Response to XL-1 and wide screen in viewfinder

The 16x9 is nice but not exactly what it's cracked up to be. You need to think about what you are getting when you shoot in that ratio. It's not giving you a wider picture, it's just compressing the existing 3x4 ratio so it can be stretched out later. Test this by viewing an image in 3x4 first, then go into your menu and switch to 16x9. Pay careful attention to the left and right sides of the frame when switching. Do you see more? You won't, it's still giving you a 3x4 ratio, it's just squeezing it so it can be stretched later. In film, you would use an actual anamorphic lens to take in more of the image on the left and right sides of the frame. A film camera sees it in 16x9 before putting it on film. The XL1 sees it in 3x4 and just squeezes it. I was strongly considering shooting my independent feature coming up in 16x9, but when I saw the viewfinder problems, I decided not to, especially since it's not true widescreen.

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