5D II vs XH-A1s

Jon Fairhurst · December 17th, 2010, 12:27 PM

Timelapse is a real option for establishing shots.

Say you're shooting a drama where shallow DOF hides the aliasing, but your establishing shot shows the location to be in a city with car-tops, brick walls, tile roofs, and window shutters. This is a recipe for aliasing on a DSLR. But if you shoot it as a timelapse sunrise, the video will be gorgeous. As long as the fast motion of the timelapse isn't at odds with the story, it can work.

For instance, you probably don't want fast motion urban pedestrians and traffic if your intended mood is slow paced. But if you raise the view to include the skyline and avoid the streets, movement of the shadows might have the right feel. Or you could use a mechanized slider for a slow reveal, once again avoiding people and cars.

Richard D. George · December 17th, 2010, 08:09 PM

Vincent Laforet, at his blog/website, under Gear, under Cameras, suggests that while the 1D Mk IV has really good low light abilities, it is at a disadvantage to the 5D Mk II in other areas, such as skin tones, aliasing, and moire.

Kris Koster · December 22nd, 2010, 05:50 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Richard D. George

...while the 1D Mk IV has really good low light abilities, it is at a disadvantage to the 5D Mk II in other areas, such as skin tones, aliasing, and moire.

From personal experience of using both cameras shooting video, I would have to second this account. Although I don't own a 1D4, I've borrowed one from a colleague on a number of occasions to shoot video alongside my 5D2s. I rate the video from the 5D2 above the 1D4 everytime. The 1D4 is a photographer's camera, not a filmmakers. I have an example somewhere of the same footage shot with both and moire being a greater problem on the 1D4 (but also bad on the 5D2 I hasten to add).

Back to the OP's question. I shot a theatre event last week using a combination of XH-A1 for master shots and 5D2 for close ups. I put my assistant on the XH A1 whilst I experimented with the 5D2. I was unsure of lens choice, so I went along to all my client's dress and technical rehearsals first to try different combinations. I was excited about trying out my new investment, the 70-200/2.8 EF L USM II, but to be honest, I took it off and ended up using my Nikon 85/1.4 from the front row. Obviously it depends how close you're allowed to be to the stage performance. If you're half way back near the sound crew, you're going to need at least 200mm to get close and optimal f2.8 for light. (I think I used 640 ISO but would have to check - the theatre was pitch black and their stage lighting was poor)

I did use some timelapse photography, but it was to capture the audience arriving and taking their seats for the performance. Made a nice intro for the production.

But I am very happy with my new workflow which is to use Cineform to scale/convert the XH A1 footage up to match the 5D2's 1920x1080 and of course 10-bit 4.2.2 for faster editing in Premiere.

I don't have a problem with the recording length restrictions for the clips on the 5D2. However, the only painful drawback with that solution is matching the footage of all the clips in the edit.

If I can help any further with my recent experience of this, just let me know.

Charles Papert · December 22nd, 2010, 05:59 PM

I was with Vincent on the shoot where we experienced the skintone issue that turned him off the 1D and we talked about this recently, as I have been shooting primarily with the 1D this year. We agreed that further testing would be a good idea to determine just how much these issues exist.

FYI here's a recent music video where I shot with both cameras. I would have a hard time determining which camera was which, and I was there...!

p.s. she uses the F-bomb in the third line, for those playing around sensitive ears.

Kris Koster · December 22nd, 2010, 06:17 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Charles Papert

FYI here's a recent music video where I shot with both cameras. I would have a hard time determining which camera was which, and I was there...!

Charles - really nice video, but it is all beautiful smooth contours and soft bokeh. I bet you would be able to tell the difference between those two cameras if you had any strong lines or mesh/grids in that footage?

Charles Papert · December 22nd, 2010, 07:04 PM

Sorry, I was trying to demonstrate that the skin tone issue is not a slam-dunk. As I said, I would want to see the two cameras pointed at the same thing to see if moire is worse on the 1D or not.

Kris Koster · December 22nd, 2010, 07:57 PM

Charles - I couldn't agree more, I certainly cannot see any skin tone differences in your footage, it all looks beautiful. I guess it's one of those things where you have both cameras lined up pointing at the same scene and you're looking at the output from each and preferring one over the other.

But I will see if I can dig out the footage I took to show the moire differences I have found.

December 17th, 2010, 12:27 PM	#16
Jon Fairhurst Inner Circle Join Date: May 2006 Location: Camas, WA, USA Posts: 5,513	Timelapse is a real option for establishing shots. Say you're shooting a drama where shallow DOF hides the aliasing, but your establishing shot shows the location to be in a city with car-tops, brick walls, tile roofs, and window shutters. This is a recipe for aliasing on a DSLR. But if you shoot it as a timelapse sunrise, the video will be gorgeous. As long as the fast motion of the timelapse isn't at odds with the story, it can work. For instance, you probably don't want fast motion urban pedestrians and traffic if your intended mood is slow paced. But if you raise the view to include the skyline and avoid the streets, movement of the shadows might have the right feel. Or you could use a mechanized slider for a slow reveal, once again avoiding people and cars. __________________ Jon Fairhurst

December 22nd, 2010, 05:59 PM	#19
Charles Papert Wrangler Join Date: Jan 2002 Location: Los Angeles, CA Posts: 6,810	I was with Vincent on the shoot where we experienced the skintone issue that turned him off the 1D and we talked about this recently, as I have been shooting primarily with the 1D this year. We agreed that further testing would be a good idea to determine just how much these issues exist. FYI here's a recent music video where I shot with both cameras. I would have a hard time determining which camera was which, and I was there...! Crystal Bowersox--"Farmer's Daughter" on Vimeo p.s. she uses the F-bomb in the third line, for those playing around sensitive ears. __________________ Charles Papert www.charlespapert.com

December 22nd, 2010, 07:04 PM	#21
Charles Papert Wrangler Join Date: Jan 2002 Location: Los Angeles, CA Posts: 6,810	Sorry, I was trying to demonstrate that the skin tone issue is not a slam-dunk. As I said, I would want to see the two cameras pointed at the same thing to see if moire is worse on the 1D or not. __________________ Charles Papert www.charlespapert.com

December 22nd, 2010, 07:57 PM	#22
Kris Koster Regular Crew Join Date: Nov 2009 Location: Gatwick, UK Posts: 185	Charles - I couldn't agree more, I certainly cannot see any skin tone differences in your footage, it all looks beautiful. I guess it's one of those things where you have both cameras lined up pointing at the same scene and you're looking at the output from each and preferring one over the other. But I will see if I can dig out the footage I took to show the moire differences I have found. __________________ http://kriskoster.com

December 17th, 2010, 08:09 PM	#17
Richard D. George Major Player Join Date: Jan 2003 Location: Denver, CO Posts: 351	Vincent Laforet, at his blog/website, under Gear, under Cameras, suggests that while the 1D Mk IV has really good low light abilities, it is at a disadvantage to the 5D Mk II in other areas, such as skin tones, aliasing, and moire.