Does anyone have experience in filming with a Canon 5D mk II??
I intend to make some performance videos in the studio.
Although I make some photographs from time to time with an average Canon 400D, I have no experience in filming...
I'd like to buy a 5D MK II to get somehow professional results when filming unplugged performances in the studio, or at home...
Can you help me choosing the right lens??
Would you recommend a 35mm 1:1,4 L, a 24-70mm 1:2.8 L, a 135mm 2,0 L, or a 24-105mm 1:4,0 L or something else for filming?? I want everything to look really professional and TV/movie like. Remember, I will probably film in small and mid-sized rooms and locations.
Would be nice if you could help me with the lens.
What setting would you start with on the camera?
And is any processing, like coloring, contrast etc necessary to get a professional look? What software do you recommend to get videoclip look? Or a warm sixties retro look? Adobe after effects? Magic bullet? How to change the general looks and colors easily?
Cutting and editing? Final Cut Pro?
BTW I'm on mac (imac 27")
There are a lot of people using these cameras for film projects. They also use hacked / modified software to improve the camera's performance for filming. Search around on google and I bet you will find some cool and helpful stuff.
I'm using a Canon 550D to produce hobbyist projects and three things have been critical:
- the right lens for the job...small spaces need a bit of wide angle to fit everything in. Most expensive is not always best for purpose...Canon make a cheap 50mm 1.8 lens that is superb in low light, although the expensive L-series lenses do provide value too.
- IME the lighting has to be spot on to make the most of DSLR's
- good to have a smooth workflow from camera to NLE
While there are more esoteric and faster lenses for low light,You could do just about any essential shot with the L kit lens 24-105.If you are new to this camera you need to know 2 very important things as video was an afterthought...
1.No autofocus in video mode.Fine if you or the subject doesn't move.
2.No viewfinder in video mode.You will only monitor via the screen or you must buy an external monitor or Z-finder.
3.High quality UDMA CF Memory cards are expensive for hi-speed data transfer to shoot video reliably... and you will need lots of them
I had a 5D MkII for about a year along with an 24-105-L lens. Output was excellent and that's a fantastic lens. The combo is film-like. In the end it was just too much camera for me, so I eventually sold it (just got a Fuji X-100 which is a GREAT camera).
The Canon shoots great video, as I'm sure you've seen across the web. Focusing is a bit clunky though, and the built-in microphone is tough to use because it picks up the sound of each and every focus adjustment. A fixed lens does look sharper, but I don't know how you'd feel about losing the ability to zoom on the fly.
The mkiii is out. It's significantly more expensive at $3,499 for the body and $4,299 with the kit lens I believe. Not much more gained on resolution for megapixels for stills, however some notable improvements are:
1. 29min record time limit for video (up from 12)
2. 61pt autofocus (up from 9)
there are more improvements as well. A good thing to note though is that if your needs would be met with the mkii, those prices will likely dip a bit (and they are going to keep selling them new as well for the time being). Although, this is gearslutz....
Yes, personally I use 2 x GH2's for my shooting, the "kit" lenses are great. That 20mm pancake is a 1.7, looks great, and is only $349. I've shot entire live shows on 1 32gb sd card with great results. Plus there are the hacks for the really high bit-rate stuff, easy to hack / easy to reset. Unless you're really set on Canon (ie you have a lot of canon glass already) it's a great option and you should certainly check them out. Also for even nicer glass there is the Voigtlander 25mm for m4/3 which is amazing, all metal, great feel, 0.95 lens!!!! albeit at a price of $1200.
If you're by chance near Boston I'd be happy to show you around the camera in person
Yes, personally I use 2 x GH2's for my shooting, the "kit" lenses are great. That 20mm pancake is a 1.7, looks great, and is only $349. I've shot entire live shows on 1 32gb sd card with great results. Plus there are the hacks for the really high bit-rate stuff, easy to hack / easy to reset. Unless you're really set on Canon (ie you have a lot of canon glass already) it's a great option and you should certainly check them out. Also for even nicer glass there is the Voigtlander 25mm for m4/3 which is amazing, all metal, great feel, 0.95 lens!!!! albeit at a price of $1200.
If you're by chance near Boston I'd be happy to show you around the camera in person
Heck yes.
