I Bought My Dream Camera…From 25 Years Ago | Canon XL1
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- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 2 ก.ค. 2024
- The Canon XL1 was my dream camera when it was released in 1998, but as a broke 13 year old its $4000 price tag was far beyond anything I could ever have hoped to afford. Years later thanks to the magic of eBay, I was finally able to buy my dream camera and I’m happy to say it lives up to the hype! So let’s take a look at the absolutely awesome XL1, understand its history, and explore how its video-centric DNA lives on in modern cameras.
•Here's a followup video that compares the quality of footage imported via FireWire vs. analog:
• What's The Best Way To...
🎬 Some tools I use with the XL1:
•Elgato Video Capture: geni.us/7dQE (Amazon)
•Analog to HDMI Converter: geni.us/acxCUI (Amazon)
•Elgato CamLink: geni.us/vddHN (Amazon)
If you’re looking to find an XL1 or other “vintage” camera of your own, your best bet is to scour eBay and setup an alert to let you know when a new listing is available. There are a lot of broken and damaged cameras out there, but if you’re patient it’s definitely possible to find a diamond in the rough at a reasonable price.
💡If you like this video and want to dive into video editing, my Final Cut Pro course will walk you through everything from start to finish and this video's timeline (including all of the original footage) is included as a sample project: learnfinalcutpro.com
🔈 Music for this video is from Artlist & Epidemic Sound:
•Artlist (2 extra months free): geni.us/ArtlistTom
•Episidemic (30 Day Free Trial): share.epidemicsound.com/enthus...
📼 My video about the Canon L1:
• The Weird Retro Camcor...
⏱️ Chapter Markers:
0:00 - The Basics: Canon XL1 101
1:31 - Part 1: Context - “The X-L-ent One”
3:13 - Let’s Focus on Lenses
6:45 - Design Cues from the Pros
10:05 - Part 2: Does the XL1 Excel?
10:48 - XL1 vs. Smartphone Cameras (2009-Current)
12:56 - Why the XL1 is Better Than Modern Cameras
18:00 - Working With XL1 Footage & Modern Computers/Software
20:30 - Part 3: The (L)egacy
25:03 - Wrap Up: XL-Yeah!
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Episode 369: Is The Canon XL1 The Coolest Camera Ever Made? - ภาพยนตร์และแอนิเมชัน
Here's a follow-up video that compares footage imported via FireWire to the analog method: th-cam.com/video/U1xhEN9qWwk/w-d-xo.html
Thank you to everyone in the comments here who helped me figure out which adapters I needed to make it happen!
Overall I think the FireWire footage is definitely better, but it's not quite the drastic difference I expected. I still feel like the analog method gets you 90% of the way there with a much simpler workflow, so that's what I'd recommend for anyone who's not too familiar with cameras. But if you are a camera nerd (and I mean that in the best way possible), then FireWire will give you the best quality possible while also being a fun project to tinker with.
I came to the comments just to say “hey you didn’t use digital out for better quality!” Glad to see you made an update video!
I recently bought a non working XL-1 just to have on my shelf! I think it’s one of the best consumer designs ever.
This camera was used to film 28 Days Later but they used the PAL version that recorded in 25 frames a second but was converted to 24 frames in post.
That’s awesome
What a strange choice. I wonder how they converted from 25 to 24 without it looking all wonky
Also I think PAL was a slightly higher resolution than NTSC. Not sure if the increased resolution was noticeable, I’ve never shot in PAL or actually seen anything on a PAL monitor, but definitely wanted to before I got my hands on an HD camera!
@@rizzo-films I remember back in the day the Star Wars fans was doing re-edits and some said get the PAL for the resolution. One of the guys that did a Star Wars edit said its not enough to really make a differentence.
Also with PAL DVDs they have to re-sync the audio or things sound weird with people talking because your now shifting 24 frames in a 25 timeline. Also PAL movies are shorter because they play faster.
