The thing to remember here is that the 5dmII is a digital still camera targeted first and foremost to still photographers. The inclusion of video is an added feature that a still photographer may play with on the side. As we all know Canon makes video cameras and it wouldn't be prudent at this time in the market for Canon to offer all the features that a video camera offers when they are trying to sell video cameras too. If the 5dmII had 24p, wasn't limited in files size, offered a powered zoom, etc. what advantages would there be in buying a video camera?

Now that the announcement is 12 hours old, only a few reviewers have had their hands on one and the 5dmII won't be in stores until November, can someone please start a thread speculating on the features of the 5dmIII?

I agree - 24, 23.976, 25p, 30p and 60p @ 720 would be ideal.

Fully agreed. I would like to have seen 720 on this camera as well as 1080.

Update: I've just added a link in my initial posts to DP Review's hands-on examination of the 5D Mk. II.

That link is http://www.dpreview.com/previews/canoneos5dmarkII/

According to their 13-page report, there's no audio out over HDMI... that's
a shame. I'm not seeing very much other info about the HD video mode either.

Canon's 10 megapixel SX1 IS shoots Full HD too - Engadget

So this one shoots Full HD too!

In the U.S., there's only the SX10 IS with no HD video, see http://www.dvinfo.net/conf/still-cra...-g10-sx10.html

Just one question though. Who wants to take a stills camera to a video camera party?

It is pretty cool that it can do this. But I cannot honestly see myself going on a stills trip/job and also using up all my cards with video. You could never take stills and get enough footage to make a decent video edit if you are doing both at the same time.

Stills cameras with video capability and vice versa belong in the consumer market IMHO. professional equipment requires specialist function that is of real use. Not cool gimmicks.

I am hoping that Canon will soon release the XL-H2 that has all the features and video format flavors including Canon's version of a 4K Red RAW codec and high speed. The 5D is cool, but I would rather spend my money on a platform based around a camera engineered for motion pictures.

Photojournalists and wedding / bridal photographers. They're going to *augment* their existing photo business with HD video on the side. I don't think anybody expects a D-SLR to replace the videographer using a real video camera.

That's the theory yes. But have you ever tried covering a high pressure event like a wedding doing simultaneous stills, with all the guest control etc involved, and video at the same time?

Its a nice idea, but I do not think that it is possible to multi-task in that way and get a result that is worth paying for as a service. A stills camera doesn't have the ergonomic platform to create professional looking video anyway. So anything that comes out of it will look pretty amateurish. Especially when you consider that most lenses on stills cameras are not controlled manually, and exposure is catered for in set clicks.

Photo journalists will have problems too. Get the photo of a lifetime that pays a lot, or miss it with comparatively low resolution video that appears as a sideline on the newspaper website?

Further you will have to keep changing the camera settings. The shutter settings for stills are totally different to the requirement of video. So you can forget about quickly switching from stills to video mode and have a setting that works well.

Not going to work. Though I will amuse myself watching people try! :-)

The way it'll work in the bridal market is to have two shooters, one doing photo and the other video (and I think that's the only way it can work on a practical basis). The appeal to these photographers is that there's only one model of camera to buy and learn and accessorize, and it's in the familiar form factor of an SLR. The folks in that market will be drawn more toward the idea of an extra SLR body that can shoot HD video than they will to an HD camcorder.

I think an experienced photojournalist might be able to pull off the multi-tasking of shooting photo and video without an assistant... I know of some who are doing this already with consumer HD camcorders.

More power to them then. But I still think it is a mistake. Rates are being squeezed as it is without doing twice as much work for even less money. I only hope they are charging accordingly.

Regardless, I think to purchase two cameras the same just to avoid learning is also a mistake. If you can use one camera you can generally use another after a couple of minutes of familiarisation.

Multi-tasking is one thing, but doing both 'well' is quite another. Could they, for example, produce stuff that is of the standard that is often posted in the Wedding video forum? If they are just getting clips to bung on a CD-ROM then perhaps it is fine.

But a fully fledged video?

Could it be the 4gb limit is a result of the FAT32 format?

I am a complete amateur in both video and photography so I mostly lurk this site to glean what tidbits I can. Been following along for at least 6 months now.

Since I am not a filmmaker the DSLR + video doesn't mean much to me at first. The big difference in regard to camcorders I haven't seen anyone really talk about is how the large sensor contributes to the ability to take HD video indoors and during the night with minimal lighting. All of the small sensor format camcorders anywhere close to the price of this or even the D90 don't seem anywhere near capable in terms of low light performance (based on D90 footage I see - who knows what the Canon footage will show).

