On Wed, 18 Dec 2002 10:51:38 GMT, B Yen wrote:

>The Canon XL1 came out in '98, & had some teething problems..which were
>fixed. The XL1S came out last year (?), with improved features.
>
>I'm thinking of getting a XL1S, so I need some advice on buying in terms
>of timing. Should I wait for the next mod, or is now a good time to
>buy? (i.e., the XL1S).
>
>I returned from S. Africa a few days ago, & a gal studying film at
>London brought her Sony PD120. I just read a review of the Sony PD150
>
>http://www.dvinfo.net/sony/reports/vx2k-db.php
>
>where the author chose it over the XL1, because of greater horizontal
>line resolution. (no numbers for comparison with XL1S). So, another
>option is the Sony PD150 over the XL1S. There is also the Sony TRV950,
>which is more compact.
>
>I like the XL1S, because of the lens interchangeability. I need some
>additional pros & cons for the XL1S, also some referrals to websites
>(users or reviews). It was used in the recent solar eclipse webcast by
>live-eclipse.org, see:
>
>http://www.live-eclipse.org/
>
>I used a medium-end consumer mini-DV, the JVC 9800DVL, to record the
>eclipse. See the QT movies at:
>
>http://www.comet-track.com/eclipse/secl02/secl02.html
>
>I need some advice on the best accessories to get for the XL1S, like 3rd
>party batteries (I use www.sabahoceanic for JVC & Canon batteries),
>battery chargers, 3rd party lenses, etc.

Unless you will *really* use the interchangeable-lens
feature (and can get along with the various control
and image shortcomings compared with other Mini-DV
cameras), I would look elsewhere. If you are going
to equip the XL1s well enough for serious use, the
price can approach that of a better shoulder-mount
camera (like the JVC500); if you prefer good automatic
controls, other cameras are better, and provide a
better picture (Sony VX2000/PD150, TRV950/PDX10 [good
light only], used TRV900, Canon GL2, Panasonic DVX100,
JVC 300 - with the VX2000 appearing still to have the
best picture [and good-quality wide-angle converters
can be added...]). For more, see:
www.David-Ruether-Photography.com/vid_pict_characts.htm
www.David-Ruether-Photography.com/camcorder-comparison.htm
www.David-Ruether-Photography.com/sony_dcr-vx2000.htm
www.David-Ruether-Photography.com/camcorder--comparison.htm
www.David-Ruether-Photography.com/WA-converters.htm
http://www4.big.or.jp/~a_haru/index.html
www.bealecorner.com