XH Upgrade Wishlist Poll v1
 

Note: Review all of the poll options carefully! You may choose up to four (4) poll options when you vote, but you can vote only one time. Choose carefully, because you cannot alter your vote once it has been submitted, nor can you vote again. So, put some thought into it! It's going to be tough to narrow all of these excellent suggestions down to your four favorites.

There is of course absolutely no guarantee whatsoever that Canon will act upon the results of this poll, but at least it will give them some idea of the changes you would most like to see in their XH series camcorders.

This poll was inspired by Michael Mann's "Firmware Upgrade Wishlist" thread located at http://www.dvinfo.net/conf/showthread.php?t=82673

I voted for:

--Magnification works during recording
--Allow Peaking and Zebra together
--Option to flip image to tape and over video outputs
--Soft clipping / limiter in Manual Audio mode

Great poll Chris! I hope some of these changes are actually possible with a firmware upgrade.

Edit: I think I got a little confused on the magnification thing; I want it to only magnify in the LCD and VF, but not affect the actual recording, and have the option of magnifying on the analog output but not affecting the tape recording. This would be great for folks using a Marshall monitor etc. and a 35mm adapter. Ultimate focusing flexibility.

Barlow, I thought I paid you under the table to vote for "OIS mappable to Custom Key." It's not easy to pick just four! In fact I'm still thinking about what my other three will be.

LOL! Some tough choices there, but I guess you can't have everything. :)

Good point... the way I worded it was confusing (was: Magnification works during recording). Changed now to: F. Asst. Mag. on displays / analog out during Rec. (assume that the slash means and / or).

Oh, can I have one fantasy wish item that would become a new Canon product?

How about Canon actually making a shallow DOF 35mm adapter. Might make the A1 a nice little poor man's Red. :)

Sorry, back on topic.

Firmware, Barlow, firmware... but that's a great idea for the hardware wishlist!

Question for all, before this gets too far along... do we need this distinction:

Option to flip image (but not displays) in viewfinders
vs.
Option to flip image to tape and over video outputs

...or should they be grouped together as one option? Wouldn't an image flip on the CCD block (for recording to tape) induce an additional and somewhat significant processing delay? Or not.

Nice touch on the use of italics for what selections a forum user's choice was, Chris.

I voted while waiting for a render & had to make a decision for the last 2 choices & flipped a coin 8 times... 4 times for each (knowing full well what was the most important was & what my choice would be) & all 8 tosses ended up being for the least important. It was just for fun & didn't let it govern what the outcome was :)

Bill

I think you're right, Chris. It's more important to just flip the image in the displays if it doesn't induce a signifigant delay penalty.

How can I distribute campaign buttons & bumper stickers for OIS on & off & soft clipping?!

So far, both image flip options have one vote each -- I can combine the options but not the votes. Wonder if it's best just to wait until closing and tally them together as one, or merge them now while it's early? I have no idea.

Stu, my address is available on request :D

Thoes are 2 of my top 4 btw.

Bill

I'm with you! I can't believe [at this stage] there are more votes for displaying preset names than soft clipping.

Think of the audio folks! Hee! Hee! :-D

Okay, I went ahead and decided to combine the two image flip options into one (now you don't have to choose between them or waste a vote on both of them).

Was:

Option to flip image (but not displays) in viewfinders
vs.
Option to flip image to tape and over video outputs

Now:

Flip image in viewfinders (and maybe to tape, outputs)

Sorry for the ambiguous "maybe," but let's say that the vote is for adding some kind of image flip function, at the very least in the viewfinders, and possibly to tape as well assuming it doesn't result in a processing lag.

And I was able to move Barlow's vote over to the new option after all.

I just voted for the OIS custom key option. I don't want to overwhelm them by redesigning the camera.

I would, however, also have voted for slower focus shift speeds on the focus shift function, had it been on the list. Fast, faster and even faster doesn't cut it.

How in the world did we miss this during the initial wish list callout? Beats me.

I thought we discussed it way back there.

Well, I hope I'm not crossing the line, but I went ahead and added it to the poll. It appears as the last option, at the bottom. My apologies to the 15 people who voted before this *final* poll update.

