How do I bring my XL to France SAFELY?
 

I'm moving to Paris for a couple of years and, NTSC/PAL notwithstanding, I want to bring my XL-1 with me. Because I've also got a baby son, a wife, and a ton of other luggage, I'm not sure if I'll be able to take it as onboard luggage. Do I:
A)Take it in its portabrace soft case as regular luggage on the plane?
B) Repack the camera into its original box and trust the movers won't mess it up?
C)Other?

Any advice from anyone who has done something similar with their equipment would be greatly appreciated!
Thanks,

Themackdaddy

Bonsoir,

I have flown with the XL-1 as hand luggage before.

I made it a pre-requisite of my travel agent that with my air ticket that they had to give me written permission from the airline that I would be flying with, which they did. I just flashed that piece of paper when people got cheeky. The flight case I use is the std one issued for the XL-1 and consequently is too large for overhead. The flight attendents will find a spot for your XL-1.

Also investigate at the airport before you leave. There is normally at customs, a place where you can declare your XL-1 with serial numbers of all components so that you don't get penalised with duties on re-entry. At the very least take all your original invoices.

Viva le France, enjoy the experience. France is a beautifull and exciting place.

Cheers
Andrew

New Xl1s owner questions
 

After keeping my eye on these boards and the watchdog site over the past year I finally bought a Xl1s. Both have been great resources.

Question though - Which tape is generally recommended to use with the camera?

I had a Sony evw-300 (hi-8) and was told sony metal evaporated was the best to use in that - in fact I found it to be extremely reliable and outstanding. But I heard that you should not use the metal evaporated with the xl1s..

So what type of tapes are people using?

I would like to get a top brand/quality tape as I'm using the xl1s for independing moviemaking.

Thanks for any advice
Jeff

Hello Jeff and welcome aboard,

We've had several discussions about DV tape around here, so trying doing a search to bring up those threads. Basically, *all* DV tape is Metal Evaporated tape, so no worries there.

The one single hard and fast rule is, you need to make a choice between Sony or Panasonic brand tape, and stick with that brand and do not interchange between the two. The lubrications are different. One is not neccessarily better than the other, you are completely safe with either Sony or Panasonic, but choose one only and do not switch.

DV cassettes are the least expensive part of the production equation, so don't skimp on cheap tape. Buy the best you can possibly afford. Personally, I use the Panasonic AY-DVM63EB tapes, but you can't go wrong with Sony either. Just don't switch! For an excellent source of DV tape, contact our sponsor Pro-Tape in Austin, Texas (contact info at www.dvinfo.net > Sponsors).

Any other questions, we probably have the answers. Just search the forums and if you don't see what you're looking for, feel free to ask. Hope this helps,

"You Are Here" - Movie Shot with XL1
 

I just rented a film, "You Are Here" and as I was watching it, I noticed that it was shot on video. Then when listening to the directors commentary he mentions that the whole film was shot with an XL1.

I think his budget was around $43,000.

It a fun, quirky movie. Watching it gives you some idea how one can shoot a movie with an XL1.

The film website:
http://www.johnnypictures.com/

sound recording (Mixing)on XL1s
 

Dear users
Could some one kindly give me an overview of the mixing function. I wish to add music and a commentary to a 30 min showpiece of an ancient village in India. I have about 9 days in which to present the footage to friends in India before departing the country. So far I've made a basic edit to VHS. I think I'll have to import this edit into the XL1s in 12 bit stereo mode. At what point do I add sound and how to mix the channels?
At my disposal I have two VHS recorders, colour tv/input/output,1canonXL1s, audio cassette deck, and a microphone. On returning home I will be editing and sound mixing on my home computer, but my friends here in Delhi would really appreciate a copy of the work to date complete with mixed sound, possibly for broadcasting on the local tv network. Over the next few months at home I'll add proper titles, add transitions, and one or two fx, to give the project the final polish, but in the meantime I'd like to leave a neatly edited version
with music and commentary.
Any hints and tips much appreciated.
I actually have the user manual with me but would also like to hear from pracical experience, and just a brief outline on how the different sound channels work and what they are?

SachtlerDV6
 

Any advice for SachtlerDV6 system for XL1 camera?
Thanks,Maurizio.

You might want to check it out. You can't go wrong with the Sachtler in my book. I love my DV8. I believe the DV6 is better rated for the XL1 sized cameras. Everything about the 6 is the same as the 8 except the counterbalance. With my fully loaded XL1 the 8 works better for me.

Tape rewinder and Minidisc Query
 

Is it advisble to use a Tape rewinder? I use a GD-V900 at the monet, but dont want to wear it out... they are for sale on EBAy for $35..any comments...the make is a Sima....

I want to buy a Mini Disc recorder to record sound and then download to PC into Edit.. Any recomendation on Models.(i have a limited budget..) Is the Sony MZN 505 usable? If bought in AMerica can I use it in the UK and SOuth Africa?
thanks again guys!
Brin

Cavision wide angle
 

Hello all,
I was just looking at the cavision website and was wondering if anyone has had experience with their .06x wide angle adapter. Its about $100.00 less than the century optics adapter, and I was wondering if the price difference may have something to due with the quality, and if so, should I spend the extra 100 on the century. thanks in advance.

Zebra Lines
 

How do i set my Xl1 to show Zebra lines for 90IRE.

Not possible for XL1. The XL1 zebra pattern is set for 95 IRE and cannot change.

For XL1S, no problem. You can set the XL1S zebra pattern to 90 IRE. Hope this helps,

I use a Sharp 722 (may be discontinued by now) Works well. The http://www.minidisc.org/ website has lots of information about various makes and models, features, etc. Getting a model that allows manual gain adjustment while recording is valuable.

A good rewinder (one that gives a nice, consistent uniform wind, can be a time saver, but IMHO it takes a lot of rewinding to be significant wear item.

...u never learn if u don\'t ask!!!
 

What is ENG?

ENG = Electronic News Gathering

The process of recording news out on location with a video camera. Then there\'s also:

EFP = Electronic Field Production

...which is quite similar. I\'ve always understood the very minor difference between the two to be that ENG refers to actual, bonafide journalism intended for broadcast by a news agency, with EFP covering just about everything else, such as shooting a music video or a commercial, etc. in an outdoor environment, away from a controlled, interior set.

Hope that helps, ask anything you want, the rule here is that there is no such thing as a dumb question.