Have been lucky enough to get one for a few weeks so stand by for a blitz of footage and tests!!!

Philip Bloom Blog Archive Pimp my Canon 7d: Road testing the latest Video DSLR (http://philipbloom.co.uk/2009/09/03/pimp-my-canon-7d-road-testing-the-latest-video-dslr/)

P.S. The UK price currently out there £1699 is too steep. List should be cheaper!

Be sure to tell us all about manual focussing (how good is the push button focus, how much do you recommend a follow focus ring, how good is the lcd screen for focussing etc.), and how good the screen is when viewed off axis.

Things that I would really like to see tested:

* HDMI resolution while recording. Does it still drop to 480p from 1080i when you hit the record button?
* Bit rate in 24p mode. Is it still 48 mbps? That would be great, since it would mean that each frame now has 25% more bandwidth.
* AGC? Still there?
* Audio monitoring on A/V jack?

Feel free to send me the camera when you're done with it for further analysis!

Sounds Great.

Yes, a test on the HDMI output, recording and not recording (live view) is top on my mind.

Clean, full 16x9 frame output, 1080p etc...

Thanks

Tramm,

Phil has already tweeted that there HDMI resolution still drops from 1080 to 480p and I've had this confirmed by Canon.

There is still AGC

Not sure about the other 2.

Dan

I want to know why the rear screen doesn't flip, flop, twist and turn. I want to use this baby high above my head and down there on the ground.

Wow, you've got that pimped out like a Red on a Soderberg shoot. I'd like to see real world stuff, cars and trucks going by, high contrast things, people interacting in normal lighting conditions, wide angle shots interior and exterior, low and high angles, etc. And, what lenses you are using for those shots.

People all over the world is waiting for your results Philipp. Good luck.

Things that I would really like to see tested:

* HDMI resolution while recording. Does it still drop to 480p from 1080i when you hit the record button?
* Bit rate in 24p mode. Is it still 48 mbps? That would be great, since it would mean that each frame now has 25% more bandwidth.
* AGC? Still there?
* Audio monitoring on A/V jack?

Feel free to send me the camera when you're done with it for further analysis!

HDMI live out still 480p
AGC still there
Not tried headphone jack yet but Canon say no. Not looked at bitrate yet.

Lets see, its about 10 there now, so Phil should have his first rough shots on the time line and be color correcting. Phil... stay out of the pubs tonight... and we could see something about 5 p.m PDT. :)

Dear Phil,

I am assuming that you mean that the HDMI Out, in Live mode, is 480p, when the camera is recording.

I am assuming that it is 1080p in Live mode when you are not recording.

I am also assuming that there is a white square on the HDMI out in Live mode when you are not recording.

Please let me know if you can get a clean image out of the HDMI port, no icons.

Personally, I am interested if the Live Out (while not recording) is 1080p, full screen, no pillarbox, and is clean.

To state the obvious, I am interested in recording the HDMI output and the camera does not need to be in record mode.

Sorry, no joy for you there. Same as 5d exactly.

Dear Phill,

Thanks for your quick reply.

So, it is pillarboxed, and has icons, so it is not a clean output.

Does the output look good, looking past the above problems. In other words, if we magicly got ride of the icons, would it be worthwhile to record the image.

I am assuming that it is 1080p in Live mode when you are not recording.

I am also assuming that there is a white square on the HDMI out in Live mode when you are not recording.
The 5D Mark II is HDMI output is 1080i, not p, when not recording and Magic Lantern can clean all of the extra displays off the screen.

However... while the output signal is 1080, the image region is 3:2 in the best case (no Canon info displayed, after calling lv_output_device( "1080full" )). This means there are side-pillars on both sides of the 16:9 1080i signal, and then soft-mattes to show what portion of the 3:2 is the 16:9 recorded image.

So the effective resolution is even less than the 1080i signal might suggest. I haven't measured it exactly, but my estimate is that we lose about 150 pixels per side-pillar, leaving us with a 1620x911 useful image on the HDMI. I'm still investigating to see if it is possible to get different ratios and to fill the entire screen.

Dear Trammell,

Thanks, I did not know it was 1080i.

I just assumed that since the frame rate on the 5D Mark II was true 30 frames a second, that it was 1080p30 (true 30, and not 1080p29.97).

1080i30 is very strange, in my opinion.

Since the 7D has more frame rates, with 29.97, 23,76, and 25, I thought that they would all be progressive modes and not interlaced.

Trammell, do you know if the output is PSF?

That's the HDMI monitoring output. The camera records 30p, which is 29.97, and the 7D does 24p, which is 23.98 (approximately).

1080i30 is very strange, in my opinion.
I believe it is 1080i60 and is most likely PsF (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Progressive_segmented_frame). I do not observe any combing in the signal when displayed on my (progressive scan) SmallHD field monitor.