There is a old trick they would use on Laser DISC movies to speed up the film to get it to fit on one disc. I know they did this with the Panascan 4:3 versions not the letter box ones of Star Wars and Empite Strikes Back to get the film to be on one disc by playing the video a little fast. I've watched these version and never notice the speed up but I was not looking for it also.
Yeah Danny Boyle chose it because of its pretty very obvious digital look that was a good match for the genre of film, it wasn’t for its image quality (as in a clean image) 😅
This was the goto camera for wedding videographers and college A/V departments. I think it helped define the term, prosumer.
I remember, I read every article in Videomaker magazine at the time time dreaming of this camera as well.
Now you just need to buy a Video Toaster and your 90’s production studio will be complete.
This was not a prosumer camera. Prosumer cameras cost half of what this cost.
Of of the most stunning examples of industrial design in the history of electronic devices...
how did icarly look so hd with freddie using this 1900´s cameras
Because these cameras actually have much better quality than shown here. The composite video out was really limiting the quality, even through S-Video it'd have been much better.
I've shot multiple short films on cameras like these when I was a teen, and if you use the firewire port the quality is almost 720p and much clearer.
They just used the professional studio cameras the canon xl1 was just a prop
That’s what I thought
@@danoob4 28 days later was shot with this and looks better than the iphone footage
We had HD in the 90’s
You can look up a video. Titled:
New York City in 1993 in HD - DTheater DVHS Demo Tape
The XL1 and DVX100b were my two dream cameras when I got my start!
I was a videographer back in the 1990's and really wanted an XL1. Couldn't afford it or the GL1 but watching this brings a smile to my face as I recall all the times I looked at video catalogs wanting them. If you had an XL1, you were hot stuff! And you're right, having physical switches and controls you can press is something I miss too. Your eye could be in a viewfinder and you could instantly feel a switch and hit it as opposed to going thru a menu. When things became menu driven, I wouldn't upgrade for a long time because I hated menu driven controls. This video was a lot of fun to watch.
So glad you got to check it out! It's crazy how much of a landmark camera the XL1 was for so many people, whether or not they ever actually had one.
I used to work at a ritz camera… 1990-1996… I remember 1991, Canon A1 Digital and L1. Of the Hi8 variety but eventually Canon moved to MiniDV tape. We also had the Sony V5000, which everyone lusted after. Fast forward to 2000, I remember using an XL2 on a Powermac G4. They were really cool to use.
Oh man, Ritz! I remember browsing their catalogs for hours.
Thanks to a bunch of suggestions in the comments here I was able to get all the cables/adapters needed to import XL1 footage via FireWire and it looks soooo good! I'll definitely be doing a follow up comparison with footage imported via both methods and how to do it (since it works with any MiniDV cameras and not just the XL1).
I'm also really impressed because Final Cut does a great job of de-interlacing footage when necessary and automatically creating clips based on when recording was started/stopped on the tape, which saves a ton of time. Maybe this is nothing new, but I haven't imported footage via FireWire in at least 15 years, back when it was just one long clip that had to be cut up manually. This is awesome, so thank you to everyone who helped explain the difference adapters and everything! 🙏
Yes, by using firewire directly into computer I'd bet the image quality would be a lot better. Have to get out my old footage and see. I started off with the Canon A1 in 89 or so. Hi8. It cost me 1300 bucks or so. Started importing into my pc in 97 or so with a Matrix Rainbow Runner card. Didn't work that great and would drop frames. Along came Canopus Raptor card and Windows XP and that solved all problems.
@@keithwiebe1787 OP is an iSheep though, so don't even mention Windows.
Yeah composite is literally the lowest quality video standard. Would love to see the difference going through Fireware. Upside if you have thunderbolt you can use the Apple FireWire to thunderbolt two adapter and the thunderbolt 2 to 3 adapter. and it should show up as a WebCam possibly software dependent. That was the way to get a really good WebCam in the day.
