Depending on how much review you need to do, the record search might do the job, without resetting things. Use the two buttons to the rear of the main power switch. Tapping the "record review" button (the one with the loopback icon) will playback the last 3 seconds and automatically return to your previous record point. You can review farther back or forward by holding down the '-' or '+' buttons. Letting go will re-engage record pause right where the tape is at.

Graham,

Using the adapter you are kind of ties your hands to single channel when using one mic. Not sure why your friend needs two channels? In post its way easy to copy on channel to the other when you only captured one. That would be the easiest solution and best of all, it's FREE!

Yeah - I did suggest this to him. Perhaps I'll pursue this with him.

Hmmm....

Grazie

Got my new GL2 today. Initial thoughts.
 

Well, overall I do love it. The 8meg card they include is practically pointless. I'll have to get a 64 meg card or larger for those pics.

It definitely needs an arm brace for normal recording if u want steadier shots compared to the larger older cameras but the quality is pretty impressive. Very sharp. On my DVD player a VCD looks better than other VCD's I've encoded.

I did have a dead pixel in the LCD screen but I hear it's pretty common, so no big deal.

Everything works though and it hooks to the computer very quickly and easily. Works great with Vegas 4. I really want to get a DVD recorder so I can get the best output as possible and have the 5.1 option for sound.

I plan on getting a wide angle lens, a tripod, and a glidecam 2000 initially.

Yahhhooooo!!!!
 

Guess who's got a new toy then?!

Are you gonna have some fun!!!

Veags 4.0c here too! Excellent NLE!!

Tripod - YES most definately!

Arm Brace - Well, not so sure. Practice a technique I've got a "GO" with.

STRAP ADJUSTMENT:Adjust the right hand strap for your hand. Adjust using the velcro adjutment. Take time to get it the way you want it.

RIGHT HAND: Now, slide your right hand through the strap, raise the camera so your right arm is supporting the camera on the heel of the hand - yeah? Feel the balance and weight of it. I've got the strap so that it is below the ridge created by all 4 knuckles - nice and secure feeling there. You should now have your 1st finger - next to your thumb - on the "W" side of the zoom rocker arm, with your middle, longest, finger resting on the "T" of the zoom toggle. Your thumb nicely falls over the RED on button AND it can quickly "flick" the Lock switch over - excellent for putting the XM2 into the power save state - yeah? Your thumb is also good to go, for flicking the cammy into CARD or TAPE mode too. Your fourth and fifth [ little ] finger nicely balance the camera on the "fulcrum" of the heel of your right hand. These 2 fingers also have a bit of grip on the slightly raised "ridge", just forward of the zoom toggle - yeah?

LEFT HAND: Now, raise your left hand and using the "C" shape created by your thumb and first finger, slide your thumb under the cammy and your first finger over and behind the vertical top hand-grip support. Your next finger the middle finger should comforatablky rest on the top edge of the focus ring, and infront of the vertical top hand-grip support. So, you now have your thumb under the cammy and just forward and wedged against the EXP. Lock housing and your first and middle finger "straddling the vertical top hand-grip support. It is now very comfortable to support and balnce the cammy. From this point you can see that the middle finger and the thumb act as the focus ring adjustors - they clamp around the rubber ring - and that your whole left hand "steady" the rcoking of the cammy itself. You will also notice - well it does for me! - that the "muscle" of your first finger's 1st segment neatly falls over the Focus A/M switch. When shooting I can flex this muscle and activate the A/M switch - very useful tip! Okay . . . having now got your middle finger and thumb clamped around the rubber focus ring, it is very easy to rotate your left hand to adjust the focus. The remaining 2 fingers are used to assist in the yawl and dip of the cammy.

POSTURE & HUMAN TRIPOD!: I've now learnt to make use of the flip up eyepiece. When standing or sitting, I have the eyepiece "UP", with my head bowed - as saying prayers! Being a bloke of "heft" - 16 stone here - I have my elbows resting into my "waist". The cammy is now ready to take a shot.

STEADINESS & ZOOM: I've learnt that I really can't go further than 1/4 to 1/3 zoom in, without getting "wander" - I'm getting better, but beyond say a 1/2 zoom I'm a bit wayward. Then I'm in the realms of on-tripod shooting. The Optical Image Stabilizer does work very well. - Please read masses here on OIS system - pros and cons.

So, arm brace? Well it's your money. The downsides? Two I can think of:

1) - You could come to rely on it, and not get your "steady" skills up to speed - that's my opinion. I've also bought a secondhand neck and monopod "belt" waist band device - couldn't get on with it! Had it in my KATA bag for about 4 months, found I wasn't using it and eventually removed it and put it on a shelf in my office, where it is gathering dust - literally!

