March 17, 2009
By Chuck Gloman
You heard the news that Nikon was the first to introduce a digital SLR that shoots high-definition video, the 12.3 megapixel D90 (720p/24p), and read our First Look report. Canon quickly followed suit with their digital SLR that shoots HD: the 21.1 megapixel EOS 5D Mark II (1080p/30p).  A hefty unit, the EOS weighs close to 2 lb. Its full-frame 21.1 megapixel CMOS sensor captures images at 5616 x 3744 pixels and proudly displays them on a 3", 920,000-pixel LCD screen. With usable ISO numbers from 100 to 6400, the Canon will allow pixilated images at 12,800 and 25,600 ISO — but these are not worth the aggravation unless you’re shooting in a mine shaft or similarly dim conditions.
Images are saved to a CompactFlash (CF) card and only high-speed cards need apply. My review camera came with a 4GB SanDisk Extreme card. The “kit” lens is a very wide 24mm-105mm f4 autofocus, image-stabilized zoom with lens shade and a Lithium-ion LP-E6 battery rated at 850 shots (not really).
On the back of the body to the right of the viewfinder is a speaker comprised of four miniscule holes. An impish joystick directly below that is used to access menu functions. A larger dial with a center-activation button makes your selections, a Live-View access button to the left of the viewfinder closes the viewfinder and activates the LCD screen (for shooting video), and basically all your buttons for Menu, Info, Playback, Trash, and the On/Off Switch fill out the Canon’s back side. 
The top right of the EOS 5D Mark II allows selection of your white balance, autofocus drive, ISO, and illumination of the control window (the same information is also displayed on the three inch LCD screen). The top left has the dial to engage your shutter mode from fully automatic, shutter and aperture priority modes, bulb, and three custom selections.
The front has the built-in monaural microphone, which appears as three holes beneath the 5D emblem. The opposite side has the shutter release (only for stills) and a wheel that changes information on the top display screen.
The right side (with the lens pointed away from you) houses the CF card slot and the left side (the “video side,” as I call it) has a covered, labeled selection of a 1⁄8" Mini AV output that utilizes the supplied Mini to RCA cable; USB II out to download information to a computer; an HDMI port for high-definition output; a sync port for an external flash; a remote-control jack; and a very important feature not found on the Nikon D90: a 1⁄8" Mini microphone input (you can record in stereo if your Mini plug is so designed).
There are a few limitations to be aware of before you begin shooting. When working in the higher-quality 1920x1080 at 30 frames per second, you’re limited to about 12 minutes of continuous shooting before the sensor can overheat. That’s a long time, and far longer than the 5-minute capacity of Nikon’s D90. You also have the option of shooting standard definition at 640x480.
Limitation number two is the camera’s audio recording capability. Using the internal microphone is senseless because all you hear is camera-handling noise. Instead, attach a low-impedance microphone of your choice to collect better audio (although you have no way of monitoring it while recording). This is why the great Canon footage seen on the Web rarely has any sound except what was added in post. You also have no control over the recording level — at least the D90 gives you record level bars (though still no means of control). Audio appears to be an afterthought, and sounds semi-tinny through the built-in speaker.
To begin shooting, select from the menu which of the two speeds you desire (HD or SD). Press the Live View button to the left of the viewfinder, which activates the LCD screen and disables the eyepiece. When shooting video, the aperture is locked and you are stuck in “semi-autofocus,” which is very slow. You cannot handhold this camera without wasting much of your record time trying to get a focus (forget about rack-focusing yourself). And holding the camera away from your face, to use the LCD screen, takes some getting use to. Cameras are designed to be held up to the eye, so it would be naturally more comfortable to use the viewfinder.
To begin recording, press the “set” button in the center of the large wheel and grayed out bands appear at the top and bottom of the LCD screen (letterboxing the image, but this is not displayed on the end product) and a red dot is superimposed in the upper right as the image is recorded onto your flash drive. Press the “set” button again to stop the recording.
The greatest thing about this camera is the video it shoots. Shooting at 1080p is phenomenal — the colors are vivid and vibrant, the clarity is top-notch, and the JPEG footage is easily edited in any NLE program.
I transferred my video files into Corel’s Video Studio Pro X2 and dragged them to the timeline to begin editing. Even grabbing a still frame from the video yields amazing results.
You have a lot of things going for you with this camera: 1080p footage at a genuine 30 fps, Canon’s high-resolution glass, a very shallow depth of field that a still camera lens allows without having to deal with a 35mm lens adapter on a video camera, immediate editing anywhere with an NLE of choice, and enough storage capacity on the CF card to shoot that incredible travelogue you have been meaning to capture.
