Won't harm it, but won't play it either. To clarify: a DVCAM cassette which has been recorded in the DV format will play back just fine. However, a DVCAM casette recorded in DVCAM cannot be played back on any Canon DV camcorder. Hope this helps,

Thanks Chris
 

Chris,

Thanks for the prompt response. I will check with my client to see if they just shot normal DV on DVCAM...

beyerdynamic
 

I use a beyerdynamic mce 87s battery poweres comes with the xlr to mini jack. It was just over $300 at bh, zotz has them also it works great, used it for mos's mounted on cam and it came out broadcast quality.......

sorry this was supposed to go in shotguns for the xl1
 

that about says it my apoligies

m

XL1 used for Al Sharpton on Word Network
 

I can tell it's shot with a single XL1S or xl1. Okay, I guess it could have been a gl-1, but I'm familiar with the look which I just saw (which is factory preset, other than frame mode). In frame-mode with little to no sharpness added.

I'm on TW's digital cable and can see it here on ch 120.

I don't know if it was a series or an infomercial for "national action council." Either way, the video was done by some prosumer (or a prodigy of Soderberg). A lot, if not all, was hand held. A/F and often auto everything.

Other than the softness, it really looked pretty good and really clean. Exp. (or lighting) could have been tweaked, but for what I assume was a green-mode shoot, it was obviously broadcastable. Adding sharpness will add some artifacts and other tell-tale video additives, but IMO it's needed.

At first I thought it might have been shot using 1/30th as they were indoors, but I figure it's frame mode because I saw it look similar in an outdoor setting. Once outside you could see what fast action does to frame mode. A banner was moved and it was weird, like, zig-zag interlace distortion.

I think the pic was better on the digital-tier channel than mine which occasionally makes it to the analog side of cable access. Here (according to my source), it's an analog signal for 97% of channels 1-99, and digital from 100 on up.

Sennheiser ME 66K6 on Sony PD 100a will it get into the shot?
 

Doesn anyone know whether Sennheiser ME 66K6 mic will get into the shot, on the widest normal setting as well when using a WL adapter on Sony DSR PD 100a camcorder?

Much thanks for any info.

'Nuther anamorphic adapter for XL1??
 

Reliable sources suggested that Tiffen& undisclosed lens mfg are developing an anamorphic adapter for the new Panasonic 24p cam- which is purported to use 73mm filters- same as new XL1 man lens. Do you suppose it'll work on the Canon? Any mfg who passed up the opportunity sell to the huge XL1 userbase would be foolish indeed.
Tip first seen on Scott Billup's Pixelmonger site.

Making alternative capture device to FireStore
 

Hi there guys,

I'm impressed with FireStore, but price wise it's out of my budget.
So I was thinking in line of an alternative device to it.

I'm in a process of making small studio in a small country overseas, and our budget is small. I have to find ways to lower our budget.

What exactly do we need for long interviews or long duration shots inside the studio, when reg.miniDV tapes can't do the job? A capture device of a small size.
Well I saw a recent computer from Shuttle, that little alumnum barebone comp.case for abt $250. It has Firewire, and ability to mount a removable hard drive in one of its 5.25" bays.

Cost: $250 unit + cheap Celeron ~$55 and PC133 ram ~$31 for 256MB + 60GB ATA100 HD ~100 + removable casing for HD ~$20, which all comes to total of ~$456. Plus some additional $$ for mouse,keyboard.

This is far less compared to firestore and better functionality to some of it's users.

I don't want to capture directly to NLE system as our NLE is to big to carry around and has to do other job :).

Depending on configuration and and hense needs of the user price might go up, but functionality wise it might be better compared to firestore.

One of the possibilities is to add DVRaptor from Canopus which is only $145 on ebay. OS and soft can be configured to start automaticly at startup and you would need just push a key on small keyboard for the capture to start and another key to stop it.
In this case is quite attractive to us as our NLE is based on DVStorm SE Plus from canopus and hense captured files compatibility.

I'll do more research on this subject, as the need for LCD monitor or alternative to it, OS, etc.

Please give me your comments, ideas, well anything that might come to your mind.

If something is not clear - Pardon my english :), I'm not native speaker.

Kairat S.

metering
 

Hi, i have 2 questions,
the first is that shooting with the xl1s has a horibble viewfinder and the color is far from being correct,
There is en exposure meter on the viewfinder but it not really very exact, i think or at least i havnt learned how to use it properly. I know that there was a section on the watchdog FAQ explaining the ISO. But what do you people use in the realy world, with different gain shifts -3db, 0db and +3db.
Also how do you guys set the viewfinder to be more or less close to what you see on the monitor. without having an external monitor. i know it wont be very exact but what color have you guys noticed are off and such things.

thank you
--kaplooee

What happens exactly with lower exposure times?
 

