Dave takes a tour of Canon's XL2 3CCD MiniDV camcorder from 2004. He also checks out some of his new additional Canon XL2 bonus lenses as well.
Пікірлер: 104
@s.stewart27869 ай бұрын
This camera was the beginning for me. Graduated in 2004, saved all my money up for this camera, so many miles, so many great experiences that changed my recording career for life. Forever my favorite piece of hardware.
@davesretrovideolab27099 ай бұрын
The Canon XL2 exemplifies what a quality camcorder is all about. We all remember the hardware we came across which changed our lives. For me, it was a Sony CCD-V8 8mm camcorder. When I was in my mid-teens, I worked all summer to save up for the ‘V8 and I used it all the time. I learned so much from it.
@ericwikoff53714 күн бұрын
Love this video! It inspired me to get one myself. You probably already figured this out...but...I just learned something about loading up the tapes. So, the camera's tape holder (the part that you slide the tape into) needs to be pushed in first before the external tape door is shut. If you put the tape in the holder and close the external tape door, the camera doesn't load the tape. It's a quirk, but I also found a free tape inside my camera...so bonus!
@DuffTVАй бұрын
You rock. Thanks for the energy and passion
@davesretrovideolab2709Ай бұрын
I appreciate that!
@Radio-SwedenАй бұрын
Interesting channel, interesting information. Thank you for the good mood.
@davesretrovideolab2709Ай бұрын
Thanks for visiting
@AbdulAziz-id3by8 ай бұрын
What a wonderful walk down memory lane. I remember purchasing the XL1 after convincing my very first client that I needed a 5000 dollar deposit. He wrote me a check there on the spot despite not having a reel or any verifiable means other than my passion. I immediately walked to a check cashing spot next to a camera shop where they had the xl1 for exactly 5k. I convinced the guy to sell it to me without tax and went home with what became one of the most important purchases of my life. I took the XL1 all the way to Everest for a documentary we were working on at the time. One of the best cameras money could buy. I always wanted the XL2 and will pick one up now. Thank you for this. Also close the inner tape door before the white one and it should work! Excellent content great channel.
@davesretrovideolab27097 ай бұрын
Hey Abdul, I would like to thank you for sharing your story with us. What an amazing journey you had with your XL1.
@bobbiojoseph554711 ай бұрын
Thanks, Dave... Always enjoy and wait for your videos.. They are such a blast....Hope you get the Canon to record on DV tapes...
@davesretrovideolab270911 ай бұрын
I hope so, too! There may be hope. A few viewers pointed out that I may have missed a step when loading the tape. Fingers crossed, my XL2 may be fully functional.
@imaginariumpictures11 ай бұрын
Having an XL1s in my collection, I appreciate the video and trip down memory lane. I sometimes think the younger generation should spend sometime with the retro equipment to better appreciate what they now have. "Hey - why did you miss the shot? I was in my menu settings."
@davesretrovideolab270911 ай бұрын
Even our cars are getting to be more menu-driven. Uggh,. Thanks for watching!
@TheSakuraGumiLTD9 ай бұрын
I remember drooling over this when I was a teenager 😂
@davesretrovideolab27099 ай бұрын
It’s definitely a camera worth drooling over. :)
@cikmatt11 ай бұрын
I still adore my XL2. My first professional camera that I owned as I got started in video production. We used to call those $4,000 cameras "prosumer" ! What a silly distinction, compared to what'll hit in just a few years after the XL2's release... If it helps, you may tell Dr. Smart to look at your XL2's pinch roller, which is a common point of failure on them (and mine, unfortunately).
@davesretrovideolab270911 ай бұрын
Hey 'Matt, I have to admit, I am not as "wowed" by cameras today as when cameras such as the XL2 came out. However, I enjoy using my modern Canon XF605, which offers so much bang for the buck. I can't recommend it enough. That being said, it doesn't "seem" as visually impressive as my XL2.
@tombuck11 ай бұрын
Oh man this is awesome! I’ve never seen so much of the legendary XL2.
@davesretrovideolab270911 ай бұрын
It’s such a great camcorder, I hope to record a follow up video. Good news btw, the XL2’s vtr works!
@abootoobaa13 ай бұрын
I had never seen a more beautifull and ergonomic camcorder 😍
@davesretrovideolab27092 ай бұрын
I really do like the industrial design of the XL2. It's really well thought out.
@theonlinething10392 ай бұрын
You deserve a lot more subscribers!
@davesretrovideolab2709Ай бұрын
I appreciate that!
@DelCampoProductions.11 ай бұрын
Very interesting- a very popular camera in the cinema industry aside of the Gr-C1U. Thanks for another episode Dave!
@davesretrovideolab270911 ай бұрын
Hey GT', I'm glad you enjoyed the episode. The XL2 and the GR-C1u definitely stood out during their respective eras.
