Xl2 on the way
 

I have ordered an XL2 and i'm waiting for. I have a question: i have this Yashica non-digital reflex; i can attach the yashica lens to the xl2 body? Is this something dangerous or i can do without problems; and, do i need an adapter?

http://img433.imageshack.us/my.php?i...scf1282wi4.jpg

Only Canon XL DV lenses can be bayoneted directly on to the XL2, all other lenses need an adapter. The Canon EOS adapter will allow Canon EF lenses to work on the XL2. There are adapters also for the Canon manual FD SLR lenses and the Nikon Nikkor lenses. Several other adapters for lenses from other DV and film cameras are available.
I do not know of any Yashica/Contax bayonet adapters for the XL1/XL2/Xl-H1 bodies, but one could be made if you required one.

What he said, and don't forget the huge difference between 35mm film format and the image sensor chips in the XL-2. Your lens will look many times 'zoomed in' compared to how it looks on your SLR, even if you can get hold of a lens adaptor for the XL-2.

This extract taken from the lens article on the XL-2 Watchdog...

http://www.dvinfo.net/canonxl2/articles/article04.php

Thanx to you all for the info. That yashica lenses were good, varing from a good wide angle to a good tele. Knowing that the XL2 has already a more tele lens, one of the first accessiories i will be buy is a wide angle lens.

Try to remember that 35mm SLR wide angle lenses - even 18mm, 15mm, or 12mm super wides, will not provide a wide angle view on the XL2 - unless you go for the P+S Technik Mini35 and PRO35 Digital Image Converters - that are quite cumbersome and expensive.

The best options for obtaining wide angle footage are the Canon AF 3X SD lens and the much more expensive Canon AF 6X HDV lens.

If you want to keep the IS of the main Canon AF 20X lens (not always needed for wide angle, but helps in some circumstances) then wide angle adapters are the best option. There are some cheap 72mm thread wide-angle converters selling online, but most do not provide decent image quality.
The best three companies that make top-quality wide-angle converters are the Century, Red Eye, and Optex.

The .7X in 72mm thread are the best ones to go for.

Century sell models that offer zoom-through and also non-zoom-through where the master lens (20X or 16X) must remain at the widest setting.

Red Eye offer two different models - the 72mm .7X SD and the 72mm FX HDV (They also make an ultra-wide .5X FX model in HDV). I use the SD version a lot for my wide-angle filming and can recommended it. Filters, bellows, matt-box and even the regular Canon lens hood can all be used with the Red Eye lenses. I will also be using the newest version higher quality FX HDV model soon on my next major project during early 2007 (I'll let you know how I get on).

Optex have ceased trading, but I used their .7X wide angle lens converter for a lot of filming and was impressed with the results on both 16X and 20X lenses. One of the problems with the Optex model is that it is a huge chunk of glass, which not only attracts a great deal of airborne particles and dust, but also makes it difficult to use any filters, hoods, matte box or bellows – and that is why I eventually sold it in preference for the Red Eye.

Bloody hell Tony, what type of lens do you need to capture that huge mother of a fish on your homepage ???

Ha ha! I used a rod, not a lens!

(The Great White Sturgeon was returned alive unharmed after capture).

Thanx for all the info again. I've searched through many sites for acessiories, i will probably buy a Cavision 0.6 wide angle and a battery. Did you know if non-canon battery can cause problems?

I've been using 'non-Canon' batteries with no problems Michele, I've got three of these http://www.cheap-camcorder-batteries...non-bp-945.htm

Canon of course will hint that non branded batteries will make your camcorder "explode" the minute you apply a cheaper battery, but then again Epson say the same 'things' about non Epson inks for my printer (lol)...

Oh, and another question: did anyone experience problems with outside temperature? I got an answer from the shop and they said me that they're sending the camera the first days of the next week. Actually here we are around zero ° (sometimes more, sometimes less). On the Xl2 brochure said that the temperature is beetween 0 and 40 °.