That makes me interested in the DSLR + video revolution unfolding before our eyes. I want to take high quality nighttime/indoor HD video and DSLR seems the best way to go (not to mention the other benefits like shallow DOF,interchangeable high quality lens, etc.) for the price.

I didn't say "just to avoid learning," but perhaps I should have stated "one model to learn" in a different way. If the goal behind purchasing gear is to expand business, the quickest way to do that and return a profit is to get up and running as quickly as possible. Having only one camera model to learn, and then to instruct assistants how to use, is much faster. A single camera model offers a convenience that's easier to embrace and an accessory path (batteries, chargers, etc.) that's lighter on the budget than two different camera models.

This will revolutionize wildlife imaging with a flood of video. The only trick will be to get proper audio. Nature shows cover that up with a narrator.

An easy fix is to split the files into smaller files during recording. Sony is doing this on the EX1. I just hope Nikon allows you to set the size to something less than 1 GB to make the files more manageable in video editors.

I don't think the party is over... if you compare the new 5D MKII to the Canon flagship
1Ds MKIII, both being 21.1 m pixel, then the 5D actually is a better camera spec wise....

Canon wont let the 5D take away the 1Ds sales... There should be two more cameras
coming soon....

The 1D MkIII and the 1Ds MkIII will need to be upgraded also.... then we get to see
just what Canon has to offer...

I'm quite sure some people will learn to handle doing stills and video as part of a small team AND solo as well. This camera represents technical progress and a new avenue of opportunity for some.

Advances in technology are a double edged sword - they increase expectations as well as opportunities. Some of us can remember the cries of "impossible" when ENG crews of 1 reporter and 1 "everything else" first appeared. Impossible and undesirable as it seemed to many at that time, people are now doing events coverage, ENG and other work solo and handling the audio, video and lighting with great success. But of there is still a lot of work for more conventional crews, and the soundman, the boom operator, the mixer and the lighting director still exist along with camera operators and all the rest.

Some of the guys and gals on this list achieve the seemingly impossible at every wedding they cover or short film they make - doing things I would probably have said couldn't be done.

I am guessing that they offered 24p because the D90 camera couldn't handle 30p, thus spinning a technical limitation as an artistic feature. Almost all of the movies made with this camera will be seen on LCD computer screens or TV with 60 Hz refresh rates, so 24p can only add a lot of the stuttering judder for frame repeat/add or weird motion blur when converted to 25p/30p or 50p/60p.

Initial posts updated to include link to Canon Japan EOS 5D Mark II Special Site

Judging from the official video samples, it doesn't appear to be cropped.

I quite often set up a digital stills camera on a timelapse (350d) while I run around shooting with my broadcast camera. To be able to set up the new 5D on the same full frame timelapse is nice, but to also have the option of shooting it as a b camera or for background plates and so on, not to mention the classic 'CEO Headshot' is a really nice option to have.

I don't see it as an XDCAM replacement, but I do think that it will be nice to have the camera in the back of the truck...

Mark II Has Highlight Alert
 

Guess what the camera does have highlight alert which is like a blinking zebra but I'm not sure it translates to IRE values. But it does tell you when your going to blow the highlights out. Also I wonder if the exposure lattitude is different on this kind of chip as compared to a camcorder chip. Remember this chip is 1.42 inches x 1 inch. And each pixel site has it's own lens element with local 14-bit digital processing to help maximize the image quality. It will be fun to see how well it does in December 08 when it's available for sale.

Also this has real-time histograms in realtime.

What I find extremely interesting about this camera is that Canon is telegraphing quite clearly that they have all the next generation technical assets in place - especially the sensor and hardware codec, to meet the upcoming challenge of Scarlet and even perhaps higher up the food chain as well.

This sensor and 38(!) Mbps AVCHD codec may be appearing for the first time in a DSLR, but I would be shocked if they don't reappear in video camera form in the not to distant future.

Something(s) for NAB 2009 to steal a bit of Red Digitals thunder, perhaps?

Zebras still important but less crucial with real-time histograms. I'd like to see some improvements in zebras stripes: represent each display pixel with a color-coded luminence value. This would be like an audio level meter (green-yellow-red) but with more values in the 2D representation.

