Need help in choosing
 

A little background first...I am a Professional Investigator and as a result need to document activities of the invdviduals being investigated. I started way back when video was a two piece VHS recorder and camera...been through the mess with VHS camcorders, professional level units and consumer level.

For the past 10 years I have used a Canon 6000 with a 4000 as a backup. They have been rebuilt once and it appears they may be dead. At the time I bought them they were considered a prosumer grade camera.

It is time for me to step up into the modern age and at least to MiniDV. Cost is always a consideration but I have been looking at the XL-2 and the GL-2.

While the 6000 and the 4000 have been great one of the problems has been the lack of magnification. Some times I ca not get close to the subject. I have used an old Panasonic D5000 that allowed me to use my Nikon SLR lenes and loved that ability.

I have looked in my area, Jacksonville, Florida and no dealers have the XL-2 or the GL-2 in stock and will only order one if I am buying it.

So the question is of the two...the GL-2 and the XL-2 which unit is going to give me the best performance, longest service life, be most trouble free?

I an currently leaning to the XL-2 and possibly getting the GL-2 as a backup.

Hey Bruce,

I think you are on the right track with the XL2. The stock 20X lens has amazing zoom capabilities, so you can really get in on your subject. You can purchase an adapter that will allow you to still use your older Nikon SLR lenses, and many other SLR lenses. The cool thing about using SLRs is that you get a 7x magnification giving you incredible telephoto capabilities.

The XL2 is an amazingingly well built camera, but you may want to consider if it might be a little large and flashy for PI work. You can't go anywhere with that camera without being targeted as news crew or the like, especially with the 20X lens.

The camera is not the best low light camera on the market, but with a little tinkering with presets and much reading on good ol' DV Info, it does pretty well. The camera isn't a camera that you can just pick up and shoot with and expect to get amazing footage, but after some practice you will be shooting your subjects with a quality you would be proud to show on "the big screen".

Plan on shooting mostly 16x9 with this camera for that is what the CCDs were designed for, and gives a higher resolution than in 4x3 mode.

Happy tracking!
Ryan