Take a look at Per Johan's footage of Musk Ox. It's in the "Under Water, Over Land" section. He takes his camera into the mountains of Norway. Some of the snow looks to be below zero ;-)

cold temps
 

Darn few shoot in any colder temps than we get here in Saskatchewan.

I use my gl2 and xl2 in temperatures down to -25 to -30 celsius (at -40 celsius and farenheit arre the same). I have got plenty of fine footage in these conditions.
I leave my camera in the bag behind my seat in the truck. I take it out and shoot in the cold. the camera is cold enough that you do not get condensation on the lens. the biggest problem is bringing them back into the warm. Leave the camera in the case in the truck. then bring it into the porch (closed in but not heated) and then after a bit bring it into the house. leave it in the bag to slowly warm up. you will have no problems with condensation this way. Never once on either camera has the condensation message come up for me.

If it is colder than -30 I shoot from the inside of my vehicle most the time.

If it is colder than that, and you make a bad mistake you can die out there.

Remember if you leave your vehicle running (a common practice as you do not want it to not start back up) while you leave it to get some footage do not leave the fan running on the heater!! if the motor stalls the fan runs and drains your battery in a short time. If you arre out in the boonies, then maybe use your video camera to make a last will and testment (see, you became an event videograher after all!).

Well... i hope i don't reach those temperatures. I'm still wating, maybe tomorrow...

I think the most trouble I've had in low temperatures is when you take the camera from outdoors to indoors and it suffers from internal lens condensation. All you can do is let it warm up naturally in that case.

Finally it's here... arrived today at 12 am... just testing it out.

Congratulate Michele, hopefully you will be satisfied with this gear. Read the manual and try out the settings into the meny. It's a lot there to enhance the quality of the picture.

And don't hesitate to ask for help. It's a lot of people here with great experience wich will help you out.

Will you do any wildlife filming?

Good luck!

Per, right now not. But who knows... in fact my father know (and also i, a bit) another person that is the editor of an historical magazine about the "Francigen Way" an historical road that in the middle ages lead pilgrims from england to Rome, so maybe there's a chance to do something. I tried some settings today, right now i'm putting the footage on a dvd to see how is on a tv.

Ok, i've tested the camera a bit. I'm still waiting for someone that can help me "acting" in some shots. It was'nt great at night, i was hoping a bit more sensitivity... but at least there is no gain, and that's good because i hate gain in black areas. However is just a matter of being in a enough-lit zone and i think you got no problem.
Here whe have public illuumination that is orange-red, and i think i made a preset that lower saturation and red, when the sun goes down i'll try it.

Just some question:

I shoot in 25p, the shutter speed must be 50?

When outside, what's better: use the ND filter or close more the iris? i think it depends from the situation...

I use the M manual mode, and even if i set the exposition at the right level, sometimes it looks like if there is some sort of auto exposition; and i don't know how to turn it off.

It depends on what you want as Depth of field. By keeping your Iris open and using an ND-filter you will have a more shallow depth of field (bigger possibilities with blurring the background and sharpening the foreground). Pumping the iris closed will increase the overall sharpness of your entire image. So everything in your image (fore- and background) will appear sharp.

I always prefer the more shallow depth of field to decrease the 'video-feel'.

The metering will still fluctuate slightly even when it is in Manual mode. To make sure that the background exposure levels remain constant within a scene you need to press the "Exposure Lock" button situated just above the lens bayonet release catch.

Michele,

all the aforementioned is good information. I suspect the first thing you'll do to alter your images is to work out the presets to get the image looking true, or in a manner you want for effect.

Get the blubarn program, down load some of the presets and shoot some practice footage.

I recomend the techncolor preset for number one to start, and the black and white preset for focusing as number 3.

that leaves number two open for you to create one of your own.

