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.

XL1 On Screen Dispaly Problems
 

Hi

I am having problems removing the on screen display on the XL1 without the remote control as I think the IR is dead, does anyone know of a way to do this??

Many Thanks

Paul McCarthy

On the original XL1 (not the newer XL1S), there are only three ways to toggle the on-screen display on or off:

1. Using the wireless remote control that came with the camera,

2. Using the Canon ZR-1000 wired remote controller,

3. Using the VariZoom VZ-Pro-LX wired remore controller.

It can't be done on the camera itself. See my FAQ at www.dvinfo.net/xl1faq.htm under "The EVF display appears on my monitor. How do I get rid of it?" -- hope this helps,

thanks a lot...for the answer and the rule

How do I work this?
 

So heres what happened.
Went to this trade show called e3. Had some sorry 8mm Camcorder with me to cover the show from a media standpoint. well um, that doesn't work to well. So I decided that for next year, we would go Big, because we have a huge audience. We will have Video and all kinds from next years show.

Back to the point though. We sprang out and we have an XL1s coming to us. Over the months we will get the feel for it covering other events and doing basic things to learn the camera before we use it in a real real professional manner.

The audio question comes in that when the next show (or any event) comes around I will need some pretty good audio. It's going to be pretty loud all around me, and I need to upgrade the audio stuff so that I can hear who I am interviewing, I think I need a directional mic. I'm new to all this, I wanna be able to record with great audio, and edit on my laptop.

What types of software and things will I need for Audio, and if you have some video tips, throw them in for me too.

Thanks guys

Zebra lines to 95 ire
 

Ok, i can live with the 95 ire setting. How do i make them appear on the eyepiece.

Simply turn on the zebra display.

menu
cam set
zebra - on

Zebra level is the next item in that menu


I kinda like 90 IRE. It let's me know a little in advance of getting to hot.

Can I Test Your PAL XL1s ?
 

Hi everyone,

I'm looking to run some test shoots with a PAL XL1s with my mini35 adapter. So if you live in the California Bay Area region and are willing to combine forces, we should talk. I'd like to shoot test charts and do some general shooting. It would take only a half a day plus it's nice to meet others in your area.

Thanks,

How do i work this??
 

How do I work this?
So heres what happened.
Went to this trade show called e3. Had some sorry 8mm Camcorder with me to cover the show from a media standpoint. well um, that doesn't work to well. So I decided that for next year, we would go Big, because we have a huge audience. We will have Video and all kinds from next years show.

Back to the point though. We sprang out and we have an XL1s coming to us. Over the months we will get the feel for it covering other events and doing basic things to learn the camera before we use it in a real real professional manner.

The audio question comes in that when the next show (or any event) comes around I will need some pretty good audio. It's going to be pretty loud all around me, and I need to upgrade the audio stuff so that I can hear who I am interviewing, I think I need a directional mic. I'm new to all this, I wanna be able to record with great audio, and edit on my laptop.

What types of software and things will I need for Audio, and if you have some video tips, throw them in for me too.

Thanks guys


__________________
The Gaming Admiral.......

For great interview audio with the XL1, consider adding the MA-100 or MA-200 and an external mic. Wired mics work well for interviews. Some other may have a sugeston as to a good make/model.

In some cases a wireless might be a good choice, if you do not want the camcorder to be teathered to the mic by a cable. Which model depends on your budget. The Samson or Azden UHF models are a moderate price range starting point.

Vari-Zoom update
 

A short while back I posted a request for info on the Vari-Zoom Stealth and the main gripe from all was one of size.
I searched around and came up with the 'Be-Bob'.
At roughly the same cost as the VZ I cant fault it, its absolutely superb. It has a centre rocker that fits the thumb nicely and three buttons that fit nicely under the tip of the thumb. My first impression was one of size, as its not that big, but I've had no probs using it, although my thumb is not the most delicate.
There's a web-site at www.bebob.de and is available in the UK from www.hpreston.co.uk
Regards to all

I'm absoutely no audio specialist or something. But I know there
are directional microphones on the market that (mostly) pick up
only the audio where your point it at (ie not the surrounding).

A good video/audio shop should be able to give you some
information regarding this subject.

Kind of new
 

I went to school for all of this about three years ago. But I've been out of the loop. I shoot on DVC Pro for work but I dont really know what I should be looking for for my own Proffesional Grade camera. I have heard good things about the XL1 but I need to know why it is good. Could some one help me out?

If the VariZoom Stealth is too small, they have several other models in various sizes. My favorite is the VZ-PG-L. See www.varizoom.com

Justin, ZGC is here at ShowBiz Expo and I'll speak to them on your behalf about getting a loaner out to you. Considering this is for one of their products, it shouldn't be too difficult, just a matter of scheduling as this is a busy month.

Hopefully you can find somebody locally, but if not, let me know.

If I can get one from ZGC that would be great. I would probably end up buying the body from them after all...

Work your magic Chris!

a new and unexpected special effect in the XL-1s
 

After reading the thread started by Don Williamson May 29 in the general topics (Tweaking, etc.), I tried using a polarizing filter to decrease the exposure range in my outdoor scenes. What a surprise to see what it really did.
It is a Hoya circular polarizer, their standard vanilla variety, and is not a color polarizer. It was mounted on a Canon 75-300 mm zoom, the same one I have used forever with this polarizer, on my old XL-1 with no unusual occurrences.
When I turned the polarizer to get maximum polarization, the scene not only polarized, but also turned very warm, reddish, like putting on a warming filter. Turning the filter to get minimum polarization made the scene very cool, a bluish cast.
The physics of polarization is not very complicated. It has to involve glass. I'm not aware of how you can polarize a CCD. Is it possible that Canon has installed a piece of polarized glass in the light path of the red-receiving CCD and an oppositely polarized one in the blue? Did they make the prism out of polarized glass?
Unlike the XL-1, on this camera you can adjust tint. Is there some polarized glass in that mechanism? If anyone has seen this effect using polarizers with the XL-1s and has figured it out, I'd love to hear the answer.

