I have search all over for some software mod to provide peaking on the 5dm2 but only find one external hdmi monitor with peaking for focus aid.
is this it?

also, i bought the zacuto Z finder but still have not glued it as someone mentioned the 6x cavision viewfinder that needs no glue and can be attached nicely to the 5dm2 with a swing away plate.
i wear reading glasses, so which is better for focusing, absent of peaking?


thanks!
paul

Paul,

I think you are correct there is only one monitor the Marshall that has peaking and false color. I use this monitor with my line of XDCAM cameras since I purchased the HD-SDI connection. For my Canon 7d I will be looking for the same monitor in HDMI.

I do not know of any software that offers a peaking function. But then again I have not looked for it since I do not have a computer on my shoots unless I am in the studio and then nailing focus is pretty easy with broadcast monitors.

thanks Paul for the peaking monitor confirmation.

here's what i found about the cavision viewfinder that swivels.

----------------------------------------------------
i went to B&H photo/video in new york city yesterday
this is the biggest pro video & photo store in the entire united states.

i had to physically purchase the cavision 6x viewfinder in order to try it and compare it with the zacuto z finder that i already bought a week earlier.
i took to the store a high quality cabin light panel LP5000 to make sure i have perfect white light to view along with the canon 5dm2 camera

here are my observations which were confirmed by 2 B&H pro video sales reps

Pros of cavision viewfinder
1. solid construction and no glue needed to use with canon 5dm2
2. only $179 with the flip away attachment at B&H
3. center image is free of distortion
4. i can use it with reading glass at +1.50
5. eyecup provides good isolation from side light

Cons of cavision viewfinder
1. 6x may not be true as the image was identical to the one from Z finder which advertised at 3x
2. all 4 corners of the image was distorted, while you can see the whole canon 5dm2 frame, the borders concave like a fisheye.
3. blue color fringing once you go beyond the center circle
4. no diopter and one sales rep with a stronger perscription cannot use it.


Pros of Z finder
1. same image size as cavision viewfinder which advertised at 2x the zacuto model
2. no color fringing anyway and the box was straight without curvatures
3. diopter allows even stronger eye glass wearers to use (+1.5 in my case and -4.5 in another guy's)
4. bigger eye cup although you can always buy some $5 attachement

Cons of Z finder
1. $379
2. you have to glue the base


so, needless to say, i kept the Z finder and returned the cavision viewfinder on the same day.

regarding the external hdmi panel, after discussions with the b&h pro video reps, i am still on the fence waiting for either canon to change their firmware or some software for peaking.
the big issue is that canon outputs only 720p into the external and the peaking did not seem real time on the d5m2.
looking for big improvements in 2010.

paul




paul

Thanks Paul that is great info.

It makes me realize I need the Z Finder. I would prefer to use the external monitor but with lower res output I agree we will have to wait on that one. 2010 will be interesting for the industry. I think Sony with their new PMW-350 which arrives on my doorstep tomorrow is a game changer with the Convergent Design Nano. I am sure Canon will be improving their DSLR line for video in 2010 which is one of the reasons I own the 7d to stay in touch and shoot stunning stills.

One Correction:
As for Pro video shops in NYC I don't consider B&H a pro video shop, maybe for 35mm still cameras but not video. I consider them a box store. The last few times in there I realized I will only buy from them if Abel Cine Tech does not carry the item. B&H staff was rude and did not know their product. Abel Cine Tech is a PRO Broadcast Video store of the highest standard. Now I will step off my box sorry but I have strong feelings in this area.

paul

no question about Abel Cine, one of the best pro video places in new york.
i went to b&h because i had to also get the zoom h4n mike as well as hand test the cavision viewfinder and i know b&h as the largest box shop would have them in stock, making tryouts easier.

for real solutions, you have to go buy at Abel Cine and other real pro shops.

paul

Paul I figured if you were in NYC you knew about Abel. Also purchased the Zoom H4n a little hot on sound but better then the 7d.

paul

this is convoluted but, i'm passing the mike through the sound devices 302 mixer line out into the zoom h4n, bypassing the preamp of the zoom.
less hot this way but the 302 of course is a much costlier mixer.

have you been tempted by magic lantern?

paul

That will make is sound better. When I shoot with the 7d I am very light and quick to move location. So sound is not a issue since it is not needed for most of my shots. When I need sound I use my XDCAM cameras and recording gear.

I have not even looked into Magic Lantern yet. You?

paul

this is convoluted but, i'm passing the mike through the sound devices 302 mixer line out into the zoom h4n, bypassing the preamp of the zoom.
less hot this way but the 302 of course is a much costlier mixer.

have you been tempted by magic lantern?

paul

This is not a critique of the approach, the approach is exactly right, and I'm sure gives you better audio. But that said, I highly doubt you're "bypassing" the preamp on the H4n. Most of these cheapo units simply use a pad for line-in recording, sending the signal right through the crappy preamp just like mic-in (which is also how many videocams also do it). Now, I'm not actually familiar with the H4n, so maybe it does have line inputs with a different signal path that truly bypass the preamps but I doubt it. That said, I can't think of a better way to utilize what a recorder like the H4n has to offer than to feed it the hottest signal it can handle without bricking its preamps, which is exactly what you're doing, so again, not a critique of approach, more just making a comment than anything else.