Tony, i've tried the "exp lock" button, but don't do anything. I was making this test: pointing the camera toward a well lit corridor the exposition is right, but if i zoom on a small thing the iris auto-close itself more. I am into manual mode (M on the body ring); is there something i have to tweak on the menu? As i said the "Exp lock" button does nothing.


Tonight i have to shoot an event into a church. Yesterday when they were doing reharsals i was here to setup the camera. However there is very low light (they want to have a certain atmosphere). Plus i will probably on the side where the spectators are, and all the lights are bheind the actors. I have the iris full open and the gain at 12, still is dark and grainy.

http://www.fileshack.us/v/9805813/xl2aetest.mpg.html

I uploaded this file. is only 5mb (10 sec) to see that auto exposition. It is clear that when i zoom out the iris open more. I was un M (full manual mode); there is no way to lock the exposition at all? It seems dmub to me that a so powerful camcorder has still this auto-exposition and that you can not turn it off.

Michele - the Exposure Lock button does work and holds the exposure, but you must also keep the lens zoom position fixed at the same setting througout the shoot.
The reason that you are seeing a fluctuation of exposure when you zoom from WIDE to TELEPHOTO position and back again is because the Iris/aperture of the XL 20X AF lens does not remain constant between wide and telephoto settings. Only a zoom lens with a true fixed aperture will provide unchanging iris opening (The XL 16X Manual Servo lens is better in this regard).
Just check in the viewfinder and you'll observe that the lens aperture of the AF IS 20X lens will close down slightly from f/1.6 to about f/3.4 when you zoom between wide to telephoto, so the Exp Lock will obviously not keep the lens at f/1.6 throughout the zoom.

The stock 20X lens will close down to around 3.4 when you fully zoom in. This is a design constraint of the lens and is not a malfunction. You should also know that having the dial in 'M' only puts you in manual iris and shutter. The EXP LOCK button has no effect in 'M' mode. EXP LOCK is for the semi-auto Av and Tv modes where you control only the iris or shutter and let the camera manage the other. For example, you are in Tv (shutter priority) and you have it set for 1/250th, the camera will vary the iris setting automatically for you to maintain optimal exposure. If you press and hold EXP LOCK, the camera is forced to keep the iris at whatever it currently is. The opposite effect would be true if you were in Av where you select a desired iris and the camera runs the shutter.

You should also know that if you leave the gain knob set to 'A', even with the main dial in 'M', the camera will vary the gain based on lighting conditions and can lead to unpleasant results. This may account for the shifting exposure you mentioned, along with the lens iris closing down at full telephoto.

-gb-

As Greg has mentioned, the Auto Gain button set on "A" will cause a constant change of the exposure as you swing the lens to different framing. I find best results are when the Gain is left on Minus -3 and rarely move it off that position unless light levels are really low.

I do use 'M' Manual position on the main dial, but much prefer to twist it to Av for run-n-gun stuff. For difficult lighting and fast-changing backgrounds - such as when a person is moving constantly from evenly lit background to harsh backlight or highly reflective water and grey sky in the background, I simply frame on a subject that is properly exposed, such as evenly lit area of green grass, quickly press the Exp Lock button and then swing back to the main subject; or simply take a meter reading off the subject's evenly lit skin tone, press the Exp lock button and then continue shooting.

Regarding the fluctuation of the iris as you zoom in tight - you'll notice that the iris will remain fairly constant at f2.8 through most of the middle zoom range and only changes to f/3.4 at the very tightest telephoto position.

Yes, but i'm pretty sure i notice an auto adjustment of the exposure one time that i was shooting a medium shot of a road and a truck passed over. I must be wrong (maybe i was in some auto-mode) but i almost have used only the manual mode.

Once again, check the position of the Gain knob. If it's set to Auto, the camera will vary the electronic gain regardless of being in Manual exposure mode. If a truck passed by and darkened the frame, the camera would increase the gain if set to Auto. As Tony suggested, set it to '0' or '-3' and try to work your other exposure parameters to optimize at this gain level.

-gb-