2) - It's another piece of kit to worry about and maybe wish you hadn't had it in the first place when you are up close and pesonal with several subjects on shoot - yeah?

My advice - as if you weren't going to do this, would be to take new cammy to a place where you could try it out with a steady cam device. Listen, I aint decrying the value of steadycam kits outright - all I'm saying - IMHO - is that there is a time, place and project that requires them. Anyway that's for others to beat me down on - I wouldn't like to think you had spend hard earned cash on something that you might be able to "rectify" with a little time, practice and tips from us all. But, if you have set your heart on this, then who am I to say. I will tell though, I was driving myself up the wall, not liking the unsteadiness of my first few months with this remarkable cammy. Until I gave myself a break and recognised not only my own limitations BUT also the pressure I was putting this cammy under - Now if I need a tripod shot, out comes the tripod - no questions asked! If I want a closer shot? I mkove my ass! Nothing like walking about to get an even better view of the World - eh?

Ho . . I didn't realise I had rambled on so much - sorry Bob. I just want the best shot at this cammy for you - yeah?

NOW the dead pixel! That's another story! Well you know what I would say - get it best to start with! If you can, have the cammy replaced. Thank the Lord, now jitters here. . . . But I'm a stcikler for Consumer rights - Hey it takes enough energy to make the cash - yeah? You can do this politley and still get your rights. Let me invite you to think several months down the track - you're looking and seeing this dead pixel more and more, until one morning you wake up and say "Now why didn't I get this right, from the start?!?" I don't wanna be around you when this hits home - and it will. But there again you aint me ;-)

'Nuf said -

Best regards,

Grazie

Yea, I was really thinking about adding that strap and getting some practice in, but I've seen some sick movie like shots with some steadicams. Practice makes perfect with any technique though I admit.

As far as the dead pixel. Well, as much as it bugs me to not have a perfect camera, it would be such a pain in the ass to put everything back in the case and ship it back. Overall though, it doesn't bug me as much as it might others. It's doesn't show up in the recording process which is far more important and everything seems to be working really well.

Imagine I get another camera that doesn't have a dead pixel but it eats tapes. I mean....it's a $2000 camera but I've heard far worse stories about getting a new camera not working and what-not on this board. If there was like 3 dead pixels I might have something to worry about. Once is kinda tolerable. The viewfinder doesn't have any dead pixels. 1 small green pixel is all I have to deal with. If I was to ship it back.....I'm not sure about how much I would really save grief wise. I'd have to wait about another 2 weeks to get the other camera.

Using a tripod with legs retracted but spread apart can yeild some surprisingly good results with reguard to stabilization while mobile. I hold the tripod by its extended neck as I walk/run.

http://homepage.mac.com/bhardy3/iMovieTheater30.html

Congrats on your new GL2

no audio expert
 

• Does the audio you get using one of these adapters, any good? How does it compare to say the DVX-100 using the same mic?

I'm not a pro and I can't compare it to the DVX-100 but I can tell you that the audio is very clean to my ear and having manual audio adjustments on a camera in this price range is a great thing.

I have a felling that going from a mini-plug to an XLR jsut can't get you as good sound as going straight into the built in XLR of say the PD-150 or DVX-100.

The need for xlr comes in when you need a long cable run. I don't think there is a audible difference between mini and xlr if the cable run is short, but it's when you need to run 50 feet of cable that xlr connectors become important and if I understand it correctly there is little/no loss or concern if it terminates in the end at a mini plug.

But maybe I'm wrong. Plenty of people add a beachtek and do very serious pro work with this camera.

• Does using the mini plug mean that you can only get mono sound? Or does it become stereo with the adpater

It is stereo. There is no adapter needed with the camera out of the box. The mic on the GL2 is stereo as indicated by the left and right stereo gauges. When you use an xlr connector you can connect two separate mics.
EDITING

Is there audio drift in this camera? I heard all MIni-dv suffers from this, by a frame or two.

• Have you noticed audio drift?

I have noticed none. If you shoot at 30fps and import that you might have some issues if your NLE is bringing it in at 29.97 but there is no inherent problem that I'm aware of.

• I know apple sells this camera on their website, but how well does this camera work using Final Cut Pro?

Any problems?

No problems with FCP. I've never had a hiccup with it. I just ordered a 2nd GL2. Couldn't be happier.

lens adapter..
 

sorry if this has been asked before.. i'm a newbie.. i did a search and didn't find anything..

i know the xl1 has an adapter to use canon SLR lenses on it, does the gl2?

i have a canon rebel with a few lenses and would love to be able to use my lenses for both.. (way easier to justify buying new lenses :) )

The GL1/2 cannot use Canon SLR lenses. They can use many adapters/converters that mount onthe end of the existing lens.

oh ok..

thsi is probably stupid but why is it that it cannot use them?

