The XL1 Arrives
HOLY COW.
That's about all I have to say. My $1,800 Canon XL-1 Mini DV Camcorder arrived in the mail yesterday. I was shocked, I wasn't expecting it until the middle of this week. Turns out they spent $75 on shipping it to me USPS Priority when they only asked for $50 when I paid for it. So they gave me a deal! Poor guys. I sell on eBay every week and it sucks to underestimate shipping. And to underestimate by $25? That hurts.
So I whip the camera out, I'm looking it over, everything they promised is here and, although a little dirty and dusty, everything works. I put all the pieces together and all the extras and the thing looks like it could kill someone. Take a look:
Yikes! Look at the size of that beast! It's about two feet long and, fully loaded, weighs almost 9 pounds. I still need to nab crap for it though, I need a wide angle lens. NEED. Can't do nothing outdoors without one. Well, I can, but I'm sold on wide angle lenses. They're HELLA expensive, but maybe i can find a deal...
And yes, that's a Spiderman sticker on the viewfinder mount. Get this. It seems that somehow, the original owners cracked the plastic on the mount and I can only guess that the temporary solution was to put stickers on the mount to hold it together. Then they decided to epoxy the area, which is the best idea ever, except that it's usually a good idea to TAKE THE STUPID STICKERS OFF FIRST. For the love of all things holy. So I've got to sit with a razor and a steady hand and pick at the epoxy until it's all gone and then re-epoxy the site.
Outside of that the camera is a deal. That black blob on its back end is an XLR hookup/shoulder mount, which I'm thinking of selling (Worth $200). Also, the light on top is a bonus. The tripod is one I've had for years. The one they sent is very dirty and, although heavy duty, the standoff mount on it is substandard. Might sell/give that away (Worth maybe $10). Anyone want a tripod? Free? Heavy duty! I think it extends to 6 feet and does have a center bracket. Has standard screw mount for digital cameras, camcorders and SLR cameras. Fun fun fun.
So now more than ever, I need to get out there and make a movie. I need to clean the hell out of this thing first. There's a company baseball game today, maybe I'll go, clean the camera and shoot some video. But yea, this is one major investment. I've used up all the money I've saved in 4 months of working at Columbia Cardiology so now I've got a lot riding on this hobby. What a beautiful camera.
That's about all I have to say. My $1,800 Canon XL-1 Mini DV Camcorder arrived in the mail yesterday. I was shocked, I wasn't expecting it until the middle of this week. Turns out they spent $75 on shipping it to me USPS Priority when they only asked for $50 when I paid for it. So they gave me a deal! Poor guys. I sell on eBay every week and it sucks to underestimate shipping. And to underestimate by $25? That hurts.
So I whip the camera out, I'm looking it over, everything they promised is here and, although a little dirty and dusty, everything works. I put all the pieces together and all the extras and the thing looks like it could kill someone. Take a look:
Yikes! Look at the size of that beast! It's about two feet long and, fully loaded, weighs almost 9 pounds. I still need to nab crap for it though, I need a wide angle lens. NEED. Can't do nothing outdoors without one. Well, I can, but I'm sold on wide angle lenses. They're HELLA expensive, but maybe i can find a deal...
And yes, that's a Spiderman sticker on the viewfinder mount. Get this. It seems that somehow, the original owners cracked the plastic on the mount and I can only guess that the temporary solution was to put stickers on the mount to hold it together. Then they decided to epoxy the area, which is the best idea ever, except that it's usually a good idea to TAKE THE STUPID STICKERS OFF FIRST. For the love of all things holy. So I've got to sit with a razor and a steady hand and pick at the epoxy until it's all gone and then re-epoxy the site.
Outside of that the camera is a deal. That black blob on its back end is an XLR hookup/shoulder mount, which I'm thinking of selling (Worth $200). Also, the light on top is a bonus. The tripod is one I've had for years. The one they sent is very dirty and, although heavy duty, the standoff mount on it is substandard. Might sell/give that away (Worth maybe $10). Anyone want a tripod? Free? Heavy duty! I think it extends to 6 feet and does have a center bracket. Has standard screw mount for digital cameras, camcorders and SLR cameras. Fun fun fun.
So now more than ever, I need to get out there and make a movie. I need to clean the hell out of this thing first. There's a company baseball game today, maybe I'll go, clean the camera and shoot some video. But yea, this is one major investment. I've used up all the money I've saved in 4 months of working at Columbia Cardiology so now I've got a lot riding on this hobby. What a beautiful camera.