Fu-1000
 

Does anyone know whether or not the menu options and audio levels will be displayed in the existing FU-1000?? Please....someone have some good news for me. I just bought this viewfinder a short time ago.

Yes to everything, plus 16:9 is properly letterboxed. So you can rest easy.

Great news!!
 

That's so good to hear. Now I can be fully excited about the XL2!! Take care.

FU-1000 not compatible with XL2
 

I was looking at accesories for the XL2 on canondv.com and apparently the Fu-1000 is NOT compatible

http://consumer.usa.canon.com/ir/controller?act=SNAModelSuppliesAct&fcategoryid=818&modelid=7471

that's quite the surprise... so there is no hi-res viewfinder to pull nice focuses?

It's only an omission, the Fu-1000 is FULLY compatible with the Xl2.

Look in the features list. Near the end you can read "-Body compatible with FU-100 B/W EVF (not with current color EVF)"

You can also look at The watchdog's image gallery. The last pîcture show the dedicated connector for the Fu-1000, wich I believe, provide the 12v power required by the monochrome viewfinder. If I am correct, with the XL2 you don't have to put the adapter between the camera and the battery. A great addition!

EDIT: I just found this on the watchdog's FAQ in the compatibility list: "Q: Will the Canon FU-1000 monochrome CRT viewfinder work on the XL2?

A: Yes, it's perfectly compatible with the XL2; in fact, you no longer need to use the power adapter in the battery well. What's more, the monochrome CRT viewinder will display a properly letterboxed image when shooting in the 16:9 aspect ratio. "

Hope this help,

thanks Jean-Philippe

FU-1000 plug standard?
 

I was wondering if any of you know if the connection plug on the FU-1000 is some sort of industry standard, or just a canon proprietary jack? I'm referring to the the plug physically connected to the unit, not the one on the XL1 voltage rectifier. I ask because I would like to get a high resolution color viewfinder, and Im wondering if there are any that would simply plug into the XL2? Alternately, does anyone know if there are any high resolution color viewfinders w/ a super video plug, which would be almost as good.
Some of you may suggest I use an external LCD screen. This wouldnt work (for me) as I need the viewfinder (sometimes) for focusing midshot and handheld. My desire for color is somewhat extravagant, as I could use a TV for color balancing, however, I'd like something compact and quick to set up, and espesially for it to be mobile and unencumbered. Plus color is an essential component of creating a composition; the FU-1000 is somewhat disorienting in this respect.
It also occurs to me that even if the plug is proprietary that I could fasion a dongle which would route the proper signals to the right wires. Does anyone know what kind of signal is being sent to the viewfinder? (component? some sort of composite medley?) Any feedback would be much appreciated.

It's a composite video signal that's fed to the viewfinder, and yes, the EVF connections (for both the color LCD viewfinder and the monochrome CRT viewfinder) are proprietary Canon devices.

Canon XL2 & FU-1000 Viewfinder
 

I am thinking of purchasing the FU-1000. However, after reading Ken's excellent article on this device, I was wondering about the following as it applies to the newer XL2:

Is this still an issue with Canon's latest camcorder? For anyone who has this setup, can you see the battery indicator in the FU-1000 viewfinder? Ken's article can be read here.

I just plugged mine in, and I can see a little battery indicator that shows about 1/3 of the batt empty.

This, I beleive, was only true when using the FU-1000 on the XL1, since it required a voltage adapter. This is no longer the case with the XL2, since the camera converts the needed voltage directly through its prioprietary viewfinder connection. I just finnished shooting my first day with this puppy and I can confirm I didn't get any problem of this nature with it.

I had to rent one for the shoot but I will certainly buy one as soon as I can afford it. What a difference. Resolution to burn and you see the whole frame. It's such a breeze to frame and focus. The first day of shooting of my current project I had to use the standard EVF and with all the complicated shots I had planed, it was close to a nightmarish experience. I will never shoot without the FU-1000 ever again. Worth every penny in my book.

Thanks for the help, Richard, David. I will definitely buy a FU-1000 viewfinder in the near future now that I know I won't have to worry about guessing how much power I have remaining.

FU-1000 b/w viewfinder
 

just added fu1000 to my xl2 . now bare in mind the dirrections that come with it are for a xl1s . so you get this adaptor with it for the power supply . well geewiz it dont fit takes me 20 mins to figure out the xl2 dose not need power adaptor .anyway this b/w unit makes the color finder look like a toy . this thing is sharp easy to focus and has better detail than the color finder .i am very happy with it . any tips on this unit i should know about . thanks dp

Donald:

congrats on your purchase, it's a great piece of gear.

One thing to be careful about are the controls for brightness and contrast on the underside. These can easily be knocked, and if the brightness is all the way down it will appear that the viewfinder is off, and you will spend plenty of time trying to figure out why you don't have a picture. It may even be worth putting some tape over the brightness control once you have it dialed to your satisfaction to prevent this.