Oh, and I put your vote in there for you Bill. That's it -- no more changes!

I don't recall ever seeing this in all the previous posts over the past couple of months, but "Allow digital zoom in Standard Definition recording"? There is no digital zoom to begin with, or is there?

Doesn't matter to me, I wouldn't use it anyway, just curious how that got included in the poll.

Bill

Somebody had asked for it in our wish list callout thread: http://www.dvinfo.net/conf/showthread.php?t=82673

Here's a big one for me: Not only do we need slower focus presets but I really want this--

Remap the actual execution of the focus pull to the AF button! I HATE THE SIDEWAYS PUSH YOU HAVE TO DO TO GET IT TO EXECUTE!! IT IS TOUGH TO DO WITHOUT NOTICEABLY JERKING THE CAMERA!! THIS NEEDS TO BE ADDED TO THE H1's TOO!!

whew, sorry for screaming.

B

I wish there was a way to send that preset position trigger over LANC, so you could toggle it the right way -- that is, without touching the camera at all.

Brilliant! :(

Sheesh, I'd just about buy Console if it added this feature via firewire. Just about...

Well i miss the options for better adjused of timelapse function and will be happy when also insert the slow motion function like hvx200
Please delete all photo function on these cameras this is a video camera

Ok, I voted for:

1. Clients come to my door.
2. Clients approve first round of edits as final piece.
3. Clients pay in cash, on the spot.
4. Clients bring in more clients.

Hmmm, I think that might do it.

How about one not on list. Have zebras only display in close range around set value. Not on everything above set value. Now when using zebras at 70 for face exposure everything in picture above 70 is sprayed with zebras. Impossible to see how rest of picture looks when face has proper exposure. Have to switch zebras on and off and eat up a preset.

Marty Kornfeld
Video Production Services

Too bad I cannot vote 4 times for the XLR custom switch :D

Now let's hope Canon reads this and considers it...

Go! Soft clipping... Come on soft clipping...

After using the camera for the first time in a run-and-gun situation today, I realize how much zebra and peaking at the same time would really help.

Best way to communicate our final poll results to Canon?
 

What would be the best way to forward our final poll results to Canon. Does anyone know a Canon contact person?

I am more than happy to put the final poll results into the hands of the Canon USA product development manager personally, as I've done before with the XL2 wishlist and other similar Canon-related projects.

Awesome! (as long as you put in a note that the slow focus option SHOULD have more responses:))

yea, what he said! :)

edited....

edited ....

Anyone else get the feeling of being at a horse race? :D

*edit* a slowwwwwwww one?

That sounds promising, thank you, Chris.

I find myself using -3db gain when outside all the time, makes for a great picture, but sometimes I will use 6db or 12db in low light, but still need the 0db! It's a pain to go through the menus and change these options all the time.

Since the gain switch has 3 settings, why not make a custom key mappable to a particular gain setting? Or maybe the photo button, or exp. lock button?

Geez, this is a great one, could've used something like it this week.

Hey Chris, want to add this and give everyone one more vote? :)

Guess it'll have to wait for next time 'round. Or Maybe the A2 should be covered in custom buttons, dozens of 'em.

Something I just thought of, & I realize it's too late poll wise... but the idea of at least having a "shift" function for 2 additional Custom Keys would be nice to have. Such as pushing the 'set on the selection wheel' while selecting a CK button would enable CK's 1 & 2 to act as CK's 3 & 4. This can easily be done with one hand.

Seriously... 2 is NOT enough (Z1 has 6 I believe... right?) & this method makes much more sense than trying to "map" other buttons (photo, etc.) which would be more confusing.

Just my thought of the day.

Bill

Bill, you're absolutely right that 2 custom keys isn't enough - but we're talking firmawere upgrade here:). Besides, without any changes in hardware, I believe those 2 buttons could be getting much better use of, should more important functions be assigneable to them.

Also, unless I'm missing something, there is a button that could easily become the 3rd custom one: the custom preset on/off button. Really, using the custom preset select button would be enough, cycling through all presets INCLUDING the "off" position; whatever is selected with it could simply be activated, without the need for the on/off button!

Well, dreaming is nice - but for all this, we'll probably need to pay for a compeletely new model!