Product Description
The Canon GL2 (like its predecessor, the GL1, and its big brother, the XL1) is helping to blur the line between consumer and professional video equipment. This camcorder borrows most of those cameras' professional-quality components 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 GL2 produces such high-quality results that it could be used as a broadcast video camera.
Amazon.com Product Description
The Canon GL2 (like its predecessor, the GL1, and its big brother, the XL1) is helping to blur the line between consumer and professional video equipment. This camcorder borrows most of those cameras' professional-quality components 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 GL2 produces such high-quality results that it could be used as a broadcast video camera.
The 3 CCD System
Professional L-Series Fluorite Lens
Canon has satisfied the demands of experienced image makers for years through the power, design and quality of 35mm and broadcast TV lenses. Canon's Professional L-Series lenses utilize Fluorite, a material which provides outstanding resolution, contrast, and color reproduction- especially in lightweight, high-magnification lenses. Incorporated into the lens on the GL2, Fluorite delivers the ultimate in clarity and image quality. The Fluorite element inside the lens defeats color aberration -- the effect when the components of light stray from one another within a lens, causing a reduction in sharpness, contrast and color. The Fluorite lens precisely controls components of light providing an excellent balance of these three critical ingredients of picture quality. This is unobtainable with conventional optical glass.
Audio
The GL2's omni-directional microphone is designed to deliver realistic stereo sound. Using the GL2's advanced accessory shoe expands your audio options. 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.
Optical Image Stabilizer
Digital Stills
You can turn your GL2 into a still camera by switching to 1.7-megapixel photo mode and capturing high-resolution still images onto the camcorder's MultiMedia/Secure Digital card. (One 8 MB Secure Digital card is included with the GL2.) The full-frame images are free from time-lag blur. A six-blade circular iris, as found on Canon's top-of-the-line XL1 and XL1S models, is used for professional exposure control, helping to deliver stunning video and still photos.
Inputs and Outputs
The GL2 comes with the standard DV IEEE 1394 port (also known as FireWire) for a super-fast, lossless connection to a PC or other DV machines. You can also connect to your PC via a USB connection to download still photos. The GL2 is designed to handle two types of analog input and output: using audio/video cables (composite) or S-video. Both connections are on the camera back.
More Features
- Three shooting modes: normal movie mode, digital photo mode, and the cinema-like frame movie mode.
- The Custom Key function lets you create and save your own custom settings so your common shooting modes can be readily duplicated.
- Digital effects are offered for a greater imaging variety, including fader, sepia, strobe motion, and black and white.
- With the Interval Timer function, you can record for a selected time with a selected interval--convenient for nature observations such as flowers or sunsets.
MiniDV Format
The Canon GL2 digital video camcorder uses the standard MiniDV cassette, producing the highest quality video possible from nonbroadcast equipment. The MiniDV format standard delivers more than 500 lines of horizontal resolution. And, because it records both video and audio as digital data, this information can be transferred--without any loss of picture or audio quality--to a computer for editing, then transferred back to DV tape, without a reduction in either picture or audio quality.
- 20x optical zoom lens (digital zoom to 100x) and image stabilizer
- 2.5-inch LCD with 270-degree rotation
- Save to MiniDV tape or MMC/SD card (8 MB SD card included)
- Record for up to 65 minutes on one battery charge
- A beam-splitting prism separates light passing through the lens into individual color components and each is sent to its own CCD.
Canon GL2 MiniDV Digital Camcorder w/20x Optical Zoom Reviews
| 171 of 180 people found the following review helpful:  Great for filmmakers, By Colin (Oregon) - See all my reviews This review is from: Canon GL2 MiniDV Digital Camcorder w/20x Optical Zoom (Electronics) I own this camera, and it's my best friend. Well not really, but it's the most amazing camera I've ever had. You get what you pay for, and you get a lot from this camera.This is however, NOT a camera that the general public should buy. It's far to expensive, and really wouldn't be worth it to someone who will be using this for filming say a birthday party. There are many features on this camera, which make it as wonderful as it is, but these features would likely be unused by someone new to video cameras. So if you are in this boat, save your money and get a different camera. What's great about it? The image quality is better than anything I've seen before. With 3CCD, it's good. Unlike the XL-1S, the GL2 has a 2.5 inch color LCD. However, I rarely use this. It takes up more battery power, and you can't see it when there's sunlight. I love the audio controls, and how it's not only stereo microphone, but you can control the levels of your left and right audio, right... Read more 43 of 44 people found the following review helpful: Great Unit, By This review is from: Canon GL2 MiniDV Digital Camcorder w/20x Optical Zoom (Electronics) This unit is pretty awesome especially with frame. Also, a noteworthy thing is this camera first does 16 x 9 and then encoding producing a higher quality image than a comparable Sony model. I've actually owned the precursor unit to this one, the GL1, and was also pleased with it. This camera has the hotshoe feature and the longest OPTICAL zoom in its class. Optical VS Digital, optical definitely wins. This camera is all-a-round useful and also, this unit is actually the preferred camera of choice for many sports film-makers. If you take this thing to the slopes like i have, strangers will come up to you and instantly recognize the unit. Great with kenko lenses. Only actual thing I've seen is that it doesn't like low light, so adding a VL-3 is a must, or a VL-10 is recommended. One thing to watch out for is that you must keep care of the camera. For example, you must get... Read more 76 of 83 people found the following review helpful:  Too many GL2's with "Remove The Cassette" problem., By L. Welsh (California) - See all my reviews This review is from: Canon GL2 MiniDV Digital Camcorder w/20x Optical Zoom (Electronics) I bought a GL2 because I had used the GL1 and I liked it. The GL2 was just past the warranty and I kept getting the error message on the screen that said "Remove The Cassette" I paid almost $250.00 for the repair facility to replace the tape transport system which they said was bent. No camera in the world gets better treatment than this one believe me, $2,200 is a lot of money to me. Now the camera is doing the same thing again after less than 6 hours of use. I would strongly suggest doing some searches to see just how many people are having this problem. Mine is anything but an isolated incident. Go to google or dogpile and do a search under gl2 remove the cassette or go to camcorderinfo.com and read the many complaints about this problem in the Canon forum area. |
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