new XL2 frame grabs

[Guest]

I found these on DVinfo.net

http://www.showreel.org/XL2/xl2stills.html

[Mike_Donis]

That shot of the bird is quite pretty...

[David Jimerson]

They look the same (more or less) as DVX grabs.

[Party_Pooper]

they look pretty damn good. I definitely want to check out the camera first hand.

[Mike_Donis]

They definitely do look like DVX grabs...which is awesome considering that it would be full resolution 16:9, but at the same quality as the DVX!

These make it look much more promising

[JesterJJZ]

Whats that stuff at the top of each shot? I usually expect some fringing or whatever on the sides but you never see that on screen. In 16:9 you'll see it on a 4:3 set when letterboxed.

[Guest]

here are more frame grabs from DVinfo.net :) ;D :o

http://www.simplydv.com/Reviews/canon_xl2_popups/xl2_popup10.html

http://www.simplydv.com/Reviews/canon_xl2_popups/xl2_popup09.html

http://www.simplydv.com/Reviews/canon_xl2_popups/xl2_popup08.html

http://www.simplydv.com/Reviews/canon_xl2_popups/xl2_popup07.html

http://www.simplydv.com/Reviews/canon_xl2_popups/xl2_popup06.html

http://www.simplydv.com/Reviews/canon_xl2_popups/xl2_popup05.html

http://www.simplydv.com/Reviews/canon_xl2_popups/xl2_popup04.html

http://www.simplydv.com/Reviews/canon_xl2_popups/xl2_popup03.html

http://www.simplydv.com/Reviews/canon_xl2_popups/xl2_popup02.html

http://www.simplydv.com/Reviews/canon_xl2_popups/xl2_popup01.html

[Phil]

I'm asking a serious question here: Is it alright to have the sky THAT blown out in those castle shots?? I mean is that acceptable?

[Neil Rowe]

..i would say no ..its not acceptable.. unless your going for some sort of blown out look..

I was thinking that that lattitude in those shots seemed alot less than the DVX would have gotten, but that could be entirely up to the cam operator ,andangle to sun as well.. and what other settings were being used. but that sky blown out is bad..

[Phil]

Understood. Thanks for the response.

[Guest]

ya know, somtimes the sky actaully looks like that. Judging from the way light is hitting everything, its looks like it was a pretty cloudy day. I understand that it's a flat white but I think if those stills had been taken on a different day, you would see the sky.

[Neil Rowe]

..i know what your saying mark.. the sky is whitish somtimes, but if it was a cloudy day.. it should have been even easier to get the sky within the dynamic range. if you take a look at john hudsons post in the frame grabs section for his new zombie film, there was no problem gettin the sky in.. even though he used a grad, you can tell it was well within range before the effects of the grad.. or any other grabs with the sky in the screen grabs section for that matter. ..

but again im not saying the xl2 sucks for lattitude.. im just saying in those specific pictures it did.. but that could be due to any number of reasons that are essentially the asthetic choice, or fault of the operator and not the ability of the actual camera itself.

[hemophilia]

Gotta admit it looks pretty good. Particularly the shot of the older fellow.

Doesn't seem any more blown out than when I get the sky in my DVX on a bright day. i.e. from this I wouldn't assume it had any less lattitude. But I guess we gotta wait and see with some more scientific tests.

On those sky shots though... there's some kooky purple stuff happening along the edges of all the branches.

[Barry_Green]

On those sky shots though... there's some kooky purple stuff happening along the edges of all the branches. *
YES! The return of the dreaded "purple fringe"! Man, I can't wait for XL2User.com to get started... you're going to see all sorts of posts about "why do all my shots have a purple fringe" and "why is my footage all 'strobing' -- film doesn't look like that" and ... oh, it'll be just like the good old days.

I wonder if the XL2 clunks when you tip it?

[Kidster]

I think they look very good. Either 50i or 25p. And I will tell you, when the sky is white, there is no getting around that. I shoot mostly outdoors and I hate it when I have to shoot on those white sky colorless days. I still believe that when it comes to 4:3 shooting the DVX with full use of it's 1/3CCD will ultimately have a better picture. And if you know what you're doing with the adapter should yield as good of results as the XL2.

[hemophilia]

Barry, are you implying that was a problem with XL1? Or what? The "purple fringe" that is. I don't get why it's the "return of".... but I never had an XL1.

[Ranger]

Purple fringe? It looks like chromatic aberration.

That’s a potential deal breaker for me if this is a common occurrence for the XL2s.

[Barry_Green]

No, not a problem with the XL1, that was a very commonly-reported problem with the DVX!

What I'm saying is, the XL2 users are about to re-live all the early posts we had about the DVX when it first came out: "why is there a purple fringe", "why does my footage strobe", etc.

