The Canon XL2 allows you to capture images closer to the finished product than ever before. Work that previously was limited to post-production can be simply and effectively... more
A review by benraiben on Canon XL2 camcorder - Mini DV April 21st, 2005
Author's product rating:
Ease of use
Good
Recording quality
Good
Picture quality
Good
Sound quality
Good
Value for money
Good
Advantages:
Great for special events
Disadvantages:
It is far too pricey .
Recommend to potential buyers:
yes
Full review
Yet another item that lurks in my brother's electrical goods shop is the 'Canon Camcorder'. As most top quality items do, we get a nicely packaged item, with all the appropriate information, such as the instruction manual, which is overall very easy to follow and it even includes diagrams for those of you out there who are not over technically minded.
The Canon Camcorder is quite sturdy (measuring 22.5 cm x 49.6 cm x 22 cm) , also weighing in at 3.5 kg, although it doesn't induce any arm aches.
The Canon camcorder is the ideal choice for recording broadcast or web content, making educational videos or registering an event like a wedding. A point worth raising is that the battery lasts for a fair while, and so makes it a lot more suitable for such events, just don't forget to charge up!
The camcorder owns the ability of analogue inputs and outputs (S-video, composite video, L/R audio) - not just DV in/out - and adds a card slot (SD Memory Card or MultiMedia Card) for still-image storage. Also included is a mini USB socket, which is useful for doing things such as downloading stills to your personal computer, which is a useful feature.
As with the previous version, the size of the imaging CCDs remains the same. That being at 0.25in, although according to the manual, the number of effective pixels has apparently been increased from 300,000 to 440,000. Also according to the manual the cam is said to "deliver 540 lines resolution and a claimed improvement of 3dB in the signal-to-noise ratio - factors said to enhance colour reproduction, low-light performance, exposure range and resolution."
Manual control over audio levels was an omission on the previous model, but the camcorder has right and left non-directional microphones, adjustable via dials on the camcorder body. Also present is an option to which allows you to change the frequency response to normal, voice, which allows a lot more crisper speech, and also "wind screen", which obviously is used for reducing wind noise, which can be an awful pain! These settings are useful and you can also prevent distortion or overloaded levels by turning on the mic attenuator. After watching recordings with this camera, I have to say that the quality of the sound recorded, with each of the features, is very pleasing.
Another useful new addition to the cam is the feature which allows you to set "Clear Scan" , which prevent flicker when filming a computer or TV screen; Analogue-DV-analogue pass-through conversion; colour-bars generation; and custom settings for video levels and picture sharpness.
The camcorder is EASY to use, and all buttons are clearly marked, and if there is any confusion, which I doubt, there is an instruction manual which is clearly labelled. Talking of keys there is a custom key that can be used to assign functions used frequently, which I found to be very useful and an extremely good feature.
Overall, the camcorderis is a great item,one reason being the fact that there is the added bonus of manual audio controls and solid-state memory card capabilities for stills.
Then, there is the lens, which produces excellent detail. This is helped by the optical image stabiliser which as a result feels good when focusing; however, it does need end-stops. There is a dial, rather than an "iris ring", which is ok, but an Iris ring in my opinion would be a lot more sufficient.
The LCD screen itself, is a little too small for serious monitoring, but the colour viewfinder is good, and compensates well.
As the manual states: Having analogue in/outputs, FireWire and USB means there's a good connectivity, plus there's effective analogue-DV-analogue pass-through. I was rather impressed with the stereo audio quality from the onboard microphone, and felt that the controls, sharpness, phase and black levels of the picture are professional features worth having, making it a great piece of equipment for filming at events like weddings, parties and so on.
However, although the Canon may have better audio, colour reproduction is less natural than that from the Sony TRV950 , which also offers better still images (plus a built-in flash), and is also kinder on the bank balance. So, after weighing up which of these final pointers you find the most important, you may have a rough idea if this is for you, or not as the case may be. Either way, there is no denying that this is an excellent product.
The estimate retail price is £3,170.00 however. That automatically makes this quite redundant I feel however, with the fact that there are so many camcorders out there, at cheaper prices that could do just as, or half a good a job as this.
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The Canon XL2 allows you to capture images closer to the finished product than ever before. Work that previously was limited to post-production can be simply and effectively accomplished in the field, in the camcorder. An Open Architecture philosophy, performance found only in much more expensive video cameras, Total Image Control and the solid foundation of Genuine Canon Optics, interchangeable lens capability and superb Canon image processing quality are united in the XL2. The XL2 brings a host of performance and convenience features to this class of video camcorder- benefits that can't be found in this combination on other high-end video cameras. They include: Canon Super Range Optical Image Stabilization in the standard lens; dual aspect ratios; various frame rate capabilities; image gamma and detail controls; skin detail control and convertible LCD display and among others. Unprecedented image control coordination between two XL2 cameras, remote computer camera control and direct video recording to computer are just a part of the capabilities of the XL2. Never before has so much creative power been put in the hands of the film maker, video artist, and corporate and event videographer.