This is super important. I watched this video and knew something was wrong. I have a vivid memory of the Gl1 plugged into an old broadcast Sony monitor. Gorgeous image.
I was just going to write about composite VS FireWire 😅 it would be interested comparison. Also can you test low light performance vs phones? Phones shoot well with lots of light, not so good with usual indoor lighting. While 3 chip cameras were praised for low light performance
Finally someone has rediscovered this beauty, my favourite camera ever. Thx
The best standard definition camera that I ever used was the Panasonic DVX-100B. The video quality, although standard definition, in the right lighting was close to HD. Some movies were filmed on it
I had one but sold it for the Panasonic DVX100b.. The squeeze mode was nice.
WOW! What a walkthrough Tom!
I bought the XL1 in late 1999, and used it extensively. I also felt the same way about it as you did. I was so pleased to stumble upon your amazing review of this beauty. Thank you, for the nostalgic journey. You did a first-class job.
This is really well done. How fast life is changing is evident when you see informative videos that bring us back to the way it was. Nice. Thanks!!
Thanks! It really is crazy to step back and get a bit of perspective.
I hear you when it comes to “Dream Cameras”. This was surely one of my favorites as well. I grew up filming BMX street and dirt riding and some skating and I always wanted an XL-1!!
Great video! When I was in high school, I learned basic video concepts on the Canon XL2. And here I am many years later working as a television cameraman. The XL series of cameras will always have a place in my heart 🎥
Phenomenal dive into this piece of history. Great work!
Thank you! This is one of my favorite videos, it was so much fun to make.
This and your piece on the L1 were really enlightening. I can tell they were a labor of love. Great stuff.
Thank you for saying that! Both of those videos are some of my all time favorites, so that means a lot to hear.
This was my dream camera for years as well. When I first started doing indy film, seeing someone shooting on this made my day. I loved learning everything about it on set.
I'm so glad to know I'm not alone in being a bit obsessed with the XL1!
DUDE YES! I've been waiting for this video from you, forever. I still wanna get my hands on a XL1, but I did just get a VX1000
You got a VX1000?! Those are so hard to find in good condition without paying a bajillion dollars.
Yeah! Had to import it from Japan, but still in great shape. Just gotta SOMEHOW find the death lens lol@@tombuck
So happy for you, nothing better than getting a camera that you love to use!!!
It's so much fun! Even 25 years later.
Wow. Thank you very much! I spent days and hours a year ago watching old reviews on that beast. I still want it.
It's so worth it- definitely take a gander at eBay form time to time and you might find a heck of a deal!
I loved this camera, used in constantly in film school, when I found out 28 Days Later was filmed with the Canon XL1, I was obsessed. It was the pinnacle of gorilla filmmaking tools. The worst thing was logging footage in real time. I do not miss that at all. Cool to see how things have moved on but at the time the XL1 was the dream. Thanks for showing me what I missed out on!
Awesome video Tom! Only took a few years to get it done! Super happy to see you enjoying creating videos, without the pressure of a Thursday upload! As always, keep up the good work 😀
Better late than never? 😬
And yeah, I don't think I would've been as happy with this video if I had tried to cram it into a weekly schedule.
I LOVE THIS! Thank you for making this video…I was lucky enough to own not 1, but 2 XL1s’s while in college! These literally gave me my start in video production, and I, too, miss these cameras dearly!
Wonderful! We used two of these cams when we started to produce very first live streaming and on-demand webcast productions, back in 1998.
