underscan, varizoom lcd monitor
 

I've heard that the XL1s color viewfinder underscans by quite a bit. I also own a varizoom 5.6 inch color lcd monitor. I want to use these two together, but it's hard because the external monitor has no markings on it (e.g. title/action safe). I have no idea, therefore how to frame with it. I had the brilliant idea of looking through the camera's viewfinder and the external simultaneously while framing a relatively square object, and using small strips of masking tape on the external monitor to tell me what the viewfinder was seeing. I realize now, of course, that not everyone owns a crappy magnavox TV, and may want to see the area outside of the viewfinder's range. I want to know what I can do to accurately frame, with the equipment I have. I just don't want to buy another external monitor right now.

Most everyone *does* own a consumer TV, and I think you should shoot with this lowest common denominator in mind. Go ahead and tape off your monitor. The LCD monitor will underscan a bit too. Consider it to be showing you the "TV safe" area.

Err. I brought this up in another thread once, and wouldn't want to sound like a nit-picker, but this is a common misuse of the terms "underscan" and "overscan". The LCD viewfinder actually OVERSCANS, meaning it is clipping off the edges of the image. A monitor that underscans will show the complete raster, usually with some black around the edges (computer monitors, for instance). Hence the "underscan" button on broadcast monitors, that mode will shrink the image and display the full image available.

above
 

Thank you both grasshoppers. Just to clarify: first guy was telling me to tape off the lcd monitor according to what the camera's viewfinder shows, correct?

By the way, does the XL1s black and white viewfinder have title and action safe marks?