my bad
 

Never mind thread already moving and shaking.

mini 3ccd cameras/time lapse problems?
 

Hi all
I have an XL1 but find I am increasingly needing something far smaller but with a similar picture quality. I have been considering buying a Sony TRV950 but I am not sure if it really is up to what I need. It will be used in the Cambodian jungle and in the rainy season, I find my XL1 copes with the humidity quite well, anyone
know what the sony is like. Apparently a guy recently used a PD150 here and it packed up almost imediately.
I am also looking for a camera to take time lapse (at present I am looking at filming a carcase being reduced by vultures over 5 or 6 days. Power is obviously a big problem as this is well away from any electrical supply and I couldn't go near the camera for around 14 hours during daylight, anyone any suggestions?
cheers
Allan

Maybe use a llaptop PC with softwware that can to timelapse frame grab (e..g., Premiere, check index under "Capturing Stop Motion"), a camcoder in camera mode (no tape) and a large, high capacity battery (e.g., automotive 12-volt battery-with appropriqte power adapters) for the PC and camcorder.

went with the portabrace rb-1 bag because it's the only one that looked like it could fit the xl1s, without breaking my bank. got it today and it fits the camera perfectly snug, but the vf and mic need to be removed in order to prevent the bag from bulking too much at the side. nevertheless, it's a great bag, definitely not as big as the hiker pro. there's enough pockets to comfortably fit my vl10-li light, 3 bp-945 batteries and charger.

BeachTek setting/Cannon XL1s
 

Anyone using the Beachtek DXA-4C with their XL1s? Question...what is the best configuration for a line-level input from a mixer...do you set the XL1 for mic input and set the beachtek for line or set the XL1 for line input and set the beachtek for mic...or both at line level (although I have noticed too much attenuation at this setting...)
Mark

Canon does the Peachtree
 

Hey, listen up. I was standing at the finish line for the Peachtree 10k Road Race in Atlanta, GA. The cameramen that were videoing from the back of the motorcycles and following the leaders were using Canons. This was for FOX-5 news. So if you got to see the first place male and female crossing the finish line on the TV, they were both being videoed with Canons. The one for the men was the GL and the female was the XL-1s. Oh, they were using the 16x standard lens as they were on the back of motorcycles. Bob Safay

Can Audio 1 connect to Mic ?
 

Sorry, my english isn't good.
I want to ask, can audio 1 connect to mic without MA-100???
What kind mic, I must use ???

Yes, and your english is fine. Open the door over the audio controls and turn the switch from 'MIC' to 'Audio 1'.

You can use almost any MIC you want that can drive a low impedance (600 ohm) input. Also it should have a about -55 dBV output with the material you plant to record to obtain adequate record levels. All you need is an appropriate adatper to connect the mic to the RCA connector.

If the mic is not self-powered (i.e., it requires phantom power), you will have to provide that. Note that the MA-100/200 and XL1/1s DO NOT provide phantom power.

I usually use a DXA-6, but I have used the 4 quite a bit as well.

It depends on the mixer. Most will output +4dBu, so I switch the
beachtek to line level and keep the XL1 at mic level input. If the mixer
is sending -10dBu signal, then I would keep the beachtek at mic level
and put the XL1 over to -10dBu line level input and use the gain
controls on both units to achieve the proper gain.

This is my one complaint about beachtek, that the -50 pads they
use in their boxes are TOO much attenuation. I would far prefer
-30 or even -20 pads. Hot mics like the Sennheiser ME66/K6 combo
either have to be barely cracked open when using mic level input
(not enough control of signal strength) or turned up all the way
which doesn't give you quite enough signal IMO.

Your mileage may vary.

happy, happy, joy, joy.
 

just got my new XL last tuesday. and i love it. its the coolest thing in the world. i love everything about it.

although everyone was right and it is very big and kind of heavy and my pack to accomodate it is big too. so that part is definitely its downfall.

but the picture quality is great.

i haven't used it for any real projects yet but have some things scheduled for july and august. so i'm real excited about getting out there and really seeing what that thing is made of.

does anyone know of any lcd places around. ive found a bunch but not finding quite what i was hoping to get. i want something that is about 3.5 inches so its no bigger than whats on like the GL or panasonic. and i want it to attach to the shoe on the front of the cam where the EVF and mic component go. i don't plan on using the mic really for anything immediate. does anyone know of anything that would satisfy that?

i will hopefully have some stuff up in the next 2 months so i will post some stuff then to get some feedback.

thanks for everyones help the last 2 weeks. it really helped in my decision.

cheers. J.

Check B&H and Markertek for LCD monitors. Citizen makes one that might work for you. I bought a bigger 5" one a year or so ago and it was a piece of crap, totally useless outdoors. For a recent shoot in which my camera was mounted on a jib that went up 10 feet, I was away from power and couldn't use the normal monitor, so I bought a little LCD TV from Radio Shack for $150. It worked great for my purposes, though I had to get a BNC to RCA adapter then RCA to mini.

