The clips I've seen look pretty good from an image quality standpoint, and the Digic chips have had to scale to smaller resolutions forever since they offer the ability to save smaller resolution files. Something I read said that it had the ability to show you a mask of what 16x9 would be on the live view LCD, which to me means that they're just discarding the top and bottom of the sensor. Almost all of the sensors in video cameras these days natively shoot at a higher resolution and then sub-sample down. Any camera that can take higher resolution stills than 1440x920 is going to be scaling the image output down to that res for video. I would guess that the image quality is going to blow away anything but the $4k and up dedicated video hardware, and at low light it's probably going to be better than anything under $8k, simply due to the size of the sensor. Maybe Nikon will come out with something that directly competes and then we'll have an Apples to Apples comparison. I'm not heavily invested in Canon lenses yet, and competition can't be anything but good for us.

The ergonomics are going to be a little strange, but once you rig it up to a larger lcd for focusing and an external mic, you might as well put the whole thing on a shoulder brace.

I've been pondering a replacement for my aging Rebel XT, and this looks like it'll be it, assuming I can scrounge it together and convince the wife to let me spend it. I've always wanted a full frame SLR, and the ability to shoot really high quality video means that buying an HV30 would just be a waste. I'd rather put that $800 towards a really good piece of L glass.

There is a lot yet to be known about this feature.

I called Canon support and a tech told me they don't even have a sample yet, so they don't even know yet.

The biggest thing to me is whether or not Canon intended this to be used for some high end results or just a marketing ploy.

We all would want full resolution, live feed out the HDMI and full manual control, but they might have had a different idea.

Canon's been pretty good about adding features to it's high end cameras with firmware updates. We'll see if that crosses over to video features. Also, apparently nobody's been able to play with the video feature in the previews they've done, so they may still be working on finalizing that feature. It's probably going to be at least a month before we really know how it's all going to work.

although the 5dkII has yet to be tested, but Nikon's video effort isn't exactly tough to beat. why? it's crap.

Video of Nikon D90 Wobble Test - Photobucket - Video and Image Hosting

I have just posted a short video of the Canon 5D mk II here

Canon EOS 5D Mk II

There's a lot of opinion around the web that this is just a toy add on for the consumer.
Anyone familiar with the 35mm adapter industry that's developed over the last several years understands the potential from that perspective, but the fact that Canon included a stereo audio in pretty much shoots that concept down. If Canon just saw it as a cute add on they would leave it with the little mono mic that it has. I doubt that they envision soccer moms and b-day party shooters bringing a sound man along with a boom and field mixer.

Thanks for your link Vincent.

Could I ask (since you have spent time with the camera) about some of the video features?

The video touches upon this, can one use manual control while shooting in the video mode?

Does the HDMI output a live signal for external monitoring?

Does the video mode use the entire sensor(or most of it) while recording?

Thank you

Crap indeed! Never seen such a bad wobble from any of my CMOS camcorder. Now it's destined to sit only on a tripod. Hope Canon does better but could this be wishful thinking?

Wacharapong

I was checking in on the d90 thread wondering why it had gone so quiet... anyway
Interesting video Vincent.

one of the specs llisted on dpreview-

"New optional WFT-E4 WiFi / LAN / USB vertical grip"

I wonder would a device such as this allow us to transmit the 4gb video files wirelessly to a laptop immediately after each clip is written.

That could prove very useful.

And they would have put it on their low-end $700 Rebel XS, not their full-frame $2700 studio body.

...indeed, and why use that HD video enabled 1.6x APS-C sensor to compete in the DSLR market when you could just drop one into a new XH/XL series camera with an EOS mount to compete in the video market?

We have Zeiss announcing their manual focus lenses for the EF mount being released soon.
Whether Canon intended it or not, they're positioned right now to make some game-changing decisions in the sub 5-10g video segment.

Tim,

I do not have any more information on the camera, the models being demonstrated were pre-production units, only one camera was actually taking pictures and that was the one Damien Lovegrove was using. I will be taking a closer look at this camera in due course.

I am getting the D90 in today and will do a full "Interactive Review" on this model.

Thanks for your reply.

