Uploaded December 2023 | Updated September 2026, 2 weeks ago
Back when I first started shooting videos in the early 2000's I wanted to get *one* camera. The Canon L2 Professional Camcorder is perhaps the most high-end camera that was ever released to the Consumer and Prosumer market. After 20 years of trying to get one I finally did!
Let's go through the very fancy Pelican case and see what kind of a camera and accessories I bought for $350CAD, then lets talk a little on two markets that ended up really making this camera a must-have for top-end Hi-8 users.
(Update: YES I am ware I bungled the zoom factor when mentioning the VL-EOS adapter. It is *NOT* 2x magnification. It is *5x*. Five-times magnification. I wasn't running on a script here, so the numbers got mixed up in my head...)
A review from The Chicago Tribune in 1994 can be found here - chicagotribune.com/news/ct-xpm-1994-09-09-9409090260-story.html
Another fantastic review from a wildlife photographer in 2007 can be found here - pawildlifephotographer.blogspot.com/2007/12/important-milestone-in-videomaking.html
Unexpectedly, Dave's Retro Video Lab did a video on the L1 a week earlier. We both ended up pretty much covering the same topics but if you wish to hear more details about the functions of this camera, I recommend you watch his video - youtube.com/watch?v=PC9gYFLx-G4
(Seriously! I was editing this video and only when I was halfway through did I discover he had thrown a video up earlier that morning!)
Cathode Ray Dude also did a good video covering the technical aspects (and a better job explaining for optical differences and zoom caveat) a few years. You should check it out - youtube.com/watch?v=FrqVyLH3f9w
The issue of Popular Electronics seen in the video is form October 1991. IT has a good 3-page review of the L1 that covers most of the L2 as well. World Radio History has provided it in digitized from from their website - worldradiohistory.com/Archive-Poptronics/90s/91/PE-1991-10.pdf
Remember to follow me on "X" at @CelGenStudios to keep up to date on what I am doing and what might be happening in the next video.
Back when I first started shooting videos in the early 2000's I wanted to get *one* camera. The Canon L2 Professional Camcorder is perhaps the most high-end camera that was ever released to the Consumer and Prosumer market. After 20 years of trying to get one I finally did!
Let's go through the very fancy Pelican case and see what kind of a camera and accessories I bought for $350CAD, then lets talk a little on two markets that ended up really making this camera a must-have for top-end Hi-8 users.
(Update: YES I am ware I bungled the zoom factor when mentioning the VL-EOS adapter. It is *NOT* 2x magnification. It is *5x*. Five-times magnification. I wasn't running on a script here, so the numbers got mixed up in my head...)
A review from The Chicago Tribune in 1994 can be found here - chicagotribune.com/news/ct-xpm-1994-09-09-9409090260-story.html
Another fantastic review from a wildlife photographer in 2007 can be found here - pawildlifephotographer.blogspot.com/2007/12/important-milestone-in-videomaking.html
Unexpectedly, Dave's Retro Video Lab did a video on the L1 a week earlier. We both ended up pretty much covering the same topics but if you wish to hear more details about the functions of this camera, I recommend you watch his video - youtube.com/watch?v=PC9gYFLx-G4
(Seriously! I was editing this video and only when I was halfway through did I discover he had thrown a video up earlier that morning!)
Cathode Ray Dude also did a good video covering the technical aspects (and a better job explaining for optical differences and zoom caveat) a few years. You should check it out - youtube.com/watch?v=FrqVyLH3f9w
The issue of Popular Electronics seen in the video is form October 1991. IT has a good 3-page review of the L1 that covers most of the L2 as well. World Radio History has provided it in digitized from from their website - worldradiohistory.com/Archive-Poptronics/90s/91/PE-1991-10.pdf
Remember to follow me on "X" at @CelGenStudios to keep up to date on what I am doing and what might be happening in the next video.
