I use the EF 75-300mm f/4-5.6 III USM, with the XL-2 and it is definitely not parfocal. Perhaps it's because you need to zoom and focus manually, and the parfocaling (is that a new word?) mechanism is not activated.

I will try it with my 70-200m 2.8 L and see what I experience this weekend and get back to you.

Regards, Stuart

David, no luck on that...The L-lens looked very nice for the jets at national airport though :-0

Canon EF 20 MM F/2.8 USM ULTRA-WIDE Angle Lens with XL2
 

I did a search first but couldnt fidnd the results im looking for.

Heres the deal> I have an XL2 and am getting a Canon Digital Rebel XT or a Canon 20D. They both use EOS lenses. And since I need a wide angle lens for the XL2, I was hoping to be able to get one that I could use for both still camera and XL2 video cam.

The Canon EF 20 MM F/2.8 USM ULTRA-WIDE Angle Lens is about $450-500.

What could I expect using it as a wide angle lens for the XL2? Or any other EOS wide angle lens?

If you use the EF adaptor (which brings the total up to about the 3x lens), the lens will be be multiplied on the XL2.

Have a look at http://www.dvinfo.net/canonxl2/articles/article10.php for some idea.

Consider the 3x lens instead.

The other option would seem to be to go for something like the Redrock M2.

this has been stated before but here goes: in 16:9 it is multiplied by 7.6
In 4:3 it is multiplied by 10. That basicly turns the lens into a portrait lens not wide angle.

just recieved my EF Adapter, question though
 

I will be using it this weekend with the 100-400mm lens, my question is:

should I mount the camera body or the lens to my tripod?
I think the lens is going to weigh more than the camera body.

how is everyone else doing this?

Mount both, either using a purchased device like Ron Armstrong's Ronsrail, or go into the workshop (as I did) and build something. 1/4 inch plywood works well. That lens is heavy enough to rip the mount ring right off the camera, or at least bend it so it won't align.

people do it both ways...the main thing is to get it as balanced as you possibly can, hopefully you have a long tripod plate to help you find the center of the rig. you will need maximum stability with that long lens. some people thing the EF connector is too weak to hold the camera with a tripod-mount, and some think it's just fine. ya gotta experiment a bit with what you have...

For any lens longer and heavier than the standerd 20X lens, I always mount it by the lens tripod-collar rather than direct to the Xl2 body screw mount. The lens is screwed down tight to a heavy-duty Manfrotto MKII sliding mount with interlocking teeth (seen here in photo: http://www.wilderness-photo.co.uk/di...tup&cat=&pos=2 ).

The mount is postioned so as to provide a central balance to the rigs, for lenses such as the 300mm f/2.8 ED or longer 600mm f/5.6 ED lenses, shown here taking footage of sunset and moon:
http://www.wilderness-photo.co.uk/di...tup&cat=&pos=0

As Steve has mentioned, the Ron Armstrong Ronsrail is the perfect choice for big lenses. Visit his website for further information:
http://www.ronsrail.com/

is there anyway to get auto focus with an EF lens
 

so I shot some more footage this weekend, (I already posted the link in the wildlife section), but the problem I ran into was I can't seem to get a good focus with my telephoto lens attached and that small view screen on the camera. Am I missing something or once I attach the EF lens and I left to manual everything?

Chris, all lenses other than the XL optics need to be manual focussed. I don’t have much problem getting sharp footage using long fast-aperture lenses on the XL2. The main problem is keeping everything steady and firmly seated on a sturdy tripod head and strong tripod legs. Even the slightest breeze will cause problems, so make sure everything is locked-down. Also try to remember that the extreme telephoto caused by the approx 8X factor provides a very narrow depth of field in the focus zone.

I've tried to look at your film clip, but the website links don't seem to work.

Judging by the photo of your setup, I would say a few things may be a problem: wind; difficult focus due to dark viewfinder caused by slow lens + converter; touching the set up once focus is acheived; slight extra wobble between lens and converter bayonet mount.

What are you using for a tripod and head?
What lens are you using? Are you using a external monitor or just the camera viewfinder?

