Tips and Tricks for the XL H1
 

We just got done shooting a narrative feature film with the Canon XL H1, and I think some things we have learned about the camera might be useful to others going down the same path.

Overall, both the Director of Photography and I were astounded when we first saw the footage on an HDTV. "Guess I'd better sell my film camera," the DP said. The XL H1 and other cheap HD cameras are a huge leap forward for the democratization of cinema. More significant, in some ways, than the introduction of DV. It's exciting to be on the bleeding edge of this technology, but there were many little technical pitfalls I wish we had known at the outset of this project. I will try to address those here.

There is a lot of debate between the cameras, a lot of it about technical aspects such at HDV vs. DVCProHD, 24F vs. 24P, etc. In my opinion none of these technical discussions are nearly as important as the subjective feel of the images these cameras create. Yes the XL H1 uses the inferior HDV, but I think only a professional with a careful eye can see the difference. And let's all just face it: 24F is the same as 24P in the end. What's important is ultimately the image.

Personally I find that the XL H1 creates beautiful images. The colors, the blacks, the highlights, all are lovely, detailed, film-like. I haven't worked with the HVX200, but I find the XL H1 to produce better images than the the Sony Z1U. The XL H1 is still a sub-$10,000 camera, so it's not quite as great as the Varicam or the F900, but it's pretty close. It's also not film, but its pretty hard to tell the difference.

So, Tips and Tricks for the XL H1.

TRICKS

4 XLR ins:
Get the Canon MA-300 adapter and get yourself 4 XLR inputs. Perfect for a couple of wireless lavs, a boom, and another mic. Sure, it's less data for the audio channels, but it's plenty for voice recording. Sure, you can't digitize audio 3&4 easily, but it is possible, and it's just so darn useful to have four audio channels in the field. (Also, you can easily mount the wireless lav receivers right on the back of the camera.)

Using the Canon on-camera mic via an XLR input:
Say you're using a single boom mic, inputting via XLR 1. You've got XLR 2 doing nothing, and the on-camera mic doing nothing. Seems a waste. Well, all you need to do is adapt the on-camera mic to input through XLR 2. A short female-mini-to-male-XLR adapter will do for the audio signal, but the mic needs power. Simple, just get a short micro-mini extender cable, plug one end on to the mic, and the other into where the mic's connector would normally plug, on the camera's handle. Make sure the mic is switched to stereo, and voila, you have a second XLR mic.

Monitoring in the field:
Though many people told me it couldn't, the XL H1 downconverts to NTSC on the fly during recording, so you can plug a little monitor or deck into the video and audio out jacks and have yourself a video tap. Perfect for the director who wants to see what's going on through the camera. I used a little DV camera, and recorded it all so we could have a playback tape if needed. Very useful. (Note that the output NTSC is anamorphic, stretching the 16:9 image over the whole 4:3 frame. A monitor with a 16:9 switch is useful, or something that automatically adapts, such as what I used, a Sony PD-100 DVCAM camera.)

Native slow motion:
In a 24F project, shoot 30F and use Cinema Tools to slow down the footage to 24fps for a slight slow motion effect. Use 1/60 shutter speed for a standard look, or 1/30 for a slightly dreamier feel.


TIPS AND WARNINGS
(This all sounds pretty negative, but I think all of these problems are manageable if you know about them ahead of time. Also, in defense of the XL H1, I bet a lot of these problems are true with the other cameras as well.)

The Viewfinder:
The viewfinder is without a doubt the camera's greatest weakness. It's like evaluating the subtle brush strokes of a Van Gogh using your cell phone screen. Here are the main things to watch out for:

-The Whole Image: Most prosumer viewfinders don't show the outer edges of the recorded frame, but this viewfinder crops out more than most. You can't see 5% or more of what you're actually shooting on the left, right, top and bottom of the frame (the top and bottom of the display is pretty close to a 1.85 aspect ratio! In a 16:9 camera!) So give a big margin for the boom and know what's on the edges of your frame.

-Color and Contrast: It's impossible to know just what you're capturing using the viewfinder. The good news is that whatever it is, it looks a whole lot better for real than it does on that little screen. Be careful with blacks though: often what you thought was total blackness has some detail, perhaps that you didn't want. I really recommend getting an external monitor (even just NTSC) for at least a day, so you can get a sense of how to interpret what you're seeing in the eyepiece.

