thanks so much. I got it! I found the first short film that me and my brother did back in 95 when I was 10 of 11. I really want to put it on the internet. It's pretty funny.

I found a PVC pipe with thick rubber bands works fantastic.

If you want later i could take some photos my beast.

Zac

If you could post a picture that would be excellent!

The MZS-CAM does an excellent job of dampening camera noise, but the inability to tilt it up and down is a probem with the ME66, which is a very directional mike. Also, I can't stand the hot shoe attachment, which is made out of plastic and can't be tightened very securely on to the camera for fear of stripping the threads. I recently ordered a hot shoe adapter for my trusty Audio Technica shockmount that I've previously had excellent results with when mounted on a boom pole. Haven't received it from B&H yet, so I can't say how well it works.

http://www.bhphotovideo.com/bh1.sph/FrameWork.class?FNC=ProductActivator__Aproductlist_html___68160___AU3760057___REG___CatID=0___SID=F3 A2B59BA10

Here's the shockmount:
http://www.bhphotovideo.com/bh1.sph/FrameWork.class?FNC=ProductActivator__Aproductlist_html___68143___AUAT8415___REG___CatID=0___SID=F3A 2B59BA10

The GL2 is a video camera. A cheap digital still cam, around 2megs, will be able to capture cleaner, sharper pictures than what a camcorder can.

What Frank is saying is that basically you're right -- they don't want it to compete with the Powershot line.

GL2 will not capture!
 

The firewire card is recognized, and the canon dv is recognized, but when I go to capture is just does nothing. When I first plugged it in, it wanted to install canon av/storage, but it couldn't find the file even on the disc that came with it. What should I do?

Mac or PC? What software are you trying to use to capture and edit?

Frame vs. Normal (and other deinterlacing options)
 

The conventional wisdom is that the GL2 sacrifices a little bit of resolution in Frame Mode. So obviosly it's better to use Normal Mode and then deinterlace in post.

My question is this: What is the best program for de-interlacing? Is there any good share-ware out there?

Steve Nunez mentioned "Cleaner 5.1.1 using the Sorenson 3 codec" in another thread. When and how is this used?

Alex,
There is a current thread already running on this subject over here. I think you'll find it useful to review.

BTW, post-deinterlacing is not necessarily better than using Frame mode.

Setup Level, Gain & Low Light?
 

Hey guys, after a month of fiddling with my new XM2 I've got a quite a few questions for all you helpful folk at dvinfo.net, heres my first few.

What exactly does Setup Level do?

I'm assuming it's basically like a in-camera electronic brightness setting.

Which brings me to my next question, what exactly technically speaking is the difference between gain and brightness (setup level). There is a noticable difference between the two in terms of looks, but what does each actually do to achieve this?

I've found using a lower setup level, darkness aside, produces slightly more contrast and more 'filmic' blacks.

To get to the ultimate point; if your shooting in low light situations, in what order should u start manually changing settings to achieve the best image with minimum grain.

Would this order be the following...?

1) Appiture (iris, f-stop) - nb/ does a wider appiture give greater depth of field?

2) Shutter Speed

3) Setup Level

4) Gain

5) Lower Sharpness to remove grain once over about 6db gain


Thanks guys.

Don't change sharpness too much in either way. It will affect your
picture in a way that you will see it has extra sharpening or is to
blurry.

Now I don't know exactly what the difference between gain and
setup level is, but if I'm not mistaken it is the following: setup
level shifts the window in which the XL1s paints slightly to the
left (blacks) or right (highlights). This allows you to control the
floor of the signal (the ceiling can be controlled by iris, shutter,
gain etc.) to make sure it is in the range that is legal (for TV) or
the range you like.

Gain simply changes the sensitivity of the CCD's by either giving
them more/less power or altering the signal after it gets off the
CD. The signal is weakened (-3 db), left alone (0 db) or increased/
enhanced (+xxdb). This will add noise since it is increasing a signal
and not increasing the quality/resolution of that signal. Which will
introduce noise. This might be acceptable giving the circumstances.

Generally the wider the lens (low f2.0 for example) the more light
it will let through. Also the lower the shutter speed (1/30th or
lower for example) the more light the camera will see. Ofcourse if
you go below 1/30th your image will start to exhibit strange side
effects. DOF will be reduced when opening up the lens and zooming
in.

To answer your questions:

1) use as low as possible (f1.8 for example) to get more light
2) use as low as possible (probably don't want to go below 1/30th)
3) i have this down a notch or two to create more black detail
4) gain is the last thing you should change, because it will affect
the noise levels which can be seen easily. Only if you cannot get
enough picture with the lowest settings above do you increase
the gain
5) sharpness seems to be a personal preference, don't use it too
much though!

Hope this will help in some way....

matching the look of an xl1
 

can anyone recommend any settings to match the look of an xl1 (first generation) using the 16x zoom. i'll be using my gl2 as a b camera.

i normally have my sharpness up one click and i'm not sure if i should set it dead center to match the 16x lens or if how i have it set now will be fine.

any advice would be appreciated.

mb4

Hi Alex,

I'm a fan of the Sorenson 3 codec- which is basically a compression scheme people use to reduce the file size of video. Raw Dv footage is about 13GB per hour- as where using a codec can compress the footage (file-size wise) so that video can be presented online or saved and played via CD-rom, DVD etc...

