Since I bought the 3x, my 20x lens is getting jealous....I rarely use it.
Bruce Yarock

3X Servo noise
 

I just purchased a 3x lens on Ebay. COmpared to the 20X lens, the servo motor is very loud. This is just my first impression, I have not shot anything and looked for noise yet on the film.

Is the 3X lens servo notably louder than the 20X ?

Thanks,

Shopping Spree?
 

I have the xl2 and the only accesory i have purchased so far is an 8 hour battery and a warranty. My wallet has recovered from the purchase and i have been looking at the 3x wide angle lens and possibly a mic muff.
The 20x lens that i purchased with the body works great but for some of my documentary filming it would be great to not be crammed agaist a wall in a small room. I have heard the 3x wide angle lens works great and looks great. What, if any are the major downsides to this lens? Also, i could probably get it for around $1000 and i know this is a pretty good price but do you think that maybe the whole lens is overated? If you do recommend getting it, where would you recommend getting it?
Now about the mic muff, i have been looking around and i found a $40 muff for the XL1s, im pretty sure it will fit and all their mics work the same so all i have to worry about is the size, right? Im not trying to go crazy and get anything fancy, it just says it cuts wind up to 40mph and it has no effect on the volume even when there is no wind. I just think it would be a nice improvement. I know everyone that i have worked with that has the XL2 has a wind guard or muff of some kind but i always forget to ask about it. Any suggested models?

I've heard that the 3x is soft on the XL2. I haven't used it on mine so I can't say for sure. I have a Century .7 wide angle converter for my 20X, it has been very nice and looks good. A little noticeable at times, but not bad. At some point I'll get one for the 16x manual, or maybe trade.

You may want to get a better mic than the factory camera mic. Check out the audio forum "Now Hear This" and look around at what people are using. Choosing the right mic depends on the conditions under which you will be working.

the 3X looks great on the XL2. no Complaints about it at all. Infact, I think it adds to the "film look"

I have had the Canon 3x on both the Xl-1 and the XL-1s. I love it! You may have to have it calibrated for your Camcorder, but man it is worth it. Bob

FYI, type this---canon XL1 3X--- and search ebay right now and you will find 3 for sale. One is with a $900.00 buy-it-now, and the other two are regular auctions that are at about $700.00 so far. If you are not affraid of ebay, just keep checking there. Want new and warantee, B&H has it for $ 1,179.95.

I do like my 3X.

Mike

3x
 

Thanks for the advice, im still wonderfing about how it looks though, is there any distortion or visible "wide angle" that is distracting, especially when you are in a situation where you dont need the wide angle lens? I just want to know that if im filming a documentary and i get in a position where i dont have a chance to switch out the 3x wide for the 20x will the shot still look okay? I know i wont be able to zoom much but im figuring its just going to look like all these reality TV shows look today...

3X lens Died
 

Has this happened to anyone? My lens was minding it's own business, and one day I hooked up to my cam and suddenly, it wouldn't zoom. Neither the rocker nor the ring would make it zoom. I tested it on an XL1 and it wouldn't zoom. It had been wkring fine for a month.

Anyhoo, I got it exchanged and the new one is fine.

Has this happened to anyone?>

Matt, did you power down the camcorder before you mounted the lens? If not you may have blown a circut. Just a thought. Bob

That sounds like what happened. The exact same thing happened to me with the 3x. I sent it to Canon and it cost about $90 to repair.

ALWAYS power down the camera when changing lenses!!

Agreed -- sounds like crossed contacts while powered. Never a good thing.

That may have happened, I know i did it once but it worked fine after that. My question is why Canon couldn't build in the tiniest feature which is, when you pull the lens release, it's puts the cam in standby

Going into standby mode requires about one second or so for the camera head to cycle through some things and completely power down. You have the potential with one simultaneous twist of your wrist and a push of your finger to disengage the lens even more quickly, which would negate the effectiveness of such a feature. That's why the best (and safest) procedure is to take the extra step of either powering the camera down or putting it in standby mode first before attempting to remove the lens.

Very good thinking Chris. I don't know what it is about this camera in particular, but there is somehting about it that makes me forget it's on. It might be weird "ON" dial, or the lack of LCD screen (usually out when a cam is on). Has anyone else experiecned this. I put away my camera last week and left it in VCR mode all night, thus draining the batteries.

I feel they little red on light is in the wrong spot or too small.