There are 25 frames per second - PAL - with all the shutter speeds? Yes! What happens exactly with shutters speed inferior to 1/50 sec? From 1/8 to 1/50 for Canon XL1 s (PAL), for example. Are there less frames? Or there is duplication of fields/frames (the total number of fields per second does not change... I am not 100% sure of it, however). Example: with 1/25 sec shutter speed every field is exposed for so much time that the following one is the same field copied by the camera from his memory? This is a question: I do not know the answer.
Regarding the memory I read that many DV cameras use the digital frame buffer of the camera in conjunction with a variable clock on the CCDs to accumulate more than a field's worth of light on the face of the chip before transferring the image to the buffer and thence to tape. This can do two things for you: more light integration, and slower frame update rates. What does slower frame update mean? (in terms of fields, copied fields (if any), frame rate) ??

Thanks in advance to whoever will help me,
Massimo

NP1 Battery Usage
 

I have a set of NP1 batteries and charger (all IDX) and wondered if anyone here knows of any various ways to use these batteries with the XL1.

Currently, I like using these batteries because I can power my Sony field monitor with them. I would like to buy more and perhaps extend their use to the XL1.

Thanks

Saw this at NAB, Justin... looks like it's exactly what you need.

http://www.aspenelectronics.com/aspen_products/specialized/xl7a.htm

http://www.aspenelectronics.com/aspen_products/specialized/xl7b.htm

XL1S PAL experiences
 

Dear Dvinfo,
I am sorry to bother everyone again. But spending a small fortune on a DV camera as well as everything that comes with it, makes the choice of what to buy a big decision.

I just wanted to ask XL1S PAL users if they could post their experiences with regards to:

1. What kind of projects do you use the XL1S PAL for?

2. What is your set up e.g. Mac/PC, NLE system/brand, monitors, capturecard, DV deck, lights, mics etc.

3. Does anyone use a Mac to convert PAL to NTSC for VHS video copies? What kind of software or solution can you recommend?

I am looking forward to contributing to this forum later once I buy and have my own experiences using the XL1S myself.

Best regards,
Thomas

Thomas,

I covered this topic in your other post. But I'll amswer your other questions here.

I use my PAL XL1 for everything from shooting extreme sports(surfing, snowboarding, motocross etc) to weddings(only if I really have to). I've output to tape, MPEG2(DVD) and web formats(Quicktime, Windows Media, Real Player, DivX and Flash6) all with good results.

I edit it all on a PC running a Pinnacle DV500 out to a JVC S-VHS deck. Back in Australia I just used a 21" JVC TV to monitor the output. Lighting wise I've used everything from Portafloods to Lowells. For audio I've just been using the onboard mic and a Sony Mini Disk Recorder/mic which I sync in post.

You can use your NLE software to convert from PAL to NTSC for playback but it isn't the best quality and some form of 3rd party software like motion perfect is required to clean up the jerkyness. Even though it helps it still isn't anywhere near broadcast quality.

I am currently living in Japan(NTSC) and my XL1 was purchased in Australia(PAL). Using the PAL camera here has proved to be a pain in the butt as a PAL monitor is required, and everything has to be converted just for people to see what's been shot. I've seen side by side footage NTSC XL1's and you can't tell the difference visually unless you are using Pro gear and scopes.

The short of it all is as you are living in NY, I'd suggest you go with NTSC and save yourself time and trouble. It's really not worth the time, money and effort for a lousy 100 lines when it all gets compressed and viewed on a computer screen or a consumer TV which only has a res of about 240 anyway.

Hope this helps you in some way

day for night(or is it night for day?
 

I was thinking of shooting a couple night scenes of my film during the day that way I could have more control of the lighting. Such a shot out in the woods, seeing that I can't afford any 20ks and such I thought shooting day for night would provide me more control of the lighting without having the grain issues of raising the db. One thing I'll be doing is whitebalancing on a very light pastel yellow to give me the blue moon cast and of course really shutting down the exposure. i'll be doing some tests next week. Any suggestions? i've never done this before so any help would really be great. thanks.

Hi,

Try using the ND Filter with the 16x lens, plus try using a number of ND filters (x2, x4, x8), Your best bet is to probably try Cokin filters since you can slip 3 filters in front of one another, therefore creating numerous effects.

