You already have a great lens... just start shooting!

I currently do not own an XL2 so I can,t start shooting just yet.

Myself being 14 years old, I would have to work with my Dad for about 2 more years to purchase an XL2, so if I sold my 100-400mm lens I could get the XL2 much faster.

I guess I am thinking way to far ahead about getting another lens after I buy the XL2.

Thank you very much for your reply

CJ

I wouldn't sell that lens if I were you.

Consider a used XL2 instead, our members usually have them for sale here.

That depends on how far away your wildlife are - and whether you want to consider a possibility of YOU being lunch for them :-). Seriously, if your wildlife are squirrels and birds - no big deal. However, I would be extremely cautious if they are polar bears or tigers. You get the point?

I have used MIRROR lens (SIGMA) of 500mm f/5.6 - custom-order on EF adaptor to take videos of eagles on a nest nearly 2km away - no problems.

Even used that lens with 2X Canon Teleconvertor with EF (7200mm equivalent) to video sherpas walking up to summit of Mt Everest from Base Camp in Rongbuk - about 23 km away in straight line distance.

Currently, for most decent wildlife, a 70-210 f/2.8 is more than good enough.

Will the 70-300mm DO lens work well with the XL2 and EF adapter?

Is it a good quality lens?

When using the 70-300mm DO lens with the XL2 I wont need any lens support system because the 100-300mm DO only weighs 1.6lb and the standard lens with the XL2 weighs 1.4lb so that's only 0.2lb difference, I wont need to purchase a heavy duty tripod or lens support system.

Here is a review:
Canon EF 70-300mm f/4.5-5.6 DO IS USM Lens Review (http://www.the-digital-picture.com/Reviews/Canon-EF-70-300mm-f-4.5-5.6-DO-IS-USM-Lens-Review.aspx)

THANKS,

CJ

I know nothing about your proposed use of your XL2 and the EF lenses. But, what I can tell you is - lightness has NOTHING to do with a need for a heavy tripod and good lens support. It is the MAGNIFICATION that is the cause of the "problem".

Even that 70-300 DO lens at 300mm is about 2,100mm when mounted on XL2 with EF converter. IS or no IS - if you don't have a "rock or concrete" anchor to mount that rig - please forget about using it. I am sorry - but I can't be any more blunt than this.

Consider this -

My Canon XL1 and 500mm f/5.6 mirror lens is about 2.5kg (extremely light) - even lighter than XL2 with 70-300 DO lens. The tripod and anchor system weighs 13kg - that should tell you the amount of stability required for such magnification.

Using any telephoto lens with the XL2 definitely requires a very stable tripod, preferably a pro-heavy duty tripod, but that doesn't mean that you should forget about using them.

I often use 300mm and 600mm ED-IF Nikkors for extreme-telephoto shooting and can obtain crisp and sharp footage. The most important factors are to use the correct tripods and techniques in the best conditions.

I need to know how large the Canon EF adapter is so I can save some room in my Pelican case for when I purchase it.

Thanks,

CJ

Measuring mine in it's black pouch it' approx:

3.5"H x 4.5"W x 2"D

Thanks for the dimensions.

I own a Canon EF-S 60mm macro lens and XL2 so I was wondering if there is any such thing as an EF-S to XL adapter for my XL2.

Thanks,

CJ

Sorry, there is no such thing as an EF-S to XL adapter.

When using the XL2 with the EF adapter and a 300mm or 400mm lens how much does an IS help?, That is assuming you have solid legs and good head.

Thanks a lot,

CJ

300mm on XL2 is 2100mm. 400mm is 2800mm. Whatever help you can get (solid tripod + head) and IS as well is going to improve the image you take. It would also help if you place a sandbag on the camera (above the tripod) to minimise any shakes you would generate.

A few post back I asked if there was any such thing as an EF-S adapter for my EF-S 60mm f/2.8 lens to go with my XL2 and the answer was no, so I asked on another forum cold Wildeye and they also said no until someone posted this link: EF Adapter XL - Canon eStore (http://estore.usa.canon.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/ProductDisplay?catalogId=10051&storeId=10051&productId=174196&langId=-1)
If you read over the compatible lenses carefully, you can see it has three EF-S lenses on the chart.
So know I'm a bit confused, could use some help.

