GL1 vs. GL2

Adam Oberdorfer · June 16th, 2004, 05:24 PM

I just picked up a GL2 a couple of weeks ago for a DVD project I'm working on this summer. So far I'm really enjoying it. This forum has been a great resource - this is my first post.

A friend of mine saw a couple hard cases at a store by his house. They were the Canon HT-3000 and HT-4000. Anyone know if a GL2 will fit in either of these? The price was pretty low compared to MSRP or B&H so I am interested in getting one.

Thanks a lot!

Jeff Toogood · June 16th, 2004, 06:23 PM

If it is an HC-4000 it was designed for a Canon GL1, so the GL2 'should' probably fit in it fine.

Ken Tanaka · June 16th, 2004, 06:56 PM

Adam,
I tried to look the cases up at Canon's site, but they've recently "redesigned" their site and it's not what you'd call fully functional.

I can tell you that the GL2 is perhaps 1/2" longer than the GL1. Canon's current GL2 case is the HC-4100 and offered by B&H Photo for both the GL1 and GL2.

Before you buy the case, however, I recommend you look at some alternatives. Canon's cases have that sleek, shiny aluminum finish that really stands out...particularly to potential thieves. They are also not the most rugged and weather-proof choices, certainly for that money.

If you're looking for a top-notch, indestructible, weather-proof, lifetime guarantee hard case I really recommend that you look at Pelican or Storm cases. They are far better values for the money and are not so conspicuous. You can find them at many places, but my favorite place for these cases is Cases4Less. Of course, B&H Photo also carries a large selection of Pelican cases.

If you do not require a hard case, Porta Brace, Kata and Petrol are all good selections for rigid soft cases.

Have fun!

Adam Oberdorfer · June 16th, 2004, 07:14 PM

Thanks for the replies. I was planning on a pelican case after reading some reviews of the Canon HT-4100 on Amazon. My friend then saw these cases at a small camera store by his house. They were on clearance and would cost me around $100-200 with ground shipping.

Ken, Which Pelican case do you suggest? I think I was looking at the 1500.

Ken Tanaka · June 16th, 2004, 07:47 PM

I don't use Pelican cases for my camera. But if I were to use one for my GL2 I would definitely go with at least a 1550. That will leave you adequate pad length for the GL2 and a WD-58 adapter with its hood. It's also a nice depth and you'll be able to carve homes for spare batteries, mic, and other accessories.

Mark Fan · September 28th, 2004, 02:52 AM

Apart from having still pictures on GL2, and higher resolutions , it doesn't seem that GL2 is any better than GL1? am I right ?

hope u talented dudes can point out more advantages of using Gl2 instead of GL1.

can anyone also tell me ( if u have seen the videos taken by those two) the image quality differences ?
coz as I know they both use same CCDs, but due to different pixel shift technology , GL2 somehow has greater resolution.

Cheers!

Ken Tanaka · September 28th, 2004, 10:16 AM

Quote:

Apart from having still pictures on GL2, and higher resolutions , it doesn't seem that GL2 is any better than GL1? am I right ?

No.

Browse some of our GL2 articles.

Hart Boyd · September 28th, 2004, 10:50 AM

One item that was important to me is that the GL-2 has audio meters on the LCD and on the side of the camera.

Casey Visco · September 28th, 2004, 06:03 PM

I would sincerely hope that the GL2 is better. The GL1 suffered from NOT ENOUGH resolution in the camera section for even Standard Definition, let alone the Ideal situation of slightly MORE resolution to cover the Kell Factor problem. I used the GL1 quite a bit over a period of a couple years and found its image quality to be unacceptable for even DV. I can't imagine Canon would be dumb enough to put out a second version of that camera and not fix any of its shortcomings.

David Levine · October 3rd, 2004, 01:04 PM

I have used the gl2 side by side with the gl1 for many shoots
when editing the difference between the two is quite clear
(replaced the gl1 with the xl2 recently)
The sound, picture quality, the way the cameras handle exposer also is strikingly different, the gl1 tends to give me alot more problems while the gl2 produced on average a more balanced and vibrant image

Chris Hurd · October 3rd, 2004, 01:21 PM

The only things that are in common between the GL1 and GL2: they both share the same 20x lens, optical image stabilisation, and frame movie mode. Everything else is completely different, with the GL2 being vastly superior to the GL1. In my opinion the two biggest advantages of the GL2 are its CCD block (containing 380,000 effective pixels per CCD vs. 250,000 pixels per CCD in the GL1), and the menu system borrowed from the XL1S which includes custom presets and about a score of other significant features.

