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Filming with the Canon EOS 5D Mark II


Henry Gelhart

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And I'm sorry but what is so "awesome" about Reverie. Just a bunch of unrelated shots, some badly lit, just strung together.

 

Thank you for saying that, I've been thinking that for ages and the incessant hype was just about making me think I might have lost it...!

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As a still camera it's great but not a replacement for a video camera. And I'm sorry but what is so "awesome" about Reverie. Just a bunch of unrelated shots, some badly lit, just strung together.

 

You are right. That clip does not have any real plot. Actually it is kinda boring.

But my first reaction was: "Hey! They are filming with an EOS. And it looks quite nice!"

First, I thaught they just do it just for fun, but it appears that they are some sort of indy filmmakers.

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I understand you can't turn off the auto iris function in video mode.

There aren't any manual controls internally on the camera when it shoots video, so that leaves basically external lens controls as your only option, which is of course focus and zoom, if it happens to be a zoom lens. Manual iris controls will leave you fighting with the internal aperture settings. You can kind of trick it, but that's an incredible pain in the ass to pull off... Basically, to make this thing a real video camera, the entire electronic and mechanical guts would need to be revamped, as well as a new line of "Video friendly" lenses, in my opinion. And I say why bother, because anyone seriously excited about the video capabilities probably isn't in the market for a real video camera, anyway... I seriously doubt it will cut into the sales of the Canon video camera line...

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I understand you can't turn off the auto iris function in video mode.

There aren't any manual controls internally on the camera when it shoots video, so that leaves basically external lens controls as your only option, which is of course focus and zoom, if it happens to be a zoom lens. Manual iris controls will leave you fighting with the internal aperture settings. You can kind of trick it, but that's an incredible pain in the ass to pull off... Basically, to make this thing a real video camera, the entire electronic and mechanical guts would need to be revamped, as well as a new line of "Video friendly" lenses, in my opinion. And I say why bother, because anyone seriously excited about the video capabilities probably isn't in the market for a real video camera, anyway... I seriously doubt it will cut into the sales of the Canon video camera line...

 

Precisely.

 

And that brings me to my next question:

 

What video camera would you recommend for shooting real work?

 

I mean something people would actually take seriously.

 

Shawn

 

steditrak@yahoo.com

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What video camera would you recommend for shooting real work?

 

I mean something people would actually take seriously.

 

Shawn

 

steditrak@yahoo.com

That totally depends on what you're planning on doing with the video. It's probably a subject for another thread, but now more than ever before, there's a lot of quality out there that comes in small packages... Personally, for my own projects, I am super interested in this new line of Red cameras. I wasn't interested in the first Red One because a complete kit approaches the price point of a camera package with an infinitely more proven format and accessory line, but their promises of a much smaller and more economical package line is incredibly intriguing to me... I've shot documentaries with the prosumer line of Canon and Sony, the result has always been pretty impressive, but if your work involves even light duty effects, the codecs on those cameras don't hold up very well... Of course, this isn't much of a factor with documentaries, but with scripted work, you could reach its limits pretty quickly, depending on your script...

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  • 3 weeks later...
There aren't any manual controls internally on the camera when it shoots video, so that leaves basically external lens controls as your only option, which is of course focus and zoom, if it happens to be a zoom lens.

 

You can attach (with an adapter) Nikon Manual Lenses enabling control of the aperture, shutter speed and ISO are not controllable beyond the exposure lock

 

frame rate is fixed at 30fps

 

Enough control for cool footage - not enough control to be able to make consistent cuts between camera angles etc

 

Nikon manual lenses are available in a wide range of focal lengths and wide apertures that create a look that is 'cinematic' compared to small chip cameras like the EX1

 

Reverie is 'awsome' because it looks so nice for a $3000 camera and very minimal lighting budget (a torch in the helicopter!) - I agree the plot is limited

 

The 5d is a bargain as the only camera that has a '35mm film look' (because of the larger than red chip) that is light enough to operate on a rig such as the Pilot and sensitive enough to typically light with a reflector or two

 

Super exciting if a $6k rig is at the top of your budget...

 

S

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You can attach (with an adapter) Nikon Manual Lenses enabling control of the aperture, shutter speed and ISO are not controllable beyond the exposure lock

Sure, but the same can be said of any camera capable of accepting a Nikon lens... There are a ton of add-ons these days to make inexpensive cameras do what they weren't originally intended to do, and it makes (In my opinion) them even more awkward to use, and severely limits their use. But that's an entirely different rant I have...

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