i agree with what he said but with the gl2 to it will work on a wide screen tv so why dont you switch the 16:9 guide lines on and when you come to edit it you can just add the black lines in.

I'd wait on that GL1 and go with something like the new smaller Sony HDV cameras HDR-HC1 / HVR-A1 (whichever one is the consumer one is $2000 MSRP). Yes they're HDV and they don't have the Canon Frame Mode, but trust me, you won't be missing it. Also, you'll be able to find more 37mm lenses than looking around for 58mm stuff, 37mm (consumer) and 72mm (prosumer) seem to be the most common sizes for lenses these days when it comes to video cameras. Plus, you won't be losing anything really, you'll be gaining HD(V) and native 16:9! All for a few hundred dollars more than the GL1 and in a smaller package. I have yet to check one out in person, but on paper the HC1 would be the better deal.

Note that he's talking about the GL1 which is a discontinued model that should be considerably less than $2,000 on the used market...

True, but in my opinion, no matter who you are, it would be better to go with something more modern, even the GL2 if need be. I'm using a GL1 right now and I feel so restricted on all fronts compared to all of these other people with their DVX100's, XL2's, FX1's, and such. It would be a shame to see somebody else make the same mistake twice. The GL1 is a bargain, but with everything else coming out, wouldn't it be wiser to wait and, if not, go with something better?

Agreed, which is why I suggested some less expensive DV cameras which shoot true 16:9.

But wait a minute... I just noticed that the original question in this thread dates back to 2002! Ha, ha, I don't think "mdreyes23" is reading any of our words of wisdom, especially since the real name policy has gone into effect since then.

Nothing like timely responses ;)

This method still "stretches the picture" on a 16:9 TV. But adding black bars makes a pretty good letterbox on a 4:3 TV. U can resize an image and then export it in ur pc software as 16:9, but u have to tweak the settings alot, & the picture quality will go down some.

16:9 letterbox recording - possible how?
 

Hey again people: What would you say is the best way to make a 16:9 project using the GL2? Now, I know it doesn't have true 16:9, but I would like to have a final product that has a decent widescreen look and feel. So far everything I've taken from the GL2, through Final Cut Express, and through DVD Studio Pro has come out kind of...I don't know, lacking. The picture is always fullscreen, and a bit of picture that was there when I recorded it and put it on the computer is no longer there after I author it to a dvd. So which part of the process is the most important to get that letterbox, widescreen look? The filming, the editing, or the dvd authoring? Or is it all equally important? Thanks!

Steve

You can shoot in the 16/9 mode of the GL2, but then you get a cropped image in your viewfinder/LCD which makes it difficult to frame or compose your shot.
What I always do (I think the GL2 has this too, I have the xl1s) is, I put on the 16/9 guides on the viewfinder, so I frame my shot in 16/9, but it's recorded in 4:3.
So afterwards, in postproduction (I use Premiere Pro, so I can't comment on how to do it with Final Cut Pro), I put the black widescreen bars, so my composition is right and I have the widescreen.

You can choose between this two ways of doing it, but I prefer the second because it makes it much easier to frame your shot.

Is this process Mathieu is talking about the one explained on the main page of the GL2 Son of Watchdog? I think it is, but can anyone confirm? And does anyone know whether there's anything I need to do when I'm authoring the dvd in DVD Studio Pro? Change any settings, I mean. Thanks for the info, Mathieu

Steve

I read a few threads that made a fairly convincing argument for using 16:9 because (so the theory goes) there is less information being encoded, and so the information that is has less compression. I don't know, but I have been shooting the last twenty hours straight (documentary) with 16:9, and at this point I can tell you that it's just as easy to frame a shot with it elongated as it would be at 4:3. The eye has been trained.

Of course, you lose the benefit of being able to move the image up and down in the visible frame to fix any slightly framing that was slightly "off." That's a very nice feature of shooting 4:3 with guides.

Finally, I want to say that many of the Hollywood films I've watched lately on DVD aren't even using 16:9. They are using the much wider 2.35:1. It has gone beyond just the "epic" ratio and has gotten into many others.

This will work fine on a 4:3 television, but on a 16:9 television the picture will still be "stretched" during playback.

I'm still searching for the perfect solution, I have heard many theories, I have tried them all, and none work too well. Here's my advice if you're planning on having a "true 16:9" picture then record on the GL2 using 16:9 mode. Yes, you lose some quality, but you don't have to fumble around in post with things that probably won't work.

After shooting in 16:9, make sure you set your project in your DVD authoring program to 16:9, then when it's viewed on a 16:9 television it will fill the screen w/correct proportions, and on a 4:3 television black bars will be placed on the top and bottom. *ALSO, make sure the DVD player's menu is set to the correct type of television too (16:9 or 4:3).

Tyler's technique sounds like it's the best option - especially as widescreen TVs are now almost standard in homes.

Is this the way other people are doing it?

GL1 in 16:9?
 

My first camera was a GL1, which we've been using as a second cam to the XL2. lately I've been shooting in 16:9 on the XL2, and would also like to use the GL1 in real 16:9. Is there an additional adapter for the GL1 that would let us get a closer match?
Thanks
Bruce Yarock

Century Optics has a 16:9 adapter, if you don't like the menu setting of your GL1:

http://www.centuryoptics.com/products/dv/16x9/16x9.htm