Back when this was brand new I was helping two friends make indie films for their film classes they were taking. One was attending Emerson the other was taking a film course at Rhode Island college. My friend Jorge (the one going to RIC) was friends with the head of film studies there and since he was familiar with computers (he had one of the first Mac G3's that had come out) he volunteered to set up the school's very first digital editing suite. This was back when Avid had yet to really take over as the main means of editing films. I got to see this in use and it was crazy how much better the visuals looked and how easy and quick it was to put scenes together. We made our own steadicam and dolly's and because it was so light you didn't need huge pieces of equipment to move it around. Our dolly was a few pieces of fiberglass pole and our dolly was some 2x4's and rubber cart wheels with lengths of fiberglass poles for tracks. At the time they were some of the first students making indie films on digital.
I really wish I had copies of the one we made for practice. It was a short comedy skit where I chased Jorge through the woods. It's nice to see someone who appreciates this piece of equipment as I have many fond memories of it.
Great video! I drooled over this camera as a kid as well.
Yes. Design, ergonomics, ease of use and good looking. A camera everyone wanted to use to impress clients back then.
Bravo!! Wonderful video bro!! I used to drool over this camera but couldn't afford it at the time. I moved out to Cali and was in my first year of filmmaking school. However, I ran out of money and had to move back home. I wish I had stuck with filming regardless of equipment. Now, 20 years later, I'm starting all over. Thanks for the trip down memory lane and a top-notch review of this awesome camera!!
Nice memories! I remember using this to film my first total solar eclipse in 1999, fitted with an EF lens! I've included that clip in a recent tutorial I made about eclipses.
Hi Tom, you did a great video on Canon XL1 and revived my memories of using this camera. I still have this same camera and my story is same like yours. I was also saving some money to buy this camera in the 90's and now its still packaged in its original box and resting on the shelf. I feel sad that the video quality does not come even close to the cheapest of the cheapest camcorders of today, but XL1 has seen its glorious days.
Dude you're a geek! I love it! You have a great positive vibe and overall good attitude. Thank you for the work you did on this video.
Nice Purchase. Used that camera for many years. Brings back memories.
What a great comparison. Keep up your amazing work. Thanks Tom.
Thanks for watching! I really appreciate the kind words!
I used this as a news gathering cam on local tv. When i left, i bought it from them and it's still sitting next to me now. I love it. I use fd and ef lenses on it.
It's hard to overestimate how much I lusted after this camera when (and LONG after) it came out. Thank you for this walkthrough.
XL1 wow!!. Lot of memories.
I got my start on the GL2 and XL1. Loved those cameras.
I still have one in my studio. Currently used as a paperweight nowadays. Loved it when I bought it.
It's a beautiful paperweight.
Yessssss!!!!!!!! I always saw the XL1 in the magazines. Our dream camera back then was the canon GL2
This is my all time greatest video camera s well. I was glad to see you do a video on it.
Thansk for sharing. I worked with the XL1s in the mid 2000s, while producing my first video content for the internet. It was a great camera and all follow-ups never brought me that feeling again. After your video I regret selling it... 😂
Great video! I had this camera back in the day and *loved* it. I still miss the ergonomics of this design.
Couldn't agree more!
The XL1 and GL2 were the cameras I learned on at my undergrad school, and I loved these things. I was so excited when the Media and AV services dept got the XL H1, so we could use the HDV mini tapes. Amazing how far things evolved in a relatively short time.
You might not believe me, but I too had a Canon XL-1 poster on my wall! Great video Tom! You even covered what I was going to mention about the XL-1 DNA still being alive and well in todays cinema and professional models. Great video as always!
So I wasn't the only one?! Haha, that's awesome. Great minds think alike!
Tom this is amazing! Your clear passion for this camera shines through - I'm loving the change in aspect ratios with different shots, the mixed room setups for each section, and the sound of the DV cover opening took me waaay back! Definitely worth the wait, probably my favourite video of yours ever!
Thanks Kane! I was worried the many aspect ratios could be distracting, but I ended up liking it a lot- it's especially cool to see what camera setups at similar price points but 25 years apart are capable of. The anamorphic shots look so stunning compared to the analog footage.
purchased that when it was released, also had the XL2 and they were great cameras. probably one of my favorites
I really enjoyed this video Tom. It was fantastic! Thank you!
