Xl2 With FU 1000 Producing B&W Images - SOLVED!
 

Ok, I've got a BIG problem and I need an answer before this evening! I just received an FU 1000 viewfinder for my XL2 a few days ago and I was just now review the test footage. Everything is in B&W! What is going on? All the footage from when I was using the FU 500 is fine, but everything shot when I was using the FU 1000 is monochrome. What gives?

Are you reviewing the footage in camera? The FU-1000 is a monochrome CRT viewfinder. It will never show anything in color.

If, on the other hand, you're saying that merely attaching and using the FU-1000 causes everything to be 'recorded' in B/W (as observed when viewing captured material or via the s-video/composite connectors on a color display), that would be the weirdest XL2 problem ever reported.

Please elaborate a little bit.

-gb-

No, I know that review in cam would look B&W. :) I took the MiniDV tapes into my office and was watching them played from my upload cam connected to my CRT broadcast monitor via s-video. The upload cam is also connected to my comp via firewire and the preview in Premiere's capture window was also B&W.

I do remember now that when I first connected the viewfinder and calibrated it I was switching between presets. Maybe I accidentally left it on a some preset that was B&W, although I don't think I have any B&W presets in the cam right now. Sadly, the cam is at home and I am at the office, but when I go home, I'll connect the cam to my laptop via firewire and see what I can find out.

No, I know that review in cam would look B&W. :) I took the MiniDV tapes into my office and was watching them played from my upload cam connected to my CRT broadcast monitor via s-video. The upload cam is also connected to my comp via firewire and the preview in Premiere's capture window was also B&W.

I do remember now that after I first connected the viewfinder and calibrated it I switched between my presets a few times. Maybe I accidentally left it on a some preset that was B&W, although I don't think I have any B&W presets in the cam right now. Sadly, the cam is at home and I am at the office, but when I go home, I'll connect the cam to my laptop via firewire and see what I can find out.

Do you have a monitor? Most any type of color monitor will do, or even a television with video inputs.

If so, hook up the FU-1000, and the monitor or television.

I feel that your B & W footage was caused by a preset, or other adjustment setting in the camera.

The FU-1000 does not affect the footage that you are recording in any way.

Dan, that was what I was thinking as well and now I know that the viewfinder is not at fault. I hooked the camera up to my laptop via firewire now and am previewing it on the computer. Still looks B&W - and that is whether I have the FU 500 or the FU 1000 connected. Makes no difference. I am using the same preset that I have been using all along but I guess it could have been accidentally chaged. I'll open Bluebarn now and overwrite the cam's preset with the same one stored on my comp.

One other question: I'm shooting 30p and I understood that the proper shutter speed for 30p or 60i should be 1/60. Is that correct?

I'll keep you posted!

EDIT: Wow got it FIXED! So it was the preset - why didn't I try that in the first place? :) Now it's got me curious, though: exactly what setting was it that was causing the B&W?

Dear Dale,

1/60th shutter is normally used, 1/50th for PAL

If you want to do some slow motion, use 1/120th or 1/100th for PAL.

For the preset, the first thing I would check is the "Color Gain".