Three EF-S lenses are listed on that page:

EF-S 10-22mm f/3.5-4.5 USM
EF-S 17-85mm f/4-5.6 IS USM
EF-S 60mm f/2.8 Macro USM

I have submitted a query into Canon USA about this to seek confirmation. However I would
not expect an answer back for several days since we're going into a major holiday weekend.

Caleb, I have rec'd word from Canon USA that they are double-checking
the accuracy of that particular page. Be advised though that the stock
20x lens already covers the focal length range that you would get with
the EF-S 60mm with the EF adapter (appx. 430mm equivalent). So
there's really not much point to doing that.

Thanks for checking with Canon Chris. About the 60mm lens being the same as the 20x stock lens, I plan on using it for macro work since it is a life size 1:1 macro lens.

I got my EF adapter from B&H and tried it with my EF-S 60mm f/2.8 macro lens and it didn't work. The back of the lens hits the front of the EF adapter so it does not fit but, I will sell the lens on eBay and buy a canon EF 70-300mm lens for wildlife.

I believe the EF adaptor is only for EF lenses and not for EF-S lenses. I have a Tamron Macro (for Canon) EF lens 100mm f/2.5 (not EF-S) and it works perfectly with the EF adaptor.

I was wondering if is possible to take a photographic lens like this:

VALIDO ZOOM 42/75mm YASHICA FX & CONTAX RTS 137 139 167 su eBay.it per Contax e Yashica, Obiettivi, Fotografia e Video (http://cgi.ebay.it/VALIDO-ZOOM-42-75mm-YASHICA-FX-CONTAX-RTS-137-139-167_W0QQitemZ110503785663QQcmdZViewItemQQptZObiettivi?hash=item19ba89f4bf)

(just for example, but it might be any other brand); and mount a canon xl flange instead of the lens flange, this way the photographic lens can be mounted directly to the XL body without using an adapter (from what i understood is the adapter that cause the magnification factor?).

The magnification factor is all to do with the gate dimensions and the focal length of the lens, not how many adapters or spacers lie between the lens and the gate.

So to have a wide-angle for a 1"/3 chip you'll need a focal length in the order of 3 mm and for tele you'll need 50 mm or so. The lens you've spotted is a less-than-2x zoom with an f/3.5 max aperture :-( that will equate to something like a 300 to 525 mm telephoto on the Canon.

tom.

Thanks for the clarification; i was suspecting it but i wasn't sure... anyway here is a guy who make nikon/pentax/contax adapter to xl body for nearly 120/130€ (and many other adapters).

Adriano Lolli (http://www.adrianololli.com/listino.asp?CAT=VID&SUB=D)

New to the XL2 family and was looking at the Canon EF adapter. Are there any advantages to using one of these with the 20X lense the XL2 comes with

Hi Robert,
you can´t combine the 20x lens that comes with your camera and the ef-adapter!

The Canon ef-adapter is used to attach 35mm EF-lenses to your XL2. Note that when you attach EF-lenses to the XL2, due to the much smaller chip you got a magnification factor of at least 7.8 dependig of which aspect ratio you´re using. A 200mm EF lens gives you 1560mm on the XL2!

There is some articles at dvinfo which might be interesting:
The Watchdog Skinny on the Canon XL2 (http://www.dvinfo.net/canonxl2/xl2skinny.php)
Guide to XL2 Lens Options by Chris Hurd (http://www.dvinfo.net/canonxl2/articles/article04.php)
XL2 Fields of View Comparison by Chris Hurd (http://www.dvinfo.net/canonxl2/articles/article10.php)

So it all depends on what you want to do. Using EF-lenses is more aimed for wildlife shooters. If you want to go the other way in the wide sections you have the 3x wide lens The Canon 3x Wide Angle Zoom Lens by Jim MacAlister (http://www.dvinfo.net/canon/articles/article38.php)

the big debate is always whether the xl2 is better with ef lenses or with a non glass adapter for fd lenses.

I have both and can categorically say that it is a moot point, since footage from either ef or fd lenses is entirely dependent on the optics of the donor lenses and a straight comparison is almost impossible to make unless you have identical fd and ef lenses.