-Focus: You just can't tell. Double check a lot. The zoom-in, focus, and zoom-out technique seems to work. The magnifying feature kind of works, though not as well as you'd think. Fortunately, the camera has such a large depth of field that you're probably in focus anyway. And in HD when you're just a little out of focus it's not a huge deal.

-Ghosting and Lagging: In 24F mode, brightly lit objects leave serious trails behind them, though this is not recorded to tape. Also, the action in the viewfinder is delayed by as much as a half-second. It makes following close action a little tricky, but doable. Overall, in high-contrast, high-movement shots, the viewfinder becomes a messy blur. It's really advisable to have a second monitor, even if it's just a little one, for these situations.

Other issues:

-Gain: Don't go over +6 dB. The XL H1 does fairly well in low light, almost as well as the Sony Z1U. However, the gain in the XL H1 is not so great. It creates a slight, barely perceivable banding, i.e. the grain isn't uniform. Doesn't look good the higher gain you go. Also, the gain creates a flashing effect when recording to HDV, I assume because of the 15 frame long GOP compression. Overall, the +12 dB did not hold up on an HDTV. Frighteningly, a lot of what the gain looks like depends on how the contrast is set on whatever random HDTV your watching the footage on.

-Autofocus: Unreliable. Sometimes it takes a long time to find its focus spot, and once it does, bounces back and forth quickly to get exact focus. And it always seems to focus on the background. Better to let your subjects be slightly out of focus than deal with the stupid autofocus.

And then some nuisance issues:

-It's easy to record accidentally. The top record button is very sensitive. Easy to slip into record mode. I recommend turning on the red record-tally light just because of this. I don't normally like that light, but here I had to make an exception. (Fortunately the viewfinder's LED record lamp makes it unlikely to accidentally NOT record.)

-It's easy to knock the shutter speed buttons. Keep an eye on your shutter speed.

-The Stabilizer: works pretty well unless you're trying to do slow pans. Leave it on except in this case. Also turn it off if you encounter "fireflies," moving lens flares due to a light source within the shot.

-Moisture disasters: If you ever get the message "CLEAN THE TAPE HEADS" from the camera, make sure you do so. Because of the long-GOP format of HDV, any small problem with the heads means you probably aren't recording anything at all. This happened to us. Lost a whole day's shooting. Tape turned out almost entirely blank. (Only happened once though, when we were shooting in heavy rain. We shot many more days in the rain without further problems.)

-The on-camera mic is great, but be careful that you've got the viewfinder apparatus securely tightened, otherwise it rattles and the mic really picks it up.

-If shooting in 24F, use non-drop timecode. More film friendly. Wish I had known that from the start.


Anyone got anything else?

Wow. You've summed up quite a bit about the H1 in a single post. Great job, Gabriel -- much appreciated!

Great post, Gabriel. Just about sums it all up, but I do have a minor disagreement:

Were you using NR1 or NR2? These increase banding signifigantly, especially with gain on. I've found +12 db to be pretty decent, given the actual boost. I've used it before in a pinch and I thought it held up pretty well. Certainly not ideal, but it's useable.


Great tip! Simple but true. That said, what are the issues of "going to film" with a 23.98 timebase?

Great post, but I personally think that focus is even MORE critical to nail in HD, since most HD screens we're viewing things on are very large! The H1 is definitely tough to focus using the VF or EVF screen, but the magnify feature helps a ton. I use it all the time...when I can.

KW

I use the B/W option, peaking and magnifying...when I can too.

4 Audio channel ?
 

Thanks a lot Gabriel!

You said that it's possible to aquire audio channels 3&4, but I didn't succeed to do that with Firewire cable and FCP 5.
I've recorded various mics on the 4 channels, and listen them with the phones on the tape, but I only get the 1&2 in FCP, even with the Variable Mix option in audio setup...
Anyone knows the procedure to capture channel 3&4 ?
Maybe 4 RCA outputs are required ?