Saw a highly compressed 5D MK II clip from Lisbon that was obviously shot handheld. There didn't appear to be any noticeable CMOS rolling shutter wobble. On the other hand, if you look at Canons clip of the geyser (Yellowstone), I think you can see the autoexposure adjusting for drifing clouds of steam and water, making the surrounding landscape brighter or darker in compensation.

Pat

Which raises perhaps the most salient question (for me anyway.) Is there some inherent reason that both Nikon and Canon have this pretty egregious professional shortcoming with the locked shutter/ISO issue?

I ran across a Canon marketing video in which they were getting feedback about the 5D MKII from professional still photographers and photojournalists. It seems pretty clear that at least one of the reasons they have included video is so that pro still photographers have a way to capture video content for web use. This is increasingly becoming a requirement for pro still photographers. Maybe the locked exposure is an attempt to keep things simple for that part of the market. If you take a look at some of the major still photography forums, there seem to be many photographers who have very little familiarity with video. Maybe these users will want to quickly capture 10 seconds of video while they are mainly concentrating on the technical aspects of still photography during a shoot.

Pat

You're probably correct. Look, I think we're a little harsh on the video. So far, both Canon and Nikon have provided the equivalent of what they provide on P&S cameras. Many DSLR users resist this new feature. Video users will wait for an entirely new set of features before using it. Very few video users will trade their primary camcorder for these DSLRs, so I can see why Canon and Nikon didn't delay the introduction of their 1.0 feature set. I bet 2.0 is under development. It may also be the case that given the size of the software, it may not be possible to keep both an SLR program and a robust camcorder program in the camera at one time. They may have to increase the internal memory size. Note that many prosumer P&S cameras and many video camcorders (notably every prosumer Sony) requires you to restart the camera to switch between Video Player and Camcorder modes. Personally, I've always found this to be a nuisance.

Canon 5D MarkII
 

I am a film/video student at a local arts magnet school and am in the market for a dSLR and a video camera. However, I currently do not have the money to purchase both so I am looking for opinions on the new Canon dSLR, the 5D MarkII.

Does anyone know anything about the 5d MarkII's video capability. It claims to record 1920x1080@30p for up to 12min (4gb) at 38Mbits/sec. Based on my limited understanding of the video camera market, that is a higher bit rate than most HDV camcorders which record 80min at 25Mb/sec. Considering that it uses a CMOS sensor as opposed to the 3CCD sensor used in most prosumer video cameras, approximately what level of camcorder does it compare to? It records to .mov files which I am unfamiliar with, but they seem to be compatible with Premiere and FCP. Also, its interchangeable lens system and high iso performance should make it a very capable camera in the manual controls section. It has a 3.5mm mic input jack and since it records to CF cards, you would have no vibration/motor noise to deal with.

Sorry if this is in the wrong section.

Thanks

The camera is too new for all of the specs to be known yet.

I am watching if it has live output through the HDMI connector for video previewing and also if the camera can be used in full manual mode instead of auto iris ect... while shooting video.

If these two things are good, then I think it could be a real possibility.

But this type of camera will be best used in a "film" type production environment where there is separate sound and the camera itself is moved instead of panning & tilting.

Focus may be a challenge as SLR lenses don't have the support gear that the video world has for following motion.

But the image quality should be very nice.

Whilst sitting on a long train journey in China on a trip testing a Nikon D90 I've been able to establish the following about the 5DmkII:

As already noted it has no specific ISO or shutter speed lock in movie mode, but it does tell you the shutter speed it's using. You can use the AE lock button to lock exposure in movie mode so that's some form of control at least, but not much. This will lock the shutter speed, ISO and aperture.

Now the good part, movie mode will work with Nikon lenses on adapters (like the 16-9.net ones), so yes, you can use manual aperture lenses for aperture control when shooting movies after locking shutter speed and ISO.

The audio levels are auto only, the jack plug should work with a beachtek though.

Movies use H264 compression, shoots to .mov. Max length of 29min 59secs or 4GB of data. I think any more than that and it legally has to be called a video camera. Apparantly there is little or no rolling shutter effect like the D90.

Sorry if any of this is old news.

Dan

Only 12 minutes in High Def, 4GB max is correct.

