GL / XM assorted posts, 2003

[Graham Bernard]

Thanks Marco. Yup seen the Mini-Rover. Personally too much stuff for me. I like to be mean and lean - unlike the camera's operator [ Moi! ] .


Okay, I've raided my friend's, what he calls his - "Tute-Box", this equates to the "I-aint-throwing-that-away-I-might-need-it-one-day" BOX - We've all got one. Anyway I mopunted a fair sized plate on a Cold-Foot which now slides into the Cold-Shoe on the MA300. I fixed this with what we ccall in UK as Millipt putty - type of cold set plastic. Youcan model it and form it. Having finished painting it in XM2 MA300 Satin black finish it looks like the "Cannine's Spherical Rear Appendages". Cost = £00.00 . . . .

The Senni comes with Elephant Velcro System. Stuck both strips onto the Plate and the Slapped on the Rx. You could hang a tree off it!!!

So there you have it . . Y'know what they say about "Mothers and Inventions" - what you might FRANKLY call ZAPPAing it - HAH ha!!

Thanks again Marco,

Grazie

[Phillip Coolman]

I am using my brand new GL2 attached to an iMac G4. I am using FCE as an editing tool. I have tried just a small shot to test capture to the computer. I am trying t capture the video using capture clip by setting in and out. Even though the correct time codes are shown in the capture screen and the LCD of the camera I get an error code that says the computer cannot find the correct time code. When I view the LCD of the camera it is in a "stop" mode. If I try to capture by capture now, it will only capture when I finally push play on the camera. I have captured quiet a bit of video using an old JVC camcorder which worked fine. What might I be doing wrong?

Thanks Phil

[Bruce Cleveland]

Is anyone using the GL2 with the XL1-S for video shoots? I have the GL-2 and want to get the XL1-S for a second camera, but I am afraid the colors will be way off. Hoping someone can give me a comparrison. Thanks.

Bruce Cleveland

[Ken Tanaka]

No worry. They match pretty well. If anything you may have to knock the GL2's sharpness down one notch, depending on the subject.

Run a Search here for other remarks, as this is a relatively frequent topic.

[Monroe Poteet]

I'm new to using the GL2, so hopefully I'm not missing
something really obvious.

I've got a brand-new, 6-week old GL2. It seems that
I am unable to rewind tapes in the camera, even a
freshly striped tape. The behavior is:

1) Camera hooked to AC adapter, in VCR/Play mode,
no DV or other external cable connected
2) Play tape to anywhere in the tape past where a
REWIND will use the high-speed mode.
3) From STOP, press the Rewind button
4) The camera starts to rewind, but as soon as it
"shifts gears" into high-speed rewind, it stops,
and displays the message:

"REMOVE THE CASSETTE"

in red for a few seconds, then flashes EJECT on
the VCR screen in red.
5) The camera is functionless until the cassette is
ejected and re-inserted
6) Repeating the test produces the same results.

I've run the cleaning cassette for 10 seconds three
times so far. These are SONY cassettes. This morning,
I striped a tape (record 61 minutes of "lens cap"), and
it shows the same behavior. The tape was previously
slightly used (had about 2 minutes of throw-away
footage at the beginning).

I can pull the data from the tapes just fine using
Firewire. If I hold down the REWIND key in PLAY mode,
the footage is displayed, and the tape rewinds to BOT
with no problem. It definitely seems to be a high-speed
rewind issue.

I've sent a message to Canon tech support (yesterday)
but have yet to receive a reply.

Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated.

[Ken Tanaka]

Welcome Monroe,
It sounds to me that you may have a problem with a sensor in the camera's tape transport mechanism. If so, it will require attention by Canon service. I am assuming that your tapes are in good condition.

Wait a day or two to see if Canon responds. Call them if they do not.

