XL1 zebra is spec at 95 IRE.

I made a 60' one about a year ago. Basically, go to a good audio store and buy the audio cable. Do not use the cheap stuff because it does make a difference.

At Radio Shack get the connectors for both ends. My recommendation is to use a Dremel tool and file down the edges of the connectors to get a good fit on both the cam and the mic.

Put some heat shrink on the cables (because their will be two of them of equal length). This keeps them together and reduces tangles.

Solder both ends and make some type of strain relief fixture for the cam end. On the mic end you will need something to keep from pulling out of the mic.

Mine works fine. Be aware that this does not use balanced audio. Sources that radiate lots of energy may cause you audio problems depending on where you shoot.

Hope this helps,
Nathan Gifford

Canon XL1s Slow VTR ?
 

I used to import video trough fire wire with a Sony camcorder and a Panasocin MiniDV.

I recently bought a canon xl1s and i noticed a big difference when ever importing video with the canon xl1s. It takes a long time to respondo to my commands, like if i hit play using premiere's import window.. it takes about 3 seconds to start playing back and it i want to fast forward it takes like 3 seconds again to respond, then if i hit record... welll...

is just that i was used to the other camcorders and this one works slower that the other two, so im just posting this to see if anyone out there noticed the same thing..

or my camcocorder is malfunctioning...


thanks all

cheers

I really don't think it's a malfunction. Seems to be about normal compared to my own experience. My XL1 isn't any slower or faster in responding to commands through my Canopus DV Rex RT deck control interface than my Canon Optura Pi. I've never compared it to any other cameras, though.

<<<-- Originally posted by Chris Hurd : I really don't think it's a malfunction. Seems to be about normal compared to my own experience. My XL1 isn't any slower or faster in responding to commands through my Canopus DV Rex RT deck control interface than my Canon Optura Pi. I've never compared it to any other cameras, though. -->>>


Yeah, its just that compared to my old Sony DCRV D8 this canon Xl1s responds a lot slower to my commands.

Home-built shoulder mounts
 

Greetings,

I'd like to get some information about building my own shoulder mount. I've looked through the previous threads for something about home-built shoulder mounts and haven't come up with anything so far.

I've also spent a good deal of time looking at the ones at Varizoom, the Dolgin models, Steady Stick, and Glidecam (wish I could afford the latter!). Most of what I see looks a little awkward, particularly since I'm probably smaller than most of you guys ( 5'3"). Any help would be greatly appreciated.

Christine

Extremely low microphone output
 

I bought the ma-100. I bought two Audio Technica battery powered shotgun condenser mics (at835b and the at815b). I have new batteries in them. I turn the gain all the way up on the camera yet still hear next to nothing in the headphones.

I have investigated battery powered mic-pre options. Anyone have any suggestions on:
A. Possible fixes with what i already have, or
B. A good battery powered mic pre

going with the mic pre makes me feel stupid enought to think that i wasted 200 bucks on the ma-100, cause i wouldn't need it if i had gotten the mic pre.

I also tried a dynamic mic (shure beta57a) and i still got very little output.

Thanks! It was in the menu set to line level like you said, thanks a lot, i overlooked that!

What do the record levels show? Check your menu settings and line settings etc on the side of the camera. Is the MA-100 plugged in to XL1? Are you set to 12 bit or 16 bit recording?

Jeff

The Audio1 In input sensitivity typically defaults to line level. Did You check the setting on the menu to be sure it is set for MIC ATT (or possible MIC) level.

Lens cleaning part deux (probably spelled wrong)
 

I just bought some cleaning accessories. I got a lenspen, a microfiber cloth, and this stuff called Delta1 OFR Mist. Anyone know if it's safe? It says it is, but I figure what the hell does the manufacturer or the camera store know anyway?

Recording basketball play-by-play....
 

I work for a university athletic dept, and have the XL1 to shoot game footage during basketball seaon for commercials, highlight tapes, etc. I have the MA-100 and I want to use that to record the play-by-play voices of our radio announcers. I'm assuming that the setup they have has an extra XLR output that I could plug a transmitter into, and then plug the receiver into the MA-100 and have that strapped on the XL1.