@TheTapeguy1Ай бұрын
Bought my XL2 new and used it for recording church stuff. at some point, the tape mechanism stopped working and I was really bummed. I didn't have the heart to dispose of the camera and last year decided to take it to a repair shop to find out how much it would cost to fix it. Well, it was around $400 and I could get a decent HD camera for about that price. I still couldn't part with the camera because of its many great features. I discovered I could get a ClearClick unit and attach it to the back of the camera and now I could record to a micro card and get a very neat viewfinder in the process. The camera is now resurrected. By the way, you didn't mention this but there is a port on the back of the camera that you can plug in a record and zoom control that you can attach to a tripod arm.
@davesretrovideolab2709Ай бұрын
Hey Ken, Great story. Glad to hear you were able to get your camera up and running again.
@budthomason88906 ай бұрын
That is so cool getting this camera after wanting one for so long.
@davesretrovideolab27096 ай бұрын
I was fortunate enough to find one which was fully operational. I just picked up an XL1 and I’m excited to review that camcorder as well.
@williamspencer293111 ай бұрын
Great video, it makes want to join the Trumbull AV Club again.
@mpulsivity9 ай бұрын
I had the Canon XL1. The cassette enclosure was a two stage design. You can even see the yellow label on the inner door. You were supposed to close the inner mechanism first and then close the outer door. That's why it didn't recognize the tape.
@davesretrovideolab27099 ай бұрын
Yeah, I was so excited when I opened up the box and checked out the camera, I neglected to read the fine print on the inner tape door. My XL2 is in perfect working condition and it’s just awesome. Thanks for the tip and thanks for watching.
@POVwithRC11 ай бұрын
Man, what a bag!
@davesretrovideolab270911 ай бұрын
Super cam, right?!?!
@johnholt892911 ай бұрын
You have to close the metal door before you close the outer plastic DV door. May or may not be the issue but it is marked on the metal door to close first.
@davesretrovideolab270911 ай бұрын
Hey John, In my haste I didn’t read the text on the door and of course thought there was something wrong with the camcorder. It turns out my XL2 is in perfect working condition. I appreciate the tip and thanks for watching.
@johnholt892911 ай бұрын
@@davesretrovideolab2709 enjoy your new to you ride.
@stevecoatesdotnet11 ай бұрын
Nice video, and nice camera :). Hopefully you can get it going. Not sure if you've noticed yet but you are supposed to close the inner tape door (the piece that says "Close this first") before closing the white outer door. I have an XL1, which has a very distinctive '1990s digital video' look to it. I expect the picture from the XL2 will be better. Unfortunately my XL1 is rather tatty, and suffered some severe damage a while back... I will get round to gluing it back together one of these days. I'd be interested to see a comparison between the different lenses.
@davesretrovideolab270911 ай бұрын
Hey Steve, Thanks for the tip! This is not the first time I may have overlooked a critical step when quickly testing a camera. I will recheck the tape door this weekend. The lens comparison is a great idea. I will add that to the list of future show ideas. Thanks for watching!
@steveferreira495311 ай бұрын
@@davesretrovideolab2709 Yep! I was under the same impression with my XL1 when I first brought it home and it didn’t recognize the tape. The inner door needs to shut before the exterior door. I think your XL2 is good to go. 🙌
@adamfoster3473Ай бұрын
Yea I have Dvx100b and I have to close the tape mechanism first before I close the door. So I kinda cringed hard when you shut the door first. Also I wasn’t aware this cam had a Dv /firewire port really good video on the cam.
@ConsumerDV11 ай бұрын
Hi Dave, I see what you've done here. Let's show those kids the 24p switch but not mention it. Let them think that having 24 fps mode on a camcorder in 2004 was completely normal, that there were dozens of other models besides the XL2 and the DVX100 that could shoot 24p. And, to kill two birds with one stone, let's force geezers to watch the whole video to the end, because they will be waiting for you to mention it :) It is a great looking camcorder, I hope you'll fix the tape transport. I like your exuberance, keep them coming!
@davesretrovideolab270911 ай бұрын
Yes, I should have been more thorough with my review, but I was so blown away by my new/old XL2 purchase that my brain truncated about half the facts I was supposed to share. Next time, I will try to rein in my excitement so I can focus more on the specs. That being said,...It's such a kick-ass camera I couldn't help myself. Thanks for watching! :)
@smaudiovideoproduction25255 ай бұрын
What Mount B4?
@The198333311 ай бұрын
You are great too,you recall me the days in electronic fairs in the past as a young man...
@stradastudio5 ай бұрын
Think the flashing red tape symbol is a condensation warning from my memories using the XL1s. So may just need to be placed in a dry warmish room tape door open for a couple of hours. Great ergonomics on these cameras, such a brilliant design.
