XL2 and EF Lens Adapter / EF Lenses / EOS Lens

Tom Duncan · September 29th, 2004, 06:47 PM

see my new thread in the XL1S watchdog section with comparisons of lenses with the EF adapter.

http://www.dvinfo.net/conf/showthrea...threadid=32734

Darren Kelly · September 30th, 2004, 09:49 AM

I received my XL adapter a day or two ago and decided to try it with a tamron 200-500mm lens I have.

What was impressive was the amount of the zoom I could use. If you want to improve your chances of getting some great wildlife stuff, eagles, birds, etc, I would recommend this to you. The tripod should be solid and I don't think you could even consider this a handheld option, but I was impressed with the sharpness and quality.

BTW, I'm using an XL2

DBK

Lauri Kettunen · October 4th, 2004, 12:20 AM

There is now a footage at www.luontovideo.net/XL2-lens-test.html demonstrating the image one gets with the XL2 PAL in 25p mode using the XL-EF adapter and various EF-lenses. The lenses I used were:

XL 3x 3.4-10.2mm and
XL 20x 5.4-108mm lenses
EF 17-35mm F/2.8L USM,
EF 70-200mm F/2.8L USM,
EF 100-400mm F/4.5-5.6L IS USM,
EF 400mm F/2.8L USM.

The file is rather big, 207Mb, and an avi file employing the Microsoft codec. (The clips were imported to Premiere through a standard firewire port.) Some fog appeared, when I attached the EF 400mm lens, and it shows.

Some comments:

The EF 100-400mm lens was very difficult to focus in the 400mm end. I do not find personally that lens useful. Neither the EF 70-200mm was easy to focus.

Some first impressions of the XL2 compared to the XL1:

Improvements: Audio, nex 20x lens, sharpness, colors, knee & black adjustments, custom functions, optical image stabilator

Improvements but could be further developed: display (can't see any flickering), audio inputs (balanced line input missing, but can live with that)

Not happy about: The iris/set knob (would have preferred the dial of XL1 but can live with the new knob) and with the mechanical design of the plastic covers of the inputs; My concern is that the small rubber rod between the cover and the camera body will break in parts at some point next winter.

Lasse Bodoni · October 4th, 2004, 12:45 PM

yes, it is a nice color-show. Can't play the video, only some color blocks. Do we need a codec?

Mark Grgurev · October 4th, 2004, 01:04 PM

Yea, you have to recompress it. someone can get a seizure from that file.

Rabi Syid · October 4th, 2004, 01:07 PM

how do we recompress the file?

Lauri Kettunen · October 4th, 2004, 01:20 PM

Hmm, somebody seems always to have some problems. Guess one needs Premiere or some other software to view the clip. I'll create another version of the clip as soon as have a chance for that. Sorry for the inconvinience, "please do not shoot the pianist."

Rob Lohman · October 4th, 2004, 01:50 PM

This has nothing to do with compression or re-compression. It is
a DV file and something went wrong. It is indeed faulty. I suspect
something went wrong when you uploaded it (perhaps your FTP
program was set to text while uploading instead of binary mode).

Lasse Bodoni · October 4th, 2004, 02:13 PM

it isn't a software issue but a codec or encoding

Lauri Kettunen · October 4th, 2004, 02:27 PM

Rob, thanks, you guessed the source of problem. It was in ftp and the default ascii mode it assumed.

I just deleted the old avi file and a new one will be available in couple hours.

Please wait till 11:30 pm London time before trying to download the new file.

(I'm filming at the altitude of the artic circle and it takes some time to ftp the file again to the server for I have only a slow connection available.)

Gabriele Turchi · October 4th, 2004, 03:17 PM

Really Thanks Lauri !!

You are very very Kind

Best reagards

Gabriele

Rob Lohman · October 5th, 2004, 01:45 AM

The file is okay now indeed. Glad I could help in solving the
problem. Thank you Lauri for putting the footage up!

