This summer I put the XL-1 to the test. I used 2 of them to shoot a Public Service Announcement. This PSA included both indoor and outdoor shooting in varied light conditions and a wide range of acoustics. Overall I was very pleased with the performance of the XL-1. It proved to be extremely versatile and worked well throughout the shoot.

I am only now realizing the the "white balance" capability which I take for granted on the XL-1 is not entirely common on other camcorders. Without it I would not have been able to make the transition from outside to inside, because of the drastic difference in light temperature. The Canon XL-1 comes standard with a Neutral Density filter for shooting in bright situations. This also is not a common feature on camcorders. This feature allowed me to shoot without worrying about impossibly overexposed images.

In my opinion, the sound quality of the XL-1 is superb. It can be adjusted in the camcorder without the use of an audio editing system. This was helpful in finding a good audio balance between the outside sound and the inside sound. It is also extremely easy to use.

The XL-1 has the best picture quality I have seen yet from mini-DV camcorder. The picture was crisp and the colors were true and didn't bleed. And if your shooting requires a good distance from the subject, there couldn't be a better camera for you. This camera has an incredible telephoto lens. Even when zoomed fully in, the image is good and the image stabilization works like a charm.

Weight may or may not be an issue to you. It bothered me a little bit. The XL-1 is a little bit on the heavy side. Unless you are using a tripod your shots may be hard to get because the camcorder is not well balanced and slightly unwieldy.

The battery life is OK with the stock battery, but better batteries with more life are easily purchased.

The thing I love most about the XL-1 is that it has a wide variety of shooting modes that cater to any shot and any cameraman. However, unless you know a little bit about shooting in each mode, this can be confusing and have an adverse effect.

Overall, this is an excellent camcorder for the money.


Recommended: Yes

Amount Paid (US$): 3500