This is an aged old trick which you are trying, and was first fully utilised during the makings of Film Noir productions (Pre war) and is sometimes used to some extend in TV and Films now.

Hope this helps,

Ed Smith

Tiffen also makes some day for night filters. I don't have any experience with them. If someone here has used them please speak up, I'd like to know how they work.

A soultion to EVF burn ?
 

Hi all,

"To avoid damage to the XL-1's colour viewfinder, OpTex has developed a Concertina Shuttered Eyepiece. The OTXLEYE replaces the XL-1's standard rubber eyecup and opens as you apply pressure to the viewfinder. As soon as you take your eye away from the finder, the eyepiece closes up again, providing total protection for the viewfinder's LCD screen."

This sounds like a neat solution to a problem. Have a look....

http://www.optexint.com/digivid/xleye.htm

Cheers
Andrew

PS: If I convert GBP to SAR to USD it should cost in the order of US$45.

FWIW: Canon did a patch to the XL1 EVF about 6 months after the XL1 was released. Have not read reports of any problem with EVF sunburn since the fix was implemented. The Optex fix may be appropriate if an XL1 is planned to be used under unusually severe sun-in-the-EVF conditions; however, for average users is is probably not necessary.

wide angle lenses for xl1s
 

Hi. I'm saving up for a wide angle lens for my XL1s,and saw an article about one made by Optex, for 1000 dollars, which is 200 lower than the lowest price I could find on Canon's wide angle. I was wondering if anyone has used this and knows whether it's a good deal, or what. I like the idea of the back focus-- does Canon's offer this?

My new XL1s eats tapes
 

My new XL1s has a rewind function problem that causes it to eat tapes. Has anyone else experienced this? I also notice breaks in the timecode counter as it rewinds. I'm open to any suggestions. I have a production this weekend and I'll be forced to rent a small Dv camera for rewinding. Annoying!

There have been many reports of the first XL-1s cameras eating tapes during rewind because of a faulty braking mechinism. Send it to Canon for a free repair.

XL1s tape eater
 

I figured as much. Glad to hear it's not just me. Thanks.

Use manual gain. Auto gain will influence an otherwise full manual shot.

Zebras are my best friends. I set at 90 and have figured out the quantity of zebra stripes that will produce the image I like. It's great as long as your subject is wearing a white shirt, or the like. I generally use a large white light reflector to set my color balance to. Once done, I crank the exposure to where I see my familiar zebra friends and I'm nearly dead-on.

Testing and finding your own look is what it's all about. Good Luck.

Getting the most from the onboard mic?
 

Hi all,

I've found these pages, along with the Watchdog, incredibly helpful for orientating myself with my XL1s (thanks Mr. Hurd and crew).

I'm shooting my first short film - with the XL1s - over the next few weekends, pretty much just to put it (and myself) to the test, before I use it for a larger project.

I have the MA-100 on backorder, but I doubt it will be delivered by the weekend - so this leaves me with the stock, onboard mic.

Although this is a pretty broad, and perhaps naive, question: I'd appreciate any suggestions on how to get the most out of the onboard mic. The short I'll be filming is a mockumentary, so there is plenty of (staged) run-and-gunning, but also a couple of interviews, dramatic re-enactments etc.

Cheers,

Dean

Dean,

Good to see more Australian crew hooking up to the board.

The main thing to avoid with the onboard mic is excessive zooming during quiet shots. When all is quiet sometimes zoom servo noise is picked up by the mic.

One other thing to remember is that the mic is stereo so make sure it is correctly aligned in the clamp(cable pointing up) otherwise your stereo image will be all screwed up.

For a standard mic it does an OK job. If care is taken there is no reason why you can't get some great audio.

Thanks Adrian,

(Great to get such a quick reply!)

I'll certainly heed your advice,

Cheers,

Dean

Issue w/ Light Wave Systems Mini-mount
 

I picked up a Light Wave Systems mini-mount and system isolator. After I installed the isolator and mount I found that the on-board mic connecting cable is apt to pull out of the jack. The isolator forces the connector to stretch and sometimes pop out. I called Light Wave about this and they indicated that is just how it is. I had to abandon using the isolator finally after it kept popping out.
Hope this is not a stupid question as I am new to all of this, but does anyone know of a way to extend the cable somehow either with an aftermarket item or some kind of upgrade from Canon? Also, did Canon make the mic connecting cable longer on the XL-1S? I don't want to start modifying the isolator to address this if there is already some fix available out there.

thx much-

Maybe call rental house and ask if they have had any problems with the 66 and the Sony.

