XL H1 lens on XL2
 

Can you put an XL H1's black lens on an XL2?

Thanks,
Luke

Yes you can, but I don't think you'll see much of a difference in the image.

I was hoping I would see improvement in the picture, and I also like the fact that it is black (which could possibly get too hot on a sunny day). I know the XL H1's lens has a neutral density filter built in, how about the XL2's lens?

Thanks,
Luke

There are two ND's in both lenses, 1/6 and 1/32. The lenses are identical in this regard.

If you're in it for the colour of the lens proper, the 16x manual/servo lens is black, (as well as an excellent lens btw.) I might be wrong, but I've heard that the 16x manual lens is a touch sharper than the 20x stock lens... It also includes the 1/6 and 1/32 ND filters. I've got the 16x manual/servo lens anyway, and I'm pretty darn pleased with it. Plus, you don't have to deal with one of those awful infinity focus rings. That's my very biased 2 cents anyway.

I can't quite understand what all the fuss was about in not advising people to use Canon's SD lenses on the H1. From what I've seen so far, the new black 20X HD lens that comes with the H1, is not much better than the old black SD 16X Manual Servo lens bayoneted to the same H1 body. It is true that it is tougher to make a 20X lens better than a 16X lens, but I would have thought that the 20X HD should have made a huge improvement over the older SD lenses.

It is of course true that Canon wanted to keep costs low, and that building a lens equal to the Broadcast Fuji lenses would have sent prices sky high, but I still expected to see a marked improvement over the earlier lenses.

This makes me wonder just how much better the new Canon HD 3x lens will be over the older SD version, and if the cost difference is going to match the performance.

I agree with Phil, that the 16X Manual Servo lens would probably be a better bet than buying the Canon HD 20X lens. But this raises the question...if you are thinking of using the H1 20X lens, then you must already have the H1 (because you cannot buy the lens & body separate) - so why are you wanting to use the XL2 when you've already got the H1?

I for one would be very interested in buying the H1 body only and using my existing SD lens, at least as a temporary measure. And since it has been said a few times at least that the high cost of the H1 is due largely to the cost of the HD lens, the body on its own should be quite affordable, right? (Ha ha I will believe it when I see it!)

Richard

Right on, Richard.

Hey, did they immediately market the xl2 as available in a 'body only' kit, or did that take some time?

Being in the process of purchasing most of the available lenses for my XL2, a H1 body with a few thousand dollars, and that annoying 'non-HD lens warning’ knocked off, just could possibly convert me over.

I wonder if enough people feel the same?

The only real issue, that I've ever seen with my own eyes, is the 3x wide angle XL lens on the H1 in HD mode. It's just way too soft to use, and it's immediately noticeable even in the lo-res viewfinder.

The XL2 body only kit was available about a month or so after the whole camera kit. The XL2 had to include the stock VF because the older XL series viewfinders were not compatible.

I too, would like to see a lensless H1 kit because it offers many advantages over the XL2 even in SD mode. 4:3 framing guides, focus distance readout, and of course SDI uncompressed output just to name a few.

-gb-

I was hoping the lens and body would soon be available separately.

Thanks,
Luke

Speaking as someone who owns and xl2 with the Manual 16x and FU-1000 Hi Rex viewfinder, I would DEFINITELY be interested in a 'stripped body' price on the H1. Just the body, no lens, no viewfinder. I think those babies would sell like hotcakes.

I'll be second in line behind you Richard since I too have the same equipment that you mentioned. ;-)

-gb-

I was first in line, and have been waiting patiently in the rain for 6-months...so Richard, Luke, Greg, and the thousands of others trying to storm the shop front...please wait behind the long and winding queue.

To be serious, I have a sneeky feeling that Canon are not ever going to sell the H1 as a body-only, due to them also having thousands of 20X HD lenses to sell, and they fear that they wouldn't be able to sell many lenses on their own. I would be very pleased to be proved wrong of course.

What a thrill it would be to see a nice H1 body-only selling for cheap on Ebay...instead of having to fork out £5,000. The cheapest UK price for a body+lens kit that I've seen so far outside of Ebay is at Wildeye: http://www.wildeye.co.uk/canonxlh1.html. - but I would then need to sell the 20XHD lens and think it would be difficult to sell on its own.

Maybe not as difficult as you think. Aside from possible enhanced clarity for the SD XL cameras, it is black and that is a feature many have wished for since the original XL-1. Look at the first post of this thread for inspiration. ;-)

-gb-