Canon GL2 Instruction Manual

							41
E
Recording
The most important element in the scene does not necessarily have to be
centered. For a more interesting picture, try to position your subject slightly
to one side. Leave some space on the side of the frame that the subject is
facing or moving towards.
Do not cut off the top of the subject’s head, and do not cut people off at
the neck, hips or knees (move a little bit above or below).
Watch out for distracting objects in the background.
Instead of zooming while recording, try to choose your picture angle
before you begin. A good way to tell a story with video is to begin
with a long shot that establishes the situation, and then move in with
medium shots and close-ups to show the details. Remember to
change your viewpoint for each shot.
Remember that any camcorder movement or change in picture angle
should have a definite purpose. Avoid unnecessary or half-hearted
movements.
Use pans to record a landscape or follow a moving subject.
Decide the area you wish to cover and stand facing the end
of your panning angle. Without moving your feet, turn your
waist to the starting position. Start recording, and after a
few seconds begin to turn slowly from the waist. Hold the
final image for a few seconds before you stop recording.
Tilt the camcorder up to exaggerate the height of the
subject. Tilt down from the top of a building, for example,
as an introduction to subjects at the bottom.
Composition
Picture Angle
Camcorder Moves
Long shot
Medium shot
Close-up
Pan
Tilt 
						

							42
E
Recording
T
WZOOM
WT
T
W
Zooming
This camcorder is equipped with 20×optical zoom and 100×digital zoom. Optical zoom and digital
zoom can be operated from either the side grip, the camcorder handle or the wireless controller.
•Digital zoom cannot be used in CARD CAMERA mode.
Press the zoom control towards W to zoom out to wide-angle.
Press it towards T to zoom in to telephoto.
•The speed of the zoom controls on the camcorder can be changed in the CAMERA SET UP
submenu (grip zoom: variable, low, medium and fast; handle zoom: low, medium and fast).
•The speed of the zoom control of the wireless controller cannot be adjusted.
The digital zoom magnifies the camcorder’s zoom range by up to 5 times.
To change the digital zoom, open the menu and select CAM.SET UP. Then select
DIGITAL ZOOM, set it to 40 ×or 100 ×and close the menu.
The zoom control continues to work as usual. You can freely zoom in and out between 1×and 40×
or 1×and 100x magnification — the camcorder automatically switches between optical zooming
(up to 20×) and digital zooming (20×to 100×).
Notes:
•When zooming, as a rule, keep at least 3 ft 3 3/8in (1m) between you and your subject. However
when the zoom is at the wide-angle position, you can focus on a subject as close as 3/8in (1 cm).
•Image resolution decreases the further you zoom towards 100×in digital zoom range.
•When the digital zoom is set to 40×, the zoom indicator extends (light blue). When the digital
zoom is set to 100×zoom, the zoom indicator extends again (a darker blue).
20×Optical Zoom
40×/100×Digital Zoom
D.ZOOM••• OFFCAM. SET UP
(20)
Zoom out
Zoom in
+CAMERATAPE 
						

							43
E
Recording
Using the LCD Screen
Push the LCD panel OPEN button and open the panel by
pulling it away from the camcorder. This automatically
switches the LCD screen on and the viewfinder off.
When you close the LCD panel, the LCD screen
automatically switches off and the viewfinder switches
back on.
First open out the LCD panel at a right angle (90°) to the
camcorder.
You can now choose the angle of the panel that suits
you best by rotating it backwards (up to 180°) and
forwards (up to 90°) about its axis.
If you rotate the panel backwards around to 180°, you
can allow the subject to monitor the shot on the LCD
screen or you can include yourself in the picture. The
viewfinder is also activated when the panel is in this
position.
From this position you may also push the panel flat
against the camcorder, with the screen facing outwards.
Notes:
•Avoid touching the LCD screen when moving the LCD panel.
•Do not hold the camcorder by the LCD panel or the viewfinder.
•Make sure you open the LCD panel at 90°, before attempting to rotate it backwards or forwards.
•Always rotate the LCD panel vertically into place, before closing it or pushing it flat against the
side of the camcorder.
•Always fully close the LCD panel when it is not in use.
•Be careful not to leave the LCD, viewfinder or lens exposed to direct sunlight outdoors or
through a window. Doing so could cause damage.
•Bright light falling on the LCD screen may cause glare that makes it difficult for you to view the
image. In this case, switch to using the viewfinder. You can also adjust the brightness of the
screen.
Opening the LCD Screen
Changing the Angle of the LCD Screen 
						