Not sure where exactly to post this, but Phil Bloom just tweeted that his first 7D film is up...

Philip Bloom Blog Archive My first short shot with the Canon 7d: “Shaving it back” (http://philipbloom.co.uk/2009/09/04/my-first-short-shot-with-the-canon-7d-shaving-it-back/)

Not sure where exactly to post this, but Phil Bloom just tweeted that his first 7D film is up...

Philip Bloom Blog Archive My first short shot with the Canon 7d: “Shaving it back” (http://philipbloom.co.uk/2009/09/04/my-first-short-shot-with-the-canon-7d-shaving-it-back/)

Thanks! I forgot to put the link here. It as about 5am when I finished uploading it. Its now 845am and am up again!

Phil,

Thanks for the tests. I found your appletini tests informative on bokeh handling as well. Could you please post it on XR or Vimeo for download?

Thanks for doing this stuff,

Ted

Excellent film. Nothing you do is plain Phillip.

I believe it is 1080i60 and is most likely PsF (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Progressive_segmented_frame). I do not observe any combing in the signal when displayed on my (progressive scan) SmallHD field monitor.

Dear Trammell,

Great, that makes much more sense.

1080psf60 would be what is required to work with the widest variety of HDMI monitors.

This is awesome Phil. Any chance we could get a night shot so we could see the low light performance?

will be doing low light and all sorts of tests asap.

On a side note, I just wanted to say a quick thanks to Chris Hurd for running the most adult and pleasant forum around. Keep up the good work. Others can learn a lot from DVInfo.

Phil,

Any chance you could take a 2 second clip in 60P and 24P just as the file comes out of the camera so we can load into our various editing suites to check for compatibility?

Thanks for the late nite clip, it was very helpful. I'm "in" if the files are compatible with Vegas Pro 8/9!

I just wanted to say a quick thanks to Phil Bloom for the most rowsing version of "Hey Jude" that I've ever heard in a karaoke bar.

Chris, let me guess, you didn't have a camera handy...

The problem is that turnabout is fair play... therefore no photos.

The camera records 24p, which is 23.98 (approximately).

Surely 24 fps means just that Bill? Or are you joking with me?

Hi Tom, see http://www.dvinfo.net/forum/canon-eos-7d-hd/346335-7d-movie-modes-full-listing.html -- the EOS 7D records 23.976 fps.

From http://www.usa.canon.com/consumer/controller?act=ModelInfoAct&fcategoryid=139&modelid=19356#ModelFeaturesAct

Well I'll be blowed. Of course the PAL land model will be 24 fps on the nail, and there's no reason why it shouldn't be. Same with 25 fps.

I believe it offers 23.976, 24 and 25.

We call it 24 fps but it's always been 23.97 etc.

Strange thing to say Bill. 24 fps has been 24 fps for a 100 years now, give or take 3 or 4 fps for wavering camera and projector tolerances.

Should have been more clear, sorry, I was talking about video 24 fps. 30 has always been 29.97 and 24 is 23.98.

Chris, let me guess, you didn't have a camera handy...

if you know where to look you can find it!!

Phil, I'm officially looking.

Phl, I'm officially looking.

I was VERY VERY drunk...

Anyway i have footage of Chris Hurd singing YMCA at the same karaoke...he does the moves and EVERYTHING!!

Got any more good footage up yet?

What happens in Austin stays in Austin. Supposedly.

I went to the University of Texas back when film was film, and I can say that some things about Austin never change, apparently.

Did loads of filming with the 7D last night and during the day.

Nightime stuff was fun. So bright in Dublin's Temple Bar at times I had ISO down to 100 with my 35mm f1.4

Will do an edit asap

Phil,
What adapter are you using to be able to use nikon lenses on the 7d? I have a letus extreme, full set of Nikon primes, and two nikon Dslr's. I'g really like to try the 7d, but can't imagine getting rid of all my Nikon gear.
Thanks
Bruce yarock
Yarock Video and Photo (http://www.yarockvideo.com)

What I'd like is an adapter that would allow me to use my ancient but excellent Pre-AI Nikkor lenses on the Canon. I have a 24, 35, 50 micro, 105, 135, and 200.

That would be a Nikon to Canon EF adapter. :) Available at the large camera stores. As long as the Nikon lens has an aperture ring it will probably work.
I buy a lot of adapters, so I usually get my from hongkong. Look at the sellers on ebay: http://tinyurl.com/kw5k7j

Thanks for that info!

more footage. nice slow motion!

Philip Bloom Blog Archive Yet more 7d footage, this time nice slow motion (http://philipbloom.co.uk/2009/09/16/yet-more-7d-footage-this-time-nice-slow-motion/)

Bad news, good news. I had a car accident last week and my XHA1 was damaged. The good news is the camera was written off by the other person's insurance and I was given the full purchase price for camera, wide-angle lens, and on-camera lite. I do mostly artistic short pieces and interviews, and don't often use the sound from the camera and have a Zoom/NTG-2 and Sennheiser G2 kit if I do need set sound. My daughter is also hoping to pursue photography in college next year and my son is starting his senior film project in a few weeks at Savanannah College of Art and Design and would like accomplish it differently than his peers.