Joa Harrison · October 30th, 2005, 12:25 PM

I'm here reading all these horror stories of the GL2 and wondering if the GL1 has similar issues. Are there common problems that the GL1 has or is it regarded as a fairly robust camera? I'll sacrifice some of the features and resolution of the GL2 if that is the case.

Thanks for the frank discussions, they're what this forum is all about.

Joa

Drew Meinecke · November 15th, 2005, 06:47 PM

Hi, I'm looking to buy my first camcorder for a movie I'm working on, and I know that a GL2 would be nice but it might be a little out of my price range. Is a GL1 similar to a GL2, how much better is a GL2, what are the differences, similarities?

K. Forman · November 15th, 2005, 09:18 PM

The GL2 has a few more features, but I couldn't really tell you what they are. I can tell you, that my GL1 is a very capable camera, even though it has low light limitations. I've had it for about 3 years, and no issues. It is a work horse.

I remember thing about the GL2 when it came out, but didn't see enough difference to spend more money to replace a good cam.

Marco Leavitt · November 15th, 2005, 10:28 PM

I'd hold out for a GL2 if only because it has manually controllable audio levels.

June 16th, 2004, 05:24 PM	#31
Adam Oberdorfer Tourist Join Date: Jun 2004 Location: Central Coast, California Posts: 2	Will a Canon GL2 fit in a Canon GL1 HT-4000/3000 hard case? I just picked up a GL2 a couple of weeks ago for a DVD project I'm working on this summer. So far I'm really enjoying it. This forum has been a great resource - this is my first post. A friend of mine saw a couple hard cases at a store by his house. They were the Canon HT-3000 and HT-4000. Anyone know if a GL2 will fit in either of these? The price was pretty low compared to MSRP or B&H so I am interested in getting one. Thanks a lot!

June 16th, 2004, 06:23 PM	#32
Jeff Toogood Major Player Join Date: Feb 2004 Location: St.Thomas, Ontario, CANADA Posts: 428	If it is an HC-4000 it was designed for a Canon GL1, so the GL2 'should' probably fit in it fine. __________________ Toogood Studios

June 16th, 2004, 06:56 PM	#33
Ken Tanaka Retired DV Info Net Almunus Join Date: Dec 2001 Location: Chicago, IL Posts: 6,943	Adam, I tried to look the cases up at Canon's site, but they've recently "redesigned" their site and it's not what you'd call fully functional. I can tell you that the GL2 is perhaps 1/2" longer than the GL1. Canon's current GL2 case is the HC-4100 and offered by B&H Photo for both the GL1 and GL2. Before you buy the case, however, I recommend you look at some alternatives. Canon's cases have that sleek, shiny aluminum finish that really stands out...particularly to potential thieves. They are also not the most rugged and weather-proof choices, certainly for that money. If you're looking for a top-notch, indestructible, weather-proof, lifetime guarantee hard case I really recommend that you look at Pelican or Storm cases. They are far better values for the money and are not so conspicuous. You can find them at many places, but my favorite place for these cases is Cases4Less. Of course, B&H Photo also carries a large selection of Pelican cases. If you do not require a hard case, Porta Brace, Kata and Petrol are all good selections for rigid soft cases. Have fun! __________________ Lady X Films: A lady with a boring wardrobe...and a global mission. Hey, you don't have enough stuff! Buy with confidence from our sponsors. Hand-picked as the best in the business...Really! See some of my work one frame at a time: www.KenTanaka.com

June 16th, 2004, 07:47 PM	#35
Ken Tanaka Retired DV Info Net Almunus Join Date: Dec 2001 Location: Chicago, IL Posts: 6,943	I don't use Pelican cases for my camera. But if I were to use one for my GL2 I would definitely go with at least a 1550. That will leave you adequate pad length for the GL2 and a WD-58 adapter with its hood. It's also a nice depth and you'll be able to carve homes for spare batteries, mic, and other accessories. __________________ Lady X Films: A lady with a boring wardrobe...and a global mission. Hey, you don't have enough stuff! Buy with confidence from our sponsors. Hand-picked as the best in the business...Really! See some of my work one frame at a time: www.KenTanaka.com

September 28th, 2004, 02:52 AM	#36
Mark Fan Regular Crew Join Date: Aug 2004 Posts: 33	GL1 or GL2 , which is better ? Apart from having still pictures on GL2, and higher resolutions , it doesn't seem that GL2 is any better than GL1? am I right ? hope u talented dudes can point out more advantages of using Gl2 instead of GL1. can anyone also tell me ( if u have seen the videos taken by those two) the image quality differences ? coz as I know they both use same CCDs, but due to different pixel shift technology , GL2 somehow has greater resolution. Cheers!