							44
E
Recording
When you turn the LCD panel so that it faces into the
opposite direction, you can allow your subject to monitor
the screen, or you can monitor yourself while recording.
•You can choose the display style between reversed (LCD
MIRROR ON) or not (LCD MIRROR OFF) in the menu. You can adjust the brightness of the LCD screen and the viewfinder independently.
1. Open the menu and select DISP. SET UP.
2. Select LCD BRIGHT or EVF BRIGHT and adjust the brightness.
•Pull the SELECT dial up to make the display brighter, and down to make it darker.
3. Close the menu.
Notes:
•The camcorder retains your brightness setting even if you slide the POWER switch to OFF.
•The brightness of the LCD screen/viewfinder does not effect that of the recorded images.
About the LCD Screen
The LCD screen built into this camcorder is a high precision product.
However, small black dots or bright points of light (red, blue or green) may appear constantly on
the LCD screen. This is not a malfunction of the LCD screen and they are not recorded on the tape.
(Effective dots: more than 99.99%)
Adjusting the Brightness of the Display
Allowing the Subject to Monitor Recording
LCD BRIGHT••DISP. SET UP–+
EVF BRIGHT••–+
(20)
LCD MIRROR••• ONDISP. SET UP
(20)
+
,+
,+
,+PLAY
(VCR)CARDCAMERACARDPLAY
(VCR)TAPECAMERATAPE
+
,+CAMERACARDCAMERATAPE 
						

							45
E
Recording
Indicators that appear on the LCD screen when MIRROR is turned on:
The audio level indicator will be displayed as follows:
On the LCD Screen:
Automatic Manual
On the Viewfinder:
Automatic Manual
   REC
   REC PAUSE
   EJECT TAPE CAMERA mode :
   No Card
   Recording to a
   memory card CARD CAMERA mode :
Recording to a memory card CARD CAMERA mode :
To turn the mirror mode off, open the menu and select DISP.SET UP.
Then select MIRROR, set it to OFF and close the menu.
•LCD MIRROR ON: The picture appears reversed like in a mirror.
•LCD MIRROR OFF: The picture appears the same as the recording. 
•If you turn the LCD MIRROR ON, the recording itself is unaffected. 
						

							46
E
Recording
With most camcorders, even the slightest hand movements will be noticeable during telephoto
recording. However, the GL2’s Optical Image Stabilizer allows you to obtain steady recordings even
at high magnification. Unlike electronic image stabilizers, it causes no loss of picture quality. The
Optical Image Stabilizer can compensate for a wide range of camcorder movement — you can
record stable images even if you are shooting from a moving car.
To turn the image stabilizer off, open the menu and select CAM.SET UP. Then
select IMAGE S. i, set it to OFF and close the menu.
•Theimark appears in the display when the stabilizer is on.
•The image stabilizer cannot be turned off when the program selector is set to the [(Easy
Recording) program.
Notes:
•The camcorder retains your selection even if you turn the camcorder off.
•The image stabilizer is designed to deal with a normal degree of camcorder shake.
•Keep the image stabilizer turned off when the camcorder is mounted on a tripod.
IMAGE S.i••• ONCAM.SET UP
(20)
+
,+CAMERACARDCAMERATAPE
Turning the Optical Image Stabilizer Off 
						