Tried a few more movie clips on the D90 today, my Canon XH A1 is still safe for now.

I think that the 5d2 will be a fantastic still camera, and also produce some fantastic video.... but.... I feel that it will require some "work arounds" when shooting video. Much like the canon hv20 does when going for a "controlled" shooting workflow.

As an owner of both a 1ds3 and a sony ex-1, I'm accustomed to the way they work and feel more comfortable using each for what they do best.

The 5d2 would be fine for some basic filming, but when you need to shoot longer takes, slow zoom takes, run and gun style takes.... it will be awkward. I would imagine that the "auto only" audio will also require additional expense and workfolw work arounds.

If for the sole purpose of shallow depth of field style filming.... it will shine. But... most money making video projects require more than just shallow dof.

I would guess that 80% of the income I generate from video is done with longer takes, smoother steadicam takes, and wireless lav accessed manual audio.... the ex1 shines here.

If it were me..... I think I would get a 1st gen 5d for stills* and a good 24p solid state video camera with XLR in for vid. Things like "shot transition" and "OIS" are very nice to have in a video camera.

This is all just my opinion.... but I think I would get some strange looks from my clients if I showed up with a 5d2 for a paid video shoot.

* I make most of my income as a professional still photographer shooting print ad work.... which requires tethered shooting and very high pixel count. I shoot with hassleblad and phaseone backs, and canon 1ds3 when speed is needed.

witzke-studio.com

Here is a revolution,
look at those samples:
Canon EOS 5D Mark II

And look at this analysis from Norwegian Television:
Video test clips from Canon 5D Mark II gets analyzed

see this
 

Look at this review of the 5dmkll . He looking for a hoster , Chris . Seems to be elated about the quality of the video coming out of this camera . Ahhh, it's terrible , I can't afford to spend 3k for another camera this year , but I do already own some nice canon lenses , so......

Vincent Laforet’s Blog

And a video presentation of the beast (rather badly produce..)
YouTube - Canon EOS 5D Mark II hands on EXCLUSIVE - EOS 5D comparison

Here is another views on the Canon 5D Mark II from a professional photographer

Canon 5D Mark II video capture is comparable to $500K pro video equipment? - SlashGear

Vincent Laforet’s Blog

Hi Sina, your first link is just a blurb which points to your second link.

Your second link has already been posted to this thread by someone else earlier today.

Y'all please follow the course of the discussion and limit your replies to *new* material that hasn't been previously posted -- remember the goal on this site is to try to streamline these threads and keep them as lean as possible. Once is enough for any given link, whether it's internal or external.

I understand that there as those folks who choose not to read the entire thread... and that's fine but please don't add anything unless you're sure that it has not been added before. At least go back and review page or two or three before hitting the reply button. I really appreciate your cooperation on this one.

Lean -- direct -- concise -- *non-repetitive.* That's what we're going for here. The more repetitive and circular a discussion thread is, the faster its value diminishes. My apologies for the off-topic post but I don't want us running around in circles with the same material posted over and over again. Thanks in advance,

Sorry! You're definitely right Chris! . . my big apology for not reading the whole thread before posting those Links, please do delete it if needs be. . Thanks for mentioning.

The low light performance of the 5DII is reported to be much better than than any of Canon's camcorders, also from Vincent Laforet's blog:

"It produces the best video in low light that I’ve ever seen - at 1080p. A top commercial film editor who who regularly edits RED camera footage - and has seen the raw footage from the 5D MKII - says the 5D MKII is “far superior to the RED camera” in terms of low light performance…"

Remember too this is Canon first 35mm cmos video release. From what we're seen reported so far all of Canon's higher end camcorders will change. Of course the 5DII will have many shortcoming as a fully featured camcorder. But you do get, for free ,the highest quality 35mm DSLR in the deal.

The 5DII 24x36 mm sensor is more than 2 times the size of the red 4K sensor. Canon is using about 1/6 of it's resolution. Is it going to be difficult to realease a product that uses it's full resolution? I very much doubt it.

Sony and Panasonic are presumably coming with this tech too.

Put Red's announcements and comments in this context of the 5DII and 35mm cmos video: The new Red 5K, Red is entering the DSLR market, Red's most important asset is its software. Red is about to be dancing with elephants and they know it.