Recommend lens set for video: XL1S
 

Hi,

What's a basic lens set for video?

Does it make sense to just get the P+S mini 35mm with the Cooke lenses for video as well? Or is that too heavy for handheld shooting? Wondering because I'm planning on getting those eventually but not for about 9-12 months.

On camer light suggestions for XL1s
 

Hello all,

Sorry in advance if this topic has been covered. Although I didn't find anything in my search.

I'm looking for suggestions on a vid light for the XL1s. I will be using it for fill on interviews with people when i'm doing the "run-and-gun". I have full Arri kits for nice studio setups.

I'm currently looking at Fezzi micro-fills.

Any suggestions would be great.

Thanks,
Jason

See http://www.dvinfo.net/conf/showthrea...threadid=12154 for starters.

anyone use this?
 

I saw this post from a few weeks ago, and have just bought a 35-350mm lens, and now need a support system for it.

The lens is much heavier then the standard xl lens, so I would hate to bump it for fear of breaking the ef adapter.

Michael

Preamp to a parabolic microphone
 

Hello, I have a parabolic microphone made by Telinga and I have used it for recording birdsongs on a Sony DAT-recorder. Now I want to connect the microphone to my XL1. The microphone has a 3,5 mm miniplugg(stereo). I prefer to use the line-input and skip the onboard mic-amp. Is there any preamp on the market that I can use? 3,5 ministereo in and RCA-line-out. Beachtek produced a preamp before, but I can´t find it on there web-site.
I use an EOS 100-400 IS L - zoom with adapter for shooting birds. To match that I will use the parabolic mic on a separate tripod.

Thanks

Ulf Widén
Sweden

It might do the trick. Several people have asked for pictures of my support. I have design several over the years. If you know someone with a machine shop you can have a bracket like mine made for well under $100. You can down load the pictures from my .Mac iDisk here.

The jpegs are in a folder called bracket for XL1

Feature Film "28 Days Later" Shot with PL to XL-1 Adaptor
 

Please take a look at the July issue of American Cinematographer. In the article, "All the Rage", DFF Dod Mantle, discusses shooting the film "28 Days Later", and how he used eight Canon XL-1 Mini DV cameras with 35mm film lenses. He secured Canon EC (6-40mm) and Canon EJ (50-150mm) lenses to the camera bodies with a PL to XL-1 Adaptor. Though he did not use our mount, I do believe he recognized the quality that can be obtained using the XL1 with 35mm motion picture lenses.

As you know 35mm motion picture lenses can be expensive to rent or buy. That is why we have been working upon converting the Russian Lomo and Konvas 35mm lenses to a PL mount. This is a cost effect Solution for the Independent Filmmaker.

Also take a look at this music video titled "he war" by Cat Power. The director used a PL to XL-1 adaptor to shoot it. You will need Real Player to view the video.

http://www.cissme.com/bgroup-us/rm/m...7-2-07_rvh.ram

Thanks
Barrett

VariZoom
 

Does anyone know if the wake-up button(On) is working like the one at XL1 so I can turn it back to standby mode? Any suggestion which model works best with XL1. I mostly shoot in manual mode and manual focus.

Thanks
Ulf Widen

"new guy" Is there an adapter for....
 

I own a canon XL1s, I am not happy with the "infinite" focus ring of the standard lens.

I am looking in to purchasing the 16X manual lens.

Is there a way to mount, say a Fujinon tv lens on the XL1s?

Is there an adapter out there that can do this ?

Walter,

There are no adapters for mounting Fujinon or Canon 1/2" lenses to the XL1. The main problem is the zoom drive/handgrip mounted on the lens will not fit due to the handgrip on the XL1. There is actually a 14x Fujinon lens that has been modified to fit the XL1 as well as a Canon 14x manual lens, and if you put that into our search function you will find a couple for sale for around US$800-1000. This lens is not as desirable as the Canon XL manual lens but it can be had for half the price.

abcdv.com news: review of Anton Bauer Hytron 50 and Ultra Light 2 with the XL1
 

Without wanting to sound like a plug, it is one ;-) I had been looking for info on this combo for the XL1 but couldn't find much. So I spent the cash, bought two Hytron 50 batteries, an Ultra Light 2, a charger and the mounting plate to install it on the XL1.

I've been using it for 2 months now and like it a lot. You can read all about it on abcdv.com, complete with pictures.

Enjoy it!

Why do you want to skip the camera's pre-amp?

Thanks for your reply. On the parabolic microphone I use a special made DAT-mic which is very quiet and free from noise. Usually on consumer or prosumer products the preamp is one part which is not optmal made. A noisless preamp with high dynamic range and portable is costly and difficult to made, due to the low signal input. For normal record there is not an issue, but in a nature environment there it's "totally silent" it becomes an issue. Unfortunatly there is few places left to be silent now.

More questions about Sennheiser ew100 wireless
 

Okay, I got over my connection problems...thanks to Nathan. I can now hear the sound with the wireless system hooked up. The audio monitor shows I'm getting sound, I've tried all different settings....my problem;;;during playback (on TV) I don't have the wireless sound, only the sound from the on camera mic.