Now that LiveView is more than a novelty, I'd like to see more focusing aids such as a version of peaking: showing sharpest area of image instead of just above a certain level of sharpness. Another would be expanded view with picture in picture (PIP): The Expanded view would be the large part while the whole seen would be PIP.

FYI. Prolost agrees with those that think Canon fumbled by not including 24p:

ProLost: So Close Canon

That's a filmmaker's perspective so it's not surprising.

sample clips
 

PDNPulse: Canon 5D Mark II Sample Video Clips

There are sample video clips from the 5dmII on Canon's Korean site. The link above is from PDN which has the links to the clips.

This can still be got over ebay from a Japanese store. However, its a 10 megapixel sensor on a 1/2.3" sensor. The pixel size will be pretty small with the DOF not much more than a HV20 or its siblings..

Okaaaaay. But that means it is scaled instead, with all the artifacts and dodgy processing involved in that process.

Either way, this isn't a free buffet at the Hilton with daughter Paris.

We need to learn more about how the camera really handles in some tests, but I see this camera as being a great tool for talking heads, internet, steadicam & greenscreen work inplace of using a Letus ect...

I own a 5D, so it is a no brainer for me to sell the 5D and get the mark II.

I will use video cameras when needed, but this is everything people buy 35mm adaptors for, but in a much more compact frame.

It is not going to cure all ills, but definately an interesting tool.

For those like myself who own "L" lenses, this is a great use for them.

Tim, please tell me you're from the UK and are using our typical droll humour?!

I too would rather buy a 5D MKII to use with my 4 L lenses than spend nearly twice as much on a Letus Ultimate and still be stuck using the lenses at a fixed aperture. If filming were my full time job, maybe I would make other choices. The new 5D could be a great tool for people who do both still photography and videography, especially nature and landscape work. I could see using the 5D MKII for stock nature photography and videography on the same trip, in a nice lightweight package. Good saleable stock footage is often in clips of 10 to 30 seconds anyway. If you were disciplined about your shots, the camera/card clip length limitations might not be such a big deal. This use of course is not the same as filming an event or making a feature film.

Pat

All of the newer Nikon lenses and many older ones do not include aperture rings. Most seem interested in using these lenses on their 35mm adapters at very wide apertures for dramatically-thin DOF, but setting a good zoom to f/2.8 to f/4 was more useful to me. That's in the range of a pro-level f/2.8 zoom, which is difficult to use without an aperture ring. How do you set the aperture on lenses that don't have an aperture ring?

You set the aperture while the lens is on the camera and the DOF preview button is depressed, and then take it off the camera.

Pat

Thanks, I'll give it a try. That helps with my anxiety in selling off my older lenses with aperture rings.

It seems like there is no manual exposure or shutter speed control. And it shoots at 30fps, not 29.97.

Simon, you're going to have to explain as it is tough to get sarcasm over the internet.

If you're saying I am crazy, I don't understand your point.

People are putting these Letus things in front of an existing camera and lens and making Bazooka-like end products just to get shallow DOF.

The full-frame 5D II comes along and shoots 1080p with the capability to get that DOF with only the intended lenses, and there is some kind of problem with this?

So I can run sound to my Firepod, no big deal. This would be no different that a "normal" video camera on a tripod for a studio shoot, except you would probably have more dynamic range with the 5D MII.

That's all I am going to say until you can make some better points...

If this is true, then all bets are off.

Yep. I think that is silly too.

Does it specifically say that the DOF can be achieved in video mode? There doesn't seem to be any definitive answer as to how it is making 1080 video. If it is scaling the picture, then that right there is a red flag because full frame stills are a completely different aspect ratio to 16:9 video. So it has to be cropping in some way.

This is going to be very limited, ergonomically and control wise.

Like Simon says, this is going to be of very limited use for serious video work.

It may be great for certain specific applications such as timelapse or where a very small camera is required or a specialist lens is used. Maybe even low light stuff... we'll have to wait and see.

Simon, from the sample clips there doesn't appear to be much cropping of the sensor. For example, the 15mm wide angle shot is VERY wide. If it was cropped down you would obviously get a far narrower field of view.

I am tempted to buy one of these because although it is of limited use as an HD camera, it is really just a bonus over what will certainly be a great stills camera

Horizontally or vertically there must be cropping somewhere because the 16:9 aspect is totally different to full frame.

I'd also be worried about the quality of in-camera scaling to achieve 1920x1080.

Granted, there has to be some cropping but it doesn't appear to be using a windowed method like Red does at 2K.