Thanks guys. I hope my next one doesn't do it. I'll check it right there with them standing over my shoulder this time.

XL2 viewfinder
 

Hi all

Has anybody noticed that the text and graphics in the viewfinder look awful in 16:9 mode? It's like as if they have been interpolated to fit in the smaller screen size and the edges flicker, especially the battery symbol.

It's quite annoying. It's an awful pity they didn't put a 16:9 lcd in.

THe display is pretty much perfect in 4:3 mode.

Is it just me or do other people find this as well?

Donie

I've noticed that the latest generation of Sony consumer DV camcorders have proper 16:9 flip-out LCD displays... sure hope Canon learns a thing or two from that. But then again I suppose we should consider ourselves fortunate that it's even letterboxed to begin with...

I wonder could it be fixed with a firmware upgrade? Yes, i agree about being letter-boxed, it was awful shooting 16:9 on the XL1s but I didn't use wide-screen then so I wasn't too put out.

I bough the Xl2 because my new projects are all wide-screen. I guess I'll live with it but you'd expect more of a camera of this price range.

dead pixels in evf
 

So I just received my XL2 and was ecstatic, but after a little use I noticed 2 dead pixels in the EVF. I've run through some tests and here's what I can tell:

- one pixel is locked in green while the other is purple
- their positions remain the same in 4x3 or 16x9, while zooming
- they don't record to tape, I checked the footage on my comp

So I basically assumed they were an EVF issue, but they turn off sometimes whenever I switch between 24p, 30p, 60i. WTF?! No idea what's going on here. I checked the connections for the EVF and all looks clear. Any idea what's going on here? Anyone else have this problem? I'm definately shipping it out soon to get fixed, just really upsetting when you shell out this much money for a camera and something like this happens fresh out of the box.

I have a Panasonic MX500 with 1 dead pixel in the EVF, it was like this straight from the box. I haven't done anything about it because it came from overseas. It is always black, it never changes colour or anything.

Hope you can work it out.

I assume you bought the camera with warranty. I would have it
replaced when you receive it with dead pixels.

Rob, I did buy it under warranty. I'm going to call canon and see what they can do to remedy the situation. It's still a pain! I really love the images though...extremely clean. Can't wait to shoot a short with it!

XL2 Viewfinder Sag.... Canon Quality issues
 

Hi all,
With a heavy heart, I have to say that I think Canon's quality is slipping.

I have been an XL1 user for some time, and I just upgraded to an XL2.

I have now had to return my second Brand New XL2 for replacement. The first model had a problem communicating with the lens, the second XL2 has a problem with the viewfinder sagging. (The viewfinder lens sags under it's own weight) which is an unacceptable problem.

I also notice that the little doors on the XL2 are extremely cheap, the "Iris Set" rocker feels like it is ready to fall apart and is extremely difficult to push.

As much as I LOVE the form factor of the XL series, and as much as I feel like the design of the camera adds to the creative process, I am afraid that Canon is not putting it's best foot forward on this one.... it just "feels" like they are cutting corners.

Matthew,

Sorry to read of your troubles; my XL2 has been trouble-free and I love it. You have a right to expect your purchase to operate as advertised, so don't be shy about getting satisfaction from Canon.

If it should turn out that there is a user adjustment for the viewfinder tension, please do share it with the community...mine is fine, but now I wonder what will happen with extended use!

Pete,
Thanks for the reply. Canon has again been very receptive to my complaint. They have agreed for a second time to replace the camera without making me wait. Fed-X will pick up the camera and as soon as the Fed-X tracking number is received, Canon will expedite a third XL2 to me. Pretty impressive that they will not make me wait for them to inspect the return.

Canon had me talk directly to (what they call) "High Level Tech Support" and together we decided that the problem was not fixable and that a replacement is necessary.

Anyway, I have had a bit of a bad run of luck eh?

Well maybe the third time is a charm? I hope so.

Matt

Yeah, every product line is going to have at least an occasional bad apple so it can be difficult on an individual basis to know if you're just unlucky or there is really a systematic problem. Folks like you posting their experiences help us to sort that out though...and I must say that it is great to learn that Canon will actually stand behind their product. Thanks!

Perhaps a bit O.T., but I had similar experience with an expensive HP scanner. The transparency adapter / sheet feeder had a problem. Over the phone they agreed it sounded like a defect and overnighted me a new one even though I wasn't expecting overnight service.

There'll always be horror stories, I suppose, but it does seem like customer service is beginning to regain an importance that seemed lacking over the past several years. Maybe the companies are learning that consumers do vote with their wallets...

I agree, it's a pain when something you buy breaks or turns out otherwise, but it's the customer service that counts afterward. If you're treated well, then that's all that matters in the end.

Matthew, let us know when you receive the third camera, hope it's okay. Also, could you describe who you contacted first, and at what numbers? Not that I want to have this happen to anyone (knock on wood) but I think it will be useful to the community what steps you took to reach that "high level" of support.

Help! Brand new XL2, viewfinder won't display anything
 

Hello! I just received an XL2 kit purchased from B&H Photo, and the thrill of opening it up quickly disappeared when it became clear that the viewfinder/LCD/EVF wasn't functioning.