Thanks Josh! Glad you liked it!
I was just thinking about this camera the other day. Thanks for making this video, I was curious what it was like now.
yes i do remember this camera - would not even dream to own it then, it was to good to be true. 🙂 thanks for bringing memories back 🙂
YAY another camera biography!!! Good episode dude! Super fun and entertaining… maybe in your top 3 best performances! You could tell you were so into this camera!
I love it so much! Thanks for the kind words! And just today I learned how to import footage via FireWire, so I'm really excited for a little follow-up...
Ah, we recieved three of those 3CCD Sony DVCAMs as upgrades to our SVHS-system back in media school 1999. Man this video takes me back! 😅
I do have one xl1s. Bought it in ny manhattan in 1999 at adorama. Never sold it because it really was a dream camera to use it back then. Had many cameras in the next years but that one stayed in my heart.
That's awesome. I can only imagine the excitement of walking out of the store with that thing back then!
Congrats on finally getting your dream camera! Mine was the XL2, I finally got one in 2009, it was my first "prosumer" camera and I cut my teeth on videography with it. In retrospect I would have been better off with a 5D Mark II, but it still was a great camera to learn on.
Super cool you got to use it closer to it's "heyday" 😎
Great video Tom! Always wanted the XL1 too! Never could afford it but a customer gave me his old one a few years back as well as the older L1. Very cool cameras for the collection. Used the GL2 for many years professionally before going to the XH A1, the XF300 and now the XF605.
Instant subscriber here! Infinite Thanks, Tom. I'm also a Huge Fan of Retro Cams. Best Wishes to you, my Friend.😅
Thanks for this video. I'm like you and wanted a XL-1 for a very long time. When I finally got one and all the accessories that could be found for it, when I firewired the footage into my MacBook I thought the sensors were messed up. the footage was real bad. But now after seeing the footage of yours I know that's just the way the look on fancy high resolution monitors we have now. I loved your A-B comparisons with the iPhone models.
I owned two of these and the wide angle lens...loved them.
I'm starting to see these and other older camcorders in use at car shows and other events. People are into the unique way they make the world look I guess. A buddy just picked up a GL2 for that purpose.
They're definitely coming back around! The Sony VX1000 is virtually impossible to find in good working condition because it's still hugely popular for skate videos and stuff.
Mate - such great storytelling on something you clearly are very passionate about. Cheers.
Thanks Julian! I really appreciate that as the video is definitely a labor of love 👍
My gosh, what a trip down memory lane. We used these things in school and I thought they were really neat. They were kind of "reserved" for the big projects, so you knew when you got to use it that it was serious business.
That’s the exact camera I wanted as a teenager too! A man in the neighborhood I grew up in had that camera. That was around the time I started to obsess about videography. Thanks for the reminder! 😁
Great Brother.... i know that feeling 😊
Thank you for making this! I've also had a strange fascination with this camera since it was released, and especially with some of its history (e.g. used in filming 28 Days Later). Even though the specs pale in comparison to any modern camera today, Canon really was ahead of their time with the form factor, design and ergonomics of the XL-1. Very much an early preview of features we now have and take for granted shooting video in modern DSLR/mirrorless and cinema cameras.
It really is an awesome camera. Just yesterday I got all the adapters to start importing footage via FireWire and wow, it looks so much better! Still nowhere near what modern cameras can do, but it's nice to see the XL1 living up to its full potential.
Enjoyed the in-depth nostalgia. It was my first video camera purchase in 1999 along with Final Cut Pro. You did show me some accessories I did not know were available. It paid for it's self many times over with corporate shoots. Good job on the video!
Final Cut in 1999! That's absolutely awesome.
My first time editing video was on iMovie 1 in 2000 or so? I also worked at a TV station in 2001 that had an early version of AVID designed for tv reporters to use, but I found it super clunky.
