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Hi without breaking the bank. What is a good cam-corder to source off ebay .

What is the Canon XL1 like?

Or something that is good DV quality and cheap.

Thanks

Sony PD 170 or HDV camera. A bit more expensive but worth every penny. The gap between the HDV camera and a camera like the DSR 570 (?17k) is actually quite a small one.

XM1 is better (?450 Ebay), but for a bargain DCR-PC110E or AG-EZ1 (?200-?250 Ebay).

Bit cheaper than PD170P (?1000 EBAY) and its DV-Cam so some of the cheap players struggle with it.

Phil McC

Well its the first time I've seen the words XL1 and budget in the same frame as it's normally thought of serious piece of kit.

The XL1 was produced by canon domestic and though a nice tool for it's time lacked the quality of it's later up grade.

The XL1s was given to canon commercial to improve what was already a good platform and bridge the gap between studio and domestic camera?s. The result is a serious piece of kit with a vastly up dated lense but many videographers especially those shooting gonzo struggle with it?s view finder and lack of LCD which it?s nemesis the PD150 & PD170 has.

The XL2 is again from canon commercial with some great changes to the software but the main thing is the XL2 now has an LCD and shoots true wide screen. It?s also got a great cine mode which does give a convincing film feel. Next year the XL-H1 will land on our shores and is said to be the big contender for low budget High Deff.

I have also got a PD 170 which again is blistering but the problem is once you get in to the feel of an XL series unit you do tend to like the way it?s chunky body shoots and feels so the PD 170 for me feels a little disjointed.

For me the XL1?s is the camera of choice probably because I?ve not had my XL2 that long and I?m still getting the bottle to shoot with it but also because I?ve had my pair of XL1s for a good while and they?ve never let me down.




Bill (BXD)