Canon XM2 (GL2) fine adjusment questions...
 

Hi all, I bought myself XM2 (Pal version of GL2) camera, and I`m more than pleased with it, it`s perfect (if there is such a thing :))...

Well, I`am not very close to Mr. Exposure, Mr. Gain and Mr. Shutter ;) I hope you get me. So I would grately appreciate if anyone could give me some tips on setting them manualy.

Don`t get me wrong, I know WHAT are they by definition, and I know that decreasing exposure will brighten my picture, as well as decreasing the F numbers... I just don`t know what are "normal" values etc. For example, when do you use shutter speed 1/25, 1/50 or 1/1400... Or according to what do you change the F numbers. And what`s with the gain ? Is it something electronical, it obviousely "gains" but does it boosts the grain on the picture also as a side effect, should I turn it all the way to zero and play with exposure and shutter settings as much of the time I can ?

Thankfully, white balance and ND filter I get :)

Oh, please don`t think I`m an idiot, I am not, I just bought this great camera and for a week or so I will have to use it, and I want to learn to do it all manually - believe me, I learn fast ;) So I have a few more questions.

What are your "Color Gain", "Color Phase", "Sharpness" and "Setup Level Values" - what do YOU prefer ? ...and is sharpness also electronically enhanced ? If it is should I turn it all the way down ?

Frame movie mode I won`t touch because I know how subjective that comes, and it`s the one thing I liked the first I tested it... I know, you loose some res, but I found out (that`s the only thing I`ve really done so far :)) that the picture (at least to my eye) is far more superior over deinterlacing - it seems much sharper... Ok, this I like, frames all the way.

Also, the 16:9 is done anamorphically, I like that mucho, but I supose there is a catch somewhere ? Shoot ! What`s the catch ? I know I`ll be better of using the widescreen adapter when I`ll need it, but what`s the catch with in-camera widescreen mode ? To me it looks good, but I somehow have a feeling it`s not...

Ok, this is it... For now :) THANK YOU, THANK YOU, THANK YOU SO very much for help !!! You are all a life savers !

Why haven`t I found this great forum earlier !

why?
 

the lens is not removable. as it mentioned, you can buy a wide angle lens to thread onto the existing lens, but the existing lens is not removable.

"Choppy" IRIS adjustment on GL2?
 

Is there any way to "smooth" out the IRIS adjustment on the GL2 in full manual mode?

I have a new DVX100 (not mine) and really LOVE the smooth, dedicated IRIS thumbwheel it has. Perhaps my biggest gripe with the GL2 is the noticeable exposure "jumping" when bumping the aperture up or down. You can't do it while shooting, or if you do the footage is useless and doesn't make a smooth transition in difficult lighting -- whereas the DVX100 makes a nice, smooth transition without breaking a sweat.

The GL2 makes a smooth transistion when in "P" mode automatically -- no signs of "stepping." However, manually adjusting with that hokey thingamabob is a PITA.

Any way around it?

Here too . .In the UK! Just been doing this in a London Park . . . Jumpy bumpy iris . . .

Grazie

Hiyah Mike! See that you made it over here from the COW CanonDV site!

You've made it thus far - you've asked a whole bunch of questions - no problem. But to get you going and invite you to take advantage of what has been discussed here over the months the new XM2 has been out - my initial advice is for you to delve in amongst some of the stuff already here - yeah?

The search facilities here are splendid.

Good to see you here at THE House of Fun for the XM2,

Grazie

Color Gain, Sharpness, etc.
 

I was playing with the GL2 the other day, and found the color gain, sharpness, etc. on that menu. Well, I changed the settings to see how far it would go, and it didn't appear to change the image as much as I'd have liked.

Is there any trick to this?

nope. no trick (nt)
 

nt

Yeah :)
 

Yeah, I found some answers... Well, majority... And got some by firther experimenting with camera.

All i all, this is one GRRREAT forum !!!

Like I said before, very informative ;)

Thanks for directing me here.

Dv If
 

Not sure what button I pushed, but "DV IF" flashes on my LCD. I'm still learning the ins and outs...

Don't know this one. Crawled over my manual just now for you - nope, aint got it here on the XM2.

Grazie

If you want to radically change the way the video looks, doing it in post is probably the best option. I did some pretty neat color correction in FCP last night on a random clip I found, to make it look a bit like those darkish de-saturnated music videos.

color correcting footage from gl2 mixed with sony trv900
 

Hi, everyone. I made the mistake of doing a two-camera shoot of a graduation ceremony with a Sony TRV-900 and a Canon GL-2 and using the auto white balance on both cameras.

