Canon XM2

[chrisgreen]

Is the Canon XM2 any good? I've seen some good reviews for it, but there are complaints about the motor sounds, if i goona spend over £1,000 i really want to get rid of motor sounds.

[SanElizando]

I used an XM2 to shoot my film and I had no complaints. I used an external mike to start with but then ended plugging that stariaght into the camera anyway. I didn't notice any motor sound present.

[chrisgreen]

Ah cool, there is no chance i'll be able to afford a GL2 or a xl2... or a Gl1 or a Xl1, so i thought i'd try and get a camera that wasn't around 3 grand, only 1 grand instead (£).

[dno]

One of the cameras I have is a XM2 and it is a fantastic piece of equipment for amatuer filmmaking. I have never heard the motor running on anything I have filmed with it (when not using external mic).

I can recommend this cam. The picture quality and manual functions are all first rate and its small size makes it extremely versatile (for filming awkward angles etc).

The actual onboard mic is the only slight downside, but all mics on cams are not particularly good, so an external mic is a must for any serious filmmaker.

A good cheap one to start with is the sennheiser MKE 300D, the D is the digital one, although the basic and cheaper still MKE 300 is ok, but it is mono.

You can get some great deals on eBay for this camera and its accessories too.

[Maxo]

I've been working some with the XM2 (never whitout an external mic though) and it fits me and my amatuer productions fine! great picture quality!

speaking of the MX2, does dno or anyone else know if it's possible to change the framerate and if so, how to do it?

[dno]

You cannot change the frame rate as such but you have two shooting mode options, normal and frame.

1.Normal mode: By combining Canon's superior lens quality with 3 CCD's, the GL2 delivers stunning resolution and colour reproduction. The Movie Mode set to normal records crisp, high-quality interlaced video for playback on a standard TV

2.Frame mode captures video in a unique, non-interlaced method, which allows the GL2 to record 30 frames of video per second. Similar to a motor drive on a 35mm camera, Frame Movie Mode is ideal for giving video a cinematic appearance or for creating high quality video to post on a website.

To set one of these modes make sure the program selector switch (at left hand side rear bottom of cam) is on the "P". This activates the manual settings in the menus.

Then press the 'menu' button.
Select 'cam. set up' by pressing in the select jog wheel to access the camera's manual set up options.
In the set up menu, turn the select jog wheel until the small arrow is on movie mode.
Then press in the select jog wheel.
Turn the jog wheel to select normal or frame and press the wheel in again.
Press the menu button and you're done.

The cam is good, but not good enough for you to select a specific frame rate like 25 fps, like more advanced, but also more expensive cameras.

I hope this helps you out.

[Maxo]

thanks mate! Now when you mention it, I've actually tried that feature out some time ago.