First of all, has anyone had experience with this? And secondly, what are the best systems out there? We have wireless microphones already installed in the basketball arena for PA purposes, so I would want something that won't interfere with that system. And my budget would be around $200-300.

Also, a system with maybe 2 inputs, because I'd love to be able to use a good lavalier mic and pin it on our head coach, to get game audio from him. So a system that could handle two wireless inputs, or maybe 2 systems where the receivers would both be small enough to simultaneously strap on to the XL1.

Can anyone suggest a good system to buy, or how I could best go about achieving this? Thanks in advance!

Your budget makes this a challange. Look into the Azden VHF models, perhaps the WDR-pro receiver (two frequencies, diversity) and a corresponding transmitter. It should be in your budget range for on chaannel of sound. You would need a similar system on a differnt frequency for the second channel.

If you rcamera is in fixed location you may be able to run a wire from the announce system to the camcorder. That woudl be a lot cheaper and probably more reliable.

You may not want a wireless mic on the coach for fear moms would hear what he is saying to/about their darlings <g>.

The camera will not be stationary, I usually shoot from underneath the basket, up in the crowd, etc. I have a minidisc recorder which I guess I could hook up to the announcer, but it makes it much more difficult to keep the audio in line with the video, I'd have to go trhough and figure out what part of the audio commentary goes with what part of the video, and I'd rather just have that on camera so it is imported onto my computer along with the video.

And with the coach, I definitely would edit it a bit, I sure don't want to piss anyone off. :)

video breaks up...need help
 

I have a 2 yr. old XL1. I shot footage for a client this week and a lot of it (not all) came back all broken up (pixilated) and the frame wasn't holding at times when played out of the cam.
Playing out of another player deck was even worse.
I was recording in SP mode and used brand new tapes.
Any help would be appreciated. If need be, can anyone tell me the process for getting it repaired in Jamesburg. I live close by.
thanks

When was the last time you took your camera in for servicing? I think if it was a dirty head, the tape should be okay on playback on another deck. Two weeks ago the playback out of my XL-1 (2 years old) looked very bad like yours. On another deck it was okay, when I took it in they said the playback head was bad, luckily the recording head was okay so whatever I shot was okay. they changed the whole assembly for about $300.

With your camera it sounds like the recording and playback heads are bad. Someone correct me if I'm wrong but won't a tape cleaner only clean the playback head? Is there a way to clean the recording head? Try a tape cleaner, I don't think it will help much, you will probably have to send it in for servicing. With my camera it seems that after about every 8 months, I need to take it in for something. little things mostly, but the last time it was a big problem. Of course it had to happen during a big job and a week before I was going out of town and needed my camera, luckily they fixed the problem in 3 working days. It also helped the service center is one subway stop from my place.

Give the service center a call and tell them about your camera, they can tell you the best way to send/bring it in

A cleaning tape will clean (to the best of its abilities) both the record and playback heads. Do not excede the cleaning times recommended by the Mfg. They also don't clean the tape path very well, so a professional cleaning is recommended every so often.

Jeff

If it says it's safe for optical surfaces etc. it's safe for your lenses. You may not need to use it unless you have a really greasy smudge or smear. Small marks can be removed with the lens pen. For larger smears, moisten the filter by breathing on it, use the micro fiber cloth and rub with some force and keep breathing on the filter. Being too gentle at this point only moves the smear around. It is at this point most people give up. The trick is to use moderate force, your not going to scratch the filter.

Jeff

Help!!! Activate CSTM image presets
 

Could anyone help me out with setting the image settings on the XL1S menu???

I changed the image settings such as sharpness, color phase, color gain and setup, I changed the settings until I got the picture I was after, then I clicked return... then the image suddenly changed back to normal, I recorded a short segment and the image settings for the footage returned to normal.

I also tried pressing the menu button to exit as stated in the user manual, but the same thing happened, the imaged changed back to normal. I can tell, because I changed the setup to all the way left and sharpness all the way right. as soon as I exit or click return with the iris button, the image changes back to normal.

I have tried changing image setting in custom, Auto or green box.

I also want to shoot some black and white footage but was unable to make the color gain stay at the far left of the scale and record B+W. Please reply if you know what I am doing wrong.