BTW, the purple fringe would show up in the DVX on high-contrast edges that bled into overexposure. Somebody (maybe MichaelP) figured out that it was due to overexposing the blues with CineGamma turned on, and that it could be eliminated by either a) not overexposing, b) shooting with a #85 filter attached, or c) not using CineGamma.

For a period of several months, every new DVX user would post screen grabs saying "WHAT IS THIS PURPLE FRINGE!" Either it's been addressed in the DVX100A, or nobody notices it anymore...

[David Jimerson]

That happens with my Canon Powershot G5, too. Gotta think it's a problem common to the technology.

[hemophilia]

It makes sense. There's more latitude going into the cameras processor than it's outputting to the DV-compressed signal. So even though it looks blown-out, pure-white, the CCD isn't necessarily blown out. But then as that stuff gets crunched throught the camera DSP, and spat out 4:1:1, you get all kinds of weird artifacts.

Doesn't look like lens problems. If you look close you can see the purple fringe in one part of the branch, but not right next to it, then again further along. Consistent with what crappola DV compression does to color. No chromatic aberrationisms there.

[Antoine_Fabi]

at first look, those grabs look superb to my eyes...
I can't wait for a A/B comparo with the DVX100A....

[araujofh]

I've got to admit, those grabs are amazing. Especially, the first two of the first post.

But, I have seen better grabs from the DVX. Let's wait to see more.

All the best

Fidel.

[Antoine_Fabi]

...made a test today with my DVX100A...

i can see the "purple fringe" in high contrast situations with the original "cinegamma" gamma setting.

BUT...

I DONT SEE this*"purple fringe" with "cinelikeD" or "normal" or "high" settings...maybe because they have different luma knees. They seem to compress high luma in a more natural (gentle) and progressive way.

so maybe it will be the same for the XL2...dont know for sure...

[booggerg]

Those XL2 grabs are un-exciting at best. The chromatic aberration on the 2nd grab is horrible! the wide angle 16:9 shots of the castle lacks detail as well as the stage shot with the older woman. The XL2 does not impress me thus far.

[theos]

What makes me wonder is the clunk thing like barry said . . . WILL IT CLUNK of its own accord or will you have to put a marble inside to simulate ye old clunk . . . no clunk . . . no fun!

[catman4d2]

HEY LOOK AT THAT 4TH PICTURE, ITS KELLY OZBOURNE!!! LOL

:D

[skippyfetus]

Purple fringe? *It looks like chromatic aberration. *

That’s a potential deal breaker for me if this is a common occurrence for the XL2s.
same thing

[skippyfetus]

Those stills are awesome. I could have some fun with that camera... probably get some decent small prints from the stills... not that I couldn't with the DVX.

From my understanding CA/purple fringing is mainly a lens issue that's exaggerated by digital technology. In other words, it is a sign of a cheaper lens, but wouldn't be so apparent if it was being used with film.

You can avoid this purple fringing by not shooting footage with blown out highlights... although it is sometimes unavoidable. If you're making a film or music video, you should plan well enough so that you don't have large overexposed areas in any of your shots.

[Barry_Green]

The purple fringe isn't the same thing as a chromatic aberration. CA's are optical problems in the lens, whereas the purple fringe (on the DVX, at least) appears to have been an artifact of overexposed blowouts combined with cinegamma. Turning off cinegamma and using normal gamma in many instances eradicated the purple fringe, so you certainly could say that the purple fringe on the DVX wasn't caused by a lens aberration.

As to the XL2, only testing will reveal whether it's a digital artifact or a lens issue.

[skippyfetus]

Hey Barry, check out this link: http://www.dpreview.com/learn/?/Glossary/Optical/Chromatic_Aberrations_01.htm

[Antoine_Fabi]

Tony,

thanks for the info.

Barry,

right, it cannot be a lens problem on the DVX100A.
I dont see any purple fringe with the cinelike D gamma setting on the DVX100A...
but i can see it on the normal Cinelike gamma setting.
It seems that it has to do with the fact that the "original" Cinelike gamma setting has no luma knee.
The Cinelike D gamma setting has a luma knee (non adjustable) and it smoothly fades (and compresses) into whites at 110 ire ceiling.
...could be that...

[Barry_Green]

Sure makes you wonder, doesn't it?

The thing is, with the DVX the fringing went away just by changing from Cinegamma to Normal gamma (or by not overexposing). So that can't be a chromatic aberration, even though it looked suspiciously the same as the pics in that article!

With the XL2, it would be interesting indeed to find out if the purple is from a cinegamma-like overexposure, or if it's actually CA in the lens. Obviously that would be a major factor in any purchasing decision...

[Antoine_Fabi]

exactly,

That's why i think it is "wisdom" to wait and see some grabs from different gamma / color matrix settings and from different lenses (if the problem is not solved with different settings) before judging this camera.

if it comes from the lense, then Youppi ! ...just buy the body only.

...and a DVX100A/XL2 test in the same high contrast environment will tell us more.