Howdy from Texas,

This has been discussed before... do a search on Lightwave, limit the search to this forum and go through those responses. The cable is indeed longer on the XL1S.

I think you'll have a hard time modifying the Isolator without ruining it. A better solution would be to send the camera back to Canon, explain the problem and ask for the longer EVF cable from the XL1S.

For what it's worth, I use the Isolator with an old XL1. It is stretched a bit but it doesn't pop out. Hope this helps,

wa adapters
 

Hello all!

I have been kicking around the idea of purchasing a new lens for my xl-1. I like the idea of getting a 3x wide angle lens or an adapter with the manual 16x.

But the idea of not being able to use filters with the 16x/wide angle adapter worries me. Is this true? Is there anyway around this?

I like the idea of the manual 16x with an adapter otherwise. It seems like more for your buck.

thx!
 

thank you for info, will contact Canon and see what they can do.

Cheers-

The 3x wide angle lens is a very handy tool which CAN accept filters. In fact, it has a 72mm thread which is the same diameter as that of the standard 16x auto lens. So you can interchange filters between the lenses.

All other factors being equal, given the choice between the 3x and the 16x manual lenses (assuming you already have a 16x auto lens) I would definitely choose the 3x lens first.

I can't speak for the wa adapter for the 16x lens. I can say that the Canon wa adapter for the GL1's lens does not accept a filter.

If you can swing it, I would highly recommend getting the 3x lens rather than a wa adapter.

noise on XL1s
 

I`m quite happy with a new XL1s except when I crank up the dbs to 18....there is a lot of noise that looks like a very fine rain shower, making such footage useless for most commercial purposes...has anyone else found the same? No camera presets are being used(sharpness etc). I find that only up to db 6 can I rely one a clean image....so what is the use of the higher dbs feature on this unit versus the original XL1?

dark corners on muted shots
 

has anyone else in here ever experienced this:

(and i guess this might not exactly be an xl-1 issue but since i shoot with the xl-1 with the standard 16x lens)

but when i first got the camera i got a few filters to go with it... uv and warming. while i was playing around with footage i had shot i noticed something dark in the bottom left hand corner of the screen, what i thought looked like a hair. it drove me bonkers for a couple of hours cause as far as i could tell every part of the lens and camera were clean, until i realized i had put the warming filter on top of the uv filter. so i took both off and the dark "hair" was gone. so i was satisfied that i had just extended the rim of the filter into the cameras view...

but now while editing a short i shot with only one filter attached i think i am noticing the same thing. not near as pronounced as before but still on certain shots, ones with light, muted tones filling in the bottom of the screen i seem to be noticing what looks like shadows.

what could be causing this? is something inside my camera causing this or how the lens attaches or, in the lens?

Ofcourse this will happen. What you are doing is electronically
enhancing the signal. What you should be doing instead is to
give the chips a signal that does not need enhancing (open up
the lens, remove ND filter, lower the shutter or add more light).
A camera can not "magically" enhance the input it receives
without some down side. I always (at least try) to shoot at
preferably -3db and otherwise 0 db. The option exists for you
to rescue the shot if you truly have no other option. It is possible
to remove some noice in the post-process step but you'll never
get rid of them all without reducing quality.

This is quite normal for 18db gain, but what you must understand is that there are times when getting a noisy image is much, much better than getting no image at all. Look at all the reality shows on TV... Cops, etc. where there are grainy shots of the pursuit or whatever. Content is king. Content matters over all. And noisy, grainy content shot at 18db or higher will make money for you where no content at all doesn't mean a thing. Hope this helps,

Wireless video tap for the XL1?
 

Looking for a good wireless video tap for use on my XL1. Any suggestions?
BTW- have looked at Super Circuits gear, but most of their units require you to have license to use it (legally that is).
Thx for any replies in advance.

DAT vs. Radio Mic
 

Hi all,

what is more advantageous when recording a soundtrack?

To record on a standalone DAT / other machine (other that is to the primary camcorder).

To use a Radio mic into camcorder and have the audio with the video.


Regards
Andrew

Andrew,

Both methods have pro's and con's. In my opinion it depends entirely on the location/situation you are shooting and also your budget.

A cheap radio mic(VHF) can be affected by interference from lights, etc, but a good one(UHF) can cost $1000's. You can use a cheap recordable MD and get great audio but you've got more work in post syncing. Ideally I'd have both setups available. I've ben looking at DAT's lately. Here in Japan you can get some good Sony ones for <$500.