Just converted a former XL1 user to the DVX100.

T

Theodore_Lederman

Well-known member
I just had a meeting with a Director to shoot a pilot for HBO. His former DP recently shot 60 episodes of a Spanish show with an XL1 with a P+S Technik adaptor and Arri Primes. I saw some of the footage and sat quietly...Then I put in a DVD of 2 music videos I shot plus a Short film...HE was blown away. This is a director that has been around...He did all of Que Pasa USA...Looks like I got the job, and I look forward to find out what HBO thinks when they see it. I'm also looking forward to working with him, as he is one of the nicest guys I've ever met, along with being a great director. The moral of the story is, a DVX100 out of the box hands down smoked an xl1 with the adaptor AND a color correction. To me, it looked like bad video with shallow depth of field.
 
Re: Just converted a former XL1 user to the DVX100

Re: Just converted a former XL1 user to the DVX100

[quote author=Theodore_Lederman link=board=Offtopic;num=1068101345;start=0#0 date=11/05/03 at 22:49:05]...Then I put in a DVD of 2 music videos I shot plus a Short film...[/quote]

Are you going to share? ???
 
Re: Just converted a former XL1 user to the DVX100

Re: Just converted a former XL1 user to the DVX100

:D and this is at least one way to pay the DVX!!!
this camera is a door opener !
 
Re: Just converted a former XL1 user to the DVX100

Re: Just converted a former XL1 user to the DVX100

yup.. worked for me :)
 
Re: Just converted a former XL1 user to the DVX100

Re: Just converted a former XL1 user to the DVX100

Saturday I'm renting my my camera to a guy who owns his own XL1... but for his big client he won't use it, he instead rents my DVX! This is the second time.

If you don't have the mini35 demo DVD, get it. It's amazing just how soft the overall footage is -- yes, there's soft focus backgrounds, but there's also a preponderance of soft-focus foregrounds! The XL1 just doesn't have the CCD technology to deliver a good, sharp focus. The CCD block it uses was introduced in the Panasonic PV-DV1000 back in 1996 and has never been updated.

Interesting thing on the mini35 demo DVD is the last clip, called "narren". It was shot on the VX2000 using its version of the mini35. In my opinion, its footage is much sharper than most of the XL1 clips, and easily a match for the best of the XL1 clips. Seems like the "removable lens" advantage of the XL1 version only stretches so far -- whereas on the DVX/VX2K/PD150 the mini35 needs to shoot through the camera's on-board lens, well, on the XL1 it has to shoot through an additional relay lens, so really the workflow is the same on all the cameras:

Film lens -> to ground glass -> to "additional" lens (either camera's built-in, or the additional relay lens on the XL1 version) -> to CCD.

It's possible the custom-built relay lens on the XL1 may do a better job than the Leica Dicomar on the DVX, but the CCD's on the DVX can capture AT LEAST twice the detail that the XL1 can, so my bet is that the DVX version will produce the sharpest, cleanest footage possible of any mini35 camera.
 
Re: Just converted a former XL1 user to the DVX100

Re: Just converted a former XL1 user to the DVX100

And to think I almost bought the XL1... I'm a newbie to all this video stuff but the footage I'm gettin with the DVX just blows me away.
 
Re: Just converted a former XL1 user to the DVX100

Re: Just converted a former XL1 user to the DVX100

Barry,
I agree with you as far as the inconsistency of the foregroud with the XL1 but the main problem I saw is whenever there is something specular (lightbulb) or reflected (Window) in the frame or any light hits the front element it fogs about two thirds of the entire frame. I would guess it's light refracting off of the ground glass back into the rear element? Whatever the case it's horrible and I felt bad for the guy. Also, I'm not sure if it's inherent in the XL1 or the mount but it seems to have zero latitude...Really unforgiving...And this production was done with fairly competent people and Arri ultra primes...With the image I'm getting with just the DVX and all the Century optics adaptors I'm really not sure if its worth losing 3 stops...Even with a superior focus and more familiar lens characteristics...Oh and John Hudson...I'll be posting alot of my film work next to my 24p work on my site when it's finished...Right now I'm at the mercy of the flash animators. Also, I'll be shooting a National spot (3 day job) for Job Corps with the DVX next week...Buying this thing has really been a nice supplement to the income... ;)
 
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