I've noticed that when I zoom in and out I can heard it during playback. I guess the mic is picking up the servo sound from the camera itself. Is this normal? And can someone tell me how to get rid of it?

Err, sorry, I just did a search and found that its common and that you have to use the lightwave products to get rid of it. But my question is, for those of you who have the lightwave stuff, can you hear the servos at all? or does it completely get rid of the noise?

Thanks

A combination of the LWS System Isolator and Mini-Mount *completely* elimates the servo noise. We have Leslie Drever to thank for this, who unfortunately passed away about 18 months ago.

I just got off the phone with Canon, and they said that you should not hear the camera on TV playback, but you will hear it during playback on the camera. I interpreted as when you record, you'll heard it but you shouldn't during playback on the TV. Well, in anycase, I've ordered the SI-XL1, MM-XL1, and the EQ-XL1. I wish I didnt have to keep spending money.

I have the SI-XL1, MM-XL1, and the EQ-XL1 for my XL1. If you listen really loud via your headphones you 'may' beable to hear the zoom a bit if it's completely silent! The improvement is still excellent! I'm sure on your tv you won't hear it at all. If you wear headphones to watch a tv show I'm sure you can probably hear some background sounds that you're not supposed to as well. The isolator works even better on the end of a boom. The EQ-XL1 is excellent in the wind outside as well!

I recommend getting both the mini-mount and system isolator, however the mini-mount makes a big difference.

One other thing, the mic is on the noisiest side of the camera. If Canon had mounted the mic on the left side, there would be hardly any camera noise!

Nathan Gifford

One caveat with the mini-mount. I tried one, and the reduction of camera noise was truly remarkable. However, when operating with a 5" LCD display on the shoe, the mount would not fit on the camera -- I had to turn it upside down, and the mic cable was under some tension. It wasn't workable for me when using the LCD unit.

I use my mic in the holder upside down. But I did do some soldering and reversed the left and right of the mic's output. This way there is much more cable without tension.

Yeah, that should do it. I never got to that point since I seldom use the on-camera mic when I'm using the LCD monitor and a tripod. This was one of those "quick notice" night club jobs, with no time to set up my own mics. Without the LCD unit, it should work normally.

Vic:

What type of LCD you use with the XL1? How is it for sharpness during focusing and viewing from an angle? (sorry topic changing a bit)
I have a very small Casio VM-50 LCD monitor but it's so small (2.3" I think) and hard to view from angles. Actually, it sucks! I see alot better choices out there now, like the ones on this site.

Ken--

I'm using an Everfocus EN-200N that I got from Markertek. The cosmetics are identical to the Varizoom, including the name on the top, so I'm guessing several different brands are made by the same company. It is a 5" and works quite well -- focusing is quite easy with the display, and the color and contrast are adjustable. It's a super twist, so you can get a little off-axis, but not too much. It also has mini-speakers, but I never use them.

I wanted to let you guys know that I did purchase the 3 items and I can still hear the Zoom during playback on my TV. I am wondering if I'm not doing something wrong?

Maybe you have a very noisey zoom on your camera?
Do you have another lens to try?
If you hold the mic in your hand so it's not connected to the camera at all is there still noise? If not, then it's going through the connections. If there is still noise then it could be a loud zoom that needs some repair (lube-job).

I took the camera to the Canon repair center and they said it was normal. The only way to get around the sound is to switch to manual and turn the gain down. In auto mode during quiet to noisey situations the mic will pick up the zoom noise.

I think that they might be blowing smoke -- I agree with Chris' earlier post. I was able to reduce the noise with the System Isolator, and completely eliminate it with the Mini-mount, even when not used in combination. Sounds like maybe your mechanics might be nosier than what's expected.

I haven't heard the zoom noise yet, but I do things a bit different.

First, I slide the mic as far as it will go, away from the body. Then I only use this audio as a guide for laying audio recorded seperately.

Second, if I absolutely need the audio on the camera, I use a shotgun mounted on top with the accessory mount.

I have never been happy with the audio from a camera, and use wireless mics feeding into a digital mixer/recorder. Everything else is done with software.