Does anyone know if the Canon XL2 has a firewire export?

Question

I been in the market for a new camera, and after reading reviews of different ones, I think I really like this Camera, but I haven't found any thing that says about the exporting. I did read it is Mac capable, so i guess it could be but want to know for sure. Plus does anyone know if it is good for a film school student?

Answer 1

Yes, it does...

Virtually all miniDV camcorders have miniDV port, because that's the way how miniDV data are transferred. If you look into this particular cam specs, you'll see "IEEE1394" - that is a synonym for Firewire called also DVport or iLink.

miniDV is the best quality format for recording and editing after (both HDD and DVD-RW camcorders record in MPEG which is already compressed - bad for frame by frame editing after... while miniDV is minimal compression - 13GB for one hour recording)

Have fun. Johnny

Answer 2

Yes, the Canon XL2 does have a firewire input and output connector. It is a prosumer miniDV camcorder, and all miniDV camcorders have firewire connections to capture their footage to computer, so, it is compatible with Macs and PCs. If you're still not sure follow this link:

http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/33...

Look and the "Specs" tab and go down to the "input and output connectors", and it will read firewire. You may have been confused about the firewire as sometimes it is refered to "iLink" (I don't know why).

Regarding your second question, the answer is yes!! In fact, I don't think you could choose a better camera for a film school student. Although many people don't think Canons are as good as Sonys, I must disagree. Sonys may be more well built, but Canons give you many more features for a lower price. So, getting back on topic, the Canon XL2 is one of my personal favorite cameras. Although it is standard def, you cannot go wrong with the XL2. It has been used on several low-budget and independant films. What's really great about the XL2 is that it has a 24p mode. 24p or 24 Progressive Scan is a great little feature for indie filmmakers, or anyone who wants the ideal, artsy look of film on a digital camcorder. I can't say enough about this feature!!!! Another feature on the XL2 that makes it stand out over any other camcorder within its price range is that it has an interchangeable lens mount, as opposed to a built-in lens on most others. This is a great feature, even if you don't want to buy a billion lenses right away, as it gives you the flexibility later on. With the ability to use different lenses, you can manipulate zoom distance (kinda obvious), which also gives you more power to manipulate Depth of Field (the closer the lens angle, i.e. the more you zoom in, the smaller the field of focus). Other good features on the XL2 is that it has dual XLR mic inputs (pretty much a standard feature for pros) along with great manual controls.

You can also check out the Panasonic AG-DVX100B, another standard def, 24p camcorder. Its also very popular, but it doesn't have interchangeable lenses like the XL2. If you want to go HD, I really really like the Canon XH-A1, which is only about $200 more than the XL2.

Hope that helps....Have fun!!!