thanks
 

thank you, just bought one on ebay for $138

regards
donie

You are hearing the noise floor of the preamps. All preamps have an noise level. Earphones close couple the sound to your ears and make it more apparent than normal listening with speakers. With the XL1 it is typically more than 60- dB below peak record levels at the mic setting. It will not cause a problem for typical program material and applications.

If you need lower noise floor, try MIC ATT or line input level settings and use higher quality (read expenisve) external preamps, or swtich to separate professional audio recording systems.

Noise
 

Ok, thanks. It seems awful loud but I will do a few more experiments to see if it's going to effect recordings.

Thanks for the help
Donie

Thanks Martin, but I just found out that a close friend got a digital recording set up + a very nice mic (don't know what kind) so it looks like I've got a much better alternative. Chris

B&H has used 3x
 

Just did my weekly visit to their web site to visit my "wish list" They have the 3x used for $899. I've ordered one so don't know how many are left. If your looking for a place you can trust I'd recommend B&H (after all that's where I got the XL1S from).

so this is what they call the 'dark side'. got me xl1s finally!
 

been playing around with it, it's a neat little thing. v. expensive but i honestly think it was worth every penny. briefly flipping over the manual i notice there's a setting for field of depth. will this truly give you a 35mm look? i haven't had time to experiment.

Congrats on your new XL1s. For depth of field information, go to articles and click the DOF Skinny link.

thx. =).

Expensive repair for hot pixel!?!
 

I sent my XL1s into the Canon Service Center last week because there was a hot pixel which was showing up on the video. I got the estimate from them today to fix it - close to $900. They say they have to replace the CCD - appx $400 for parts and more than that for labor. Has anyone run into this problem before. Is there any other solution? I had read somewhere that some pixels can be mapped to an ajecent pixel.

Anyway, I just think $900 is a lot for one hot pixel. Just making sure I'm not getting ripped off when there is another solution (besides only shooting in bright light situations). The camera is no longer under warranty by the way. Thanks for any input!

Annie Cheatham

white level for polorized filter
 

Should I be setting the white level for my XL1s manually when I use a polarized filter or is it ok to just use the auto or sunlight setting when I'm shooting outdoors?

Using the daylight preset white balance when using a polarizer will be fine, Phil. (I don't recommend ever using the Auto white balance feature.)

Thanks Ken - I think neglecting to set my camera to daylight might have been my problem in a few clips. I can fix in post.

Canon XL 1SE and accessories
 

Okay, this may be a dumb question, but here it goes:

Is the only difference between the XL 1S and XL 1SE just that the SE is PAL? I am thinking of getting the SE (for the better resolution, and closer to flim fps), and I want to know if I would have to get accessories from Europe or if I could use accessories made purchased in N. America for the XL 1S (i.e. lenses, MA-100 or MA-200 mounts).

Also, anyone have any good recommendations on where to get an XL 1SE?

Thanks all!

The "E" designation is not part of the standard Canon model nomenclature, but might be used by some advertisers to designate a PAL system (European) version. Although Canon's model number system is different for every other PAL camcorder than make (for instance, the GL2 is the XM2 in PAL system countries), the XL1S is still the XL1S according to Canon.

Many shooters in NTSC countries prefer using PAL system camcorders for the exact reasons you state (higher resolution and 25fps). Most all XL1S accessories are interchangeable between the NTSC and PAL versions, including lenses and XLR adapters.

There are no authorized Canon dealers in the U.S. that can sell the PAL version of the XL1S (the sole exception might be B&H). However any Canon dealer in Australia or England (or Europe) would probably be happy to sell one to you. Keep in mind, PAL system camcorders are not serviced in the U.S. Hope this helps,

mic help!
 

Hi guys, been a while, but I've got a few questions that I really need some quick answers on.

I bought the sennheiser wireless mic set for my camera. At the moment, the camera isn't picking up anything from the wireless mics. So I thought, ok, maybe I just need to play around with it.

So, to make sure the mic input was working, I took a mic and via XLR, plugged it into the MA-200, like I've done so many times before. For some strange reason, the camera isn't picking up the wired mic. No matter which slot I plug it in to.

I'm going to consult the book, maybe I hit something, and since I didn't think I changed anything for quite some time, I probably forgot how to properly set up the camera for another mic.

Anyways, I was hoping to get some help from you very smart people, in what might be causing this, and how to remedy the situation. I'm going to be needing the camera this coming weekend.

Thanks