Steve Siegel

problem in the standby mode
 

I have a brand new XL-1s. It is set to go into standby (with only the VCR part turned off) after 5 minutes. This works fine.
All settings are preserved upon restarting. If, however, I push the standby button myself to turn off also the viewfinder display, when it's turned on again (by pushing the standby button) the shutter speed setting is preserved, but the aperture always reverts to f/5.6 (maximum aperture with the 75-300 zoom.
Canon says it's a malfunction. Seems strange in a new unit with everything else perfect. Anyone else see this happening?


Steve Siegel

Hi,

Just read many of the posts here and link to some of the sites from the people who have written articles for DVinfo.Net. Everyone has pros and cons to shooting with the XL1 (and every other camera on the market). If their was one perfect camera we would all be using it. Reflect on the type of projects your currently doing and the type of projects you would hope to do. Balance your needs with your budget and try to accept the limitations of your equipment.

Good luck and keep posting. This is a great place to ask and learn about video and film making.

Jeff

Steve
I have had a XL1-since February and have used it extensivley with the EF adapter. I have used the 35-350L lens and the 75-300 IS with it. I checked this situation out this morning with both lenses and mine seems to work the same as yours.
To take it a bit further I found that when using the Tv and Manual modes that the lenses reverted to maximum aperature . I often use Tv mode and then engage the exposure lock because I am often shooting wildlife against darker backgrounds. When I do this the camera will return to the previous settings after putting it into standby mode and then powering-up again. Strangely this does not work in manual mode which should really be the same thing. Instead the lens returns to maximum aperature. Figure that one out! If the camera is in Av mode it will retain the settings.
I hadn't given this much thought as I am using a Varizoom Stealth Controller which does not allow the camera to be put in standby mode and I have to turn the camera off between shooting segments . I didn't realize that this was happening when I used standby mode with the remote unattached until you mentioned it and I ran the tests today.

Hey Dawn,
Fancy seeing you here:) Just remember to get that camera a coupla days early from you know who before your shoot. There's definetely a feeling out process with the xl1 buttons and knobbies. See ya at work!!!

bad timing for this question...but I thought I'd ask
 

I just got high bid on a Sony ECM-77BC lav mic on ebay...
But its coming from Spain. Is there going to be any compatability issues using it with my equipment here in the US?

Thanks,
Bryan

Hi,

There should not be any problems and besides your mic is probably bilingual. The manual can probably be download as a PDF from sony's site if needed.

Jeff

Wavy Picture with external sound
 

We have a setup using two XL-1s feeding s-video signal to a mixer. This mixer then feeds signal to the DV deck. Audio is run straight from the sound board to the video mixer.

As a safety measure, we started putting tapes in each camera and also record the event on each camera as well as in the main deck. This has been working fine.

One week, problems occurred and we had to use the backup tapes. Of course, the sound was not as good because it was picked up from the onboard mics. So, to remedy that, we ran a direct line from the board to one of the cameras. This is where it gets interesting!

With the direct feed attached to the camera (the same feed that is going to the mixer but coming out of a different channel in the board) the mixed video signal get "wavy" when there is sufficient volume. For example, during speaking it is usually fine but when there is music, the image jumps significantly - with BOTH cameras. We have also confirmed that simply unplugging the signal from the camera eliminates the problem.

With further testing, when the amp is turned down, there is no problem. Turning up the house volume led to no change. Turning up the monitor volume cause the jumping to start. And, no, the monitor lines do not run anywhere near the camera. In fact, the monitor and house lines both go to the stage area together in a totally separate direction from the cameras.

Finally, the tape recorded in that camera is fine so it is not a problem with the camera (we tried both of them there anyway and the same symptoms occurred).

Any ideas what we can try to get a good backup signal to the camera without ruining our mixed video?

Where is the audio monitor.

Sounds like a ground loop of sorts betwen the video and audio grounds - when the audio signal gets loud, the ground current has the effect of biasing the video signal a bit. Try an isolation transformer on the audio feed.

The monitors are on the stage - the house is on each side of the stage. None of the audio wires run anywhere near the camera location and the deck is located in a room even farther from the stage. However, I too believe it is a grounding problem of some sort. We just haven't been able to locate the source of the problem. I'll see if I can locate an isolation transformer to test on that line. Thanks for the response.

glass filters for cokin system?
 

The Cokin filter system with holders and resin filters is effective and convenient. The trouble is that when the filters get scratched or smudged (which they will do in time) these blemishes are visible as moving marks when you pan a scene.
Resin filters scratch easily and the scratches are permanent. Anyone familiar with a glass graduated neutral density filter that will fit the Cokin system?

difference between manual lens and standard
 

hello can anybody tell me if there is a quality difference between the two lenses. i looked at light sensitifity and sharpness, but cannot find any difference. can anybody give me the technical details (i tried at optimal and lowlight circumstances.) manual 14x lens not the new one.
thanks

Some people I talk to can perceive a slight increase in image softness with the manual lens (either 14 xor 16x), but really you need to choose the right tool for the right job. I don't think that a slight increase in sharpness should cause you to buy this particular lens.

Instead, look at feature sets... Optical image stabilization on the standard lens, vs. follow-focus ability on the manual... that's what should determine which lens you choose.

Cartoni action pro
 

Has anyone personally bought or used the Cartoni action pro tripod?

I like the price, but haven't heard anything about it. Can you attach another pan arm? Does it come with a spreader and leveling device? I searched the forum but really didn't find anything about it.