With all this in play, I've ordered the 7D kit w/ 28-135 zoom from Amazon, 3 extra batteries, 2-64GB cards, and a battery grip. Within my budget I can either buy a Merlin Steadicam rig (blow budget a little) or buy a eyepiece and maybe a matte box/rail. I already have a Pentax/Asahi SMC f2 50mm and f3.5 135mm lenses (1980's vintage several 5D forums suggested) and the appropriate adapters. I'm ebaying now for a f1.4 50mm and a f2.8 28mm Asahi or similar Nikkor lenses.

I'm thinking of starting with the "eyesock" viewer and getting the steadycam. Would love the Zacuto viewfinder, but it's a little spendy/not sure I understand what it does for me over the less expensive sock. I've never used a matte box and not sure how essential it is. I'm more into high mobility creative works than lugging 50 pounds around (like with XHA1 and 20 lb tripod).

Suggestions welcome.

Roger, you might look at idcphotography.com for their eyepiece system. It's 1/2 the price of the Zacuto and affixes to the bottom of the camera with a nice machined bracket. The owner emailed me and said he'll have the new bracket designed and in production by the time the 7D is shipping. Apparently the LCD is in a little bit different position. The buy builds 5DMKII attachments for the U.S. Army photographers, so his stuff must be decent.

Generally a lens hood will do what you need in terms of keeping light out of the lens, unless there's some low back or side light. You can use threaded filters instead of a mattebox if you want. You will, I'm sure, need one or two ND filters for bright outdoor work. An ND .3 and .6 would probably do the trick.

When I got my XH A1 I had sold all my old Series 9 filters with theh 2/3" chip camera, so I started over. I didn't want the cumbersomeness of a traditional mattebox and rails either. So I got a Lee Filters screw on bellows lens hood, which has 2 filter slots. It's called a Lee Wide Angle lens hood, or something like that. You can find it on their website and get info by emailing the Lee USA guy. B&H carries it. You have to buy a stepdown adapter ring for whatever size lenses you have. Fortunately the kit lens with the 7D is 72mm, same as the XH A1 lens. The Lee only weighs half a pound. It comes with 2mm slots and you can, for around 20 bucks, buy the wider slots with screws and change out if you want. The 2mm slots are for resin filters, the wider ones for glass. I happen to like the resin ND filters. They're not thin plastic, instead they're made out of the same stuff as your eyeglasses lenses. Lighter weight, not really cheap but less than glass. They may be easier to scratch than glass, but I used them years ago in my 16mm days and never scratched one. The ones I use now are fine, no scratches.

You'll find lots of still photographers using bellows type matte boxes like this, but for some reason video guys want the rods and all that heavy stuff. I'm into quick and simple setup times, generally. We also had bellows matteboxes back in my 16mm days, so I'm comfortable with them.

As far as the Merlin, it might be great for this camera because it's pretty light compared to a video camera. I have a Merlin, but I have the articulating arm/vest package, which is over $2500. The XH A1 is too much for just the Merlin itself, although some people have used it that way successfully. If I were in your shoes, I'd get the camera and some ND filters and wait on the Merlin until you see if you really need it. It's not something you will use every day, most likely, unless you do a lot of walking around shots. Also you'll probably want a pretty wide angle lens for it. I'm not sure the 28mm of the kit lens is wide enough. Generally when I shoot Steadicam stuff, I am zoomed back all the way, which on the 7D would be equivalent to about a 30mm lens. Sigma, by the way has a nice f1.4 30mm and an f1.8 20mm (more costly).

There's yet another viewfinder solution...buy the Hoodman 3.0 from B&H and buy the $55 bracket from Redrock. It's not as elegant as the IDC Photography solution, but probably OK. IDC uses the same Hoodman, which has a diopter that's nice if you wear glasses. Cavision also has an eyepiece and bracket combo that's similar to IDC's, but the eyepiece has a 6x magnifier and no diopter adjustment. It also looks like it might cover up the buttons on the left of the camera. They have a swing-away bracket so you can open it up when needed, which is nice. It's in the $200 range too. B&H does not carry the swingaway bracket at this time, only the regular one, and I think it and eyepiece are under $200.

I hope nobody was hurt in the accident--if so, I'll say congratulations on the loss of your XH A1, since you can now buy the 7D! I hope all those who have XH A1s, HVX200s, Z1s, etc., don't start having car wrecks with their cameras.

w/ 28-135 zoom from Amazon, ...........

Yikes, I suggest spending more on glass, less on on other stuff