Some 5D Mk. II notes on AE, and images of the camera and box

[Dan Chung]

Can't remember the make (not sure it even had one!) but I looked again recently and the design does not seem to have changed on the ones sold here in China. Also they one I had a magnification factor as well, not good. On the whole I think that you can forget FD on EOS sadly, unless you want dream effect video.

Dan

[Stephen Eastwood]

You can also unlock exposure and relock it through a custom function while shooting with no disruption. AF is near useless while shooting, based on the the need to open the iris fully to focus.

The files are amazing quality though, just take some work arounds and some careful focusing.

[Ray Bell]

Stephen, I sure hope you decide to get one of the 5DMKII cam's..... I know there are
a few of us that would like to see what you can do with one knowing your style...

should be interesting.. :-)

[Chris Hurd]

Hi Stu,

Originally Posted by Stu Maschwitz

Is it possible to see which aperture, shutter and ISO values are in use when in movie mode?

I'm pretty sure it's just a matter of pressing the shutter release halfway.

Does it make any difference whether you're in P. Tv, Av or M modes when shooting movies?

I don't think so, but I'll try to find out.

[Chris Hurd]

It amazes me just how far and wide this thread has been linked, after just a couple of weekend days. It's been discussed at DP Review (where somebody copied my retail box photo and cropped out the DVi watermark -- but at least they provided the link to this thread), and also at a popular Canon photo forum site (where somebody wondered aloud if my photo of the retail box was fake). As a result, this particular forum is suddenly the most popular of all the boards we have here.

So far, the strangest of all is this Chinese thread: http://forum.xitek.com/showthread.php?threadid=575745 -- my photos and the complete text of my post are copied there in full, but either Google's language tools are making a mess of the translation, or they've got some interesting code speak for everything. Oh well... thanks for the massive traffic spike, you guys! Heh.

[Dallas Zhen]

Originally Posted by Chris Hurd

It amazes me just how far and wide this thread has been linked, after just a couple of weekend days. It's been discussed at DP Review (where somebody copied my retail box photo and cropped out the DVi watermark -- but at least they provided the link to this thread), and also at a popular Canon photo forum site (where somebody wondered aloud if my photo of the retail box was fake). As a result, this particular forum is suddenly the most popular of all the boards we have here.

So far, the strangest of all is this Chinese thread: 5D2 MARK II ¿ªÏ䣬 Íâ¼ÓMIC¡£ - ÎÞ¼ÉÂÛ̳ -- my photos and the complete text of my post are copied there in full, but either Google's language tools are making a mess of the translation, or they've got some interesting code speak for everything. Oh well... thanks for the massive traffic spike, you guys! Heh.

Hey Chris, I posted your pictures and link on the Chinese thread, apology for the unnotice. but was thought about spread your happiness with other side of the world. hope you don't mind. Regards,
Dallas

[Chris Hurd]

Hey Dallas, no worries -- I wasn't really complaining about it! And yes I definitely appreciate what you did, thanks. I just figured out why the thread on that site confused me so much... the posts there are listed in the opposite order that they are here (in other words, on that site the most recent replies are at the top instead of the bottom). When I finally realized that, it made more sense -- besides, the Google translator is far from perfect in my opinion. Thanks again,

[Dallas Zhen]

Hi Chris, that site is most popular in Asian speaking region, interestingly some rumor come from that site, then cycle the world go back on it again. on that post, they just very excited looking forward to the Canon 5d2 actually shipping and very jealous that you are the lucky guy be the first one get retail box openned and put your hand on. Cheers.

[Dan Chung]

Chris, maybe you should have done one of those odd unboxing videos, you might have even more hits :)

Dan

[Don Miller]

Originally Posted by Daniel Lipats

...and has some corrective optics to restore infinity focus.

Those optics are why Canon still photogs don't use FD lenses. This is discussed every month on Canon forums.

The EF mount 35/2, 50/1.4 and 85 1.8 are better choices than FD lenses that won't be good enough.

[Chris Hurd]

Originally Posted by Dallas Zhen

...very jealous that you are the lucky guy be the first one get retail box opened and put your hand on...

Okay, I see... heh. Well yes that was indeed the retail box, but that particular one belongs to a person at Canon USA. I just happened to be in the same room, at the right time. I said, "would you mind holding that box so I can take a photo of it." And I got to hold the camera for a little while and look through it with two lenses (that zoom and the 24mm prime).

Originally Posted by Dan Chung

Chris, maybe you should have done one of those odd unboxing videos, you might have even more hits :)

Yeah... the ubiquitous un-boxing video. Let me just say, I can understand the value of an un-boxing video one time, if it's done right, as a way to verify that the contents of your camera kit match what the manufacturer claims to include, because there are some disreputable sellers out there that will take things out of the box and try to sell them separately. So sure, there is a usefulness for an un-boxing video. Once.

What I don't get though, is this strange trend for many people to stage these elaborate, ritualistic un-boxing productions as if they're some kind of homage to the manufacturer. Show me *one* that lets me see what I'm supposed to be getting. And after that, what's the point of all these different folks producing un-boxing videos of the exact same type of camera (or phone, or whatever)? I don't get it.

At any rate, that particular 5D Mk. II box had already been opened before I got to it. In all honesty I'm not going to lose too much sleep over having missed out on the opportunity to shoot what would have been the first 5D Mk. II un-boxing video... I'll happily concede that glory to someone younger, eager and more passionate than me. It's true that I am a geek... but I just can't measure up to that level of geekiness.

I draw the line at the box photo. That's as far as I go. I suppose I'll always lament that potential site traffic though.

[John Vincent]

Chris, bottom line it for someone who makes indie films - is this camera (or the Nikon) going to be a viable option for feature guys? Assuming we're willing to use all the work-arounds listed?

This thing is exciting me more than when the JVC100/HL1 et al came out...

But it seems too much to hope for.

john

[John Sandel]

Originally Posted by Chris Hurd

What I don't get though, is this strange trend for many people to stage these elaborate, ritualistic un-boxing productions … I draw the line at the box photo. That's as far as I go.

Chris, it's just camera-porn—a traditional symptom of decadent capitalism. My wife calls it fauxnography.

[Jon Fairhurst]

Originally Posted by John Vincent

Chris, bottom line it for someone who makes indie films - is this camera (or the Nikon) going to be a viable option for feature guys? Assuming we're willing to use all the work-arounds listed?

I've looked closely at the D90 - and crossed it off my list. The aliasing and codec artifacts are just too harsh. And recording from HDMI might bypass the coder, but the aliasing is even worse. You can get *much* better and cleaner resolution with HDV.

One exception would be where you want shallow DOF in low light, and plan to really junk it up with noise and other effects. You wouldn't use the D90 for beauty shots.

Of course, if you plan to buy a ~$1k D-SLR for stills anyway, the D90 is a fine choice.

The 5D MkII is another story. If you accept the workarounds, it might just be viable. My only concern from the video I've seen is in regards to noise reduction and limited bit depth. For shallow DOF in low-light at less than $3k, nothing compares.

Then again, the Scarlet/Epic announcement could come as soon as 24 hours from now...

[Daniel Lipats]

The D90 aliasing can be removed in post.

Scarlet is going to make things interesting for sure, but I am still getting the 5D Mk II.

It will be a long time until the general public can really get their hands on Scarlet, maybe even as long as 2010 since current RED One camera owners have priority.