So I just got my XL2....

Is it just me or are the in-camera settings on th XL2 almost useless? Well, not useless, but the changes being made are so minor that you can't really see a big change. I was playing around with a lot of them and I could hardly see any differences.
 
Morox said:
Is it just me or are the in-camera settings on th XL2 almost useless? Well, not useless, but the changes being made are so minor that you can't really see a big change. I was playing around with a lot of them and I could hardly see any differences.
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Hi Morox. No they're not at all useless. Probably you are judging them on how they look in the EVF, and it's not really good enough to show you the differences. When I got my XL2 (2 years ago) I went through all the settings with the cam hooked up to an external TV monitor. This way, you can see mostly what the varoius settings do.

By the way, while you have your cam connected to the TV, you should adjust the image on the EVF (brightness and contrast) to make it as close as possible to what you see on the TV. I remember that when I initially used the EVF to judge the exposure, everything I shot ended up a bit dull when I got it home. After tweaking the EVF settings, I have more confidence that what I see when I shoot is not going to change much.

Of course, there are other methods for getting the "correct" exposure, but it's good if the EVF is as WYSIWYG as possible.
 
Are you saying that I should hook the camera up to the t.v and change the in-camera settings and compare them by looking off of my t.v at the same time? If so, that's a good idea.
 
Morox said:
Are you saying that I should hook the camera up to the t.v and change the in-camera settings and compare them by looking off of my t.v at the same time? If so, that's a good idea.
Click to expand...

Yes, exactly. The TV lets you see what is changing when you make the adjustments, so it helps you get an understanding of, or at least a feel for what is happening.
 
Morox said:
How you do a racking focus procedure? I don't know how it works and I feel dumb on asking how to do it.
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Hi Morox. The procedure below is adapted from page 42 of the manual. It uses the Focus Preset function on the lens.

1. Set the focus selector to M (manual focus mode).

2. Set the Position Preset switch to Focus.

3. Adjust the focus ring so that the "second focus point" is in focus (second focus point is what you want to focus on after the rack focus).

4. Move the Position Preset On/Set switch to Set.

5. Adjust the focus ring so that the "first focus point" is in focus (first focus point is the starting point for the rack focus).

6. To make the rack focus, move the Position Preset On/Set switch to On. The focus will adjust to the second focus point at a speed dependent on the Focus Preset Speed setting.

If you want to change the Focus Preset Speed setting, it is in the menu, under:

Menu/Camera Setup/F Speed PSet

One drawback of the XL2 lens is that a single motor is shared by the focus and zoom functions, so the Position Preset is for zoom OR focus but not both. The Sony Z1 allows you to preset zoom AND focus points so that you can change both together. Would be nice if the XL2 could do this too, but I suppose it would make it even more front heavy if it had 2 motors.
 
Ah, thank you very much.

A quick question here. After filming whatever I shoot, how much footage editing is possible with software? I am having a difficult time trying to mimic a "film" look with the XL2 and I was wondering if there are any after effects in programs that will help improve the "film" look? Does the Vegas editing software have any tools for this?

-Thanks
 
Vegas will let you do just about anything. Do you have a particular editing need in miond?

Regarding film look, Vegas comes with a Magic Bullet film look plug-in that has some good effects but it takes forever to render. There are cheaper film look alternatives available for Vegas (look at the VASST site for more info) and also Vegas itself allows you to adjust the image in that direction if you have the time to learn how to do it.

Another option (which is what I did) is to "crossgrade" the Magic Bullet that is bundled with Vegas and get the Magic Bullet Editors Suite from Red Giant. Provided you have a suitable graphics card (list is on the Red Giant website), the MB plugin will preview AND RENDER in realtime. If you want to use film look often, or even if you just like to play around with the video image to set the mood, this is a great solution.
 
I bought the XL2 intending to do short films, so I wanted some software that will help me adjust the footage to my liking. From the way you made it sound, Vegas seems to be exactly what I need. Thanks.
 
I suggest you download the demo version of Vegas and try it out to see if you like it. I think it will work for 30 days before expiring. The MB plugin is probably not included in the demo, but you will get a chance to try out some of Vegas's many features.

Canopus Edius also has a demo version available. It doesn't have as many features as Vegas, and the user interface is very different, but the realtime performance and rendering speeds are impressive compared to Vegas.

It's worth looking at Adobe Premiere Pro and Avid Liquid as well, as these are also popular NLEs. Since you will be spending many many hours with your choice of editor, you might as well do the research now, and make sure that they will be happy hours!
 
How reliable is the "auto-focus?" I ask this because I really dislike the viewfinder. I find it hard to see what's in focus and what isn't. I want to start a short film soon but I am worried that whatever I shoot may not be focused properly.
 
Sounds like you need to get out and practice with your XL2! The autofocus can work well if there is enough light, but can still get confused if the camera or subject is moving. In low light the autofocus responds more slowly and sometimes does not lock.

It can be difficult to see the focus through the viewfinder. Turning up the contrast can help a bit, but you could also try an external LCD monitor panel.
 
Have you set the focus adjustment slider on the on the viewfinder itself? If it is not sharp to begin with you won't be able to get good focus at all. Slide it until the text characters are as sharp as possible.
 
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