Any thoughts.....anyone?

Thanks for your time.

Mike Murri

Well, believe it or not I have it all figured out. Solution, when playing back on the TV plug audio into (L) RCA on Audio 2 and the other audio (red) into Audio 1, with video in 1 as well.....and I'll be...sound from both sources!

Amazing how when you do the correct thing it all works. I just wish there was an idiots guide to Audio. I'm starting to understand how involved this all is. Wow.

mm

MA-x00 vs cable adapters
 

I thought I'd save a lot of $ buying a canare RCA-XLR 1.5' cable, instead of a couple hundred dollars on an MA-100 or 200. My ME66 produces a bit of a hiss, partially due to the AA battery inside the capsule I'm sure, but does anyone think this was a bad idea?
Is there anything special about the wiring inside MA units that help with sound quality? To me, they don't look like anything special, but if they will help with sound quality I'll consider one.

Check Lense error
 

My xl1s is telling me in the view finder to check lense what does this mean
I tried another lense on it and it still gives me the same error
I tried my lense on another cam and it works fine\

James

Dragging audio
 

One of my cameras from a shoot yesterday that was getting its audio feed from the house sound board. During capture to my NLE I noticed the audio sounds similiar to an old cassette that starts to drag. The video looks just fine....
The feed I was using was coming from a generous amount of signal processing equipment before it got to my camera. I'm almost sure it had to do the house feed. Testing later showed no problems feeding a audio source to the camera...playback sounded perfect. Thoughts?

First Post, First Dumb Question:)
 

Hi all,
This is my first post on what looks like a potentially very useful board.

I hope i havent missed a more obvious place to put it but i did search:).
I have placed this post on the pd150 board also.

I will soon be in London learning filmmaking, while there i intend to buy a good quality dvcam for experimentation, and short film making while i train.

I HAD saved towards a XL1s, based on the knowledge of its use in 28 Days Later but a friend of mine then reccomended i go with the PD150, utterly complicating a perfectly simple plan:)

Now without starting a war :), i ask for arguments from both camps so i can make a decision.

Thanks in advance for any answers.

Nemed Phoenix
Lateral Filming.

The big plus of an XL1 over the PD150 is its interchangable lenses. However, the PD150 has a built in LCD and XLR connections, things you must pay more for on an XL1. Picture on both of them is great. The PD150 is about 1/2 the weight of the XL1, something else to consider. If you are doing run 'n gun/guerilla film making, the PD150 is easier to carry and conceal.

Also consider the Panasonic DVX100. It may be better suited to the indie film maker, since it has more of a film look than the other cameras.

The MA-100/200 provide a balanced input that can result in cancellation of common mode noise. They also provide about 6 dB of gain relative to a simple unbalanced input.

Are you using the MIC setting? If so, you may have more gain then you need. The ME-66/K6 combination has a high output level, around -35 dBV give or take., an d may be happier at MIC ATT setting.

The interchangable lens system on the XL series is certainly becoming more important. There are a number of other lens options available for the XL series that no other camera can meet in its price range.

However, if you do think you will never purchase another lens for the system, then maybe you might want to look at the PD-150 or DVX100. These cameras are both lighter and attract much less attention as an XL-1.

The great news is that all these 3-chippers are excellent and will produce both excellent video, as well as, audio.

Maybe the guy running the sound gear had some flange effect added to the mix.

Don,
Actually there was a slow flange effect being added to the mix...however the goof was on my part (new item to add to my checklist). It turns out the channel I was getting inputting the feed to had the FX send cranked a bit and the FX was set to one of the flanger effects (pretty lousy sounding one...LOL). When I frist discovered the problem, I tried replicated everything (to isolate the problem) the best I could...except I fed my mixer from a different channel (with no FX send)...and I therefore assumed it the problem originated from the church's sound mixer....
Thanks for the response....
Mark

After using the DXA-4 for a few gigs now (with my Behringer mixer), I have had the best luck with setting the -4 for mic input and setting the XL1s for the mic w/att setting. This seems to allow more flexibility with -50 pads....
Mark

Means that the body does not fully sense the presence of the lens. May be caused by poor electrical contract in the lens mount, or the mount not being fully rotated and the lock engaging fully.

Urgent Problem...camera not picking up footage
 

Tonight I was playing back some footage on my XL1. I rewound the tape and started playing it, but nothing came up - no time code, no picture, just the blue screen. I put the tape in another XL1 and it worked fine. Then I tried another tape. The time code showed up, but the screen was still blue. Everything worked on record mode, just not playback mode. So i put in a tape cleaner. This seemed to fix the problem, but I have a shoot this weekend and am wondering if this camera is going to be reliable. Has anyone ever had this problem before or know what happened - is it just a dirty head? Do you think the tape cleaner fixed it? Any input would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks
Annie Cheatham

If it's working now, the problem was dirty heads.

http://www.dvfreak.com/tape.htm