REVISED v.2.0.4 -- Canon 5D Mark II 2.0.4 Firmware (24p) Available

[Alex Chong]

Downloaded the new firmware and installed all in about 30mins. I really like the audio control. It definitely makes the sound recorded much better. Love it. But can't see what the fuss was with 24p. Can't make out any difference between 24p and 25p. Maybe its just me.

[Peer Landa]

Originally Posted by Alex Chong

But can't see what the fuss was with 24p. Can't make out any difference between 24p and 25p. Maybe its just.

I guess you meant to say 30p vs. 25p...?

-- peer

[Alex Chong]

Originally Posted by Peer Landa

I guess you meant to say 30p vs. 25p...?

-- peer

Yes, this too.

[Daniel von Euw]

@Alex Chong:

The advantage of having 24, 25 and 30 p is you do not need convert the framerate.

- If you want make a DVD / Blu-Ray for Europe you can shoot in 25p.
- If you want make a DVD / Blu-Ray for Amerika you can shoot in 30p.
- And if you want to go on big screen or make a 24p Blu-Ray you can shoot in 24p.

In each case you do not need any framerate conversion and that is nice. A conversion between 24p and 25p is not a problem but conversion between 24 / 25 p and 30p is very tricky and time consuming.


Daniel

[Alex Chong]

Hi Daniel,

I know that. I am just saying when I played the videos captured with both 24, 25 and 30 and played it on my LCD TV, I can't tell the difference. It's just me I guess.

24 has this movie effect thingy people here have been talking about which I can't discern.

[Wayne Avanson]

Glad I'm not the only one Alex…

They all look good to me.

I'm just glad that now my 5D2 and the 2 7Ds we use are all set up the same frame rate wise.

(apart from the 50/60 of course)

Avey

[Daniel von Euw]

@Alex Chong:

The movie effect is not only given with 24p - its also given with 25p and with 30p.

The movie effect is not given with 50i, 60i, 50p and 60p.


Daniel

[Tony Davies-Patrick]

I'm not too impressed with the updated sound recording options. Is there any way of viewing the sound bars while recording instead of delving deep through menus for a quick look prior to recording? I'd hoped for an ovelay option like the histogram in Manual video mode...but no such luck.
I'd mainly hoped that with the firmware update I could control the horrible squelch using the manual control option, but it doesn't. My WRT wireless mic system allows me to use headphones with the 5D so I obtain a good idea of sound levels during recording, but obtaining decent clean sound using the 5D is still not an option at the moment, so I'm going to go back to the drawing board. I'm still trying out options but none seem to work to obtain nice clean sound. Is there anybody actually getting good sound direct into the 5D...if so, I'd like to know.

[Martin Catt]

Managed a successful download in two tries yesterday. The first one was a "short" download, i.e. incomplete. A second try got the full package.

I figured Magic Lantern wouldn't work, BUT the only things I can see that are missing in this firmware upgrade are the automatic follow focus, and the frame guides (though I'm sure there are more). So far, I'm real happy with the results.

Martin

[Richard Crook]

Originally Posted by Tony Davies-Patrick

I'm not too impressed with the updated sound recording options. Is there any way of viewing the sound bars while recording instead of delving deep through munus for a quick look prior to recording? I'd hoped for an ovelay option like the histogram in Manual video mode...but no such luck.
I'd mainly hoped that with the firmware update I could control the horrible squelch using the manual control option, but it doesn't. My WRT wireless mic system allows me to use headphones with the 5D so I obtain a good idea of sound levels during recording, but obtaining decent clean sound using the 5D is still not an option at the moment, so I'm going to go back to the drawing board. I'm still trying out options but none seem to work to obtain nice clean sound. Is there anybody actually getting good sound direct into the 5D...if so, I'd like to know.

OPTION ONE:
You need this:
Camcorder XLR Audio Adapter/Preamp: Buy Direct and Save - CX211 Allows you to input the audio into the microphone jack and adjust the trim knobs if needed while recording.
And this:
juicedLink: New Product Preview: DN101 DSLR Audio Solution Gives you a meter and allows you to plug headphones in.

You would need to generate a tone and "lock in" the Canon's internal audio gain to the correct setting, and you would then only use the JuicedLink for audio controls.

OPTION TWO:
Wait for Magic Lantern update to give us back our beloved audio meters and headphones.

[Tony Davies-Patrick]

Thank you Richard. I don't think the juicedLink is good enough, at least everything I've heard so far with people testing it to the 7D and 5D.
I think the problem is plugging sound directly into the 5D and most options are only slightly better work-a-rounds. I think I'm spoilt with decent XLR cables and sound options in the XL2 and XL-H1, so am searching for similar clean professional level sound option for the 5D and D3s; but still not found one.

The best sound so far seems to be with the seperate sound devices such as the Zoom 4 and Zoom 4n. I'd rather hook up sound direct to 5D but maybe the Zoom is now my only viable option, and at least I can connect my XLR leads into the Zoom and then download the clean sound files for editing without it going through the 5D onto the CF card.

[Ben Denham]

It seems that a lot of people were under the misconception that the firmware update would somehow miraculously solve all 5D sound problems. Aside from the ability to to overcome auto-gain and the imperceptable shift from 44 to 48KHz very there is no great improvement here. We still have the crappy 5D preamps which (as a general rule) will only be usable for particularly loud sound sources. From my perspective this upgrade just brings us to more or less where we were with Magic Lantern, but without overlayed onscreen monitoring. As such I think Jon Fairhurst's analysis is as relevant as ever.

http://www.dvinfo.net/forum/canon-eo...-complete.html

[Richard Crook]

Well, I honestly based my decision off this series of videos comparing the options. It seems they conclude that the Juiced Link is the best option over external recorders.

6. Canon 5D Mark II Audio Exposed - Conclusions on Vimeo

But until Magic Lantern is updated to work with 2.0.3, I am thinking that an external is the best choice. Since I already have the JuicedLink, I'm choosing to wait for ML update. It seems the JL sounds better IMO, plus you don't need to sync in post.

[Chris Barcellos]

I actually believe there was one thing left out of Jon Fairhurst's series of tests on 5D sound. He didn't cover the use of a field mixer feeding the 5D through an XLR adapter like the CX231 or the even one of the unpowered Beachteks. In my experience, that combination will get you great in camera sound.

[Grant Hamilton]

Seen this?

http://www.usa.canon.com/app/pdf/5dmarkII_203popup.pdf