							47
E
Recording
On bright days or when recording very bright scenes, despite the iris being at its smallest aperture,
blurring of the image may occur. If this happens, using the ND filter should remove this problem.
Turn the ND filter on by pressing the ND FILTER ON/OFF button.
•ND is shown continuously in the display while the ND filter is turned on.
–ND ON flashes in the display to advise you to switch the ND filter on. (However it does not
appear in the Manual mode or during exposure lock.)
–ND ON with the “ON” flashing advises you to fit an external ND filter* or that the light
conditions are still too bright, despite having switched the ND filter on.
–ND OFF with the “OFF” flashing warns you that the ND filter is no longer suitable for the current
conditions. If this warning appears, turn the ND filter off by pressing the ND FILTER ON/OFF
button again.
*When you don’t have an external ND filter, make the shutter speed faster in Tv mode or open the
aperture in Av mode.
Notes:
•You cannot turn the ND filter on/off during exposure lock or while the PHOTO button is pressed
halfway down.
•The camcorder retains your selection if you turn the standby lever to LOCK. However, it resets to
the OFF setting if you slide the POWER switch to OFF.
ND FILTERON / OFF
Using the ND Filter 
						

							48
E
Recording
You can record still images like photographs. The camcorder records the picture and sound to tape
for several seconds. The exposure is automatically adjusted.
Starting your shooting with a still image makes it easy to find the beginning again later with the
Photo Search function ( 93).
You can take a still image at any time during regular video recording, or you can put the camcorder
into record pause mode first, then take a still image.
Press the PHOTO button fully down and the still image will be taken immediately.
•The camcorder takes the image immediately, and then records the “photo” to the tape for
approximately 6 seconds. During this time the camcorder also records the sound, and the display
shows the still image.
•A counter display appears, and counts up as the camcorder records the image.
•The camcorder returns to record pause mode.
1. Press the PHOTO button halfway down and hold it:
•“PHOTO” flashes at the bottom right of display.
•Exposure is locked.
•During autofocus Fflashes white in the display as the camcorder adjusts the focus and it is
displayed continuously as a green mark when the camcorder is ready to take the still image.
•If the subject is unsuitable for autofocus ( 144), the camcorder may not be able to focus,
andFmay continue to flash white in the display. Continue to hold the PHOTO button halfway
down, then adjust the focus manually with the focus ring.
•If you are using manual focus ( 79), the Fmark starts as a continuous green mark. Focus
with the focus ring.
PHOTO
For recording still images on a memory card, see p. 118.
During recording
During record pause mode
+CAMERATAPE
Recording Still Images onto a Tape 
						

							49
E
Recording
2. Press the PHOTO button fully down to take the still image
•The camcorder takes the image immediately, and then records the “photo” to the tape for
approximately 6 seconds. During this time the camcorder also records the sound, and the
display shows the still image.
•A counter display appears, and counts up as the camcorder records the still image. 
F
disappears from the display.
•The camcorder returns to record pause mode.
Notes:
•The camcorder automatically returns to record pause mode after recording a still image for
approximately 6 seconds. If you turn the POWER switch to OFF during that time, the camcorder
will respond only after recording is complete.
•The wireless controller’s PHOTO button has no half-way setting. Press the button fully and the
camcorder immediately takes the “photo”. 
						

							50
E
Recording
The frame mode can be used when you wish to look at a video, scene by scene, free from field
slippage (the “flicker” that normally occurs when you pause a video). The vertical resolution of the
image is improved by 1.5×. During playback, pause the video at any time if you would like to view a
crystal clear still image in the display or on a connected TV screen. It is also possible to transfer your
favorite still pictures to a PC for image enhancement and print out.
Since the frame rate is close to that of a movie, this mode can be used to create “cinematic-like
appearance.”
1. Slide the program selector to Q(program AE) mode.
2. Open the menu and select CAM. SET UP.
3. Select MOVIE MODE, set it to FRAME and close the menu.
•FRAME appears in the display.
Notes:
•To return to normal video shooting, you need to re-select NORMAL from MOVIE MODE in the
CAMERA menu.
•Frame mode cannot be used with the Easy Recording program.
•Frame video may not appear completely smooth during normal playback.
•The digital effects WIPE, OVERLAP, STROBE and TRAIL cannot be used when the MOVIE MODE is
set to FRAME.
MOVIE MODE•• NORMALCAM.SET UP
(20)
+CAMERATAPE
Selecting the Movie Mode (Normal/Frame)