durability
 

Howdy. Let me start by confessing to being a neophyte in the digital world. I work with a Chicago non-profit Connecting Classrooms to the World. We travel to remote sites such as Nepal and, in October, Patagonian Chile to deliver educational supplies and connect schoolchildren there and in Chicago via Internet. We are looking to invest in a versatile camera like the XL1 for high-quality documentary purposes.
My two questions are:
1. How durable is the XL1 in fairly rugged conditions over 2-4 week periods;
2. and do you think the camera's weight (6 + lbs) will be an issue for trekking/backpacking?
Please let me know your thoughts and if the XL1 is even the right camera.
Best,
JC

Howdy from Texas,

Welcome aboard the DVinfoNet Cruise Lines. I think you might want to check out Community member Aaron Frick's report about using the XL1 on his African safari. Go to my website, the XL1 Watchdog at www.dvinfo.net/xl1.htm -- click on User Reports on the left side -- from there click on Aaron Frick's entry. See also his page in the Image Gallery, "An XL1 African Ed-Venture," plus "African Wildlife through an EF Lens." Hope this helps,

thanks
 

much obliged, Chris. That article was extremely helpful.

Sounds like a -very- interesting endeavor, particularly since it's launched here in Chicago!

Bruce Johnson recently wrote an article for DV Magazine about his travels in Africa with XL1 gear that you might also be interested in seeing. It's at:

http://www.dv.com/features/features_item.jhtml?category=Archive&LookupId=/dv/xml/feature/2002/bjohnson0302&_requestid=26309

You will have to register on the site but it's a free registration. I think you'll find it well worth your time, given your intentions.

One of the advantages of the XL1/XL1s is its small size and relatively low weight. COmpared to a 12-15lb ENG camera the XL1 is virtually a pocket cam <g>. Plus, when it's completely disassembled you're left with 3-5 pretty small pieces that are relatively easy to pack.

Good luck and let us know how your projects are coming along!

Hi JC,

Welcome to the friendliest board on the net.

Do you have a URL that shows some of the work you or your non-profit group has done? I'd really be interested in seeing it...I've been keeping my eyes and ears open for sites that my nephews and nieces could tune into and perhaps participate in with their classes. They need to see more of the world.

And just to throw in my .02...I think you'll find a lot of people here who travel extensively with an XL-1(s) in tow. Like Ken says, broken down it's hardly noticeable. I recently took mine to Japan in a Kata Banana-10 bag. If you look at the camera assembled and put the bag next to it, it's hard to imagine that it all went inside it. Of course, for more protection over longer periods you'll need something with more padding...but when you need to be discreet, it packs down small. I'm betting that one of the Lowe photo/video gear backpacks or something similar would come in pretty handy.

Bon voyage.

Hi again,

Just answered my own question, JC, as I browsed more through the site.

If anyone else wants information on your non-profit project, jump to this thread

http://www.dvinfo.net/conf/showthread.php?s=&threadid=1478

Cheers.

Hey JC,

I've spent pleanty of time hiking up and down the snowy peaks of New Zealand, Canada and Japan with my XL1 strapped to my back. I use a Lowepro Photo Trekker Classic back pack and it works a treat. You can spray it with Scotchguard to waterproof it up and keep your baby dry and it's got lots of places to hang stuff off. The big plus is as Rob mentioned in the other post is it is OK as cabin baggage.

Size wise I fit my complete XL1 kit in it, body, lens, VF, mic, batteries, tapes, dual battery charger/holder thingy as well as my still camera rig as well which includes a couple of sizeable bits of glass. It's surprising how much you can get in there, and how comfortable it is on my back. I've hiked in waist deep snow up a mountain and then snowboarded back to the bottom and barely noticed it.

As for durability, my XL1 has endured snow, the beach, 100's of motocross tracks, and also tropical forrests and it's served me well every time. It's a tough little trooper, you won't be dissapointed

I spent seven weeks in Central America working on a travel video and my XL-1 performed flawlessly. I did take care of it, but that goes without saying for any piece of equipment one owns. If you take reasonable precautions you shouldn't have any trouble. If you shoot in the rain, get a rain cover etc.

