Ok... I'm a little of a noob on this camera, and in cameras in general. (I usually ask what I need and my mate: ie my cinematographer pushes buttons.)

I want to get an XM2 (GL2.) We use a XL2 and we mostly go with 25P and use lots of filters to go for that CSI [EDIT: Spelt CSI wrong] kind of look. Now, I've looked at the XM2, and its brochure, and specs on the Australian Canon Website, and I cannot find its "frame rate" abilities. I want to shoot in 25P, or anything as close, and I was planning to use the XM2 as a second unit camera for indoor shots.

Can anyone point me in the right direction?

Oh, it shoots real 16:9 right? I keep finding cotradicting literature out there.

Thanks muchly.

The XM2 does not shoot real 16:9.
It takes the 4:3 image and cut out the top and bottom to produce the 16:9 image.

The XM2 has 50i and 25p.
(Canon calls the 25p frame/movie mode), Page 48 in the XM2 manual.

So its not as good as the XL2's widescreen. Despite the fact both cams have 4:3 native Chips. I thought that the Widescreen the GL2 (XM2) allowed was using the same technology as the XL2... I guess I can forget what some other forums told me about the GL2.

So if I show a cropped 4:3 image (GL2) on a widescreen TV, it would just look silly right? Whereas the XL2 is in fact real wide..... If thats true, I'm pissed. Gotta save up for an FX1, or another XL2.

The XL2 doesn't use all the pixel's on the chips to produce the image. That is the main difference as far as I know. The 4:3 chip's on the XL2 are big enough to produce a true 16:9, and those on the XM/GL2 are not.

If you use the 16:9 mode on the XM2 (as I do), it will look fine on a widescreen tv, but on a regular 4:3 tv, the image will be stretched.
(ex. people will look a little tall and skinny)

The XL2 doesn't use all the pixel's on the chips to produce the image. That is the main difference as far as I know. The 4:3 chip's on the XL2 are big enough to produce a true 16:9, and those on the XM/GL2 are not.

If you use the 16:9 mode on the XM2 (as I do), it will look fine on a widescreen tv, but on a regular 4:3 tv, the image will be stretched.
(ex. people will look a little tall and skinny)


So what would you guys recommend for 16:9, actually shooting in 16:9 or shooting in 4:3 then setting it to 16:9 in post? Will it look better if you use the cam setting? If you make the changes in post at least you would have the original 4:3 if you wanted a TV version.

Which metode is best has been discussed several times here without actually getting a conclution of which is best. I believe it depends of people's preferences which metode they use.
But if you chose the 4:3, and then add letterbox in post, you have more options later.

Personally I chose to use the in camera 16:9, edit in a 16:9 project and output to 16:9 on dvd.
When that dvd is being played on a regular 4:3 tv, the dvd player (if set up correct) will automatically add the letterbox.

So let me get this straight, and bash me over the head if I'm wrong, but...

The Movie mode ala 16:9 ability the GL2 (XM2) has is basically a 4:3 image that happens to be cropped.

If not, I'm assuming that its only a camera algorithm that just stretches the pixels into the proper 16:9 format, but does not give the Flat look that most editing software do when stretching a 4:3 image.

*covers his head*

Leo, from my understanding, yes you are right. The 16:9 in camera is a cropped 4:3 image.

Notice, 16:9 and "movie mode" are 2 different things.
Movie mode is the 25p setting, and you can use that both in 16:9 and 4:3.

Well I just have the xm2 for a two weeks now and expriment with the 16:9
function.
With a help of a friend who owns the dream camera dvx100 he told me to shoot in the function 16:9 with the xm2
The xm2 will get these in 4:3 and strech the screen top and the bottom side.
But if you put these in the edit software (I use the Final Cut Pro)
And choiche easy set up anamorphic and the sequence settings also anamorphic.
Then you will get a very fine 16:9 screen the results are realy very good
So no cut and without the black borders top and bottom side.
Export this with the option QuickTime conversion to mpeg2 and than put it in DVD studio pro.
So here you have more options to get 16:9 or letterbox etc.