Canon GL1 MiniDV Digital Camcorder with Lens & Optical Image Stabilization
 Regular Price: $2,699.00 | |
Product Details
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Customer Review
Optically Superior to Sony
This is one incredible camera. Here are some of the best features about it:-3CCDs-L Series Fluorite Lens-All Manual Controls-Progressive Scan-Optical Stabilization-Large Manual Focus RingOf course, we all know that 3CCDs are far better than one... I need not go into more depth there. As far as the lens goes, some have argued that they see no difference of quality over that of Sony's. This may be due in part to the fact that they are looking for a difference in resolution. When compared in numbers to some of the 3CCD models of Sony, you may think that this is a lower resolution camera (which can be a very deceiving thing). It is recognized that a camera with a high resolution in numbers does not equal a pleasing, or sharper image. When you compare the color of a Sony and this GL1 (or any other Canon against a Sony, for that matter), there will be no comparison. The Sony will inevitably lean towards the blues, giving a very cold, unnatural feeling, which can often...
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Yes, it's expensive. Yes, you get what you pay for.
First, the visceral. The image quality is stunning, and the creative license and possibilities afforded through DV are staggering. With a GL1 and a good NLE like Premiere, the only limit is your creativity. Effects that just a few years ago started at tens of thousands of dollars on film can now be rendered realtime.Now the practical. I spent a fair bit of time looking through the market at the 'low pro' end. Canon's GL1 and XL1 were clearly in the running, as were several Sony products. What finally sold me on the GL1 was the flourite lens, which to my eye has a noticeably brighter image, as well as the optical image stabilization, which provides a more natural looking view also. I have to say that I find the manual zoom feature useless as it's a servo controlled focus rate, and very difficult to 'stop' in a slow focus. I've found that using the 'automatic/manual' focus switch to allow the camera to bring the subject into focus, then switching immediately to 'manual' to...
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Product Description
MODEL- GL2 VENDOR- CANON FEATURES- GL2 Digital Camcorder With the GL2, Canon has created a camcorder with a wealth of features, each selected to elevate further the standard against which other camcorders are judged. The GL2 is a must-have for the person looking for the very best video-making experience. The GL2's excellence begins with its outstanding Fluorite lens and include Top to learn more
The Canon GL1 (and its big brother, the XL1) are helping to blur the line between consumer and professional video equipment. This camcorder borrows most of the professional-quality components from the XL1 and puts them into a more compact, affordable camera. Though it's small enough to carry around and doesn't cost much more than a top-of-the-line consumer camcorder, the GL1 produces such high-quality results that it could be used as a broadcast video camera.
Great movies start with great CCD sensors, and Canon cuts no corners here. For the best possible picture quality, they use three separate 270,000-pixel CCDs (one for each primary color). To further improve image detail, Canon has intentionally shifted the green CCD half a pixel horizontally and vertically. This shift allows more accurate interpolation, resulting in an image that Canon claims rivals those from cameras with 410,000-pixel CCDs. Each pixel is 72 square microns, which is about 1.5 times the size as those in competing camcorders. This increased size increases light sensitivity, allowing you to shoot in lower-light situations. Ultimately, the larger pixel size results in an improvement of 4 dB loss budget in sensitivity.
For great optical quality, the GL1 uses a fixed (nonremovable) 20x optical (100x digital) zoom L-series fluorite lens. The fluorite element in the lens increases sharpness and contrast, as well as helping to preserve color fidelity.
Audio is recorded through the built-in microphone, which features two pairs of pickup elements. Audio can be recorded in 16-bit mode on two channels on one track. Alternatively, audio can be record in 12-bit mode, where the audio track is divided into two, and two channels of audio are recorded onto one track, with the other left over for audio dubbing.
The electronics of the GL1 have many advanced features, including a number of programmed AE modes, as well as both shutter and aperture priority modes. There are two different auto modes, one of which allows you to adjust any setting manually, if you want, and the other, which adjusts every setting automatically and lets you adjust nothing. A spotlight mode automatically compensates for lighting difficulties when shooting a subject bathed in a spotlight. Finally, a sand-and-snow mode is designed to prevent dark, underexposed subjects in situations with bright backgrounds--commonly found in sandy and snowy areas. There are also three different shooting modes: normal movie mode, digital photo mode, and frame movie mode. Normal movie mode is for any time you want to shoot video footage. Digital photo mode records a still image for six seconds on the miniDV tape, and also captures any audio, such as a commentary. The frame movie mode records 30 still images per second, but it isn't intended to be used for shooting video. Rather, frame movie mode should be used as burst or continuous shooting mode, as you'd find on a still camera.
The GL1 uses an IEEE 1394 port for digital editing and for transferring footage to and from other IEEE 1394-compliant devices. The camcorder also has RCA (composite) audio and video ports, and an S-Video out. The analog inputs allow you to transfer old footage to DV for archiving. Built-in effects include a fader for transitions, black and white, slim, stretch, and strobe. Picture adjustment is also possible; you can adjust camera sharpness, softening or sharpening your subject, as well as the color tone and how dark or light the camera sets the auto-exposure level. Top to learn more
feature packed
I have been using the GL1 for nearly 3 years now. I take it out on shoots for a website I work on... sometimes I create QuickTime Movies, sometimes I take stills from footage and convert the stills to .JPG files.The 30-lux capacity means you can walk into a subdued lighting environment such as a dining room lit by a single candle and get very good, balanced exposure. It is not like an infrared camera or anything, however... there must be SOME non infrared light, or you get nothing.The 30x zoom can't be beat. You can be 50 yards away from a person and zoom in and get a shot of their nose... in many ways, it must be seen to be appreciated.Considering the features, the unit is light-weight, but newer digital camcorders of similar strengths are now on the market for far less and weigh half as much. Still, the GL1 is easy to hold with one hand while using the eye piece or the LCD panel.I only have a few criticisms. For one, the unit does not ship with a firewire cable. If you...
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The GL2 maximizes the capability of the DV format by using a 3 CCD (charge-coupled device) system with a separate CCD for each primary color (red, green, blue). A beam-splitting prism separates light passing through the lens into individual color components and each is sent to its own CCD. Compared to a single CCD, the 3 CCD system achieves outstanding detail with highly accurate color reproduction suitable for the demands of high-end video production - wide dynamic range, low color noise, high-contrast detail, natural color resolution and low-aliasing. The 3 CCD system also makes advanced Pixel Shift (for increased image quality) and Low Light Recording (for increased flexibility) possible. 
To further improve image detail, Canon has intentionally shifted the green CCD (which contains 60 percent of the picture detail) half a pixel horizontally and vertically. This shift allows more accurate interpolation, resulting in an image that Canon claims rivals those from cameras with 410,000-pixel CCDs. Each pixel is 72 square microns, which is about 1.5 times the size as those in competing camcorders. This increased size increases light sensitivity, allowing you to shoot in low-light situations. All this results in outstanding detail, with highly accurate color reproduction suitable for the demands of high-end video production. The GL2 also incorporates a 20x Professional L-Series fluorite optical zoom lens, which is equivalent to 39.5-790mm, as well as a 100x digital zoom. 
Canon's superb optical stabilization system corrects camera shake instantly so even hand held shots, at full telephoto, and shots taken from a moving car, are smooth and steady. And since it is optical, there is no loss of image quality inevitable with electronic image stabilizers. It perfectly complements the high picture quality of the DV format.