[Frank Granovski]

Monroe, also, I wouldn't run the tape cleaner for more that 5 or 6 seconds at a time. Here's a little bit about tapes:

http://www.dvfreak.com/tape.htm

But as Ken suggested, your cam most likely needs servicing.

[Darrell Hinton]

I am about to buy my first MiniDV Camera and I am trying to decide on which camera to get. (Either Canon XL1S, GL2, or Panasonic DVX100) Although I'm leaning more towards an XL1S or GL2, but anyways to my question. I've been looking at the product specs and accessories for XL1S and GL2 on Canon's website and I noticed that they did not have any filters listed on the accessories page for the GL2, yet they have many for the XL1S. So my question is can you not use filters on the GL2 or do you just have to buy them from a third-party supplier? Also, I have read in some other threads where people had been saying to get a UV filter to keep on your lens at all times to prevent scratching of the glass. So I was wondering, does keeping a UV filter on the lens at all times not affect the color or quality of what you film? Thanks for any information you can give about this.

[Alan Tran]

i use a canon (made by canon) 58mm uv filter, got it on ebay for like 10 bucks. works pretty well, you will notice a slight difference when outside, it turns blueish white skies into a more natural color. good investment.

[Ken Tanaka]

Darrell,
You certainly can use filters on the GL2. If you want to use screw-on type filters (the most common style for that camera) you should look for filters with a 58mm diameter.

Tiffen, B+W, Schneider, and Heliopan are some of the leading manufacturers of filters.

Many camera owners keep a UV filter on their lens at all times to protect the lens from dust and damage. A UV filter basically has no impact on video which, unlike film, is not sensitive to the bluish cast that ultraviolet light can impart on film.

Keeping a filter mounted on your lens at all times, however, can lead to some problems in certain lighting conditions. Internal flares induced by filters are very common. Picking up dust and slight smears in your image when light hits the filter at an oblique angle is another.

I understand that folks want to protect their lens. But, personally, I only mount a filter when I really need a filter or when I'm shooting in unpredictable environments. The GL2's Flourite lens is an excellent instrument. Any piece of glass I put in front of that lens needs to make a positive contribution to the image to offset the slight degradation that it will introduce. That's just my philosophy.

Have a blast with your new camera. Let us know what you ultimately select.

[Kasey Cotulla]

I'm relatively new to the DV stuff.

What is the quality dropoff if I capture from the GL2 miniDV tape (through my Canopus card and Premiere), then record back to a new tape in my GL2.

Essentially, I have tapes of outdoor sport footage that I'm really only interested in keeping a few selected scenes for later use. The rest of the scenes are not special. I'd like to consolidate the good footage and dump the rest, while keeping the original quality.


Thanks for any guidance,

Kasey

[Ken Tanaka]

Welcome Kasey,
There is no quality degradation whatsoever. Zero. This is a digital medium consisting of 1's and 0's rather than analog's signal strength and pulses. Writing footage back to another tape is conceptually similar to copying a computer file to another disc.

[Thomas Fraser]

if i buy a cheap mini dv camera for inputing into my computer will the get the same quality as I get when using my GL2???
I don't want to wear out my GL2.
Thank you

[Gints Klimanis]

Yes, if you're transferring data digitally. If you're using analog capture on the computer, your mileage will vary with the quality of the analog output electronics of your camcorder. I'm still wondering how good the video input A/D is on my Sony Vx-2000
for transfer from VHS.

I use my older JVC consumer-level camera for DV playback and Firewire transfer to my computer. As long as the "cheapie" is capable of transferring the tape without dropouts, you're set. You are still limited by the quality of the heads, which apparently can be gummed up by mixing different types of tape lubricants in the various brands of tape. People on this group recommend sticking to a single type of tape. As tempting as it is to use the battery, I use A/C power r during Firewire transfers.

[Trevor Kennedy]

I think you may have done enough damage already. :)

If it were me, I'd send them to the people who know what ther're doing. I personally don't go near cleaning cassettes at all.