Hi there....

This recent thread may be of use: http://www.dvinfo.net/conf/showthread.php?s=&threadid=1236&highlight=insurance

Also, if you search for "insurance" using the button at the top, there are quite a few other threads on the topic.

Hope this helps.

No low down here, but my understanding is to just make a few start/stops every few minutes (+-10) just to be safe.

Anamorphic Lens/Converter
 

Can someone explain to me how such a device works?

I think an anamporphic adapter squishes the image down from top to bottom so one does not have to crop or otherwise convert the image to 16:9 while editing/compositing in FCP, Commotion or AE?

I know my theory can't be correct as people say an anamorphic lens allows a person to use the camera's full native resolution. If my Xl-1's CCD's are 4:3, how can I possible get full resolution in anything but an image shot 4:3? It seems to me that there will always be pixels at the top and bottom that go unused no matter how I matte, crop or shoot anamorphically?

Any explanation is apprciated.

Greg Matty

White Balance?
 

Here I am again trying to stump you guys.

I have been working on a feature for the last month and a half and yesterday I was shooting outside in the shadows of a building.. When I came around to the sunny side of the building a lens flair hit my camera and for that split secong everything change to a sort of magenta color (almost like I had white balance to dark blue!). Strange I thought, so I tried it again and sure enough again and again it would do it. No big deal I thought bacause I am sending my camera in for servicing when I am done this feature in 2 more months.

Here is the strange thing; Later I was shooting inside under some flourescent lights, when all of a sudden "bang" everything changed to a blue color, the complete opposite of the magenta color I had experienced a few hours earlier!!! I tried to get rid of it but could not untill I removed my battery and replaced it.

Is this related?

thanks- Nori

An anamorphic adapter is an optical device that looks like a cylinder of glass. It "distorts" the image seen by the lens(much like a funhouse mirror) so that a 16:9 FOV (field of view) fits onto a 4:3 CCD detector. In order to view the 16:9 FOV in an undistorted frame, image processing has to stretch the horizontal dimension to convert 4:3 to 16:9. You don't lose res because all the available pixels on the CCD are filled by the distorted image coming thru the lens. The real downside to these optical adapters is that it's EXTREMELY difficult for optical designers to control off axis coma, color fringing and barrel distortion with these strangely ground pieces of glass. You are paying a big price in optical quality with these adapters. Choose your poison, losses with an AO or losses by inefficient use of the available pixels. Ya just don't get something for nada. The only "good" way to capture 16:9 format is with a 16x9 CCD.

Bill Ravens

Peak DV
 

Has anyone used Peak DV much? If so, any ideas of good books that help with a jumpstart on using it?

For those of us that have purchased FCP 3.0, it comes as a freebie. But I have to admit I'm a little lost in how to use it.

Canon/Soderbergh Ad
 

I know this is probably pretty anal but has anyone else noticed the horrible hack job Canon did with "photochoping" the sunshade onto the Xl1s in the ad "Soderbergh on the XL1s"??? Everytime I see the ad it seems to stick out more and more. Its in RES and DV and a few other magazines.

As I said, i know its pretty anal but I was wondering if anyone else noticed?

I had a similar thing happen when I shot in really really cold weather.

All computer controlled electronics, like the XL1, are subjected to EMF....stray voltage pulses called radio frequency waves. EMF can wreak havoc on those electronics. Manufacturers do the best to shield their sensitive stuff from EMF/RF, but there's only so much one can do. This sounds like what happened. Removing the battery cleared the memory corruption.

You will need to remove the zoom motor grip handle from that lens in order for it to fit onto the XL1. For a lens mount adapter, contact Optex International at http://www.optexint.com/ or their US distributor Z.G.C. at http://www.zgc.com -- hope this helps, I would like to see how your results are with this lens on the XL1 as I've always thought it would be a good match.

fujinon lens and other dusty issues
 

i spent a weekend shooting in the desert in high winds. some of the moveable camera pieces (slider for the menu buttons, viewfinder joints, fujinon lens rings, etc.) have dust in them. i know i should send in the xl1 and the viewfinder to canon, but does anyone know where i can send the fujinon lens to get it cleaned?

has anyone else had this problem?

thanks.

I can't comment on your lens question, but living in the desert southwest, I have to put up with high wind and and blowing sand/dust all the time, particularly this time of year. Whenever I'm shooting in windy conditions, I use the PortaBrace Rain Slicker. It has done a good job in keeping the camera clean, but I do notice some gritty sounds when using the focus ring, probably from the one time I didn't use the cover.

Mic for G4
 

Can anyone suggest a good mic for plugging into a G4 when using FCP3 voice over tool?
Regards to all David

Black and coding
 

Just a quick question on how you guys black and code your tapes or your xl1s, whats the best way ?

Some people don't think that blacking or striping isn't necessary if you follow good shooting practises such as using record search to find the end of your last scene and continue the TC from there.

With some capture cards if there is the smallest break in the TC you could experience capture problems. I found this to be true with the Pinnacle DV500 so I stripe all my tapes before use. I usually stripe with the colour bars in the XL1.

1.Turn on the colour bar by pressing both the shutter speed adj buttons togeather for a few seconds with the camera in Green Box mode.(this is the trick for the XL1, with the XL1s colour bars are in the menu)

2.Disconnect the mic so no audio is captured.

3.Press record

4.Sit back and have a beer(or your prefered beverage).

Happy shooting and a trouble free capture.