The XL1 does not have any analogue intputs like the XL1-S. I need to get a pencil lens to use with the XL1. Is there any way I can attach a pencil lens to the camera?
Regards
Ewald Hayward

I'm not exactly sure what a pencil lens is, but the *only* way to get video into an XL1 outside of the XL lens mount is through the FireWire (DV) jack.

I'll bite. What's a pencil lens and do you have an XL1 or XL1S? Thanks.

Jeff

Is it a lipstick camera?

Pencil lens?

Something to do with ski goggles.
Something to do with off-road vehicle lights.
A special pencil-shapped lens used in medical research (e.g., blood flow in rats).

Might also refer to a special pin-hole lens used in surveillance cameras.

OK, OK,
My mistake! Its supposed to be a 'bullet camera', or a lipstick - because of its size - but a pencil is also small and long and has 'n "pinhole' at the end??
The unit works on any analogue-in port on a camera. Its a fantastic tool when one wants to get close-up shots of say, a car's suspension, by cable tying it down behind the car's wheel.
Problem is that my little XL1 does not have an analogue-in so I can't use it anyway. Unless there is a converter from analogue to DV via the firewire port so that I can use the DV-in option. . .
Sorry for the confusion - interesting responses -)
Ewald
Check out
http://www.cctvtoolbox.co.za/display_product_251.htm

Sometimes I want to get really close as well, but my XL1S' focus just can't go sharp on anything a foot or two away. Having a lipstick camera with twice the resolution found in the link you posted would be ideal for me :)

http://www.helmetcamera.com/products.htm

These folks have a lipstick cam with 480 lines of resolution as well as the 380 line version. I have had reasonably good luck cutting footage from the 380 line lipstick cam and the my PD150 as long as I color correct the lipstick cam footage and don't use much of it.

Rick

You can find analog to Firewire converion devices for around $200 or so.

As to close-up use of the XL1, you can get useable results with a +2 close-up adapter, available at most decent photo supply outlets for $20 or so. They just screw on like a filter. Available in sets of +1, +2, and +4. for perhaps $60 in 72mm size, and they give full zoom through.

For better results invest some real money into better (multi-element coated units ) from Century or parhaps Canon.

Thanks Don
But the whole idea of the lens is to get it into places where the Canon cannot. The lens has a cable of approximately 30 feet (10 metres), which allows one ie to sit inside a car with the Canon and video the suspension while driving.
Could you point me to the analogue to DV converter? If it is not too bulky, one could possibly attached that to the Canon and use the DV-in port.
Regards
Ewald

Ewald,
There are at least 2 or 3 on the market. I occasionally use a "Hollywood DV-Bridge" (http://www.dazzle.com/products/hw_bridge.html) from Dazzle to transfer analog to DV. It works very well, is widely available at computer stores as well as many video shops, is reasonably priced and compact to store.

Sony had a couple models of DV-Analog converters on teh market a couple years ago, tha ???-DA1 and /???-DA2. They may have been discontinued, but were compact and may it mayhave been possible to power them from a battery (I'm not sure about that).

Canopus offers the ADVC -100 fro around $290 at B&H.

Formac Studio offers a model (at least in a recent the B&H catalog)..

There are no doubt many others.