XL2 Wish List

[Jason Steussy]

Hear hear! Luis, I forgot about that one! I wish the XL-next and my DVC-Pro camera had a manual color temperature dial. At least a "plus .2 and minus .2" switch like AE shift has.

[Pete Constable]

of course, the XL2 will have an inbuilt hard drive. Why wouldn't it? Canon will really want to rock the cradle surely.

[Pete Constable]

Canon, please add an audible beep once for Record & twice for Pause like some Sony cameras run. I often miss the buttom & record the floor cos I always watch focus & framing but not the tally light up the top right hand corner. I like that Sony warning system.

[Dylan Couper]

<<<-- Originally posted by Pete Constable : Canon, please add an audible beep once for Record & twice for Pause like some Sony cameras run. I often miss the buttom & record the floor cos I always watch focus & framing but not the tally light up the top right hand corner. I like that Sony warning system. -->>>

Sure, as long as there is a button to disable it!

[G. Randy Brown]

>>>Canon, please add an audible beep once for Record & twice for Pause like some Sony cameras run. I often miss the buttom & record the floor....<<<

ROTFL, I'm glad I'm not the only one. It's not an issue unless I'm having to start/pause recording a LOT, but it invariably happens when I'm shooting for sports highlights (especially frustrating when recording the floor/ground and then hitting pause thinking you're hitting record...and then a homerun, touchdown, or 3 pointer occurs....arrrrgh, man do I feel like an idiot!). However, I also agree with Dylan in that, you'd have to be able to disable it in certain scenarios.
Randy

[Peter Moore]

Hard disk recording would be sweet. Slap in the IDE drive of your choice, I'd be in heaven. Heck, even direct firewire to HD recording would be nice. I'm so sick of using DV tapes.

But seriously folks, Canon's really doing us a disservice by leaving us in limbo for so long. We haven't had a decent new video camera for them in almost two years. The XL1S is practically ancient. And we don't even hear a peep out of them. This thing had better blow us away, or else I will be seriously disappointed in Canon.

[Mark A. Foley]

I'm with Peter...it is a shame Canon won't even give us a possible release date....I hate to say it, but in spite of what I have invested in my 3 XL1s, I may dump them and move to the pany DX100a(s) soon....

[Luis Caffesse]

Not sure if anyone added this to the list yet, but hey...since we're dreaming... how about an SDI out that grabs the signal prior to the DV compression?

Even better, an HDV/DV model with an HD-SDI out.

That way you could record HDV to tape, 10bit Uncompressed HD out HD-SDI, DV to tape, or Uncompressed 10bit SD out SDI.

Hey, like I said, we're dreaming right?


Speaking of dreaming, if Canon dares to renew this XL1s rebate one more time this will become a nightmare.

My guess - rebate ends June 30th, and we hear something at DV Expo East in mid July.

(then again, I said the same thing about NAB. Hey, I'll be right eventually)

-Luis

[Ken Tanaka]

Well I haven't pitched anything into this eternal thread for over a year. So here are a few ideas.

1. Maintain the modular architecture of the XL system. It's an excellent architecture that's yet to be exploited fully.

2. 16:9 native CCD's would be nice, particularly if accompanied by optional 16:9 high-res monochrome CRT viewfinder and good-res 16:9 color viewfinder.

3. Switchable frame rates of 30 and 24 with true progressive imaging would be just ducky.

4. Those P+S Technik folks have made enough cash off of the XL1 system. Time for Canon to flick them off the table. Introduce a Mini-15-like adapter for the "XL2". Or make P+S an offer they can't refuse. This would provide a segue to...

5. Introduction of a set of reasonably affordable prime lenses for the "XL2", well-matched for the camera's resolution. Lenses are Canon's strength and few can match their design and production techniques in this segment. This, coupled with #4, would seem to be a very good strategic move for Canon. Good synergy with their other professional lines without alienating their big broadcast customers.

In the end, the "XL2" system should become truly expandable within the Canon line, from the basic $4,000 setup up to a fully-equipped filmmaking rig weighing in at perhaps 10x that figure.

Such a big splash would instantly demote the DVX100A to a weenie-cam. (Not that I'd cheer this, since I also own one!)

[Chris Hurd]

Howdy from Texas,

...it is a shame Canon won't even give us a possible release date

Ah, but perhaps they have given you a possible release date. All you need to do is study your history.

[Scott Silverman]

Quick everyone search!

[Ken Tanaka]

A reference that might, or might not, be handy for searchers.

Either way it's an interesting place to browse.

[G. Randy Brown]

Ken said >>" 16:9 native CCD's would be nice, particularly if accompanied by optional 16:9 high-res.... "<<

So does native mean that it wouldn't compress (squash) the image if played on a 4:3 screen (as stated will happen in the manual if shot in "16:9") ? Is there an anamorphic lens out there that does this well with the XL1S now?
Thanks for listening,
Randy

[Rob Lohman]

I think the native in that sentence was meant to indicate the
"XL2" should support 16:9 out of the box without any extra
equipment or quality cuts.

[Ken Tanaka]

Yes. It would be nice if the "XL2" shot 16:9 without any squishing or manipulation such as cameras like Sony's DSR-570 or Panasonic's SDX900. It should also be able to produce 4:3 by only sampling the center portion of the CCD, just as those cameras do.