2 camera set-up XL1s

im shooting my first film on DV, very experienced in film cinematography and looking for as much and all info about the canon xl1s that I can find. Does this camera use sony DVCAM tapes without fault? Im assuming it would, being it just having a slightly different tape speed. I have some people saying it does not work well with DVCAM and some say it does. I would like a straight answer for this.
Is there any disadvantages to using the frame movie mode on the canon Xl1s. On some tests, with the frame movie mode, I noticed what seemed to be artifacts, and dropout, during pans. I know this does not do pans well, but the pans were not extremely fast. So, it's a little disconcerning if essentially no pans could be used while in frame movie mode. Those are just some basic questions I have....for now. thanks again to all.
Phil

[Vic Owen]

DV-CAM is a recording format, not a tape or cassette style. The XL-1 does not record or play in the DV-CAM format. Any mini-DV tapes can be used -- many prefer the Panasonic due to the dry lube. I used to use the Sony tapes, but didn't care for the wet lube.

DV-CAM is, by its nature, a more robust format, so one can expect less drop-outs. One of the unfortunate "features" of DV recording is the occasional drop-out. With the XL-1, you're limited to standard DV.

I'll let others that have used to frame mode a lot speak to that.

Hope this helps.

[Ken Tanaka]

Phil,

Ditto Vic's remarks; the XL1s does not shoot in DVCAM format. The closest cam to the XL1s that does is the Sony PD150. It's a fine camera with a form factor more similar to that of Canon's GL1. It has both a hi-res b&w viewfinder and an lcd, and features built-in XLR sockets. But...alas...it does not have interchangeable lenses.

Re: the artifacts you observed during pans, that may have been due largely to the XL1s lens' optical image stabilizer (OIS) being active during the pan. Try the same pan motion with the OIS off. Also, being an experienced cinematographer, you might want to try out either the 14x full-manual lens or the newer 16x servo manual lens. They can often give you a great deal more control over your image particularly if you're shooting in a controlled, scripted environment.

Re: frame mode, most XL1s videographers prefer to keep the camera in frame mode and the shutter set to 1/60. This generally produces the smoothest, most film-like results in post. But if you are planning to transfer to film you should consult your transfer house before shooting to see what they prefer.

Lastly, dropouts really shouldn't be any problem as long as you use good grade tapes and shoot them only once. I highly recommend the Panasonic Master series of tapes (AY-DVM63MQ). These are 63 min cassettes with a higher density substrate than the normal miniDV tapes. (You'll recognize them because the cassettes are white instead of the normal black.) You can find them at www.taperesources.com and other places.

DVCAM is a tape as well...meaning. theres SONY MiniDV tapes...excellence, premium, and DVCAM. I understand about what DVCAM is, the recording part of it is. but do SONY DVCAM TAPES work with the canon XL1s.

I have recieved the information that I believe has cleared everything up. you can shoot the sony DVCAM tapes in the canon XL1s. but it will shoot in standard DV format only, whats interesting is, the 40 min dvcam tapes, will actually run at a full 60 min. the canon xl1s does this automatically. im assuming this is all consistent with the dropframe timecode of the canon, and I cant see how this would have anything to do with dropouts. thanks again for your help everyone.

[Ken Tanaka]

"What's the difference between DVCPRO, DVCAM, miniDV and DV?
(see also Sony's article on our site)
Mini DV, DV are a consumer format that a number of manufacturers agreed on to become the next consumer standard. It has been so good a format that many professionals, and semi-professionals have begun using it. The format uses ME tape. Standard lengths are 30, 60 and 80min for the miniDV and 120, 180 (and some 270min) for the DV. There are also two speeds in DV and miniDV, so a 80min mini can provide 120min of recording.(Low quality)

At the same time, Sony & Panasonic brought out their professional versions, named DVCAM and DVCPRO. Sony's professional DVCAM format, although similar to miniDV, runs 50% faster. So, its longest tape in the mini size is 40min. There is a 184min DVCAM tape, which will run 270 minutes in a DV machine! Recognition holes in the tape tell the machine what tape you have loaded. In addition the professional format of DVCPRO and DVCAM have locked audio.

Panasonic's DVCPRO runs at a faster speed than the Sony DVCAM, but its main difference is the use of MP tape as opposed to ME. Panasonic, inventors of miniDV and the ME tape, did not think the tape robust enough for professional use and chose to go with MP tape. The physical cassette size for DVCPRO is also larger than miniDV for the shorter lengths... a kind of a 'medium' size. Long lengths use the same size as DV. MiniDV can be used in a DVCPRO deck, but only with an adapter, and only for playback. (SB) "