The thing with codecs are- the many different codecs employ different compression schemes and priorities- so for some you'll get better audio- for some better motion performance etc....Media Cleaner let's you adjust certain aspects of the compression so that you can vary them to suit- for websites you'd apply alot of compression as to not keep people waiting forever to see a 2 minute clip (usually at the price of video quality.) You can vary the compression so that it's optimized for cd-rom delivery etc....

..I hope I didn't confuse you more- but hopefully you got the idea of what "compression" does....now you'll have to buy software to compress your footage- unless you have a Mac with QT Pro- you can export via QT to various formats.

Cleaner 6 is highly touted....good luck.

Notes for GL2 for possible broadcast
 

I am shooting some B-Roll for possible broadcast this weekend. Is there anything I should note in prepping the material especially for broadcast? Would I just take the tape to a post house and have it transferred to Beta? Any comments or advice would be appreciated...

Whats the use of SMTP bars?
 

Hi, I have recently bought a GL2 (XM2 since I live in Sweden). I feel that there is something I should know about the colour bars, but I have no clue as to what, since the manual doesn't say very much at all. I read somewhere that you should always record a few seconds of bars on a new tape. I don't get the use of them though.
Can some on fill me in on this?

Fredrik, Sweden

What is the true colour?
 

Hello, i forgot to ask in my thread about colour bars that about colours. When I watch a dv tape on one tv, it looks darker or more colourful then the other, same with watching a dv file on different computers; you perhaps have to adjust the brightness or color gain to get a good picture. That led me to the question: what are my taped materials TRUE colour, brightness and so fourth?? (I have a Canon XM2). Is this what the colour bars are for perhaps?

Color bars provided a standard signal on tape that can be used as a reference to check/setup/adjust analog components in the signal path, incluing the monitor. (Note that the original XL1 and GL1 did not have standard color bars.) However, typical full-field camcorder bars are not the best for montior adjustment.

There is a lot of difference in default adjustment of TV sets, so video is likely to look different on differnet sets. This is especially an issue with NTSC (never the same color).

I don't know, but maybe you should record 10 or so seconds of color bars at the beginning of your footage.

The only way to know how your footage actually looks is to use
calibrated (professional) monitors/TV's.

There is a current thread about this here.

If you have a specific broadcast organization in mind, check with them to see what they expect Exampels may include bars and tone at the start, no program material in the first 60 seconds of tape, and so on.

You could also take the footage into a computer and examine the data pixel by pixel, or with a waveform monitor/vectorscope.

I suppose that it depends on how you want the cameras to match.

Do you want the GL2 (XM2 over here) to match the warmth of the XL1s or do you want your XL1s to match the GL2's more neutral look?

It would be interesting to hear from other users of both cameras and how they achieve this balance...

I am by no means an expert here, but I might be able to help you out a bit more.

Like Don answered before me, the purpose of the bars is to provide a tool for adjustment of monitors etc.

If you show the final result of your product on a consumer TV set (or a monitor for that matter), most people will adjust the picture to "look good". However most people have no clue how to accurately adjusting the controls, so the picture will end up being too bright or too dark off in colors etc.

One important setting is the "brightness". A bit of a misnomer, since it is actually an adjustment of the level of black. Imagine if you turn brightness down too far. Then all parts of your picture that were supposed to be varying shades of darkness (but not black) will all appear equally black. Ie. the details are lost in blackness.

If you turn black level up too highly, what was supposed to look black, will actually look grey.

Part of the SMPTE color bars can let you adjust precisely this. Take a look at this pattern:

http://www.greatdv.com/video/smptebars.htm

Near the bottom right is a "pluge" pattern. On a black background are 2 vertical stripes. One is "blacker than black" meaning it is slightly below reference black. The other is slightly lighter than black.

The point is that "blacker than black" is supposed to look just like black, whereas the slightly lighter than black stripe is supposed to stand out from the black background. You adjust the brightness control to accomplish this.

Likewise the contrast can be adjusted for good greyscale and so low that the picture doesn't "bloom" - white lines get distorted.

Color shift can be adjusted too. This is explained on the page I linked to.

This was a brief explanation. To get a thorough introduction to this subject, buy "Video Essentials" or "Avia" on DVD. Both include excellent audio and video calibration procedures.

Last, the SMPTE stems from the NTSC world. Test signals usually look different in the PAL world - I live in Denmark. I usually use NTSC though, so cannot help you out there.

Hope that helped a bit.

Hans Henrik

broadcast
 

The local TV stations here are pretty flexible, I can take them just about anything.........they have no problem with DV tapes or DVD's. (DV tapes they need us to bring in a camera so they can capture it)

But, I do put a 3 second tone, and 9 seconds of color bars up front and they've never asked for anything other than what I've listed here.

The local NBC affiliate is the easiest to work with since they outsource most of their work to a production company in the same building.