Thanks....

Daniel

I don't have the XL1S manual with me at the moment (you can download it from www.canondv.com) and I'm at a tradeshow right now, but here goes.

Once you configure an image in the custom preset menu, the way you activate it is with the custom preset keys (the buttons under the red sliding door around the power dial). That's how you turn them on.

For black and white, knock the color gain all the way down and save it as a custom preset. Then access it with the custom preset buttons on the camera.

Page 69 of the manual explains how to set them up; page 70 explains how to recall them. Hope this helps,

XL1s and Sony DV decks, no audio
 

Recently had a new head assembly installed under warranty on a brand new XL1s, but now I noticed that DV tapes recorded in my Sony DSR40 will not play audio when played in the XL1s. No audio on RCA outputs, no signal in headphones, no activity on audio LCDs. Is this another head alignment, or is Sony DSR deck audio incompatable with XL1s audio?
Video plays fine, and both audio and video play fine when recorded on XL1s and played back on either XL1s and Sony deck.

My guess would be difference in head alignment. In my experience with head misalignments, the audio is the first to go soon to be followed by video glitches.

PAL to NTSC conversion question
 

I was looking at getting a PAL model XL1s since it transfers easier to film. The only thing is it may be a while before I output to film and will most likely be outputting to DVD for the time being. So, the question is how wise would it be to buy a PAL camera and just convert from PAL to NTSC in software? I would think that since motion pictures are 24fps and are converted to NTSC it should be quite similar shouldn't it? Basically I just want to buy one camera that will let me comfortably output to both film and NTSC DVD and so far from what I've read it seems PAL may be a wiser choice. Any advice would be greatly appreciated! Thanks.


Revolver1010.

Filters to enhance or alter image
 

Anyone considering buying filters for the XL1(s) to enhance/alter the image should read this article first. It was written by cinematographer Barry Braverman. Interesting reading!

http://www.lafcpug.org/curseofdigital_feature.html

Excellent article- thanks for posting it.

XL1S with Anamorphic Attachment question
 

I was reading thru the ZGC products and came across the
Anamorphic Attachment.

They say,
"ZGC Tech Desk: We tried the new OpTex adapter ring that is specially made to allow the OpTex Anamorphic lens to be used with the Canon 16x auto lens. As the clear aperture of the adapter is smaller than the lens’, the edge of the adapter will cut in the frame when the zoom is set at a focal length wider than 10mm. The image stays sharp when the zoom is operated in the range below 25mm with the aperture set at F1.8. If the iris is closed down, the range is extended: at f5.6 the image is still sharp when the zoom is at 30mm. "

Is this a real problem for any Anamorphic lens users? Has this
rescricted you in any way? How did you overcome this?

There is a slight vignetting on the Optex. But it's way out of the TV safe area. AND the Optex attachment adds 33% wide to you original lens wich is a great bonus. You are however limited in the tele range. The last third of the zoom is lost in vertical smear...

How to render CG Material
 

Hi all,

I am just wondering if anyone here has any experience with generating CG animations and compositing them over field-mode (i.e. interlaced) DV footage from a PAL XL1.
We have some live footage that needs, erm, augmenting, and I now am wondering whether to render the fields with odd fields first or even fields first - Premiere tells me PAL DV is even (lower) fields first, but Avid Xpress DV 3.5 tells me it's odd (upper) field first. Or should we save some time and render progressive anyway?

Anyone have an answer to this particular q?

Many thanks,

Kailee.

Go to DV.com. They have had several articals on CG, fields, and the like. I'm working on the same type of project, only real actors in a CG world. I hope your programs work quicker than my Infini-D!
Best wishes,
Keith

DV is lower field first (100% sure for PAL). Now the question is
whether this is even or odd.... That I do not know. A simple test
might be in order? You can also do progressive I think, which
should lower render times as well. Just do a 30 second test
or something first to make sure everything looks okay. Please
let us know how your results go.

