The following feature film, released in theaters, where shot on standatd definition
cameras very similar to the XL1. They were all converted from SD video to film. If
they can get away with using SD video then so can you.

Inland Empire, Sony PD-150
Open Water, Sony PD-150
The Anniversary Party, Sony DSR-500
The Lost Skeleton of Cadavra, Canon XL-1
28 Days Later, Canon XL-1S
Pieces of April, Sony PD-150
Bamboozled, Sony VX 1000 PAL
Book Of Life, Sony VX1000 (NTSC)
The Celebration, Sony PC7 PAL
Chuck & Buck, Sony VX1000 PAL
The Cruise, Sony VX1000 NTSC
Dancer In The Dark, Sony PD 100 & Sony DXC D30WS PAL
Everything Put Together, Sony VX1000 PAL
Final, Canon XL-1 PAL
Chelsea Walls, Sony PD100 PAL
Full Frontal, Canon XL1s PAL
Hotel, Sony PD 100 & PD150 PAL
Julien Donkey Boy, Canon XL1 PAL
Time Code, Sony DSR-1
Supersize Me, Sony PD150
Lonesome Jim, Panasonic DVX 100
November, Panasonic DVX 100

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The aim of an argument or discussion should not be victory, but progress.
Joseph Joubert, essayist (1754-1824)

CI, thanks for the break down. I was contemplating forking out the cash for a new HD camera but I guess my Canon will do just fine. I have a question about the camera though. Since the image is compressed to fit on the mini-dv tape is it best to use a Hard Drive hooked up to the camera?

Hi!

Would like to know how your project is going as I have
a Canon XL1s and I'm planning to make longer films later this year.

Dean

Looking at the list of films shot on DV (SD), I can't help but notice that pretty much ALL of them were made in the early 2000s (between 1998 and 2003), before HD became available. In other words, these people shot on (Mini)DV because it was the best video technology available at their time. The cameras they used were rather expensive back then ($5,000 or more), and the equivalent amount of money (adjusted for inflation) would today get you a very good semi-pro HD video camera.

My impression is, what was acceptable back then, being the best video had to offer, may no longer fly, considering that technology marches on. I would keep that in mind when making a decision on whether to shoot on the old SD Canon or go for a newer HD device. It will likely also depend on what would be accepted by the festivals to which you want to submit it.

If I were in your situation, I would likely try to get a newer HD model. The old Canon can apparently still fetch almost $1000 on eBay (if in nice condition). That would offset the price of a HD camera. My own choice (today) would be one of the Panasonic's HMC models (either 40 or 150; $1700 and $2900, respectively). Obviously, the choice would depend on whether I could scare up some additional $2000 (or at least $800 for the cheaper one).

And to answer your MiniDV question; there is no difference between what is stored on MiniDV tape and what comes out of your FireWire output. The captured images are processed and compressed using DV intraframe encoding, and chroma subsampling is done before they get to the FireWire output. Therefore, the FireWire output will give you an identical DV stream as it goes on tape. There is no way to capture raw, uncompressed images directly from the sensors, as such data stream is not available anywhere.

Therefore, your decision whether to capture on MiniDV tape or on FireWire hard drive only depends on convenience, storage space, reliability of medium and postproduction workflow. 1 hour of DV stream with stereo audio takes about 12GB of hard disk space.

I'm hardly an expert but I say go with the XL1 you already have and spend the money on production costs rather than new gear. The XL1 has always been a pretty great choice and spending time and money on good lighting rather than a new camera might get you a better result than just purchasing an HD camera would.