We were over there last week delivering a commercial, and while we were "ogling" their gear....the production dude said "I can't get anything off your camera, there's nothing on the tape".
After looking at the camera, I realized that he had shut the door on the XL1s, but never pushed the tape mechanism closed.......duh........I guess even the pros do it <;~)

If you are shooting outdoors try the sunlight icon setting or white balance the GL2 by using a white sheet of paper outdoors, which for me gave an even warmer shot than the sunlight icon setting. I think the GL2 is a tad sharper, so I would bring the sharpness down maybe a notch.

display ?
 

on both the lcd/viewfinder in the upper left hand corner there is a display (horizontal sliding bar) that indicates when you zoom from telephoto to wide. a couple of seconds later this zoom status indicator becomes a + and - indicator. it appears to be some type of light sensor. does anyone know what the function of this indictor is? i can't find any info in the manual.

mb4

This bar appears when you're shooting in Manual mode. The +/- format shows your relative exposure, with the centerpoint being the "proper" balance from the camera's point of view. Just watch the indicator as you adjust exposure settings or point towards brighter or darker subjects.

GL-2 Weather Cover
 

I will be shooting a lot of video at the scene of major EMS and fire operations for training purposes. This will put me and my camera outside in all sorts of weather conditions. Any comments on experience with weather covers for the GL-2? I've seen adds on three: Camcote, Kata and Portabrace.

Mark Haas

I've used the Kata and the PortaBrace. Both are functional and will keep the camera dry in wet (but not necessarily soaking-wet) conditions.

I prefer the PortaBrace cover. Better detailing. For example, the Kata's lens closure pull has a nasty tendency to bounce into the frame.

For cold weather protection I use a PortaBrace Polar mitten cover. Excellent detailing, although a bit awkward by nature. But it works pretty well at preventing freeze-ups and premature battery drain.

Canon VL-20
 

Good morning from Germany,

I have the chance to get a Canon VL-20 video light but I cannot find any specifications or information if this device will work with my XM-2. Any suggestions from you people out there? Is this simply the 20 Watt-Version of the VL-10?

Thanks in advance,
Chris

Guten Morgen auf Nevada! Wie geht's es Ihnen? Ich bin müde, weil Mein Tag ist gerades Ende jetzt.

I haven't heard of the VL-20 yet, but I'll bet it's a 20 watt version of the VL-10.

VL-20 is the light made for the Canon L1/L2. It almost looks identical, but the battery plate will NOT accept the BP9xx series batteries used by the GL and XL miniDV cameras. I know this for a fact as I have both.

I got to appreciate the VL-20's ergonomics almost immediately. It's elevated lamp ensured that the beam cleared the L2's mic windscreen and the width was set so that the CRT viewfinder could swing it's full 180 degree arc without getting hit. I suppose you COULD use a VL-20 with the new DV cameras, but you'll have to carry around a seperate set of NiCd batteries.

For that kind of hassle, $60 mail order for for the VL-10i seems more sensible. Both cast approximately the same amount of light. I suspect the VL-10i achieves this by using a rapid-pulse circuit to safely "overdrive" the 10watt bulb. It would explain the brief half-second half-intensity pause before kicking up to full brightness. The VL-20 is more simplistic and doesn't do that.

Carter

Chris -- Danke, aber mein Deutsch ist ganz einfach! Und mein Grammatik ist sehr schlect. Das tut mir leid! Wiederholen,

mini DV tape life
 

How many times can I use a mini DV tape before it starts to have drop-out and other problems??
Thanks

The short answer is probably twenty, but for more information go to www.taperesources.com They sell all major brands of tape and have an excellent faq library with answers to this and other questions concerning various formats of dv.

I've been involved in this discussion on a number of other forums. After a lot of back and forth, my answer to the question is one.

But that's not because the tape wears out. It's because there isn't really a better place to archive the original footage than MiniDV tape. One tape's worth of video (in its 13GB AVI form), does not fit on any other economical media. I'm using Panasonic tapes that I buy for less than $4 each, which really is very cheap. It would take 3 DVDs to hold the same length of video, but it would be in 2 to 3 pieces.

So my strategy is to record on a tape once, archive it, and read it when necessary to retrieve footage. It's no different than what you'd have to do if you were using film.

Maybe 30GB BlueRay devices will change my mind. I'd much prefer to archive the footage on random access media, making it much faster to get at a clip. But until some other archive medium is cheap, I'll just hang onto the tapes.

How long do 5550mAH last?
 

I just got a new Lenmar 941. It's rated at 7.2v 5550mAH. How long will it last realistically with and without the LCD screen on?

I have a GL2.

Batteries with the VL-10Li light
 

Hi guys

I just got the VL-10Li light for my XM-2, and I'm abit confused about something it says in the manual. It says: "Use only the Canon BP-911/914/924/927 battery pack as power source"

Well, I only have the BP-945 and the battery that came with the camera. Can't I use them?

The manual was mass-printed before the BP945 was released. The intentions of the manual was to convey that you can't use BP6xx series batteries as it won't fit in the VL-10i's battery plate.

I've used my BP945 with that light quite often... admittedly not just for the GL1, it makes a darn nice area flashlight too!