I wrote an article for a friend of mine about my travels. You can read it here:

http://www.kenstone.net/fcp_homepage/video_on_the_road.html

Note that all location shots are frames of video from the XL-1. Some are seen via the FCP interface as well. I am not trying to promote my video so don't take it that way.

Greg Matty

Nice story and write-up, Greg. Thanx for sharing it.

If DVinfo.net is interested, I can write something similar with more of an XL-1 flavor to it. Just let me know.

That article was more about traveling outside the country.

Greg Matty

Adrian:

How good is the waist belt on your Lowe Pro Classic? Is it sufficiently wide to distribute the weight on your hips?

Thanks to all for replying - the information has been invaluable! In response to John Locke's interest in my trip, either follow the thread he posted or go here: http://www.activeendeavors.com/expeditions

(And, John, anyone you know who'd be interested in the trip from an educational standpoint, send 'em my way. They can simply log on as individuals or, in extreme cases, perhaps their school can even get involved with the program.)

My chief concerns with the XL1 were that less-than-studio conditions would hamper its performance. But from your stories and advice, it seems that with a decent travel pack, the right accessories, a roll of duct tape, and a rain cover I'll be in the clear! And, Adrian, I will check out that backpack.

Best, JC

One other piece of advice. I own a HikerPro backpack/carrying case from, I think, Portabrace. They make a lot of high end stuff so check out their site. Sorry I don't have a link to it off hand.

Greg Matty

Greg and all,

The Porta Brace site is at: http://www.portabrace.com/
(The Hiker Pro is at http://www.portabrace.com/asp/ProdDesc.asp?DescCode=HV )

They have a very good online catalog. Select your model and then look for it at B&H Photo (www.bhphoto.com) and other places to see where you can get a good price.

JC,

the waist strap on the Photo Trekker Classic is about 3 inches and it does it's job well. Another thing you might want to check out is the Street and Field series of Lowepro packs. They are a little more expensive but it is a modular style system so you can add extra pouches, pockets and the like as you need.

The Porta Brace pack the Greg mentioned is also a top piece of gear.

Duct tape is the greatest invention of the last century. It held my viewfinder firmly in place for 2 months after I was taken down by an over zealous learner snowboarder and broke the VF pivot plate.

BEWARE the sticky residue left by duct tape in warm weather. Once it gets on your fingers, it will contaminate every optical surface for 50 meters around. Gaffers tape works much the same, without the melting glue of duct tape.

Here, here.

Y'all know that Gaffer's tape was invented by Ross Lowell, founder of Lowell Lights, and one of the first XL1 users ever (December 1997).

Trival Pursuit Silver Screen Edition Champ,

Well there you go, there's no argueing with a Trival Pursuit Silver Screen Edition Champ. It's not a problem I can across in the wilds of the NZ and Canadian alpine landscapes.

ahhh...to live in a place where one can leave a CD on the dashboard and come back to find it still playable.

As much as I like my xl1S, if you are "going into the bush," I might go for a sony. If you are backpacking, weight counts. On the other hand if you are going with some paid help or the like, let them carry it!

I remember cutting toothbrushes, getting dried food and anything else to avoid extra weight. Call me a wuss, but I'd carry the Canon if that were about all I had to carry (no tent, food, water, sleeping bag...).

The other thing is battery power. I don't know about the aftermarket batteries, but I believe that you will get more life out of the sony batteries/units. So if you must carry a dozen batteries, you will get more run time from a sony 900 or even the vx2k.

As for durability, the rule is... just don't drop it. They can take just about all "normal" wear and tear.

The real key is shooting/critique/adjust/shoot/.../.../... I still find myself changing the settings a little here and there. But the most important thing is learning what your camera takes to achieve proper exposure.

Yes, gaffer's tape is a true blessing. As JoPhoto mentioned, I had been told that for trekking the Sony (specifically the pd 150) might have an advantage for being lighter with longer battery life.
However, I see the XL1 as having a real advantage in terms of being more versatile and customizable to a range of shooting conditions.
JC

The simple but expensive answer to that on JC is you need 2 cameras. The XL1 and a XM/GL1. Add a beachtech to a GL1 and you've basically got a PD150(I know the Pd150 is DVCAM, yadda yadda yadda.) with 20x zoom and it will complement your XL1 footage nicely. I'm hoping to have an XM1 buy the end of the year to throw into a water housing and for on my snowboard where the XL1's bulk can make desents a litle hairy.