That's great, you started at a good time, just when digital was getting it's legs. I tried Premiere in 1996 and decided video editing was a no go then. My first attempt at digital editing (video-animation) was with MacroMedia in 1992 when it was only grayscale. Little FYI, Apple bought the video engine from MacroMedia and turned it into FinalCut Pro.@@tombuck
You are a really cool disseminator. Thanks ❤️
was my first "real" video camera. photographed a friend's wedding really early on and he paid for it partially with that camera. some amazing memories with that thing.
Great Camara!!! was my first camera during film school
The system looks so good.
Acquired this camera, around the time it came out, and used it for a well over a decade. I loved it and had nothing but good things to say about it. It was first in its class at the time.
I finally sold it about five years ago after using the 5DIV and C100 for several years.
However, missing the functionality and form factor of a camcorder, I just bought the XF605 and am a huge fan of that.
Thank you, I really enjoyed this. I was dreaming of owning this camera for years back then! I did have several opportunities to shoot with it and and the XL2 and loved it. Personally for my own gear, I ended up with a Sony PD100A DVCAM and then later the amazing, yet also awful HD (720p) JVC HD100. That JVC was also pretty revolutionary for it's time as well.
Man, that sound of the tape ejecting. Even better when the battery was dying lol. Still have my first Canon and now you have me wanting one of these.
This was also my dream camera as a teen. When it released, I was shooting skate videos and this camera was mind blowing. Everything great about the GL-1 and so much more.
This brings back memories.. I got started on that exact model of Sony ENG camera, it was a heavy beast but it sure did get the job done. It then got replaced by XL1´s with a extra large battery pack on the back.
I still have one of these..might pull it out the box and play around with it..
Great video! This was also my dream camera and I also think it is the coolest camera ever made. But, being a teenager when it was released I had no possibility to obtain one.
Had an XL1 in my storage forever now. Works but no lens. Just found a complete XL2 kit in a storage unit today! Excited to use both of these
Oh that's awesome!!
It's a really beautiful looking camera. Very nice ergonomics!
Great and super informative video! I was wanting some background on this because the European XL-1e was used to shoot the movie 28 Days Later back in 2001, and I wanted to get a full rundown of its history, features, and capabilities.
This video is hitting me right in the nostalgia... I remember wanting this camera so badly when I was in University... I shot my first short film on a friends XL1 and fell in love with it. great camera! When I was going to buy one I was convinced to get a DVX100a instead... and I'm very glad I did... the DVX100a was definitely better in a lot of ways... but man.. I miss the XL1 form.
I'd still suggest people try the firewire route if possible. Apple make plenty of dongles from firewire to thunderbolt which GREATLY improves the quality.
There are also modern pcie firewire bridges that are decent.
I had three of these cameras. I loved it! So much better than most of the prosumers I have used since. Alas it was SD. I never tried the HD version.
Got the same one was an great camera to use in crowded areas
Never had it, always wanted it! Congrats on having it in your hands! Camera nerd dream
It made a really nifty cameo in the last season of Better Call Saul that was absolute camera nerd paradise 😁
Beast of a camera - I had an XL1s - I got it for the frame mode, I learned on it while I shot a documentary that got on TV, then shot another one and another one, stabiliser on the lens was fantastic, the included mic was really great as well, and the built in attenuator was fantastic for gigs.... Still have mine. Only problem is tapes sometimes jammed in it and if the heads drift out of alignment playing back the tapes shot in frame mode can be a problem. But it did the job for me over at least 5 years. Shot gigs, riots, weddings, family events, everything...