The other thing that kind of made me LOL a bit when I surfed to the H4n website here:
H4n Handy Recorder (http://www.zoom.co.jp/english/products/h4n/)

Was that the page basically makes the claim that non-coincident stereo pairs are inferrior to XY (a coincident technique). What a crock of crap that is, LMAO. As someone who does tons and tons of stereo pair recording, and as someone who knows a lot about the various techniques, that couldn't be farther from the truth. And, in fact, for anything but close micing (e.g., ambient micing for music), you'd almost always be better off with some separation of the capsules if you want to get a decent stereo image. Do you have to worry about phase issues, yes, of course, but that's why you need to pay attention to that and why there are known industry standard techniques like ORTF, NOS, DIN, DINA, etc. Please, talk about self-serving marketing...

yes

that was rather amusing

but, hey, these small recorders have evolved incredibly over the last 15 years.
i still remember the SONY DAT based recorder i used in the mid 90's that sounds awful now versus these.

i am going to be testing our schoeps mikes with these new zoom h4n over the next few weeks.
will try many combinations and if the innards are fake, i'll post my findings.

paul

That will make is sound better. When I shoot with the 7d I am very light and quick to move location. So sound is not a issue since it is not needed for most of my shots. When I need sound I use my XDCAM cameras and recording gear.

I have not even looked into Magic Lantern yet. You?

i have but resisted the temptations, hence going with the external recording of audio for now.
if the magic lantern also had video peaking, i'd have installed it already.
Z Finder with peaking would be so fast and easy, making it like the EX1, almost to a EX3

paul

in this sample, i used a sennheiser g2 transmitter with a sennheiser lav (which is a fine omindirectional over the years...)

the receiver then goes mini-plug into the mike in of the canon 5dm2.

the tricky parts consist of having to play with the sensitivity of the transmitter and the AF out of the wireless receiver. always difficult in a new location where preparation time is not available.

but no big disasters!

YouTube - Let there be peace on earth - Nicole Zivkovic (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w_4iNm0t_Lo)

paul

yes

that was rather amusing

but, hey, these small recorders have evolved incredibly over the last 15 years.
i still remember the SONY DAT based recorder i used in the mid 90's that sounds awful now versus these.

i am going to be testing our schoeps mikes with these new zoom h4n over the next few weeks.
will try many combinations and if the innards are fake, i'll post my findings.

paul

Ha! Don't knock some of those DATs, some of 'em had better insides than today's recorders, LOL...

Magic Lantern has that oh-so-tempting "Edge Detection" option in the menu which doesn't work at the moment, but hopefully a not-too-distant release will remedy the issue...

I use my trusty Zoom H4 for recording audio with my 5D2 and 7D and it doesn't sound half as nice as my Tascam portable DAT machine. It's just so much easier to carry around in my kit!

Avey

Avey

thanks for sharing

i must be doing something wrong as my sony tcd-d8 just does not sound all that great anymore.

paul

I have search all over for some software mod to provide peaking on the 5dm2 but only find one external hdmi monitor with peaking for focus aid.
is this it?

also, i bought the zacuto Z finder but still have not glued it as someone mentioned the 6x cavision viewfinder that needs no glue and can be attached nicely to the 5dm2 with a swing away plate.
i wear reading glasses, so which is better for focusing, absent of peaking?


thanks!
paul

I have a Marshal and the 720p doesn't bother me at all. I haven't purchased the zacuto yet, but I probably will. On a tripod I have no problem shooting with a jacket over my head and magnifying glasses. (I got over that embarrassment from shooting large format.)
On a shoulder rig it seems Zacuto is the way to go. I suggest doing whatever the newsies here are doing.

A side note for people who don't wear glasses: Is it you or the monitor? I don't wear glasses yet but my minimum focus distance gets longer as I get older. Strong cheap drugstore reading glasses reduce minimum focus length to whatever distance one wants. I expect people who wear glasses know this, but I didn't. With a small monitor I wear reading glasses at the end of my nose. Maybe not the look you're going for, but some sacrifices must be made for the craft.

Don,

we are suffering from Presbyopia.
Sorry, but we are getting that middle age issue most have.

we cannot see stuff close to our eyes and yes, reading lens is required.
in my case, as much as +1.50 which the Z Finder provides coverage for.
The Cavision viewfinder too, but anymore than +2.00, no.

paul

now i can even see the dead/stuck pixels on my canon 5dm2 LCD panel.
without the Z finder, i would not have noticed them.

lucky i do not have any inside the camera.