The Canon EOS 5D Mark II is a little pricey with a $3,500 MSRP (with the lens) and an estimated street price of $2,700. Could this be your only camcorder? Yes and no. You may get the sharpest videos you’ve ever shot, but in a package that is awkward to hold. Sound is an important aspect in any production and you do not have any control over the recording levels — it’s basically an MOS camera. You will never get footage this good from any camcorder at this price, but you will have more professional sound. So, if you travel with your camera and want great stills, unbeatable video, and you’re not concerned with anything other than ambient sound, the Canon EOS 5D Mark II should have a place in your arsenal.
| COMMENTS (17) | | 01/06/2010 | | A superb full frame digital camera for advanced users. I've owned many SLR camera over the years, film and digital, and this is easily the best camera I have ever purchased.
<a href="http://www.r4-ds.es">r4 ds</a> |
| | 06/05/2009 | | "As a result, the MTF stays nearly flat through the 540lp/ph of 1080p." - you actually measured that? Horizontally, the MTF reaches zero at around 1400 lines out of 1920 (that's 400lp/ph), and vertically serious aliasing hits in around 270lp/ph, along with color corruption that is just plain ugly. |
| | 03/23/2009 | | (previous blog end)...intel imacs play it back super well, real time, even off of usb reader. and the 24" imac monitor is full hd spec as well.
anyhow...
-gary
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| | 03/23/2009 | | (previous blog continued)
...i use the headphone output from wireless receiver to ensure audio up to that point. do rough test and check for initial cable continuity. hint: buy a stereo extension, so you are not plugging into the jack field all the time. plug into the extension.
for pro shoots where you may hand off audio to others for production, 2nd system a must for audio.
i am currently plugging the wireless recievers, a sony and a lectrosonics, depending...directly into the camera, avoiding any boxes. i found the lectro sends an appropriate level at about -26db, i think. i'll check. otherwise distorted, or too low and hiss prone.
if you buy the rode mono mic, make sure it is the model with the -10 and -20 db level switches inside. the older version is too hot output and will distort and loud voices up close. on -10, the rode mono video mic works extremely well.
other thangs: i have been shooting my news stuff handheld. no noticeable jello effect from the cmos, except on rapid pan/tilts. just hard to nail exposure every time. you get better with it tho. i use the 24 to 105 mostly, lens wise, the stabilization helps with the static interviews. found i have changed my style from lotsa movement to much more stable sequences for the b-roll. (wide medium tight basic progressions for tv news)
i still am transcoding virtually all footage to sd for air use, both for commercials and news. no outlet for real hd yet, they haven't upgraded the switchers and routers. but the end result looks great, picture wise.
really enjoy not having to mess with cranky firewire stuff.
also, if you buy a mini hdmi to regular hdmi adapter, you can check footage playback on any hdmi computer monitor nearby. if you bring your usb card reader, you can easily play back first takes to client on site on their computer. even transfer footage to their hard drive on site. explain that windows computers will be slightly jumpy playback, often. intel imacs play it back sup |
| | 03/23/2009 | | the following are just more humble opinions...re canon 5d mark 2.
and yes, now that video is IT based, tech stuff is sadly an issue.
but full HD in a $2700, portable, flyable,camera body? worth it.
as a followup, we shouldn't make the 5d2 sound like audio is unproblematic. the auto level control and circuitry pumps up any low audio signal, like that between sentences, to a point of distortion at sentence onset, and a pronounced hiss during silences...even when using any intermediate device like beachteks. after months of work to make single system field work possible, i found little work arounds, like making my "Action!" really loud to fool the camera, IMMED before the take during commercial lines, or having corp execs countdown prior to take...very necessary. for my news packages, i have found less problems. the ambient noise and level keeps the audio-pumping down to acceptable levels. one test involved using the consumer grade premiere's audio denoiser on all raw clips, found that helpful on some commercial sound bites. for critical shoots where i am NOT the producer, you have to use second system audio, like my little sony pcmd50 falsh recorder, with your wireless units plugged into beachtek and then into the sony, doing audio slate/voice markers, conform on timeline.
you'll find the hiss REALLY obvious above 8K, btw, on good monitors. won't really hear it on crappy desktop monitors, but it's there during any quiet moment.
so, for news or web photojournalism, audio can work VERY well.
for self produced tv spots, still tricky. since you can't monitor audio from the camera, i use the headphone output from wireless receiver to ensure audio up to that point. do rough test and check for initial cable continuity. hint: buy a stereo extension, so you are not plugging into the jack field all the time. plug into the extension.
for pro shoots where you may hand off audio to others for production, 2nd system a must for audio.
i am currently plugging th |
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