Adrian,

Where did you find an underwater housing for your GL-1?

I looked into Ewa-Marine for one for my XL-1, but I think they went under (no pun intended).

A friend who has his own dive show in Canada recommended the Ikelite series. They are the real deal and they have the price to prove it. $5000 or there abouts. Also, the last time I looked, they only had housings for Sony models?

Please post any information you have on this. Thanks.

Greg Matty

Greg,

here is a link to the ewa-marine site. they still have an underwater housing for the XL1 that goes 10m deep.

http://www.ewa-marine.de/English/e-start.htm

click on camcorderlist pick Canon and so on. The housing is called the VXL.


and here you get something to go down to the Titanic:

http://www.aquavideo.com/htmlhsg/canxl1.htm

Cheers,

Greg,
I haven't got an XM1 yet. That and the waterhousing are later in the year. Gotta get a new Mac first.

Peter,

Do you have any experience with your second recommendation? The Ewa products seem a little flimsey, but I should probably use one before I get to critical.

Adrian,

Which model of Mac are you looking at? Can you wait until July? We should, and better, see much faster hardware at the next Macworld. I am waiting.

Greg Matty

Greg, I'm looking at a custom built DP1Ghz Mac. Yeah, I can wait, I was looking at buying July, August, then the XM1/housing in Oct/Nov in time for the winter snowboarding season. Maybe I should have a rethink, and get the XM1 first ay?

Greg,

no experience with it. I just knew the website.

Cheers,

Adrian,

I went for the custom build option but won't do that again. It is just too easy to do it myself. The VAR I went with did a great job and I would recommend them without hesitation. Installing ATA drives and RAM is just so easy, I don't want to pay a $1,000 premium for the service.

Have you actually taped your project yet? Unless you need a new mac for other reasons, don't buy it until you are ready to edit. If it takes you a couple of months to get everything on tape, you might see yet another upgrade to the Mac hardware that you would not have been able to buy before you finished taping. At Macworld Tokyo, Apple "ALLEGEDLY demoed at least" dual 1.4ghz G4's running on a 400mhz bus. This is straight from macosrumors.com which doesn't lend it much credibility, but certainly faster hardware must be in the pipeline. I am still fantasizing about dual 1.6ghz G5's, but I said that just before the January Macworld and all we got was a bump from 867mhz to 1ghz. Whoopy big deal. ;)

Greg Matty

With the stuff I shoot, you usually end up with hundreds of hours of footage to sort through so it's better to do a kind of offline edit as you go. I've got a PC/DV500 that I've benn using for a couple of years and I've had enough of it's reliability(ie lack of it).

The good but bad thing about the computer industry is no matter what you buy and when you buy it, there will always be bigger better faster more on the market a week later.

I hear you about building it yourself and I have no problems with that. Maybe I'll just get the bare bones model and go from there.

<<<-- Originally posted by Adrian Douglas :

The good but bad thing about the computer industry is no matter what you buy and when you buy it, there will always be bigger better faster more on the market a week later.-->>>

Great point, Adrian. I did jump onto one of the new Dual 1GHz units, but I was more concerned with taking advantage of a big price drop (which occurred) than getting the absolute latest and greatest for all time. One thing is certain -- if my machine edits well today, it will edit just as well tomorrow, no matter what comes out. That doesn't stop the drooling, though!

Both of your comments are well taken.

I was thinking in terms of my project where I considered buying the machine and FCP prior to travelling to Costa Rica and Belize. I thought getting a handle on what FCP can and can't do might help me in deciding which shots to get. I knew this was foolish and I am glad I waited to buy my new machine until I got back and was ready to cut.

It goes without saying that if you have projects to work on right now then go ahead and upgrade. I also agree that my current machine can always perform at its current level no matter what else comes out. Given what can be done with DV and a personal computer, that says a lot.

Greg Matty

Vic if we aren't drolling over all the gear we could have then it's because we're making big budget Hollywood features and our name is Steven Spielburg

Hell, a Dual 1Ghz G4 is a firebreathing weapon. That is enough to burn anyones DV fingers