June 16th, 2004, 07:14 PM	#34
Adam Oberdorfer Tourist Join Date: Jun 2004 Location: Central Coast, California Posts: 2	Thanks for the replies. I was planning on a pelican case after reading some reviews of the Canon HT-4100 on Amazon. My friend then saw these cases at a small camera store by his house. They were on clearance and would cost me around $100-200 with ground shipping. Ken, Which Pelican case do you suggest? I think I was looking at the 1500.

September 28th, 2004, 10:50 AM	#38
Hart Boyd Regular Crew Join Date: Jan 2004 Location: Atlanta, GA Posts: 148	One item that was important to me is that the GL-2 has audio meters on the LCD and on the side of the camera.

September 28th, 2004, 06:03 PM	#39
Casey Visco Major Player Join Date: Nov 2001 Location: Boston, MA Posts: 280	I would sincerely hope that the GL2 is better. The GL1 suffered from NOT ENOUGH resolution in the camera section for even Standard Definition, let alone the Ideal situation of slightly MORE resolution to cover the Kell Factor problem. I used the GL1 quite a bit over a period of a couple years and found its image quality to be unacceptable for even DV. I can't imagine Canon would be dumb enough to put out a second version of that camera and not fix any of its shortcomings. __________________ Casey Visco Glidecam Industries, Inc.

October 3rd, 2004, 01:04 PM	#40
David Levine New Boot Join Date: Sep 2004 Posts: 20	Gl2 a strong improvement I have used the gl2 side by side with the gl1 for many shoots when editing the difference between the two is quite clear (replaced the gl1 with the xl2 recently) The sound, picture quality, the way the cameras handle exposer also is strikingly different, the gl1 tends to give me alot more problems while the gl2 produced on average a more balanced and vibrant image

October 3rd, 2004, 01:21 PM	#41
Chris Hurd Obstreperous Rex Join Date: Jan 2001 Location: San Marcos, TX Posts: 27,366 Images: 513	The only things that are in common between the GL1 and GL2: they both share the same 20x lens, optical image stabilisation, and frame movie mode. Everything else is completely different, with the GL2 being vastly superior to the GL1. In my opinion the two biggest advantages of the GL2 are its CCD block (containing 380,000 effective pixels per CCD vs. 250,000 pixels per CCD in the GL1), and the menu system borrowed from the XL1S which includes custom presets and about a score of other significant features. __________________ CH Search DV Info Net \| 20 years of DVi \| ...Tuesday is Soylent Green Day!

October 30th, 2005, 12:25 PM	#42
Joa Harrison Regular Crew Join Date: Jul 2004 Posts: 31	robustness: GL1 vs GL2 I'm here reading all these horror stories of the GL2 and wondering if the GL1 has similar issues. Are there common problems that the GL1 has or is it regarded as a fairly robust camera? I'll sacrifice some of the features and resolution of the GL2 if that is the case. Thanks for the frank discussions, they're what this forum is all about. Joa

November 15th, 2005, 06:47 PM	#43
Drew Meinecke Regular Crew Join Date: Jan 2005 Location: USA Posts: 53	GL2 vs. GL1: Is GL1 a worthy option? Hi, I'm looking to buy my first camcorder for a movie I'm working on, and I know that a GL2 would be nice but it might be a little out of my price range. Is a GL1 similar to a GL2, how much better is a GL2, what are the differences, similarities?

November 15th, 2005, 09:18 PM	#44
K. Forman Capt. Quirk Join Date: Apr 2002 Location: Middle of the woods in Georgia Posts: 3,596	The GL2 has a few more features, but I couldn't really tell you what they are. I can tell you, that my GL1 is a very capable camera, even though it has low light limitations. I've had it for about 3 years, and no issues. It is a work horse. I remember thing about the GL2 when it came out, but didn't see enough difference to spend more money to replace a good cam. __________________ www.SmokeWagonLeather.us

November 15th, 2005, 10:28 PM	#45
Marco Leavitt Inner Circle Join Date: Jul 2002 Location: Albany, NY 12210 Posts: 2,652	I'd hold out for a GL2 if only because it has manually controllable audio levels.