XL2 image not square

[Harty]

Hi all.
Okay, to explain exactly what I mean.

The main PCB board of my XL2 died quite suddenly. It was replaced by Canon.

When I got the camera back I turned it on and pointed it, by pure coincidence, at something I knew to be 100% square. But in the EVF the object was taller than it was wide (e.i, it was not shown as square).

I connected the camera to a monitor and got the same result.

I returned the camera to Canon and they tested it against a stock model. Both cameras, they tell me, showed the same charecteristics.

Canon's service dep't rep tells me they use Sony CCDs and that even Sony cameras have this issue.

So, this seems like a major flaw to me. What are your experiences? Please point your XL2 at something square and see if you get the same thing.

Do please let me know your findings.

Many thanks,
Harty

[Harty]

Hi.
Am I alone in this issue? Or is it common with all XL2s? Please advise. Many thanks.

Harty.

[David Jimerson]

Were you shooting in 16:9 mode at the time?

Try capturing some footage and putting it into a 16:9 timeline and see if it's still giving you the same isse.

[Harty]

Thanks for replying David.
Yes, it comes out in the timeline too in both 4:3 and 16:9.
Even through the EVF and monitor a square image does not look square in either 4:3 or 16:9.
I had never noticed this until the PCB card was changed. But Canon here say it is normal and due to the CCDs they use.
But I am sure I would have noticed it before as it seems so pronounced. And I'm also sure other people would have picked up on it quite quickly when the XL2 was launhced - but I can't see anyone else talking about this issue.
What if you need to record a client's square object and you give them footage of an oblong?
Harty

[David Jimerson]

When you say it "comes out", do you mean it's OK in the timeline? Or that you still see the problem?

Can you post some screen shots?

[Harty]

Hi. No it's not okay on the timeline. Square objects are shown taller than they are wide no matter where the image is seen: evf, monitor, timeline...
If you have an XL2 can you tell me if you get an accurate image - i.e. a square object is shown as square in the EVF.
Harty

[Harty]

I have put FOUR screen shots up.
See them at: http://www.stevehart.co.nz/Steve1.jpg

then Steve2.jpg, Steve3.jpg and Steve4.jpg

[David Jimerson]

Is the Kodak box perfectly square?

I put those shots on a PAL timeline, changed the pixel aspect ratio to 1.0926, and the box came out square.

Check the PAR of the footage on your timeline. The JPEGs are 1.000.

[Harty]

Hi.
Yes the box is perfectly square. You can see a folded peice of paper that is also perfectly square. What is shown in the pictures is what I see through the EVF. What do you see through your EVF? This is where the issue was first spotted - via the EVF and monitor.

[David Jimerson]

Not sure about the EVF -- it should have a 16:9 viewing mode -- but if you played straight from the tape to the 4:3 TV, and you shot widescreen, it should look squeezed like that. Like I said, the TV doesn't know that it's 16:9.

Have you tried playing from tape to a 16:9 TV?

[Harty]

Cheers David.
If we stick with 4:3 then I can say that in the EVF and on the monitor a square object looks taller than it is wide when viewed via the evf and tv screen. Given that, do you - or any other XL2 owner - have the same experience with an XL2?

[Harty]

Here is a reply from Canon which explains and resolves the whole thing.:love4:
---
From Canon:
The XL2 concern that you have communicated to Canon Inc. has been forwarded to Canon Australia. In my capacity as Imaging Service Supervisor, I have engaged my technicians to investigate the phenomenon and would like to report the following;
We have checked one XL2 from our Technical support Group and another XL2 from our workshop. We have confirmed that the EVF LCD image on both products appears to be vertically stretched. Unfortunately this is an outcome that can't be altered as there is no Vertical or Horizontal size adjustment in the LCD drive circuitry. As it is used as a viewfinder, it is designed to give you a general perspective of the image rather than a 100% replica of the actual image. Only sophisticated monitor can give you that type of outcome.
We have also connected the output of the two XL2 on a Sony Professional 16:9 LCD Monitor and a Sony Professional CRT Monitor. We have utilised a circular test chart. The circular rendition on the Sony Professional LCD Monitor is nearly perfect. However, the Sony CRT Monitor was vertically stretched. We have tried another SONY CRT monitor and it was better than the previous one. You can only conclude in this test, that there is actually nothing wrong with the image from the camera. The variables on the monitors used determines the image reproduction. This products have vertical and horizontal size adjustments and therefore calibration of this adjustment will affect the way the image is presented on screen. This will also hold true if you are using a computer monitor .Pixel aspect ratio on a computer monitor can be changed or adjusted by software which may affect the rendition of the image.
The replacement of the main circuit board assembly does not in anyway affect the aspect ratio of the display. In fact there are no item in the adjustment procedure that is related to it.

The products that we have used in the investigation are products that are relatively new and have not been serviced at all. It appears that your observation is a normal phenomenon.

Kind Regards,
Ramon Daez
Imaging Service Supervisor
Sydney, Imaging Service
Canon Australia Pty Ltd

[Luis Caffesse]

Wow, well at least they took it seriously and took the time to investigate it.
Nice to get such a detailed reply from a company.