Anybody lose an XL1 recently?
 

Went to my local skatepark to film some clips yesterday, and... somebody left their XL1 there the day before. Luckily for them, the place is staffed (unlike every other skatepark within an hour's drive of here), and it was placed into a locked storage unit, but... wow.

I also have to wonder who's filming amateur skateboarders with a camera like that...

FWIW: the XL1 was discontinued a long time ago, they still work and can produce good SD video, but are available used at bargain prices these days.

Canon may be able to identify the last registered owner from the serial number. However, given the age, it may have changed hands since then.

I meant more from a "that thing is huge in comparison to the VX/FX/DVX/HPX/HMC cameras usually used for filming skateboarding" sense.

As I recall, the GL series was popular for Skateboard shooting. Today i suspect HD of some form rules.

Short of shooting from a board itself, the XL1 should do OK. However the smaller CCDs of many other camcorder may result is more shots remaining in acceptable focus thanks to the larger depth of field.

I wonder to what extent the skateboard camcorder preference was driven by cost rather than technical issues.

Actually, the VX1000 is still the most widely used amongst pro filmers, although the HPX/HVX has been gaining in popularity.

Interesting considering how long in the tooth the VX1000 is.

Yeah. I used one up until a few months ago, when I replaced it with a FX7 as an interim until I can go for a HMC150 or HPX170. The main reason behind it is that it has a wider field of view than anything else on the market when matched with a Century MkI fisheye.

So easy a caveman could film it?

Yeah, it is amazing how long the VX1000 remains popular. Its even harder to believe that we have some processes running on a DEC PDP8 and a Modcomp Classic III (both have been work almost 30 years!)