The viewfinder is connected (securely) to the color viewfinder port. The red LED's underneath the LCD screen will light up (e.g., the gain light), but the actual LCD screen is completely blank, and has been since the XL2 came out of the box. (It looks like the backlighting doesn't come on at all.) If I connect the XL2 to a TV, I can see the image and menus fine through the TV. It appears all functions of the camera are working fine; it's just that nothing will show up on the viewfinder. (Which certainly makes it kind of hard to use!)

I contacted Canon tech support, and they thought it sounded like the camera was dead on arrival and suggested returning it to B&H. I contacted B&H, and am waiting for them (for a few hours now) to e-mail me a shipping label so I can return the camera for a replacement. (And it sounds like that could take a week -- after paying $140 to get the camera shipped next-day priority shipping. Sigh.)

I thought I would make a desperate plea here to see if anyone has experienced this problem, or knows of a simple solution. If the EVF is really dead on arrival (e.g., the backlighting bulb is blown out), then there's nothing I can do.. But I'm hoping there's a button hidden away somewhere that turns off the EVF that I don't know about, or some other voodoo I can perform to make it magically start working.

Failing that, any comments on B&H's returns process might ease my mind. (I've purchased plenty of items from B&H before, but never had to return something; this is a case where I would have much rather purchased the camera at a local retailer where I can simply swing by and swap it for a new one.)

Besides the LCD not working, the XL2 seems like a fine camera. <Sigh.>

Thanks,

- Scott

The only thing I could think of is that the brightness and contrast in the EVF display settings is set to the lowest setting, but even then you should still be able to see the menus and everything. So I think you're probably out of luck.

The only other thing I can suggest is to make sure that there is a solid connection between the EVF display cord and the input.

Good luck with all of this, and welcome!

Scott, I too ordered an XL2 from B+H and when I got it there were 2 dead pixels in the EVF. I shipped it to Canon for repair and it should be coming back tomorrow, but I must say I was thoroughly upset after shelling out $4300 to not be able to use the camera for 2 weeks. You'd expect the cameras would be flawless after coming right off the production line. Sounds like a lot people have been experiencing problems like ours. Can't say I'm too pleased with that, but the images the camera produces are simply amazing. What a double-edged sword!

Hello devein,
When you shipped your camera to Canon, where did you ship it, ie. the address and did you call them first to get an RMA number. If you called them, what number did you use? I need to do this also with an accessory(charger).

Ed, I just called customer support and they sent me an email with directions on what to do. There's a canon repair facility in Jersey where all the east coast products go. Don't expect to get the charger back for 2 weeks.

Hi folks -- thanks for the comments. It seems like the backlight isn't getting any power (or maybe the bulb is dead), so the viewfinder is dead on arrival. It's a little disconcerting that a problem like that could make it out of manufacturing, assuming it wasn't introduced by a wild and crazy ride in the back of the FedEx truck. (It was packaged well by B&H, so I doubt that was the case.)

I never did get the shipping label via e-mail that B&H promised me, so I guess I'll have to call them again tomorrow and finalize the return. A little depressing, because I paid $140 for overnight shipping -- and now it will probably be at least a week before the camera's back. Hopefully B&H will have a quick turnaround time and there won't be any problems with the replacement.

Outside of possible dead-on-arrival issues, does the XL2 seem reliable? A long-term dream of mine is to take the XL2 on a trip to Antarctica to make an independent documentary. That wouldn't be a day in the park (for the camera or me!) I've had a Nikon D100 (still digital camera) for a couple years and have really given it a beating, and the only problem it has had is occasional dust on the CCD. I haven't had a video camera in awhile so I guess they might not be as rugged with the extra moving parts.

On a side note, I'm glad I discovered this resource -- looks like a great message board with a lot of useful tips.

Thanks,

- Scott

Why are you being charged for shipping? Seems like B&H and/or Canon should be picking up the bill for this. I would certainly expect it for any brand new item I received DOA.

Is this B&H's normal policy with regard to DOAs?

Welcome to the forum M. Scott. I am sorry that you found us under less than ideal circumstances. Perhaps while your camera is being repaired or exchanged, you can make use of the forum to bring yourself up to speed on this great camera. We welcome questions from new folks and veterans alike so ask away!

regards,

-gb-

B&H should be able to send you a new camera when you are
sending this one to them. Just phone them up and talk them
through this issue and express your problem that you need it
fast (and paid for overnight shipping) and now you can't use it.

Scott,

Sorry to hear of your bad luck but that's what it is. You are the victim of "infant mortality" the phenomenon by which electronics are much more likely to fail early in their life cycles. Because of this most manufacturers "burn in" their products which usually involves continuous operation at elevated temperature for a couple of days. At the end of this period most of the systems destined to fail early on in life will have failed but not all. You, unfortunately, got one of the exceptional ones. With this in mind, I'd say the Cannon cameras are reasonably reliable. You won't find many reports of failure here though there are some.

Since it's only the viewfinder and you are able to work with the camera through an external monitor you might want to consider negotiating the return of only the viewfinder so you can at least go through familiarization while waiting for the replacement.

