Has anyone yet used Canon EOS 5D mark ii for shooting video?

Hi everyone!

I am both a documentary filmmaker and also a still photographer. I am considering buying the canon eos 5d mark ii still camera which also has a video function built in.

> Has anyone shot video with it??

> It seems too cheap for a good HD camera at 2700$. Does anyone know how it compares to say a sony exw-1?

> On the box it says that for video one needs a macbook pro core 2 duo - 2.6Ghz processor. Mine is only 2.5GhZ. Will that create problems????

Thanks to anyone who has read this.

Kind regards,
Robert

My basic question for any still camera shooting video:

How do you record audio? Kind of hard to shoot sync sound if there are no audio inputs/recording.


-V

I think most of those still cameras actually do have a microphone. Maybe there aren't any audio input jacks, but I'm pretty sure my Fuji S9000 has its own microphone. For obvious reasons I never shot any video with it so I could be wrong.


www.derekmok.com

There are two reasons why nobody should ever use the 5D Mk II for shooting moving pictures.

First, the camera will only shoot integer-30p. Not only does that mean it won't shoot either 24p or 23.976p, it means the camera won't even shoot 29.97p. It only shoots exactly thirty frames per second, which is not a valid video frame rate anywhere on the planet.

Second, the camera automatically changes the shutter speed to compensate for changes in light level. When you shoot moving pictures, the shutter speed must never change unless you specifically want to change it. Think of the Normandy Beach sequence in "Saving Private Ryan," where the smaller shutter angle gave everything a staccato, stop-motion feel because it cut the motion blur. That was an artistic choice on the part of the film crew. Unless you're making a conscious artistic choice, your shutter should always be locked down to 180°, or half the frame rate, and the 5D Mk II doesn't let you do that. It's not even an option.

These are total deal-breakers for anybody who gives a damn about their footage.

After our SuperMeet at Macworld myself Dean Cleary, Rick Young and Dan Berube drove down Highway 1 with a bunch of cameras including the 5D. Dan had just bought it and was learing to use it. Video on the tripod looked awesome. Move the camera and it looked not so awesome. Focus is a real problem here. Thats where Redrock Micro comes in. Rick documented Dan learning how to use the cam.

He also had some little sennheiser mic mounted. Also had a couple really nice primes to go with it including a 85mm that was awesome.

One thing about this cam is you do not buy it for video. You buy it for stills. It is almost impossible to take a bad picture with it. It is also not a cam for an amateur. Its heavy and bulky, but the idea of a cam that does video and stills is such a good idea and will only get better. The full sensor on this camera makes for real pretty pictures.

Me? I want the Nikon D90. Small and inexpensive (yeah it shots 720P but who cares) and you get all those options for cheap Nikkor lenses.



See the little mic on top?



Michael Horton
-------------------

Thank you everyone for all the info!

Jeff I agree with what you say. I noticed that happening when I tried it - ie that the shutters speed changed on its own. The salesman told me it must just be some setting that needs to be changed but I guess it is built in that way.

Jeff or anyone, is there a way to convert the integer 30p (bad design - I agree) to a format that FCP can work with???

I am envious of the trip you guys took Michael - I miss the Pacific!!

Thanks to all.

Cheers,
Robert

PS.

Sorry, forgot to ask if anyone has answers to this question??

> On the box it says that for the video mode one needs a macbook pro core 2 duo - 2.6Ghz processor. Mine is only 2.5GhZ. Will that create problems????

Yeah, there are two ways. First, you can just conform 30p to 29.97p. Normally I'd do that with Cinema Tools, but I'm not sure Cinema Tools has any support for an integer 30p frame rate. The other way to do it is by doing a frame rate conversion through something like Compressor. Your footage will end up being soft and ugly. Bear in mind, though, that since what comes off the camera is H.264, you're going to have to pass it through Compressor or something first anyway, in order to be able to use it in Final Cut without tearing your eyeballs out in frustration.

I want to clarify one thing, though: Final Cut has no problem with 30p. You can set up a timeline in Final Cut that's 30p if you want to. I just have no idea why anybody ever would, since no television can play 30p. NTSC sets, whether SD or HD, are all based on 59.94 Hz, not exactly 60 Hz. That's just how TV works.

i cant imagine that movies from a DSLR is quite ready for real world use yet - so far sounds like an experimental/novelty feature...

Commercials and music videos are being shot with it and of course Vincent Lafore's videos are all the rage online. Its only going to get better. Its only version 1. It's those kick ass Canon lenses that make for pretty video as well as stills and the full sensor.

Cant wait to see what Nikon does with its pro cameras

Michael Horton
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I dunno about "all the rage," unless you mean "rage" in the sense of "wow, that looks like really crappy video." I've yet to talk to a single person who thinks the Lafore stuff would be acceptable for production. I know plenty of people whose reactions were "And this doesn't do 24p why?"

Maybe I'm the weirdo, though.

The camera also records video as h.264...that is not an editing format. So ALL of your footage will have to be converted to a format that FCP and other edit systems can work with. H.264 is a delivery format.

And because it shoots 30fps and not 29.97, recording secondary sync audio (as Jeff noted) is impossible.

So all the people enthralled with this camera are drawn to it because it makes shiny neat cool images. But that doesn't take into account ANYTHNG about post production, and that is what all footage needs to be aware of. How do you deal with this in post. It was desiged for people to shoot something cool and post it...not edit it.

This is what RED is working off of....the idea of shooting usable video using DSR camera technology. They saw what the cameras could do, and set out to make it workable.


www.shanerosseditor.com

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Nah, you simply convert the h.264 to pro res and you are good to edit. No big deal here. I've certainly not read much "rage" over Vincent's videos. Sure look pretty to me. Like all version 1s of anything he found ways to make it work in both production and post. And no big deal to do double system sound but yeah, why would you. Get a camcorder if you are shooting movies. This is a still cam that shoots video not the other way around.

I absolutely love the idea of convergence here. And like I said it will only get better.

Michael Horton
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Well, it is easy for some to comment on something that they have never even come close to.

I have seen what the camera can do as far as quality images and I've actually tested the camera briefly.

The camera as it is has a lot of issues with controls, but when it comes to control situations there is nothing close to a RED ONE image. IMHO

What would happen if we give a RED to a still photographer?

EDIT: For the price

God Bless,

Douglas Villalba
director/cinematographer/editor
Miami, Florida

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