Strongly recommend you go with NTSC for now. Unless you feel like rendering everything from PAL to NTSC by software, which is going to cramp your lifestyle a bit. You can always sell your camera later and buy a PAL unit when you're ready to shoot that movie. Hope this helps,

XL-1 used for IMAG at concert series
 

Hello. I had never done this before and was a bit apprehensive of what the image would look like. But the XL's, with their 525 lines, did very well providing a 20'x25' IMAG LCD screen with a clean signal through 200 ft of cable. Both myself and the screen provider were pleasantly surprised. If possible though, try to feed it with a high quality Y/C component signal and MANUALLY white balance the camera(s). This was achieved by splitting the Y/C carriers with a Y/C to 2-BNC y-adapter through two separate true 75 ohm BNC cables and rejoining them at the truck with another y-adapter maintaining the cleanest signal possible, short of Firewire, from the XL. I didn't try it with a single composite BNC return but it may very well have worked. So anyone with a possible job with an XL for IMAG, no problem.

Sound Level
 

Is there a sound/editing guru amongst us?

Here is the situation: I am editing together some sound and video. The sounds are recorded at various levels, some public domain, and some orginally recorded at the site. Some are also yet to be recorded, which is what I am going to do.

My question(s) is/are, at what level should one record at? I want to level the audio before I start manipulating it to taste (editing).

Is this a taste question? Record at whatever level...

Anyways, I hope I phrased my dilemma correctly.

This is new!

Thanks in advance for your help.

Cheers!

Derrick

I do not claim to be a guru, but I will offer a couple thoughts. In part it depends on what you plan to do with the edited video, and what kind of material you have (rock music, classical, voice, etc.)

A general guide is to set the average record level to about -12 dB on the XL1, and to avoid clipping on transients (level reaching 0 dB). With wide dynamic range material you may want to use a lower average level to keep some headroom for transients.

However, if you are matching existing material you may want to try match you new recording those average levels (if they sound OK to you). Be aware that audio form most consumer camcorders will be crap, with tons of AGC-induced compression to the point of having no dynamic range. Essentially useless for quality sound.

* * THANKS * *
 

Don,

Thanks for the information. I'm a neophyte to recording sounds. I will be recording some dialogue too, and your post is pointing me towards someone that has their own equipment.

I am trying to do everything on my short dv, so I can learn and know. However, I do want it to sound superb! Some of the recording I can do myself. The dialogue may be best done by someone who knows and can impart their knowledge to me on the fly. Obstacles, you gotta hate/love and overcome them!

Adobe Premiere and Avid XPress have some sound level minipulators that I can adjust.

Thanks for taking time to provide me with some valuable feedback.

I'll be back...

Cheers!

Derrick

Any idea where in LA rents film lens/adapter for xl1s?
 

I'd like to rent something like the mini35 or similar adapter for the XL1-s plus a prime lens set. Anyone know of any packages in the LA area? Haven't found anyone local with the adapter for rent yet. Thanks.

I believe Birns & Sawyer rent it. Give them a try http://www.birnsandsawyer.com/index.asp if not they may know who does.

Jeff

Battery Belt Pack-NiMiH or Li-ion?
 

Hi all,
I am new to this, and was wondring if there was a battery belt pack that used batteries w/no memeory effect?

Thanks

Hi,

There seemed to be no shortage of manufacturers making belts in this country when I was shopping for a belt a few months ago, so no doubt you'll find a choice of sources in your part of the world.

Prices vary widely, depending on the type of battery. I went for NiCd for a budget solution on the grounds that today's NiCds are far less affected by memory effect than they used to be. You just need a complete discharge/charge cycle now and again.

The question of whether to store your batteries fully or partly charged has been discussed here before, without a conclusion being reached. :)

Al

LiIon would be my choice. Try to find a wholesaler, they may sell to you. Sometimes you can save $60.00 on a 3 hr. batt. The last one I bought was a Lenmar 5550mAh for $59.99( for my XL-1). Very happy with it.

Keep looking

SP7 experiences
 

Has any one out there had experience with the SP7 shoulder brace. I do mostly outdoor shooting and I use the 1.6X extender quite a bit to bring me in closer on wildlife subjects. A recent trip to the rocky mountain high country reminded me of how windy it can get on top of a mountain. The body of the XL1s acts like a sail in wind gusts making steady video impossible (especially with the extender on full zoom). Will the SP7 help? Is it heavy? How much can I expect to pay?