GH2 us the defacto king of video at present. You can adapt all types of lenses and it is hackable to high bit rates, nearing 200mb/s. The only GH2 killer at present is the new black magic camera which ups the dynamic range by 4 stops. But, it is somewhat specialized.
For the price of a 5Dmklll, you could grab a GH2 and a zeiss lens for a truly amazing and filmic look.
The only problem with the pancake is it is slow with autofocus which reveals another GH2 advantage. The 25mm from panny is reportedly faster.
I and many others have the 20mm and go manual. Another popular effort is adapting old canon and Nikon lenses. I use a canon 50mm 1.4 FD mount.
Had High hopes for the new Canon 5DmkIII but I feel it didn't meet my expectations on features. (which is my own fold since it is still a photo camera and I want it being a video camera) I wanted a cam with raw output and at a price point thats affordable. It's a amazing camera but just not what I hoped for.
They say that after rain comes sunshine and well it did sort of.
After all the new Canons were announced this camera got my attention....
Ok it doesn't have a full frame sensor but it does have...
- a built-in SSD recorder that allows 2.5K uncompressed CinemaDNG RAW 12-bit capture as well as Apple ProRes and Avid DNxHD compressed video formats.
- Bigger, better touchscreen which shows a much faster and deeper overview plus gives you the freedom to edit metadata etc on the fly.
- Comes with Davince Resolve color grading software and is still cheaper than a 5DmkIII
Specs: Blackmagic Design: Blackmagic Cinema Camera Tech Specs
Does anyone have experience in filming with a Canon 5D mk II??
I intend to make some performance videos in the studio.
Although I make some photographs from time to time with an average Canon 400D, I have no experience in filming...
I'd like to buy a 5D MK II to get somehow professional results when filming unplugged performances in the studio, or at home...
Can you help me choosing the right lens??
Would you recommend a 35mm 1:1,4 L, a 24-70mm 1:2.8 L, a 135mm 2,0 L, or a 24-105mm 1:4,0 L or something else for filming?? I want everything to look really professional and TV/movie like. Remember, I will probably film in small and mid-sized rooms and locations.
Would be nice if you could help me with the lens.
What setting would you start with on the camera?
And is any processing, like coloring, contrast etc necessary to get a professional look? What software do you recommend to get videoclip look? Or a warm sixties retro look? Adobe after effects? Magic bullet? How to change the general looks and colors easily?
Cutting and editing? Final Cut Pro?
BTW I'm on mac (imac 27")
Please help me, that would be great!
What lens?
What processing software?
Let me begin by saying I am not trying to be negative or discourage you from your endeavor. Like everything else worth doing, there is a learning curve.
I'm in a similar situation (coming from a photography background and getting into video), and have spent a significant amount of time reading up on video.
Buying a video capable DSLR, hitting record and expecting to achieve professional looking output is a recipe for disappointment. Achieving professional looking results immediately is a tall order to fill if you have no experience filming. There is quite a differential between proficiency at taking photographs and being proficient at creating video projects (there is some overlap though). To achieve a professional looking video, you need to consider things such as framerate (24? 29.97? 30? 60? Progressive? Interlaced? What is the target output framerate? Output medium? Will this be for web consumption? DVD? Blu-ray? What is the optimal shutter speed for a given framerate?). There are a lot of variables to consider when dealing with video that don't apply to stills.
As in photography, lighting and scene composition play a huge part. Color grading and other post processing will almost certainly be required (in addition to basic editing techniques to achieve the desired pacing and feel).
Equipment selection is really a secondary consideration- possessing a solid understanding of the basics of what is required to achieve what you want is the most important (as in music).
The primary advantage the 5D (and other large sensor DSLRs) have (over your basic camcorder) is the ability to achieve a shallow depth of field. But to do that, you need someone to continually man the camera and adjust focus as needed to keep the subject in focus and the background out of focus - and a host of other potential adjustments.
I'm not in a position to recommend equipment, but you may be better served by picking up a basic, high quality camcorder to learn with (maybe a panasonic tm900 for example) and experiment with technique and editing before diving into a DSLR system. And a DSLR properly equipped for video is truly a system - body, lens(es), audio sync considerations etc... A DSLR body set to autorecord with a single lens is really no better (and possibly worse) than an all-in-one camcorder specifically designed for video.
A good tripod is critical for a DSLR especially if it's used outdoors in any wind or on an unstable surface. The resolution of the DSLR is so great that even small/micro movements are recorded onto the image.