I know how frustrating this must be.

An update on my dead-on-arrival XL2: I returned the dud to B&H and a new one is en route now -- it should arrive Monday. If it works I'll be quite happy. B&H handled the return pretty smoothly -- I was afraid it would take them longer to send a new one out.

For some reason, every LCD display I buy out of my own pocket seems to have a dead pixel (e.g., the past two Apple Cinema Displays I've bought, along with a 12" PowerBook I just bought). Every LCD display I've purchased at work (not on my own dime) over the past few years has been free of dead pixels. The XL2 had 200,000 dead pixels, so I really think there might be something going on with me and LCD's. I'd recommend that no one have me purchase an LCD display for them. :-)

Thanks again for the tips and encouragement -- I can't wait to get my hands on the XL2 and see what it can do.

- Scott

Viewfinder Brightness
 

Why does my in stock viewfinder look so much brighter than my Monitor. How can I correct that

Reducing Contrast
 

Im getting very contrasty images out of my XL2, is there a way to flatten out the contrast.

If it looks fine on the camera, it could be the monitor or hardware settings. You should check the basic settings on the xl2 for the contrast problem; it mostly depends what mode you shot in; manual mode: you have total control over the image.

Thru the eyepiece the XL2 monitor is junk. Try flipping up the magnifier to get a better idea, still not great though and not good for focus. Until you get a better feel for it, you really need an externla monitor when shooting...




ash =o)

Eduardo, the EVF display can be adjusted through menu settings. I "calibrated" mine using my TV monitor as a reference, and adjusted the EVF until the image looked as close as possible to what was displayed on hte monitor. Before I did that, I tended to produce rather dull video because what looked right on the EVF was actually not bright enough on other displays.

Richard

Correct, that is the best thing to do... hook it live to a TV and adjust the LCD as close as possible...



ash =o)

no purple in the color viewfinder, muted on playback?
 

Hi,
I was running some "tests" yesterday -- playing with the camera settings. I noticed that purple does not show up in the color viewfinder on the XL2, it shows up as blue.
Any ideas why? Does it have to do with RGB / CYMK? It seems to show up ok on the television when I play it back, but not in a saturated purple sense. All the other colors show up great (red, yellow, orange, blue, green, white and black).

I did this outside (all natural light, where I normally shoot) and was taking shots of a clematis (a deep purple flower, for those of us garden-challenged people :) ) I tried all three of my lenses (the 20x, the 3x, and the 16x servo -- none of which provided good purple results).

Anyway, I've also heard that purples are in general difficult to photograph -- any ideas on filters or gadgets to correct this?

Thanks a bunch!
Tracy

Tracy, did you try to set the aperture? I've noticed that when shooting sun set or sun rise, the colors in the viewfinder depend on how open the aperture is. For example, if the sky is light yellow, but the aperture is too small, in the viewfinder the sky appears orange. The settings of the knee and black may also affect the colors.

Tracy, this sounds odd. Just last week-end I was with Bruce, a friend and member here. Using his XL2, we shot the Macbeth color chart, which has purple on it, and the color came out on the studio monitor beautifully.

Something to keep in mind... The color view finder on the XL2 is not the best in the world (it's not the worst, either). You can't determine color fildelity with this view finder. The only way to determine color correctness is by viewing the results on a monitor (or TV if you don't have an NTSC monitor).

Step up the shot again, adjust for your proper white balance and exposure, record the image, and look at it on your studio monitor or TV. You'll see a huge difference, as well as your purple!

Jay

Speck in EVF
 

is the lit speck in the viewfinder on my xl2 normal or fault.



thankyou

Is it on the inside of the viewfinder or outside? have you tried, and this is a dumb question, forgive me for asking, to clean it to see if it's a speck of dust?....

Lucinda, Congrats on "Major Player" status! (BTW, Chris or Moderators, the page that used to define the status levels now has definitions of Smilies)

Senan, If the speck is illuminated then I would suspect it is a blown pixel in the viewfinder. If so, it will/may be distracting, but won't cause any degradation of your recorded imagery. To test this, just replay some recorded imagery on a computer or TV or monitor. If you see the same illuminated pixel on the playback, its on the acquisition CCD and will require repair at the Canon facility.

Hi Pat,

What does this mean?

Lucinda, Congrats on "Major Player" status! (BTW, Chris or Moderators, the page that used to define the status levels now has definitions of Smilies)


I'm totally confused.......and it can't be just the heat!

Lucinda,

When I posted the message yesterday, your "Status" (directly under your name) had just changed to "Major Player" since it was your 100th post.

There used to be a page in the FAQ that described the different Status titles and posts necessary to achieve each Status level. Its gone onw and I was just bringing it to the attention of the forum moderators. I think the page was auto-replaced when they did the upgrade to this version of vBulletin, but Chris might have just pulled it down on purpose.

Ah....well, you see that I haven't paid much attention to the finer details. Just trying to learn about the XL2 and its details. Thanks for letting me know.

For Patrick, it was lost in the forum sw upgrade; its replacement is just another item on my lengthy "to do" list.