Thank you !

gabe, that was totally awesome =). it should be an article or a sticky or somn. it's reference-level. comeback and let us know future projects! =).

the only thing i would add is, ya gotta be somewhat in shape to hold some of these heavier cams. if it's been awhile, please give yourself a few days to get used to the weight. i was so outta shape and thought i could pick it right up and do a wedding, there were a lot of shaky shots. =). so get in shape and stay in shape but also give yourself some time if you aren't regularly utilizing a heavy cam like the H1 =).

To respond to some responses:

Mr. Elton,

I've never used the NR features, and I've found +12dB to be noisy but acceptable on an NTSC monitor. I have to say, though, that when I watched footage shot in +12dB on an HDTV, the noise was out of control. It was possible to adjust the monitor to reduce it to an acceptable level, but in the TV's normal, consumer settings, the noise was so great that any viewer would be distracted by it. This frightened me, as you never know how your audience's TV is set.

As far as 24fps video-to-film timecode issues, I haven't gotten that far into the process to see all the problems yet. But I did discover that Cinema Tools, when performing an automatic reverse telecine, assumes that the "A" frame falls on timecode frame :00 and :05. This is a standard telecine convention, and if you're recording in drop-frame timecode, this numbering accuracy is lost. So Cinema Tools can't automatically find the "A" frame. (This may be a moot point, however, as the XL H1 may not follow this :00 :05 convention in its internal telecine.) Regardless, non-drop timecode has always been the standard in film post production, and indeed drop-frame should only be used when exact real-world timing is needed. Why early DV cameras only used drop-frame is a mystery to me. I've always assumed there must be a reason, and have continued to use drop over the years. From now on I'm sticking with non-drop.


Mr. Wild,

True, true, focus is critical in HD. But I noticed that some of my footage was just barely out of focus, it didn't really bother me. I suppose because of the huge depth of field: whatever is out of focus, it's not that much out of focus, so it feels like the whole frame is in focus, and the subject's softness isn't distracting. What distracts me as a viewer is when something else in the frame is definitely in focus, but not the subject, and your eye is drawn to the focus point (like in 35mm when the actor's ear is in focus, but not the eyes). Since with HD everything is kind of in focus, the different is not as huge, and not as distracting. That's how I feel. Very much subjective, though.

Mr. Fournier,

I'm afraid I don't have an easy solution for audio 3&4. I know technophiles will balk at this, but here's my suggestion: output 3&4 through the RCA jacks and record onto a DV tape, then digitize that DV tape. Or, go from the RCA jacks directly into the computer if you have that ability. Timecode will be an issue. It should be possible to clone the timecode onto your new tape using either the timecode out or perhaps the lanc jack? Recording video over to the new tape as well would be helpful in the syncing process.

This seems an issue deserving of its own thread. I would like to know what techniques others have discovered. Is there any way at all to get the audio out as a data stream, and not go through the RCA jacks?

Mr.(?) Yu,

Good point about the camera's weight and balance. I can't hold the thing up for more than an hour. I start to shake. My DP is quite athletic and struggled with it himself. It's a real problem. (As an aside, my DP recently started shooting with the JVC, and says that it's very well balanced, easy to hand hold, and very easy to focus, a much better camera for documentary work where you're following action for hours on end. Just as an aside.)

I should also plug the movie's website: http://www.yearzeropictures.com

You got to be very careful with the mini headphones input on the camera, it kind of stick out, and makes it very fragile if there is any unusual tension, lets say handheld camera style shoot where camera operator has to control audio levels and periodically change camera angles, sometimes very quickly.

addendum to holding heavy-arse cams:

the longer you hold it, the "steadier" it will become as your muscles will get used to it. the first 1/2 hour was terrible, but after bitching, it works. it ain't good for your arms (gotta see chiropractor afterwards ;), but good for the shot =). 5 months back, i did a XL H1 shoot and held the cam for 5 hours straight with brief intervals of changing tape/battery, but otherwise, on shoulder 90%. it felt like i lost the arm afterwards =).

the xl1s rig that i use is probably heavier than the h1, because it has an fs-4 on it, 11 nimh aa's, mounting bracket, fm walkman, rf audio reciever, 2x multiplier, etc.

i got the steady stick to support all the weight, and it's been a lifesaver... highly recommended for the h1, but you'll probably need to be at least 5'8" tall, because the stick is simply too long... it's a design flaw.

virtually all of the camera weight is transferred to the steady stick belt, and it helps to set it so that the pressure point is on your hip rather than your diaphram, which helps to keep the camera steady.

thanks to all for this great thread on the h1!