Lauri Kettunen · October 5th, 2004, 12:04 PM

I made another sample demonstrating XL2 together with EF 400mm/f2.8 L USM lens. The sample requires canopus codec and is available at

www.luontovideo.net/XL2-lens-test.html

There are two clips in the sample. The other object was taken 100 meters away and the other 6 meters away from the camcorder. Be aware, that since the magnification with a 400mm lense is huge, when the object is far away, humidity and the motion of air easily blur the image. This sample was taken in rather good conditions in this respect.

Tony Hall · November 2nd, 2004, 12:50 AM

Has anyone used the Sigma 12-24mm lens with the EF adapter? I'm concerned about being able to change the aperture electronically because there's no aperture ring on the lens. Also, is it true that the EF adapter doesn't autofocus with 35mm lenses?

Duncan Wilson · November 2nd, 2004, 03:02 AM

Tony

I haven't used this specific lens, but I have used other Sigmas with the EF adapter. You change the aperture using the camera's iris wheel (or whatever you call it on the XL2) in exactly the same way as you do with the stock XL lenses.

Yes, it is true that you lose any autofocus function on a 35mm lens when using the EF adapter.

Regards
Duncan

October 4th, 2004, 12:20 AM	#63
Lauri Kettunen Major Player Join Date: Aug 2004 Location: Kangasala, Finland Posts: 445	XL2 and EF lenses There is now a footage at www.luontovideo.net/XL2-lens-test.html demonstrating the image one gets with the XL2 PAL in 25p mode using the XL-EF adapter and various EF-lenses. The lenses I used were: XL 3x 3.4-10.2mm and XL 20x 5.4-108mm lenses EF 17-35mm F/2.8L USM, EF 70-200mm F/2.8L USM, EF 100-400mm F/4.5-5.6L IS USM, EF 400mm F/2.8L USM. The file is rather big, 207Mb, and an avi file employing the Microsoft codec. (The clips were imported to Premiere through a standard firewire port.) Some fog appeared, when I attached the EF 400mm lens, and it shows. Some comments: The EF 100-400mm lens was very difficult to focus in the 400mm end. I do not find personally that lens useful. Neither the EF 70-200mm was easy to focus. Some first impressions of the XL2 compared to the XL1: Improvements: Audio, nex 20x lens, sharpness, colors, knee & black adjustments, custom functions, optical image stabilator Improvements but could be further developed: display (can't see any flickering), audio inputs (balanced line input missing, but can live with that) Not happy about: The iris/set knob (would have preferred the dial of XL1 but can live with the new knob) and with the mechanical design of the plastic covers of the inputs; My concern is that the small rubber rod between the cover and the camera body will break in parts at some point next winter.

October 4th, 2004, 01:50 PM	#68
Rob Lohman RED Code Chef Join Date: Oct 2001 Location: Holland Posts: 12,514	This has nothing to do with compression or re-compression. It is a DV file and something went wrong. It is indeed faulty. I suspect something went wrong when you uploaded it (perhaps your FTP program was set to text while uploading instead of binary mode). __________________ Rob Lohman, visuar@iname.com DV Info Wrangler & RED Code Chef Join the DV Challenge \| Lady X Search DVinfo.net for quick answers \| Buy from the best: DVinfo.net sponsors

October 5th, 2004, 01:45 AM	#72
Rob Lohman RED Code Chef Join Date: Oct 2001 Location: Holland Posts: 12,514	The file is okay now indeed. Glad I could help in solving the problem. Thank you Lauri for putting the footage up! __________________ Rob Lohman, visuar@iname.com DV Info Wrangler & RED Code Chef Join the DV Challenge \| Lady X Search DVinfo.net for quick answers \| Buy from the best: DVinfo.net sponsors

November 2nd, 2004, 12:50 AM	#74
Tony Hall Major Player Join Date: Jul 2004 Location: springfield, OH Posts: 344	EF adapter w/ Sigma 12-24mm lens? Has anyone used the Sigma 12-24mm lens with the EF adapter? I'm concerned about being able to change the aperture electronically because there's no aperture ring on the lens. Also, is it true that the EF adapter doesn't autofocus with 35mm lenses? __________________ Tony "Good taste is the enemy of creativity" - Picasso Blog: http://www.tonyhall.name

