I use the XL1s and 100-400mm zoom lens to film wildlife and I am very impressed with the results. If you would like to see an example copy and paste "http://uk.geocities.com/diversandavocets/Avocet_Preening.mpg" (1.7 MB) into your browser address line and hit enter (as it is on a Geocities server you may need to try more than once to successfully download). It shows an Avocet preening and was filmed with the zoom at 400mm.

I have also filmed Rock Ptarmigan on Scottish montane plateaux where the wind rarely falls below 10 mph and have managed to capture lots of footage with no discernable camera shake. As Adrian said you need a good tripod and head to minimise shake and I wouldn't even consider filming while zooming in and out.

The stills produced by the XL1s because of their small size, no larger than a video grab, are only good for displaying on the internet (unless you want to print thumbnails) and although I have hardly used this function I don't notice any great difference between a photo and a good video grab.

That preening video was great quality.

If shake is an issue, look into Canon's line of image stabilizing EF lenses Not cheap but will fix that problem.

Adrian

I'm glad you've tried the 70-200/2.8L, because that's what I'm planning to use.

It's a weighty beast. Comes with its own collar for mounting to the tripod when using it with an SLR.

Which leads me to my point. Where do you mount? Lens, cam or both? I figure that the weight of the lens is not much different to that of the stock lens that comes with the XL1-s, but I'm wary of putting undue strain on the adaptor.

And what head/tripod combo did you use? (John, your thoughts on this would be appreciated)

who cares about built in image stabilization. the available software stabilizers work just as good, if not better. check out boris red(expensive) or dynapel's video stabilizer. both work quite well and remove any hint of instability. they won't work majic on horribly held footage tho'. That's up to you to not drink anything the night before that gives you the shakes today.

Nigel,

I chose the Mamfrotto 351MVB tripod legs and 516 video head after consulting other posts on this forum. It is not everyone's favourite combination, as you will see if you do a search, but I do not regret the choice.

To answer your other question, Manfrotto make a plong especially for the 516 head which is basically an extended version of the standard quick release plate. I use this when working with the Canon 100-400mm zoom and XL1s. One end connects to the lens collar mount and the other connects to the camera tripod mount (with the aid of a spacer as the respective mounts are not on the same plane). See the Optex site for info and prices.

Thanks Keith but if I am honest, I would have to admit that the quality owes everything to the equipment used and nothing to do with me. I am a complete amateur at this and a good day is when I remember to switch on the microphone.

EF Battery
 

Can anyone tell me about how long the battery lasts in the EF and if there is a rechargeable equivalent?
Thanks, Chris

John, thanks for the info...I'll certainly look into that!

Bill, check this out...for Premiere & AE. A cut-down version will be released with premiere pro

yeah....i saw that site last week. Looks pretty good. the biggest problem with any of these software stabilizers is how they handle the edges...zoom or crop. for my $$$, the Boris Red motion stabilizer works best, but, it's expensive. I have a fundamental resistance to anything from Adobe...don't much care for anything that acts/thinks "elitist".

The battery lasts a long time, for me, over a year with heavy use. I have never seen a rechargeable replacement for the 2CR5 lithium battery.

Canon EF Lens for XL1s
 

I have the Canon 70-200mm f2.8L IS Lens and wish to fit it on the Xl1s due to its depth of field control. Is there an adapter available to fit the lens on the camera?

Has anyone tried this?

Yes, there are several. Canon makes the EF XL Adapter and has info on their site. This adapter allows the Image Stabilization (IS) to still work.

Other adapter are available. You may want to read this thread about a new adapter that has a few advantages with regard to image magnification.

This article on DoF and how it relates to DV may be of interest also.

Robert,

A couple of posts relate to a setup like you're thinking of:

http://www.dvinfo.net/conf/showthrea...threadid=10639

Stick with the Canon adaptor
 

Hi Robert,

The Canon EF adaptor is well worth it, it is solid and does not shimmy around at all...

One excellent lens to use with the EF adaptor is the Canon EF 28 - 135mm f3.5-5. IS USM lens. About $440 or so. A near 1000mm at full tele WITH Image Stabilization and a very sweet looking image for the price.

- don

Thanks Jeff, Many blessings to you for all your hard work at keeping up on this list. Chris