The significance is not the the general usefullness but the core technology and image quality, especially in low to very low light. The simple fact that Canon's camera division releases a $2600 DSLR and exclipses the XL H1 in IQ means that big changes are about to happen.

3 CCD comcorders are about to become oldschool.

I understand the enthusiasm, I also have it, but the CMOS rolling shutter effect is clearly visible, and this waving effect seems to be very hard to eliminate in post

its sad, so close to get it!

Photographer's Report on Video with new Canon DSLR
 

I had a photographer friend send me this link today.

Interested to hear the evaluations from those who shoot HD and/or are using 35mm adapters. What more does this camera need to work for you?

jones

I don't know how many videographer will be purchasing this camera. I could see the photographers at stillmotion finding a use for this camera since the photographers and videographers are from the same company. I think if videographers started bringing still equipment with them the photographers would get pretty upset with us.

Ok so I that paragraph doesn't make sense. But what I was trying to say is I don't know how we could use still photo equipment that shoots video where photographers are present. They may feel like we are stepping on their domain. Another thing is they mention how they think this camera will out perform any $100k plus video camera and I doubt that is true at all. Again, I can see some uses for it, but I think what we really need to be excited for here is the fact that Canon may start to bring some of this technology to video cameras. Large sensor size EOS mounts and card based recording. Hopefully though in a video form factor.

That would be helpful for our event video industry. I do believe the low light function of this camera brought into the Canon line of video cameras would greatly improve the quality of our work with less powerful lights that distract the wedding goers. As well as the ability to get more DoF to help us tell our stories.

I haven't seen any evidence of this waving effect with this 5dII (yet?)

However the thought has crossed my mind as to why the official canon samples have zero camera movement, except for the fisheye city shot panning very, very slowly.
Im hoping it doesn't exist.

What exactly is the CMOS rolling shutter effect? Does that mean, whenever the camera pans, or moves, it causes "strobing", or "ghosting", whatever you want to call it. I was about to buy the xh-a1, but now... I might have to get this instead. Man, this is crazy.

well That article does state something silly, to say that it will produce the same video as a 100k camera which I think is a bit of overstatement. I have seen the D90 footage (Flowers by D90 on Vimeo) and there is rolling shutter galore so if its anything like that there wouldn't be much point as it would be only good for static camera shots, I have yet to see some paning/moving footage to make a real judgement, on the article there is a comment with a link to a video which is a locked down shot and there is still artefacts.

Also the physical shape of a still camera is not that great for shooting video. Just like we can shoot stills with our HD cams doesn't mean we now use that for taking photos even if the camera were as good quality as a DSLR, for example the Scarlet will be only $3k and I am sure still frames from that would be up there with expensive DSLRs if its anything like the RED shots I've seen but still its developed to capture motion not stills. Simply put get the right tool for the job.

Start here: "rolling shutter" - Google Search of DV Info Net

Even going through the countless results I find its many people talking about their problems with it and what cameras have it and what cameras don't. I still don't know what it is.

I went back and read through the entire thread and found out what it is (sorry for making this thread fatter, Chris). Louis, here's a good example of it: Video of Nikon D90 Wobble Test - Photobucket - Video and Image Hosting

That's what I thought it was... Let's hope the the 5dII doesn't do this! My brain is trying to digest all this information. This is nuts! Just when I thought being a filmmaker was getting easy and I had the best set-up... btw, my friends who shoot professional wedding photography are drooling all over this.

How many would be EOS 5D Mk.II 1080p creations will find an audience by ignoring 5 million Blu-ray players? 30p isn't going to cut it. It isn't supported. Not having manual controls doesn't cut it either.

Despite it's large format sensor, when it's viewed on 1080p HDTV monitors, it has resolution no better. Being able to use DSLR lenses is neat. But nobody looking at the images knows what difference that makes.

So it comes down to two things, depth of field and low light, both of which are easily managed now without DSLRs.

What it all means, is the EOS 5D Mk.II will make obsolete HD video cams when phone cams replace DSLRs. There are probably some people who think that will happen, but if the photographer hired for your wedding is using a cell phone cam, I wouldn't be ordering extra prints.