I bought a good Manfrotto tripod (although there are other cheaper good tripods) and a good fluid video head and it's paid off in terms of a more stable image.
The aluminium tripods are heavier (and cheaper) than the carbon fibre tripods, and provide a better base (IMO) as they have more mass and solidity.
The Canon 5D Mark II will give you really good results! A few "House" episodes were filmed with it, as well as a few recent movies. But it is $2500 bucks. If you have the money get that by all means, but if you don't, then get a 7D, 60D, or even T2i/550D with a good lens or two, and some good studio lighting
Lighting is the key to getting 'professinal' shots. Get some continuous lights with some softboxes to soften the light up a bit. Look up some good video lighting tutorials, or just experiment and you will get a super good look.
For lenses, get a 35, 24-70, or 24-105, 50mm 1.8 1.4 or 1.2. This will give you awesome results.
For basic editing the new Final Cut should be perfect. There's a lot of stuff they messed up on for professional work. Adobe Premiere is an awesome alternative. Look both of them up and see which one you like better.
Rather than blow an extra $2000 for 3 extra MPx's, I got the XL2 body for $550. Works great as does the 5D.
However, the lack of autofocus during video modes make these a tough call. You better have that focus right or your screwed. If the depth of field changes and you need to re-focus manually, that will be a problem. Otherwise, the quality is excellent.
Focus first in pic mode, then you're ok unless something moves away.
Chris - just wanted to say that I liked the tension in your video....within a few seconds I was gripped by the 'action'...I didn't think I would be but I was. You've definitely got a talent there : )
Does anyone have experience in filming with a Canon 5D mk II??
I intend to make some performance videos in the studio.
Although I make some photographs from time to time with an average Canon 400D, I have no experience in filming...
I'd like to buy a 5D MK II to get somehow professional results when filming unplugged performances in the studio, or at home...
Can you help me choosing the right lens??
Would you recommend a 35mm 1:1,4 L, a 24-70mm 1:2.8 L, a 135mm 2,0 L, or a 24-105mm 1:4,0 L or something else for filming?? I want everything to look really professional and TV/movie like. Remember, I will probably film in small and mid-sized rooms and locations.
Would be nice if you could help me with the lens.
What setting would you start with on the camera?
And is any processing, like coloring, contrast etc necessary to get a professional look? What software do you recommend to get videoclip look? Or a warm sixties retro look? Adobe after effects? Magic bullet? How to change the general looks and colors easily?
Cutting and editing? Final Cut Pro?
BTW I'm on mac (imac 27")
Please help me, that would be great!
What lens?
What processing software?
Hi,
We used the 5DMkII for a years, and it's great.
It deliver wow image for sure. Just need a little saturation on the color, and nothing else to get a pro image.
The problem IMO is that it don't handle that well movements (may have shuttering image when moving camera), and also have some artifacts like moire.
But if you have broadcast lenses, the 5D with it's large sensor will get better result (great white, great colors, handle large contrasts etc...), that any regular camera (non DSLR) under 10k. But if you need a lot of scrolling or movement of the camera ... then you may have issues.
We now have the 5DMk3 and are in heaven.
The problem we had with the 5DmkII are gone. No more moire or artefacts, and it handle movements much better. The colors are more vivid, without need of any post processing. Very very happy.
We use final cut pro X on iMac quad 3.4Ghz. Smooth editing straight from the H264 files.
The only thing we whish now, is to see the 'magic lantern' software to work on the 5DmkIII so we can lower the video compression (by increase the mb/s output) and get closer to raw.
Speaking of "House", here's a shot of Hugh Laurie playing last Tuesday at the Belly Up Tavern in Solana Beach, CA. It was shot with the T2I with a 18~55 mm image stablization lense.
I was allowed to shoot only during the first song, and they disallowed video so I have none of that.
Chris - just wanted to say that I liked the tension in your video....within a few seconds I was gripped by the 'action'...I didn't think I would be but I was. You've definitely got a talent there : )
Thanks I appreciate it. This one means a bit more since I wrote the script and directed it. A reputable agency liked it so much that they signed me this week. They're not promising me anything, but who knows right? I am a very motivated person so I try to stay hopeful. I'd like to make a living with it. I will be directing my music videos for my 2nd album And they'll be shot with the Canon 5d Mkii.
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