I'm editing in Final Cut Pro 3 and have tried playing around with some of the color correction filters (particularly the RGB balance one), none of which I have much experience with, so naturally, I haven't had much success getting the footage to match up.

Just wondering if anyone out there has some tips or can help point me in the right direction...?

Thanks so much.
Krishna

Which zoom mic is better?
 

Canon's or Sennheiser or other?

Don't mention any XLR mics...... Just ones that can attach right away.

xlr mic?
 

I'll let those with experience with canon and senn chime in, but most mics can be connected to xlr or mini. Some mics have an attached cable, but most, like my azdens, have a male xlr connector and to that you can attach a cable that ends in another xlr connector or a mini, or I suppose, others. If I'm using my azden shotgun on my camera I probably have it connected to the mini; if I put it on a 20 foot cord, I can connect it with an xlr cable to a beachtek or studio 1 xlr adapter.

Do you mean ZOOM or SHOTGUN mic?
Which model numbers?

I can't really help you myself but perhaps you would get more replies if this was moved to the Mac forum instead since the question refers to post work in FCP.

I checked the manuals for the GL1, GL2, XL1 and XL1s and only the
XL1 manuals state the color temperature (sorta). They say:

Indoor mode (3200K light)
Outdoor mode (5600K sunlight)

Which are the standard colo(u)r temperatures.

Color Corrector Three way
 

You will want to use the Color Corrector 3Way to tweak the colors. You may use other filters in combination with that filter but the 3way corrector will do the majority of the work. I did a similar thing when I asked a friend to do Broll for me in a gym. He didn't even color balance and his footage was almost solid orange. I had to color correct both rolls to get something that was close enough that they looked the same but it is doable. I'm gone for the next 5 days on a float so I won't be much more help...

Thanks, that makes sense. The GL2 is probably similar.

Set it to none. If that is not an option set it to lower (even).

Thanks ... I do have the option of none or lower. On another thread, I was advised to set it at even because the GL-2 frame mode is actually interlaced. Does this make sense to you? If could explain the rationale, that would be very helpful. Thanks in advance.

It is correct that the DV format "only understands" interlaced. In
this format the lower field comes first. Usually settings for your
NLE are used on how it TREATS your footage which must be
non-interlaced (therefor the none). It can also be it uses this for
reading the format, in this case you might need lower first. Run
some tests, if you see weird results on one then you know that
it isn't the way to go.

On Premiere I tried both and it didn't made a difference at all on
*my* frame mode footage.

Filming Sunrise/Sunset
 

This question may seem a bit funny, but I need to know if I will damage my Canon GL-2 if I film looking at the sun? I would like to be able to capture sunrises and sunsets, but want to find out first if it is bad for the camera. I would imagine that I will need to use some type of filter and also adjust the shutter and/or aperture. Any suggestions?

Thanks in Advance,

Jim

Stop!
 

DON'T DO ANYTHING YET! Wait for replies and then do some more research. Lots of options for doing untold damage - all round!

Stop and wait!!!!

Grazie

Thanks for finding that old thread. Since I posted back then I've shot some more sunsets. Most recently I used 3 ND filters stacked and also cranked the shutter up to the max speed on my PDX-10, which I think is something like 1/10,000! This allowed me to shoot at a reasonable f-stop. Looks good on the tape but I haven't edited yet.

I haven't damaged my camera, but you should use some common sense. If it looks bright enough to hurt your eyes then you probably shouldn't film it. Wait until just before dawn or sunset, when the sun is very low on the horizon. It's filtered quite a bit by the atmosphere at that point. Best to go someplace that has a clear view of the horizon, like the beach or a mountain. You get the most interesting effects just as the sun sets, and then immediately afterwards the clouds get very interesting since the sun is below the horizon but still lighting the distant clouds.

I use both the high shutter speed and lots of filters to be in the "sweet spot" of the lens, which is typically in the f4 to f5.6 range. You may get diffraction effects if you use a very small lens opening, but experiment a bit with your own setup and see what you like.

Try speeding the clips up in your NLE afterwards, and they get really interesting....
I have gotten adventurous enough to shoot the sun higher in the sky for brief periods, and have one shot that's very interesting as a dark raincloud was passing. There's a still frame of it here. One interesting effect I've noticed is that the "aura" around the sun is so bright that it overexposes and the result is that the sun appears to be much larger than it really is. I actually like this effect however. There are some other framegrabs of sunsets here

Automated focussing?
 

Is there a way for me to focus on say a flower in the foreground...set a focus marker. Then focus on the background...set another focus marker. And then record and switch between them?

Hope that makes sense

Thanks

That sounds like a nice feature to have. However I dont think there is a way to put a focus marker, other than physically marking your focus ring and lens barell.

In the old days this was called throwning the focus - as per Vladimir's description.