I can't understand why Canon doesn't provide full autofocus control of many seperate focus points within the viewfinder frame, as it does with most Canon and Nikon SLR cameras. The main subject of the scene is almost always set off-centre for a more powerful framing, but the AF Canon XL lenses just continue to focus back on the background or centre subject, even after you've adjusted focus with the manual focus ring - and it is a pain to waste time switching the AF button on and off all the time. When you are focussing through foliage or fine tree branches etc the AF hunts like mad, and it would be far better to have four small squares light up for a few seconds when you hit a button that places the focus region on one of the four 'power-points' of the frame.

Not sure if this is a factor, but I think the Canon SLR AF sensor and image sensor are not simultaneously active (and hence the need for predictive AF while the image sensor is active during high-speed shooting). Other design differences which may have an impact include 1 vs 3 sensors with prism, and considerable difference in sensor size.

Best,
Christopher

Procedure for still image recording with any XL or EOS lens:

See http://www.dvinfo.net/conf/showpost....4&postcount=13

Procedure for the easiest way to do true 24P intermediate codec editing on the Mac:

http://www.dvinfo.net/conf/showpost....40&postcount=7

Note from Barlow Elton: "for anyone trying to figure out a low cost way to get 24F HDV into FCP without hassles. This will likely be obsolete when Apple finally integrates 24F support within FCP..."

I am sorry, but I was a big Canon XL H1 Fan, until I saw the real thing in term of HDV compression and 24f. You cannot say 24f is like 24p... I wish it were, but it not. And for HDV, it look like mpeg2 at 25mbits, and it get pretty bad something especially when you need to recompress it (DVD or Sat broadcast). And mp3 audio compression is also disapointing.

SDI port was interesting until I saw the price tag of recording device. And in the end, it still not progressive.

XL H1 is a GREAT camera for TV with the SDI port for HD broadcast. And make very nice looking video.

I understand Canon choices of doing this camera like they did, HDV is the only format available really that is inexpensive. The other solution is P2 format that Canon do not beleive today. Also their camera OS cannot support complex operation like P2 recording and would have drive the price up.

I wish Canon create a XL H1L, the samething as it is rightnow, without the SDI port, so they can sell it for 3k$. At that price, it is a interesting second camera.

Sorry, Marc. I couldn't disagree more. Have you actually spent time using an H1? I've had one for 7 months now and find it to be an awesome camera. I have an XL2 with 24p and find there to be NO difference in the look of 24F versus 24P. None.

I originally thought I wouldn't use the SDI port, but now I do every time I load something so I can bring it in digitally to the DVCProHD codec through a Kona card.

It's an awesome camera...spend some time with it.

Oh...the GL3 should be on the way soon. Maybe that's something you'll like better...

KW

Come on Marc, 3k will not be sufficient for the body only nor the L-glass alone. Even without SDI.
No dear Canon, keep the quality and do not save on the components. I never regret I have bought an expensive quality thing. But I regret I bought cheap stuff when it breaks.

BTW, why do you wish to buy it for 3k when you can get it for free if you are lucky ...

I am a little bit conserned over the fact that there is a a delay in the viewfinder.
How does this work when shooting on fast moving objects like a car that travels in exess of 150mph / 240kph?

If you are doing serious shooting you need to use an external monitor where delays are not an issue.

Regarding your specific question, I'm not sure what you mean exactly.

Perhaps he is referring to the pixel switching time.

Best,
Christopher

Well an example to make it a little clearer.

In your finaljourney1 movie there is a sequense where "a steven dempsey film" text appears, there is a couple of cars passing by the camera.
Imagine that those cars where going in 150mp/h and you had to keep them
in frame as they are passing by.

So the question is: Is it hard to make pans when you have to keep the objects in frame all the time, the delay should make this harder?

To what delay are you referring? Are you suggesting that what you see in the viewfinder is not what is being recorded to film?

