Canon 5D Mark 11 footage

Can anyone suggest the settings and how to import footage from the 5D mark 11
Thanks

of topic, but that's Mark ll not Mark 11

you might try for info over at dvxuser.com

This tutorial makes a good case for using the MPEG Streamclip app to transcode the source files into the 35 Mbits/sec XDCAM EX codec rather than the usual Pro Res workflow.

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Michael Horton
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That's crazy talk, Mike. XDCAM is a GOP codec just like H.264, so transcoding to that format doesn't make any kind of sense. The whole idea of converting to an intermediate format is to get out of GOPsylvania and into I-frametopia.

If you can't go to ProRes because your system isn't sufficiently beefy, then I guess DVCPRO HD is the next best thing. You lose some resolution, and you still have to deal with conforming 30p to 29.97p, but that's life.

"The whole idea of converting to an intermediate format is to get out of GOPsylvania and into I-frametopia. "

Holy crap....best thing i've read all week!

This whole "GOPsylvania versus I-frametopia" is so '08.

XDCAM EX rocks. It blows DVCProHD away.

There ya go. I haven't had a good format argument in a while...

CINEPAK 4 LYFE

I can actually just import the files directly since they are .mov files, and when I put them in a sequence it changes the settings to match the clip. But when I play it its shaky and yucky looking. What FCP settings should I use to have it look better? I have FCP Studio 2, G5 Tower, etc. Let me know! And should I convert the clips first as you were discussing?

Shaky? Was this stuff shot handheld? One of the inherent problems with the Mk II ? like all new tiny motion cameras ? is that they have no mass. They've got no inertia, so every little movements of the operator's body is translated right to the lens and the sensor. I've even heard reports, though they might have been exaggerated, that the operator's heartbeat can be seen in the footage that comes off a Mk II.

This isn't a new problem. A lot of DV cameras had the same issue when that format was new, and a lot of cameras that share the basic DV form factor have inherited it. That's why you see expensive shoulder rigs from outfits like Zacuto that actually include twenty or thirty pounds of pure ballast, just to smooth out the operator's movements.

If there's more camera-shake than you like, you might be able to do a small blow-up and stabilize each shot. I haven't done it with this footage myself, so I don't know where the fallapart point is, but my personal guideline for HD stuff is that you can push in about 10% before the results become unacceptable. It varies shot-to-shot, obviously.

Since the shutter on the Mk II is out of the operator's control, stabilizing might not help. If there wasn't a ton of light in the shot and the camera "helpfully" racked the shutter wide open to get more exposure during the shot, you might end up with a stabilized shot that's all streaky from the excessive motion blur of the 360° shutter.

Only way to be sure is to try it.

But generally, take this as a reassurance: Posting Mk II footage is a giant pain in the hinder, for a wide variety of reasons. You're not the only one to ever struggle with it.

Thank you so much for your thoughtful reply! I should have mentioned that the clips play beautifully with Quicktime player, so its not a camera shake problem. I just meant the computer seemed to not be able to handle the footage? I wondered if I should use certain sequence settings or other user settings to help the computer be able to process it? Thank you for any additional help! jen

The files you "can just import" are H264. FCP will import them and play them but they look all "yucky" as you say. You can edit this way but it's not recommended. H264 is not an editing codec and FCP doesn't like playing them. There's probably nothing wrong with your computer or the footage per se. Transcode the clips first, import those and edit with that per the advice above.

Think of it this way. People don't eat potatos right out of the ground (for good reason) but they make great fries.

You gotta problem with potato salad?

Thank you! Now how should I transcode the clips? No one said specifically. Should I use mpeg streamclip or something else. Also what codec should I transcode them to? Apple published some great white papers on importing RED footage and how to import Panasonic P2, that I follow carefully. Have they done that yet with this camera? Thank you so much! Jennifer

What's your delivery format? I always start at the end and work backwards. If my delivery format is a standard-definition anamorphic DVD, I work in a standard-definition anamorphic timeline, usually 8-bit uncompressed. Or whatever, y'know?

In a case like this, your intermediate format is much less of a consequence on your workflow than the fact that, unless you're going out to the Internet as your sole delivery mechanism ever, you must conform from the Mk II's native integer-30 frame rate to NTSC-standard 29.97. If you shot sync sound, this conforming will introduce sync drift that's noticeable after the first minute and totally objectionable after the first two, so I hope you shot short takes.

My life IS potato salad...