual lenses is not enough in my opinion....Anyone can get a wide angle or telephoto lens on their camera.... The manual lens is a nice addition but it's not enough... So the whole interchangable lens thing was just a good marketting scheme...and so is the XL-1s....If you want to introduce a new model give me a new camera that trully introduces something new...not a half ass remake of an old technology. And yes I know many other companies do the same thing, but I guess I expected different from Canon! When Sony introduced the VX2000 over the VX1000 it offered a lot of new features and technology... Now panasonic is doing the same with the upcoming AG-DVX100 and JVC did the same thing when they introduced the 500 model..... Canon??? They have shown the same XL1 technology for the past 4 NAB shows!

July 30th, 2002, 04:52 PM	#2
Maya Taylor New Boot Join Date: Jul 2002 Location: Los Angeles, CA Posts: 21	Don't bother with the XL1-s. It's not that much better! I sold my XL-1 and got an XL-1s only to realize that the difference is minor and that most of the Xl-1 shortcomings still exist in the XL-1s!!!! I would dump the xl1-s and would pick the JVC GY DV500/550 or even better the Panasonic DVC200. I have been a Canon fan for a long time, but the XL-1s left a bad taste in my mouth. I have since mooved to better cameras for approximately the same price.... Hope this helps! Maya

July 30th, 2002, 05:32 PM	#3
Jay Gladwell Join Date: Jul 2002 Posts: 1,244	Maya, I would be interested in hearing more about what specifically left the "bad taste" in your mouth with the XL1s.