I use mainly heavy Manfrotto tripod equipment:

http://www.wilderness-photo.co.uk/di...up&cat=1&pos=5

http://www.wilderness-photo.co.uk/di...up&cat=1&pos=3

I prefer to use the camera viewfinder monitor. With a fast f/2.8 lens the subject tends to snap in and out of focus OK.
If the subject is in very dull light, I might sometimes bump up the gain to make focus easier, and then click it back to minus -3 gain; but most of the time I just leave it on minus 3.

So what other lens can I use with my XL2 that are not canon?
I have a 70-200 2.8L IS, but I would like to maybe get a 400+ that is 1.8-2.8..???

400mm f/5.6; 400mm f/4; 400mm f/3.5; 400mm f/2.8; 200mm f/2.8; 200mm f/2; 200mm f/1.8 (with x1.4 or 2X converters); 300mm f/2.8; 300mm f/2; 500mm f/4; 500mm f/4.5; 600mm f/4; 600mm f/5.6; 800mm f/5.6; etc. in either Canon EOS, Canon FD, Nikon Nikkor AF, or Nikkor MF Ai/Ais.

There are many other lenses to choose from...this is just a short selection off the top of my head.

xl2 and shooting surf film?
 

Recently purchased the Xl2--I am thinking of purchasing the Ef adapter to use my Canon 100-400 lens in addition to the 20x or would I be better of using a 1.6X extender with the 20x?

And if I went with the EF adapter and the 100-400 is it necessary to support both camera boday and lens with something akin to the Ronrail?

Also I have played around with hand holding the xl2 with the 20x--shooting surf footage--I do have a decent tripod and fluid head--that works great ---I just like the reaction time to shooting without the tripod---yes it's heavy and I could probably realistically shoot for no more than an hour or so--just curious as to any comments in that regard.

Also curious as to any custom presets that might be used for shooting surf.

Thanks for everyone who has fed this forum--I have learned an incredible amount of info!!
Ron

Ron,

I have been around telephoto lenses and duplex extenders for years. The 1.6 is all right for an extender, I own one. it is all right until you get out to the distance then it softens to much. I prefer the 2x century on my gl2 to the 1.6 on my xl2. I use a few canon telephotos on my xl2 and I would definitely recomend the zoom lens if it is a good lens. If you already have the lens do not waste your money on the extender, but if its all you can afford go for it.
All multipliers soften the picture. I did a few comparison clips in the under water and over land group. you could look the up. It was last summer.

Xl2 and ef adapter?
 

Thanks Dale--do you use the ef adapter--and if so are you using dual support for the lens and the camera body?

As mentioned I have the canon 100-400--so if the extenders are a bit soft I'd prefer the gain in telephoto I get with the 100-400--just a bit nervous mounting all that to the tripod.

thanks
Ron

ron,

I do not have an ef adapter. I have canon fd lenses and I purchased a mechanical mount. It has to be used totally manual which is fine for me. If I had your lens i would use the ef adapter.

I think you definitely need to have some further support on the lens. I am building my own out of aluminum channel. Had I the spare cash I would use a ron's Rail. Not cheap but a work of fine machining!!! worth the expense.
to be honest, anything over 300mm is basicly unmanagble for me. My 500mm zoom I just can't use until I get a rail to support everything and get a rons sight on it.

I never filmed surfing but back in the 60's I used a 9,6" jacobs surf board when I lived in southern California.

Now i think I would do some filming instead.


www.ronsrail.com

Xl2-and EF
 

thanks Dale---

I actually surfed back inthe 60's as well---had a Weber performer back then--I'd like to have it and the Jacobs 9'6" now--worth some bucks--still surf 3-4 days a week but see a time when I may spend more time shooting at some point in the future!!

Someone had shown a mount that they built for dual support--not sure if you have seen it on this site. It kind of gave me some ideas but was hard to see any detail of the added bracket.

If you've seen any plans or additional detail on building your own mount --would really love to see it.

I was thinking of getting the Canon 3x--but am thinking I may put the money towards the Ronrail if I can't figure soemthing out that works fairly easily--it looks like the sight is pretty cool too--now see if we still had the old boards we could sell them to support a new habit!!!

thanks
Ron

Another option for XL2-dual mount
 

Dale just received this email back from a recent inquiry--160.00 for lens support system--have no idea how well it would work--I'm sure the ronrail systme is far superior--but for the money this could be good--

Thank you for your interest in Cavision's products.