September 29th, 2004, 06:47 PM	#61
Tom Duncan New Boot Join Date: Jan 2003 Location: cali Posts: 9	see my new thread in the XL1S watchdog section with comparisons of lenses with the EF adapter. http://www.dvinfo.net/conf/showthrea...threadid=32734

September 30th, 2004, 09:49 AM	#62
Darren Kelly Major Player Join Date: Aug 2003 Location: Vancouver Posts: 351	I received my XL adapter a day or two ago and decided to try it with a tamron 200-500mm lens I have. What was impressive was the amount of the zoom I could use. If you want to improve your chances of getting some great wildlife stuff, eagles, birds, etc, I would recommend this to you. The tripod should be solid and I don't think you could even consider this a handheld option, but I was impressed with the sharpness and quality. BTW, I'm using an XL2 DBK

October 4th, 2004, 12:45 PM	#64
Lasse Bodoni Regular Crew Join Date: Aug 2004 Posts: 39	yes, it is a nice color-show. Can't play the video, only some color blocks. Do we need a codec?

October 4th, 2004, 01:04 PM	#65
Mark Grgurev Regular Crew Join Date: Dec 2003 Location: Fairview,nj Posts: 137	Yea, you have to recompress it. someone can get a seizure from that file.

October 4th, 2004, 01:07 PM	#66
Rabi Syid Regular Crew Join Date: Sep 2004 Location: location Posts: 68	how do we recompress the file?

October 4th, 2004, 01:20 PM	#67
Lauri Kettunen Major Player Join Date: Aug 2004 Location: Kangasala, Finland Posts: 445	Hmm, somebody seems always to have some problems. Guess one needs Premiere or some other software to view the clip. I'll create another version of the clip as soon as have a chance for that. Sorry for the inconvinience, "please do not shoot the pianist."

October 4th, 2004, 02:13 PM	#69
Lasse Bodoni Regular Crew Join Date: Aug 2004 Posts: 39	it isn't a software issue but a codec or encoding

October 4th, 2004, 02:27 PM	#70
Lauri Kettunen Major Player Join Date: Aug 2004 Location: Kangasala, Finland Posts: 445	Rob, thanks, you guessed the source of problem. It was in ftp and the default ascii mode it assumed. I just deleted the old avi file and a new one will be available in couple hours. Please wait till 11:30 pm London time before trying to download the new file. (I'm filming at the altitude of the artic circle and it takes some time to ftp the file again to the server for I have only a slow connection available.)

October 4th, 2004, 03:17 PM	#71
Gabriele Turchi Regular Crew Join Date: Jul 2004 Location: New York City Posts: 56	Really Thanks Lauri !! You are very very Kind Best reagards Gabriele

October 5th, 2004, 12:04 PM	#73
Lauri Kettunen Major Player Join Date: Aug 2004 Location: Kangasala, Finland Posts: 445	I made another sample demonstrating XL2 together with EF 400mm/f2.8 L USM lens. The sample requires canopus codec and is available at www.luontovideo.net/XL2-lens-test.html There are two clips in the sample. The other object was taken 100 meters away and the other 6 meters away from the camcorder. Be aware, that since the magnification with a 400mm lense is huge, when the object is far away, humidity and the motion of air easily blur the image. This sample was taken in rather good conditions in this respect.

November 2nd, 2004, 03:02 AM	#75
Duncan Wilson Regular Crew Join Date: Jan 2004 Location: Jersey, Channel Islands Posts: 41	Tony I haven't used this specific lens, but I have used other Sigmas with the EF adapter. You change the aperture using the camera's iris wheel (or whatever you call it on the XL2) in exactly the same way as you do with the stock XL lenses. Yes, it is true that you lose any autofocus function on a 35mm lens when using the EF adapter. Regards Duncan