The Canon XL1 was my dream camera when it was released in 1998, but as a broke 13 year old its $4000 price tag was far beyond anything I could ever have hoped to afford. Years later thanks to the magic of eBay, I was finally able to buy my dream camera and I’m happy to say it lives up to the hype! So let’s take a look at the absolutely awesome XL1, understand its history, and explore how its video-centric DNA lives on in modern cameras. If you’re looking to find an XL1 or other “vintage” camera of your own, your best bet is to scour eBay and setup an alert to let you know when a new listing is available. There are a lot of broken and damaged cameras out there, but if you’re patient it’s definitely possible to find a diamond in the rough at a reasonable price.