Best,
Christopher

"WOW, CHECK OUT THESE COOL MOTION EFFECTS!
There is maybe a 1/4 or 1/2 second delay in what you see in the EVF versus the live event. This is not a huge deal but if you are critically timing something it can be an issue. If you hook up a monitor to the camera, this delay is not present. There is also significant motion trailing in the EVF display that is not going to tape so don't be alarmed if you see this."

Delay
 

Jesper, if you connect a monitor to the port on the back of the camera, the delay most certainly IS present. There is a sound delay too.

Best

Harry.

I haven't noticed it using an HD monitor connected to the HD/SDI port.

I'm not referring to the SDI port. I'm talking about the component out D plug on the very back of the camera.

Best

Harry.

Haven't tried that myself.

yes Jesper my experience is that fast moving objects at really long focal lengths can be a considerable problem thanks to that horrid viewfinder delay!

for a shoot like you mentioned a production monitor is probably not very practical because of the very fast panning and constant action at a race track (i would hope that's where they're driving at 150mph) you really need to be able to keep your left eye on the track and your right on the viewfinder to even know what's going on and you don't need to be looking down or to the side or whatever at an sdi monitor while tracking that stuff, i would say that at a very long focal length you ought to be able to keep a full shot of the car pretty consistently once you get used to it but for a shot of a driver in the cockpit of a grand prix car going by, forget it.

another problem with using an external monitor at a race track is that there are safety issues involved with shooting racing close up, i do a lot of still photography at champ car races and you have to keep an eye on what's going on around you at all times, if you are looking down at a monitor while reaching up to a pan handle on a camera you're not going to see that piece of carbon fiber shrapnel coming towards you from the wreck you didn't notice.

-Jon

If the monitor displays what is being recorded to tape, why would a delay make it difficult to film objects like fast moving cars? When an astronomer photographs a star in the sky, does it matter that the star blew up several million years ago and the light in the sky is actually what the star looked like a billion years ago? Or, is the photograph blank because the star no longer exists?

Best,
Christopher

A very informative answer, thanks.

Yes i will be shooting at different track events here in Scandinavia, for example: http://www.gatebil.no/ and http://www.stcc.se/
And just like you mention there is a safety issue on and around the track so we will be filming a long way from the track so we have to use a long focal length, so that was not a good news that the XL H1 have some issues with this.
I guess the only option is to "go by feel" for the first couple of pans untill i get used to the delay.
I could use a shorter focal length but it's not really fun to see a pixel going around the screen, closeups tends to get alot more "wow" reaction from the viewers so i would prefer to be able to shoot those (closeups that is, not the viewers).

I can't imagine what the people on Canons headquarter was thinking when they
put that poor viewfinder on it, when it is a 9'000$ camera i would expect more.

I really don't see any relation to your example and mine, you are talking about
static objects and a static camera position, that is no way nere the same thing
as trying to film a racecar passing by you at 150mp/h.
If the car travels at 150mp/h it travels 67meters per second.
And the XL H1 viewfinder delay can be up to half a second, that means that
if you just look at the viewfinder and see the car nicely in frame it could in real
life be more then 30meters out of frame.
Easy task? Nope.

/Jesper

You are right, my example is not relevant. While stars are moving considerably faster than cars, and the virtual image that we view can be very far from the actual location of the star, the delay is the time it takes to travel from the object to the sensor. It doesn't really matter how long this delay is, because you really want to photograph the virtual image. In the case of the XL H1 delay, the delay is the time from the sensor to the monitor, a very different scenario. Back to your regularly scheduled program.

Best,
Christopher

The delay is much more pronounced in the F modes than with regular 1080i. I believe it's due to the latency of the DIGIC processing required to create the virtual progressive look.

you should be in pretty good shape being far away from the cars you can get a more approximate sense of where things are, in america there's a lot of street courses with multiple chain link fences to stop debris which makes shooting from far away impossible so i have often times been less than 1 meter from open wheel cars at full tilt 150mph+ with only a waist high concrete wall between us and no catch fencing, needless to say that's pretty harrowing and i have to admit i have hit the deck a couple of times from certain very hairy drivers!!