@davesretrovideolab27095 ай бұрын
Thanks for the tip!
@sixofsix7 ай бұрын
Wasn't it squeezed because it's being displayed on a 4:3 tele but the camera was in 16:9 mode.
@Nextsession2717 ай бұрын
Bro, that's sweeeet!👊🏿🔥🔥🔥👏🏾👏🏾👏🏾
@davesretrovideolab27097 ай бұрын
Appreciate it
@romaintaupiac8 ай бұрын
❤🔥
@dominicus989111 ай бұрын
Perhaps you should do the DVX100?
@davesretrovideolab270911 ай бұрын
Back in the day, I owned a Panasonic DVX100 and really enjoyed using it. If I can get one without having to pay an arm and a leg for it, I will pounce on it for sure.
@bilkon11 ай бұрын
I think it's the coolest looking DV camera out there. Almost bought one awhile back but I got the HDV XHA1 instead. If the deck on your XL2 is faulty guess you could use a Fire Store recorder with it.
@davesretrovideolab270911 ай бұрын
Good news Bilkon! I didn’t close the XL2’s tape door properly. My XL2 is fully functional! I would like to purchase a Fire Store test it out with the XL2. Thanks for watching!
@DelCampoProductions.11 ай бұрын
Wow!
@retropalooza11 ай бұрын
I love mine....it's in a big box so the shipping company pays attention to it
@davesretrovideolab270911 ай бұрын
The XL2 has jumped right to the top of my favorite retro camcorder list. :)
@OrdinarySimonTheJoe7 ай бұрын
Lmaooo, I think you were supposed to push the tape deck in separate from doing it with the door cause I don't think the door actually gets the deck fully in trying that on my Xl1s.
@davesretrovideolab27097 ай бұрын
Yep, that is correct. In my haste, I closed both doors together. I’ve done this before with other cameras. My XL2 works perfectly. I’m very happy with it.
@OrdinarySimonTheJoe5 ай бұрын
@@davesretrovideolab2709 Good to hear, I won a XL2 auction on eBay $150CAD ($112USD) works perfectly fine. Honestly not a bad price for one of these bad boys, I had bought one a couple months ago for $600 but it got lost during shipping so I had to get my band involved for a refund of a transaction this big. But apart from that I want to know where you found those lens! I already got a lens from XL1s which should be compatible with each other because they use the XL mount. I never knew they made a wide angled lens!
@JEPalacios16 күн бұрын
hey, you might not see this but I'm having an issue. I recently got an XL2, horray, but no no horray there's a problem. Every time you insert the cassettes (TDK) the no cassette symbol appears. How do I fix this? Were they the wrong cassettes? i mean they fit into the xl2
@htppswwwbingcom11 ай бұрын
are you going to VCFMW?
@davesretrovideolab270911 ай бұрын
I’ll be there!
@daniellewis64913 ай бұрын
I love it! ❤ Is there a modern way to record the video output of the XL2 instead of using tapes?
@davesretrovideolab27093 ай бұрын
Yes, there are small inexpensive recorders on Amazon and elsewhere which will do the job. Depends on what kind of quality you’re looking for.
@nimuil5 ай бұрын
the true big leap in the consumer video is starting with iphone. The video quality of this XL2 is very low compared to any smartphone nowadays. But in the time, people were trapped in the loop of all this kind of expensive junks. Without the leading innovations from smartphones makers, we would still be playing the beautiful camcorders with many buttons running at low specs.
@davesretrovideolab27095 ай бұрын
When I said revolutionary, I thinking more about the ability to have a prosumer camcorder with an interchangeable lens system offered more creativity over a fixed lens camcorder. Also…Yes, the iPhone provides incredible image quality against a camcorder that’s twenty years old. But can’t the same be said about the XL2 comparing it’s quality again Sony’s Betamovie camcorder?
@paulnewsome62898 ай бұрын
Hi Dave. I'm droooling over your XL2. I love the Canon XL range of cameras. Shot hundreds of weddings and social event videos on them. Question. Just this week my ancient very first XL1 shut down. No power anywhere. Is there a manual way to eject/remove the mini dv tape from the drawer without power? Any help greatly appreciated.
@davesretrovideolab27098 ай бұрын
The XL2 is just awesome. My favorite cam, but it’s a beast. Heavier than I expected. As far as getting the tape out of a dead cam? I’m not sure there is a way? The tape may be spooled around the various components within the tape compartment of your XL1 which may require fixing the power issue first so the tape can be ejected with being damaged. Just curious, is there an issue with your AC power supply or the DV coupler maybe? Battery possibly? Just checking.