Here is a link to our website showing the rods support system we offer for
the Canon XL2 - http://www.cavision.com/rods/minidv.htm - RS-15IIM - 200.00.
I would recommend removing the front bracket and the t-riser from the front
of the rods support (this is used to connect to a matte box) and replacing
it with the R15-LS25 - lens support belt - 75.00 -
http://www.cavision.com/rods/lenssupport.htm . When you remove the front
bracket and t-riser the cost of the RS-15IIM drops to 160.00. All prices are
in US funds.

If you have any questions, please let me know.

Sincerely
Jason Connors
Cavision Enterprises Ltd.
Tel: 604 298 9053

ron,

for the price of 235 dollars it looks like it might do the job for using the larger lenses. If you get one I would like to hear about how it works out for you. Get a rons lazer sight and you have a rig for about 450 dollars.

Must remember of course that carbon wil not be as rigid as aluminum. If you intend to expand to some larger heqavier lenses the rons rail will give you more distance between the two steady points and it will be sturdier. Most heavier lenses also have threaded steady mounts on them and I do not know if the cavivison will work with that. Just some thoughts. In the long haul rons rail is the way to go in my book. If I get my rail finished I will take a picture or two of it for you.

EF Adapter died...anyone experience this?
 

my EF adapter crapped out...it doesn't seem to be letting any light in. the red light is on, so i don't think it needs a battery change. or does it? i hooked it up to a 400mm lens, and it flashed the word "lens" is red, but seemed to let in some light but the image was staticky. i hooked it up to another long lens, and didn't get any light in at all. no flashing red "lens" signal.

are electrical components on the fritz? i've never changed the battery, so i don't know how to recognize the symptoms. i don't want to buy a new battery if this thing is simply fried. does this sound familiar to anyone?

p.s. the lenses work fine on my still cameras, so i don't think the lenses are the issue.....

EF Adapter
 

I have not had this problem. I would check the battery first and make sure all the contacts are clean.

I had the same problem but the battery had been in for a year or two so I changed it, this appeared to resolve the problem, however, after a few days it started doing the same thing.

I then decided to try another battery but I didn't turn off the camera first (potentially bad) as I slid out the battery cover it started working again, further investigation proved it was in fact a poor contact between the battery and the terminals inside.

There is a small amount of play in the battery compartment and after placing a small piece of card behind the cover the problem is solved. I don't really know why this should happen after working fine for so long but it did, happily the card has fixed it.

thanks, guys. i'm going to muck around with it a bit, according to your suggestions, sonny, and see if i can't get it to work again. this little bit of plastic is a $350 piece of gear, and i hate to spend for another, if i don't have to....

Canon XL2/1 EF Adapter
 

Would combining a Canon XL2 EF Adapter with a Canon EOS Mount Microscope adapter provide a proper/clear image when attached to a microscope? Or will the natural maginfication of the XL2 EF adapter make it too difficult to focus? I've seen posts regarding Canon XL2 Microscope Adapters but I am unsure if this variation would work... thanks for reading.

Josh

microscope?
 

Would combining a Canon XL2 EF Adapter with a Canon EOS Mount Microscope adapter provide a proper/clear image when attached to a microscope? Or will the natural maginfication of the XL2 EF adapter make it too difficult to focus?

eric,

ı ve been using xl2 with 100-400 for 1 year. I ve produced 6 2minute short wildlife wilm for "target zero extiction" campaign and broadcasted at CNN-TURK and iz-tv. I plan to share these movies with dv info wildlife forum but at the moment there is some copyrihgt issues ı need to resolve..

so canon 100-400 is the only tele lens in the market, that produce enough quality images and extensive zoom.

so do not look any other tele lens if you already have canon 100-400. though you dont have much alternative for both quality and abilitiy to extend 4x ultra tele zoom. only alternatives are the sigma zoom lenses. 100-300 f/4 and 120-300 f/2.8. I havent tried these lenses, but I will try them soon.

only issue for the canon 100-400 lens is there is a huge sample variation, this means my 100-400 and yours produce quite different results. unfortunately I have the bad sample so I sold it and will try my friend's 100-400. another reason of selling my 100-400 is I plan to jump high def league, and this lens (my 100-400 sample) cant resolve enogh for high def picture.

when you use 100-400 with xl2, it becames 800-3200 mm apprx. but practical focal area is 800-2300mm. beyond 2300, it is imposible to pan tilt, and also atmospheric turbulance is a problem.

so try to use heaviest and high end tripod with this combo. another important note is to mount body of xl2 to head also.

hope these help, enjoy your xl2,
thanks,
alkim.