I am currently using a 5d mk2 and have some amazing footage, but the depth of field restrictions are onerous to say the least. At least with small chip cameras like the xl2 there is more leeway.

I am trying to locate www.ronrail.com or www.ronsrail.com - and both of them gave me "server not found". Is he still in the business of making sights and/or rails?

TingSern, I´m afraid that Ronsrail is out of business! Maybe a search on Ebay for a used one could do?

Another source is here:
- Kennan Ward Super-Tele Package - Kit Configuration Page (http://reallyrightstuff.com/ProductDesc.aspx?code=KennanWardPkg&type=3&eq=&desc=Kennan-Ward-Super-Tele-Package)
It´s look pretty equal to the Ronsrail IMHO!

Per Johan, Thanks for the bad news then. I am looking for the Ronsight equivalent actually. I have a Ronsight that was meant for XL2 mounting. I am wondering if there are equivalent for DSLR cameras - because if I put a 500mm lens with 1.7X teleconverter in front on my Nikon DSLR - I have big problems figuring out where the camera is pointing to. While this question might not be entirely related to video (XL2) - I need some solutions equivalent to a Ronsight. Thank you.

I bought a Ronsight before they went out of business. I film wildlife using a Canon XL2 and Nikon lenses with an adaptor. I find it is essential when using my 80mm to 400mm Nikon lens for locating the subject and following it (in the case of birds in flight). The device is a "Red Dot" gunsight modified with an adaptor to fit in the XL2's flashgun mount. It would be worth Googling for red dot sights for rifles and shotguns to see what is available. I'm fairly sure that any small engineering workshop would be able to fashion a mount suitable for an XL2.
The sight basically is a tube incorporating a small LED in the centre of the field of view. There are elevation and windage adjusting screws on the sight that I haven't found necessary to use as yet. As the sight does not magnify the image in any way you retain a wide field of view enabling you to obtain the subject and track it, keeping the red dot aligned on the target.
I tried to purchase the Ronsrail lens support rail at the same time but it was out of stock. I managed to get a very good substitute from "Really Right Stuff" in the USA that actually was less expensive than the Ronsrail.
I had to have an extra I/4 inch tapped Whitworth hole in the support to be able to mount it on my Sachtler DV4 tripod, but a local small engineering workshop only charged me £5 to do so. It works very well in terms of stability but is difficult to balance as it is rear heavy. I can probably address this by adding extra weight further forward on the rail by means of an extra slidable mounting clamp obtainable from "Really Right Stuff".
I really should have a more heavy duty tripod than the DV4 but as I am retired I can't really afford one

Hi all,

Just had my account verified and been waiting all week to pose this question.

Does anyone know if you could use an m42 lens with a nikon adapter for the XL series? My XL has a Nikon adapter, and as I have loads of old m42 lenses I was wondering if I could attach them to the camcorder via another adapter. This would mean 2 adapters between the camcorder and lens, although only one will have glass in.

One more macro option for the EF adapter. The Fotodiox C-mount EOS adapter works fine on my XL2. Use a 50mm TV lens as macro. No vignetation!

Link to the product:

Fotodiox C-mount lens to EOS mount adapter (http://www.fotodiox.com/product_info.php?products_id=487
)

Hi all,

Just had my account verified and been waiting all week to pose this question.

Does anyone know if you could use an m42 lens with a nikon adapter for the XL series? My XL has a Nikon adapter, and as I have loads of old m42 lenses I was wondering if I could attach them to the camcorder via another adapter. This would mean 2 adapters between the camcorder and lens, although only one will have glass in.

You can use a M42->Nikon adapter that has a glass element to retain infinity focus, but you will lose image quality. Just give it a try... the adapter is only $10- on Ebay.

Guys,

I'm thinking about picking up an XL1. Do they have autofocus and will the quality be as good as (I don't know) the XL2?

I think they have autofocus. The XL1's quality doesn't look too good these days. It was replaced by the XL1s which cranked out a better image. Then the XL2 had 16:9 chips and looked significantly better, but still standard definition. I thought the XL2 was the best looking of the 1/3" chip standard def cameras.

This helps a lot. I was considering one but will now pass on it.

Thanks!