Canon GL2 Revisited

Sometime ago I did a fun (though longish) review of the Canon GL2. When we made the video we really enjoyed putting a bullet through a lumbering Sasquatch but after the whole thing was done and the footage was squeezed into Quicktime I was left wondering what the point of spending 2 g’s on a camera when the performance didn’t show through on the web. It turns out that it wasn’t so much the GL2 or Quicktime underperforming as it was my eye underveiwing. I had become so accustomed to my lower end Sony’s performance that I was failing to see the difference the GL2 made. I noticed it the other day as I was watching some old videos and thinking “Something’s got to be wrong with my cam, that looks awful” then I realized that I was at stuff shot with the Sony, the vids shot with the GL2 looked great.

So I’ve gone from kicking myself over my purchase to wondering why I didn’t do it sooner (oh wait, it was the staggering price). I always thought the Sony was a nice camera, and for the money it is ($500 bucks new, I’m hoping to sell it for a hundred smackers) but once you step up to the GL2 it’s like going back to Windows when you pull the Sony out. Personally I prefer the older low end Sony’s to the newer ones because you get a manual focus ring and all that and the quality of footage isn’t all that different than the newer cams(moral of the story: go low end or high end, the value of the middle is questionable). But there really is no comparison to the GL2, you couldn’t take footage with the Sony and weave it seemlessly in with GL2 footage even if the shots were taken under the most ideal conditions.

The GL2 also has a bunch of other features that I thought I’d never use when I bought it but I have grown to appreciate. Adjustable audio levels (very nice), the semi detached microphone and the plethora of manual controls (you’d be surprised how much difference they make). One feature that I thought was really important at the time (optical image stabilization) turned out to be of little value the way I shoot (I script everything first knowing that I’ll have very limited resources and manpower). It turns out that I don’t use pans very often and never use a moving camera so the optical image stabilization is really a waste in my case. The smart accessory shoe was also a bit of a bust for me (another must have feature). First off the freaking camera was so expensive I couldn’t afford another mic and secondly for the conditions I shoot in I generally use a lavalier mic which nearly any camcorder can handle. If the need arises to use the onboard mic it easily outperforms the lavalie mic so there’s no pressing need for a hot shoe boom mic.

So I bought the camera for all the wrong reasons but I am very happy with my purchase. At this point I gotta thank a MyMac staffer Jeffrey McPheeters. Jeffrey was the one who assured me the GL2 was a great camera and not a high priced waste of dough. When I posited that Iwas an idiot for buying a GL2 to do mostly internet stuff Jeffrey let me know that it wasn’t the camera. So thanks Jeffrey.

Now for requisite useless blog EZ to post crapola:
TV Pick: Geeze, pure shinola on the tube (or flatscreen you rich b@$#@^%$) tonight. I suggest either rewatching one of the LOTR movies or finding a copy of Crumb.

Cool Mac Article of the day:
No More Mac to Windows Ports
Self serving, I know.

Momentarily diverting link:
Kneel Before Zod