@paulnewsome62898 ай бұрын
Hi Dave, thanks for replying. The battery charger lights up and is charging the battery. So presumably the power is getting to the camera and then ..nothing. No lights, sounds, or anything happens. I think what happened was that I used a firewire to usb adapter, bought from the internet, to try to hook up to an imac which has no firewire port. On investigation I found another youtuber who opens up a couple of these cheap usb converters with a Stanley knife to find that in fact there is no conversion circuitry whatsoever in there, just a mash of wires joined together in the plastic case. So it looks like some circuitry inside the camera has been 'fried' as a result. I saw yet another youtuber removing a tape from a dud camera by taking off the bottom panel and connecting two AA batteries to the eject motor. The drawer opened and he recovered his tape. I was wondering if a similar instruction was available for doing the same with an XL1. ps. NEVER use any of those cheap conversion adapters!@@davesretrovideolab2709
@michael867346 ай бұрын
i saw this on a camp in Mexico
@sergeantcrow11 ай бұрын
Excellent.. :)
@davesretrovideolab270911 ай бұрын
Thank you! Cheers!
@sethsherwood59852 ай бұрын
How hard would it be to make a tapeless rig for one of these to run around with?
@davesretrovideolab27092 ай бұрын
Not hard at all. There’s several options on Amazon, which accomplish this task. Depending on the quality recordings you want will depend on how much you’re willing to pay. Below is just an example of one of these recorders. a.co/d/4HYzIdM
@its_loosha8 ай бұрын
Nice! I love I iCarly!
@davesretrovideolab27097 ай бұрын
iCarly may have used a Canon XL1, which is still an awesome camera.
@valerieberens499210 ай бұрын
I have an xl1 used about 6 hours in an airport travel case and professional leveling tripod on case. Mint condition. Looking to sell or trade for a small camera.
@davesretrovideolab270910 ай бұрын
Please email me more details about your camera. davesretrovideolab@gmail.com. Thanks for watching!
@B1-Han11 ай бұрын
5:53 24p miniDV in 2004? WOW
@dominicus989111 ай бұрын
DVX100 beat it to the punch in 2002
@B1-Han11 ай бұрын
@@dominicus9891 I guess it surprised me because I wasn't using semi-pro camcorders at the time. Among consumer camcorders, the 24p mode first appeared in 2009 on the Canon HV30.
@davesretrovideolab270911 ай бұрын
The DVX100 was definitely a formidable camera in its day. I wonder when the first true 24p "prosumer" video camera was introduced? Was it @ 2002?
@davesretrovideolab270911 ай бұрын
I also owned a Canon HV30. Come to think of it, I may still have it, but it's probably buried deep in the lab somewhere.
@ConsumerDV11 ай бұрын
@@B1-Han The HV20 in 2007.
@AaronJamesKeyes9 ай бұрын
It looked squished because you had it set to 16:9. And the tape has a door on the inside that clearly says close this first. You tried jamming the whole thing shut. I shot with an XL1 and XL2 for years.
@davesretrovideolab27099 ай бұрын
Hey Aaron, I was kind of racing through the whole setup, and missed a few steps. I took my XL2 out to New York City’s Central Park the other day. The camera is a joy to work with.
@michael867346 ай бұрын
I used to have one I think they are old
@davesretrovideolab27095 ай бұрын
Old, super cool. :)
@michael867346 ай бұрын
were can I buy one
@davesretrovideolab27096 ай бұрын
eBay or Facebook marketplace.
@signalkitten5 ай бұрын
there is a horrible high frequency in this audio. is it just me?
@davesretrovideolab27095 ай бұрын
I'm guessing you might be hearing the CRT monitor which is next to me. Do you hear it when watching other episodes of DRVL?
@joewatson33985 ай бұрын
there is a highpitched whine in the background audio of the entire video, makes it very painful to listen too
@davesretrovideolab27095 ай бұрын
Hey Joe, Unless you’re talking about my enthusiasm, I don’t hear any high pitched sounds in the video. 🤔
@joewatson33985 ай бұрын
@davesretrovideolab2709 Its not super noticeable but definitely there for people who still have ears capable of hearing pitches that high. I assume the sound im hearing is coming from the CRT TV(s)
@davesretrovideolab27095 ай бұрын
@@joewatson3398 This is not the first time I've heard this episode isote. I think it's one of the two CRTs on my set. I don't hear it because my old brain has filtered it out by now. That being said, the comments focus on this show and not any of the others.
@jeremyanderson303511 ай бұрын
Dont you know how to close a tape compartment? You have to snap the tape in before you close the lever. The label was screaming at you.
@davesretrovideolab270911 ай бұрын
Hey Jeremy, Thanks for pointing that out. I did ultimately figure out the tape door issue and my XL2 worked flawlessly after that. Of course this is not the first time I raced through checking out a camera and missed a critical step in the process. This weekend I plan to record a follow up episode to my XL2 unboxing show and point out my error…among other things. Thanks for watching!