The Canon XL1s was an art work in form factor. Thanks for making this video. My girlfriend (now wife) and I both saved from our part time retail and fast food in 2002 while at film school to buy one together. With the very few accessories we needed it was almost $9K AUD from memory. We then started a business doing corporate video and events. Many local competitors at the time were very locked into their larger ENG and even analogue cameras still and the XL1s, and a little creativity gave us a big advantage in adaptability in what and how we could film. I think my first TH-cam video is filmed on it actually. When we finally sold it we actually kept the stock included fold up/down shoulder mount (as we sold the camera with the xlr shoulder mount) and I adapted it to a DSLR shoulder rig that I sometimes still use to this day. Great review though. Oh you missed the hidden buttons under the red circular door, Also very satisfying to access.
I filmed weddings with 3 of these up until 2011. I wish I wouldn't have sold all of them. Would be a nice wall hanger today. I remember seeing "Trauma Life in the ER" show in the late 90's used these and had to have them. Great video!
Had five XL1s back the days… such wonderful cameras for the time
Gosh! This takes me back. I remember getting into the wedding arena with one of these. I started off using a Digital 8 format from Sony, and six months later upgrading to the XL1S. It was a lovely example of industrial design and functionality. Surprisingly, in trying to be more discreet, I ended up using two XM2's instead. I found the overall quality of them much better. I often wondered if my XL1s had been knocked and misaligned the 3ccd sensors. The quality was very much hit and miss. Another year later, I moved to the JVC 5001e. That was very impressive. Six month later, HD was on the horizon and the JVC stood up well for a good few years.
The XL2 and DVX-100B reigned supreme... memories!!
Yeah. I really wanted one of these!
As a child I saw these in the B&H ad in the middle fold of the NYT science section. I thought it was the coolest thing too!
Great video, Tom! I saved up and got an XL-1s back in the day and ended up filming weddings for a while to pay for it. When the XL-2 came out, I saved up again and sold the XL-1s to get it because I HAD to have the true widescreen and 24fps! I mean, I was basically making movies at that point, right?! I never ended up selling the XL-2 and still have it to this day, but my path did take me eventually to the 5DmkII for a web series I made. But i'm with you, I would love to see an XL-3 or XL-4K because the form factor was so amazing on those cameras!
The jump to DSLR-quality video was massive, but dang, something was definitely lost in the form factor.
Direct digital import of MiniDV footage was definitely better quality than capturing from the analog outputs. It would also be interesting to see what today’s grading tools could do to refine that footage.
when you say "better" do you mean high resolution? Because I'm thinkning about getting one of these for that sweet sweet tape saturation. I want a "worse" quality haha
I've run mini DV video through Topaz AI, and it makes a HUGE difference.
@@lunarvue Did you upscale to 1080p or ? - with Topaz AI
@@Amddurinyes, upscale and it will denoise, sharpen, and utilizes AI to enhance details and can even remove camera shake. Takes a lot of processing power to do a lot of footage, but the results are worth it. There's old 16x9 SD content that I've upscaled that now looks good enough to put on a reel, at least some of it. Pretty impressive. th-cam.com/video/lZHWPDQYQ9c/w-d-xo.htmlsi=qbX6lU4SgJO8mKot
My dream camera when i was at uni. I think 28 days later was filmed on one of these
I had an XL1 pic on my wall too!
Such a kool form factor!
I love this camera. I had one from 1999 to 2006 when it was stolen from me on vacation.
At the time there was nothing better. And what a look she had. I had obviously replaced it with an XL H1 which I still have.
Sweet! I bought a church's old broadcast equipment lately, and in one bin I found an XL 1. I've been a Canon DSLR guy since 2012, so I have some lenses..... my XL1 is in rough-looking shape and I haven't gone through everything yet to discover more missing parts. But wow, what a cool find! I never had a 3-chip camcorder before.
That's awesome! Definitely a fun project to tinker with and get up and running.
I got to college in 2000 and was lucky to work in a shop with a few xl1s to shoot college sports. I loved this camera. I used the pd150 and the Panasonic, but maan I loved this camera when it was built out with the battery pack and the extender ... great cam!!!
The XL1 really was something special, even though those other cameras are awesome too.