The Nikkor 200-400 f/4 ED and the Sigma 120-300mm f/2.8 APO are in my opinion the best and sharpest zoom lenses in that range.

Of the slower zoom lenses, the old Nikkor 50-300 f/4.5 ED is a gem.

(I still prefer the fixed prime telephoto lenses though).

Max weight -XL2+ EF adapter + lens ??
 

Hi guys.

Just wondering what people would consider the max weight for XL2+ EF adapter + lens ?? without supporting the lens...can't get hold of my manual at the mo.

I've just upgraded from a Canon 100-300 F4.5-5.6 (about 500grams) to Sigma 100-300 F4 (1.3 Kg without collar), which works great and doesnt seem to cause the joint an issue but I'm sure its too heavy with no support.......just wondering what people think and what canon recommend!

I'm going to be sorting out a support but unfortunately just don't have the funds at the mo!

Canon EF Lens with XL2
 

Hi!

I have a few questions about using Canon EF lenses with the XL2.

First, would there be any advantage to using a RedRock 35mm adapter over just using Canon's EF adapter?

Second, which Lens/Lenses would you recommend? I'm considering this one.

Third, I'll be wanting to use a follow focus. Which follow focus units work with Canon's still lenses and where can I find a focus gear ring for the lens? What about a matte box?

Thanks,

Dale

Hi Dale. These 2 options are for different applications and are not really comparable. The EF adaptor magnifies the image so that the 24-70 zoom lens becomes highly telephoto. Suggest you do a search on this subject as it has come up many times in the past.

Richard

Autofocus in Canon EOS series
 

Hi, I`m thinking about buying xl2 (I own xm2) the main reason is telephoto which I can achieve with Eos series - I`m mostly filming wather sports competitions, which very often take place 200-300m from shore and 20 x zoom in xm2 is not enough. I`m wondering about autofocus and folow options in eos lenses are they work with xl2???

thanks for reply

OK, I dig the whole forum with "ef adapter,wildlife, eos, sport, lenses and many more"tags and find many answers for my question, but still have doubts.

How works zoom in 100-400 L IS - can I make smoth zoom from wide to full tele?


I` wondering between Canon 100-400 L IS and Sigma 70 -200 2.8 and 1.6 extender ? any other sugestion about chosing the righ lense

And wich zoom control I will have to use - camera or lense ?

thanks

Hi Lukas. The EOS lenses do not have motorised zoom, so you will have to do it manually. It is unlikely that you will be able to zoom smoothly with a super-telephoto lens, because all the judders will be magnified, but I suppose if it's an action shot with fast zooming it might be OK.

Richard

Hi Lukas,

the 100-400mm is a push/pull type zoom and it's not intended for zooming while you are filming. So, no, you will not be able to do smooth zooms with that lens.

Thanks a lot!
OK now I`m wondering about using canon ef adapter? Is it necessary -couse on Ron sight (http://www.ronsrail.com/gallery.html) I can see than not every lense have (white-square)canon ef adapter, are there any lenses that fit to xl2 body without adapter ???

Very often I work in strong wind like 25-30knots and even with small camera like xm2 at full tele on manfrotto hdv tripod I have a little shakes.
So I thik I need lense with Image Stabilizer - from what I read on this forum I have to use canon ef adapter to have " control " with any IS lens (I know that it doesnt work as well as in still cameras, but it`s better than nothig), without canon ef adapter IS system won`t work, m`I right ???

My main question is- do I have to buy canon ef adapter and canon lense to have IS (what about Sigma and other... )???

best regards
Lukas

Lukas

You should try the XL 1.6 Extender with the camara's 20X stock lens. It increases the focal length of the 20X lens by 1.6. It might be able to get you close to 200mm. from the shore and be able to use the IS, MF, AF, smooth zoom and also have different zoom speeds. You will encounter a little bit of Judder. A very good tripod will help.