Going SD
 

Hey, guys. This post may come stupid to you, but after two month of research I came to the decision that XL2 is better than A1.
Well, how I came to that: I been watching samples, short films a s o and must say that I dont like all those made by A1.

I finally managed to come to money for camera, but if I get the A1 and ll be disappointed i gonna kill myself ;)

I m just curious whether I am on the right way with my decision: XL2


I dont know :(

Edit: here example you can see that everytime the adapter is on there are dark corners
http://www.dvinfo.net/conf/showthread.php?t=97222

I shot a lot of footage with the XL2 for a friend, and after I got the XH A1 I started using it, and he said the XH A1's footage looks better. For him all I shoot is 24f SD. He put away his XL2 and bought an XH A1.

I'd actually choose an XL1-S over an XL2...and no question, an XH-A1 over both of them.

No contest there. Tons more resolution and fantastic image quality. Like buying a Canon 1-DS MKII instead of the Digital Rebel.

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that's what I dont understand: now all of ye say a1 > xl2. But I see something else: Xl2 + letusXL does wonders. All the clips shot on A1 do not come close to it.
1. A1 footages have dark corners (i really dont like them)(maybe because of the stock lense which cant be removed)
2. Xl2 seems to have better cine look (at least for me)
3. And A1 clips are looking darker. (sunny day appears as dawn)
I really dont see anything good in a1, maybe, just because i dont have it ;D

I dont know :(

I am up to make a full length film. No doubt that a1 wins over xl2 without 35 adapter. But as soon as I see an adapter attached to a1, i stop liking it, and that's why I turn to xl2.

Dark corners, dark picture....help =/

Obviously in the footage you saw, the adapter wasn't properly attached if you saw vignetting, and if it was dark, the exposure was wrong.

I think you'd be mad to buy an XL2... if you're going to spend that much money, go the little bit extra and get an A1.

A1 hands down!!!

I had an XL1s before upgrading to the XH-A1. Everyone I know who sees what I shoot now marvels at how good the images look! I'm in love. Also consider that HDV is really the wave of the future for smaller cameras, and handicapping yourself with SD only will bite you in the long run. I've yet to see Canon make a bad camera, so the XL2 isn't a bad choice, but I wouldn't say it is the best choice.

It is not about SD or HD, i dont really give a damn what it is. I even think I prefer SD (just dont want to wait week until one scene is rendered in 3D max)
Amount of pixels is not what makes a good camera. I mean I have 1megapixel digicam and 3mp cam on cellphone and 1mp digicam pictures look a long way better.

Another try: ive just watched dozens of XH A1 clips here on the forum (canon XH A1 samples forum) and only a few had no dark corners. I see the same on HV20 (here all clips i saw (with 35mm adapter) had dark corners). XL2 does not have them.

just cant be that all of them mounted the adapter wrong....

and most of the shots look too sharp like with 10 bucks digicam.

I think the last thing I could do is renting the cams for one day (but in that case without an adapter). I just dont see other escape.

Thank you for answering and trying to help. thanks alot

I guess you're watching different clips from the ones I've seen on here, including the one with a Letus. I haven't seen any dark corners or overly enhanced edges. If you prefer the XL2, then buy it.

Ok here a link

http://www.dvinfo.net/conf/showthread.php?t=97222

It is just one video, becaus I didnt want to waste another day for downloading all the videos. Looking closely you can notice that everytime the adapter is on there is light loss at corners.


And it is not like I prefer xl2. I hear everyone say A1 is superb and that is the camera I want to buy. But what I see in all the reels really concerns me.

It looks like he's catching part of his mattebox in the edges of the frame.

Look at this clip, also with Letus/XH A1:

http://www.pinelakefilms.com/XHA1/glenn_720.wmv

thx for reply, i already have it on my desktop. it is one of two videos which dont have them (the other is a music video).

John,
You can only judge from your own preferences and image requirements. I'd suggest you try to get your hands on each of the cameras to properly judge image quality. I moved from the Panasonic DVX100 to the Canon A1 and much prefer my A1. The DVX is a fine camera but no comparison. I have not had any experience with the XL1 or XL2 but I would suggest that you not base your decision on compressed QT or WMV movies since they are not representative of the cameras full capability.

With regard to Steven Demsey's clips ( re: pinelakefilms.com) he is a real master at using this camera and I see no evidence of dark edges, but in all fairness, he does crop them to something like 2.35:1.

Best of luck in your final decision. For me, HD is the future.