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Experiments with Canon's XL2
It's hard to argue with Canon's success in the camcorder marketplace. Its XL1 was a sensation, and the XL1S improved on its predecessor. Canon now introduces a new flagship camcorder, the XL2, which brings some fancy new features and improved levels of picture adjustment to the under-$5,000 camcorder market.
Big Lens, Big Features
The Canon XL2 looks very much like the XL1S but sports some notable improvements. The most exciting is the 20x L-Series Fluorite lens, which replaces the old 16x zoom. Canon produces the only Mini DV camcorders at this price range (list $4,999) with interchangeable lenses. The 20x zoom (42.3-846mm equivalent when recording in 16:9 aspect ratio, 51.8-1036mm equivalent when shooting 4:3) has a six-blade circular iris and two ND filters. I have always griped about Mini DV camcorders not being able to perform "feather zooms," but this lens can do it-and it has 16 manual speeds if you want to control your zooms the old-fashioned way.
Another cool new feature on the lens is the zoom preset. This function allows memorization of a zoom point so that the lens can return to that framing with a push of a button. By setting a focal length preset on the lens and then setting a different one closer or farther away, you now have the ability to zoom from someone a few feet away, pan to someone at another distance, push a button, and the lens zooms to that preset focal length.
The focus point can also be preset, which comes in handy when shooting interviews on the fly. When rack focusing from one person to another, a simple push of a button gives me an electronic assistant camera operator who will perform a smooth focus pull. This is a great feature for a one-person camera crew in run-and-gun situations.
The things I don't like about the 20x lens are its weight, its lack of wide angle and its size. While this is a very sharp piece of glass, it makes the camera very nose-heavy when operating handheld. When I used it in the field, I was always too close to the subject to pull out and get a wide-angle shot. Thankfully, Canon offers a ton of lenses, including...