in those situations of course situational awareness is extremely important and i would NEVER be screwing around with an external monitor hook up! this year at the press meeting before the long beach grand prix it was mentioned that you never leave anything on the wall because a 1700 pound race car hitting that wall at 180mph could easily turn your lens cap into a projectile that could pierce right through someone... so keep that in mind. i have to say as far as pure adrenaline rushes go photographing auto racing up close is the most thrilling camera work i've ever done. not the most rewarding but the most intense.

it's true that the view finder delay is considerably less in 60i mode.

it looks from those links that you'll be shooting a lot of sedan and sportscar racing which is easier than Grand Prix cars because they don't have the brute acceleration and deceleration of a grand prix car, tracking something that can do 0-60 in 2 seconds and brake from 180 in about 3 can be very very difficult to track properly and takes a good bit of practice, WAY harder than tracking birds or anything like that. but race cars that are based on street vehicles take a lot longer to speed up and slow down so the panning is smoother and more predictable. i'm sure you'll do fine with the H1 once you get used to it.

one more note, oval tracks are MUCH easier to shoot than road courses because the speed around an entire lap varies very little, maybe 25 mph variance in a 2 mile lap! so in those cases you pretty much pan at the same speed all day long and it gets pretty boring.

Nature usage
 

Hello All,

I am executive producing and shooting for a new Nature Doc series. Have just returned from a long Arctic shoot and another in Kansas. I head for Ecuador and argentina next and will be gone for 3 months. The XL-H1 seems to really hold up in many outdoor situations. I must put out right away that I am not the main cameraman on this unit and have hired two excellent guys on the different shoots to handle that function.... ( I know - I am spoiled I only shoot the HDW-730... but I am learning :))

Anyway, The boys have done some remarkable work in capturing incredible scenics and some natural history as well as almost all of the stand-ups and action sequences. I am consistantly impressed with the overall crispness, when the viewfinder is SO HORRIBLE!
The biggest issue and major weakness in the XL-H1 is clearly in the sound arena. Our PSC M-4+ mixer is of great necessity but even then items like simplicity of monitoring sound is difficult at best. I have not had a full-time professional sound person along on each shoot and on the last one it showed. Sound was very spotty inspite of the monitoring and checks we did in the field. As the budgets, improve the team will expand to always include this important function.

Cheers and hasta las vista!

Tim

I'm looking at purchasing the XL-H1 and have been reading this thread about the EVF. I will also be using it to shoot some racetrack footage and the delay in the EVF gives me concern.

What about mounting a small LCD monitor on the top of the camera? I could shoot on sticks and still keep pretty mobile by not being tethered to a heavy external monitor.

Cheers,
D

Dear David,

As I understand it, that should work.

From what I have read, the video out does not have a delay.

-If shooting in 24F, use non-drop timecode. More film friendly. Wish I had known that from the start.


Anyone got anything else?[/QUOTE]

--------------------
What does this mean? Just got the camera and want to make smtg to theatrical release..I dont understand non-drop timecode...

TY

Mixing footage from an Canon XL-1 and a JVC GY500
 

I am about the luckiest guy on the planet. I chronicled my efforts to build a JVC rig from soup to nuts on zero dollars, and now that I am finally getting the battery issues under control, I have been given an XL-1 for nothing! I immediately went out and bought $20 in lottery tickets, just in case.

Question is this: how hard will it be to mix footage from the two cameras, in the event that I want to do so, assuming that I WB and aperture and shutter speed and frame rate them the same?

A two camera shoot would be so much easier for me, having two excellent camera people available (one is a director).

BTW, I'm prepping for an early summer shoot for the Internet, tentatively entitled "Rockin' the Freitag". Now that I've said it out loud, I'll have to do it. Hopefully we'll get enought hits to make it commercially attractive to a broadcaster. Otherwise, we might just keep it Internet, and surf for subscriptions.

I would like to believe that the last few years of struggles and setbacks will have created a careful, more reasoned writer/producer, capable of taking the helm, with patience and a calm, understanding demeanor.

Or I might have to do it myself...

Re: Tips and Tricks for the XL H1
 

Er, Roy....................

Just to confirm or deny, did you say an XL - 1?

Did you mean an XL - H1?

Two rather different beasts, one more up to date than the other (by a country mile).

Bit of confusion at this end with that one.


CS