anyone ever shoot video with the canon eos m?

[Rob Katz]

anyone ever shoot video with the canon eos m?

if so, any audio controls?

thoughts on image quality in movie mode?

i'm just asking.

be well.

rob
smalltalk productions
nyc

[Al Bergstein]

Yes, I have. There are non live controls for adjusting the audio volume, works fine. I have put a mic on the shoe and plugged into the audio port. Audio and Image quality if fine, I can't distinguish anything worse than the 7D does, which is the same sensor. I think this is a good camera if you have canon glass already and want a portable solution. I love having this as backup. Shot all my shots on the Grand Canyon float trip in May with this, it's 22mm pancake lens and a 10mm Sigma. It's no worse than shooting with a 7D. WIth the new firmware upgrade the AF is fixed and seems fine. A good deal if you ask me.

[Paul Cascio]

Will my 7d lenses work or do I need an adapter? Are there any cheap adapter out there?

[Al Bergstein]

Your 7D EFS lenses will work with the Canon adapter. You can order them through B&H or others. Not sure what the price was for me. It didn't seem expensive and the camera now is dirt cheap.

[Marco Leavitt]

Can the camera handle very long takes? I'd like to use it for event video, and I've been on shoots where DSLRs overheat after 20 minutes or so. Are there any other restrictions on the length of the footage, other than the size of the card, obviously. Also, can it use AC power? I don't want to be at the mercy of batteries.

[Mark Rosenzweig]

There have been no reports of overheating that I have seen (and I have read everything I could on this camera), and I have had no personal overheating events (unlike my Sony NEX-5N) in extensive video shooting, although I do not shoot takes that are 30 minutes long. There is a hard time limit of just over 29 minutes as on all Canons and many other cameras. There is an AC adaptor you can purchase to power the camera indefinitely.

In addition to the ability to set audio levels manually, you can choose to use a limiter (not the same as AGC), so the audio controls are quiet sophisticated. There is no headphone out and the meters do not show while you are shooting. The video records an audio track that is uncompressed PCM, 16 bit 48Hz sampling, which is nice.

Al's answers are spot on.

[Al Bergstein]

I personally would not choose to shoot any DSLR for long takes at events. They just aren't built for it, though you might succeed. For example the C100 has a fan on it to help keep the electronics cool no matter where you shoot. . I've taken long takes with my 5Dmkiii but it's a professional camera, even though the video is a secondary goal for them, especially now with the C100 and C300. The M is a nice cheap camera, I love it, but I don't expect it to be built like a 5D or a C100. Always buy the right tool for the job, even if it means saving up for it, or leasing it.

[Alex Anderson]

I was considering the Panasonic GH3. They claim to make the whole camera as one big heat sink to avoid any heat problems. Their website shows a graphic pic with a paragraph talking about it. I never have used one, so I can't say much more on it's heat sink ability.It seems to be made more for video than most dslr's.

alex

[Jon Fairhurst]

Originally Posted by Al Bergstein

I personally would not choose to shoot any DSLR for long takes at events.

...I've taken long takes with my 5Dmkiii but it's a professional camera

Regarding events, I have shot a number of 90 minute company meetings with the 5D2. We use a small sensor camcorder, wide and locked down, for a master shot and audio recorder. (This requires fast turnaround.) I man the 5D2 on a tripod with the 70-200/2.8L IS II. I keep IS on and generally keep it zoomed in. I use the Mosaic Engineering AA filter, which makes the lens very non-parfocal, so any zooms are done at cut points as I have to re-focus.

In the end, I use the wide shots at the start and end and when the audience is involved. I also edit in the PowerPoint slides. 80% of the live shots are from the 5D2 with the PowerPoint slides keyed in over the shoulder.

But it's the master shot and master audio that makes this all possible. I can re-start the 5D2 every ten minutes or so, knowing for sure that I have coverage.

Will the M stand the heat? I don't know, but so far, it hasn't felt hot to me. Assuming that the thing won't melt, the key is to have a good master shot. Given that, a DSLR can definitely be used effectively at events.

[Al Bergstein]

Great info. Thanks for that, Jon.

[Chad Andreo]

which camcorder do you use?
Does the footage match up well with the dslr footage?

[Marco Leavitt]

Just an update. I have been shooting school board meetings with the M for a while now, and no problems at all. Using the AC adapter there has been no overheating or other issues. Video looks great. I have been recording double system sound, just in case, as the audio is really the most important thing for the public record, but the audio recording in camera (using a professional mixer) is pretty good. I wouldn't hesitate to recommend the camera for similar video situations. I was surprised at how handy the focus assist options are. This would seem to be an ideal camera to go on steadicam-type device for that reason.

[Chad Andreo]

Do you mind going into more details about the focus assist?
I am still waiting to receive mine in the mail and I cannot find anything about that on google.

[Marco Leavitt]

Maybe focus assist is the wrong word for it. But you can tap anywhere on the screen to focus on that spot while shooting video. Also, and even cooler, you can tap on an item on the screen, say someone's face, and it will continually focus on it, even if they move (or the camera moves). That's what I meant by it would be ideal for Steadicam. One complaint though, before you start actually recording, you can choose a spot in the frame and digitally zoom in very, very tight so that you can focus without changing the actual focal length. This function is lost once you start to roll though, which stinks. I would love to be able to accurately adjust the focus manually while shooting. I have no idea why they disabled this while recording. I wish I could get a firm list of what functions are enabled by the Magic Lantern software hack. It would be nice to get this function back.