hi richard, do you have any pics you can show me of your set up please? i'll try to post some of mine soon. I only used one of my leftover dividers and placed it up against the wall so that the top of the cam - the fitting for the viewfinder rests a bit more snugly while it is on its side. i was thinking of trying to shape the foam blocks to place over the top of the cam but it might be tricky to shape them as the spaces around it are different shapes when i do it this way.

I notice the camera gets very cold in the pelican case. Before shooting should I let it warm to the environment before shooting?

Kevin, I share the same concerns when it comes to transporting the case. I can move the blocks and camera around though according to the way the case will be carried. Right now, it's set up so that I can move the case on its wheels, vertically, so the camera will be standing on the shoulder pad.

If I flip the camera the other way, and carry the Pelican case like a suitcase, then the camera will be resting on the MiniDV door end, the way it was shipped in the original Canon boxes.

For longer trips, I plan on taking the camera apart and securing it the way Richard described.

I was going for versatility. I even attached velcro strips to the foam blocks so that they will stay in place against the Pelican divider walls.

Will the Kata CCC-1111 fit the XL2? I'm looking at getting another case (soft)

or

CCC-101

Thanks Richard for the help.

If there's a chance for condensation to develop, then I think that's a good idea to let it warm up gradually. Here where I live, that's hardly a problem. I imagine it is up in the UK.

The humidity here is what bothers me the most. I have to ensure a steady supply of silica gel packets is always in the case and with equipment.

Yea I purchased one of those gel packs. It arrived really dented somehow (was shipped inside the case :/ ) but i've placed it inside - not sure how good it'll be.

Kevin,

I just got back from the doc shoot, and leave in the morning for a gig doing fight choreography.

Itll be a while before I can shoot any pics for you.

R

no worries

For what it's worth, my understanding of X-rays and travel with video tape is that there should be no problem. The problem that can occur is the magnetic fields created by motors and such on conveyor belts via transport to and from the planes.

For that reason I always hand carry the tapes and ask to have them hand inspected. I do not send them through the conveyor belt X-ray machine.

Jim,

Good for you for convincing them. I was unable to convince them to hand inspect the bag of 15 tapes I was carrying. They insisted on x-raying them. No ammount of argument would stop them, in fact, I think it just irritated them.

Yeah I have found it really depends on the person doing the inspection. It also varies from airport to airport although I haven't done as much travelling lately.

Any way to make or get a case with shielding to protect the tapes during travel?

You know, just like my big Paradigm speakers have a built in shield to prevent the TV from going beserk due to the high magnetic field it creates.

A thick aluminum box would do no?

The Kata case for the XL2 is found here:

http://www.kata-bags.com/Item.asp?pid=252&cid=67&perentId=1&ProdLine=1

I just purchased one. I am going to Haiti after Thanksgiving. I will return with footage to share as well as a report on the bag. I have high hopes for it as I am traditionally a PortaBrace fellow.

Cheers!
Luke

Luke,

Where in Haiti will you be travelling?

We hit Gonaives one day, Fonde Verettes another, and Mapou another. These are three areas that have been hit the hardest this summer by hurricane Jeanne.

By many accounts, more people died in Haiti this year due to one hurricane than in America on September 11, 2001. Actually, it was the rain that killed them and not the raging winds. During the night, floods rose between 20 and 30 feet in a span of about 30 minutes. Families were washed away. Thousands of lives were destroyed. Children literally went to bed that night with parents and had no parents by morning. And yet, the most affluent nation in the world (positioned only 700 miles from this tragety) hardly knows it happened and has done virtually nothing to help.

We hope to document some of the aftermath and bring those stories back to the US in an honest effort to educate and plead for help from the American people.