Digital Video - March 2009 - (Page 12)

FIRST LOOK CANON EOS 5D MARK II GAME CHANGER THIS DSLR HAS ALREADY MADE A HUGE IMPACT IN THE D-CINEMA REALM. BY CHUCK GLOMAN ou heard the news that Nikon was the first to introduce a digital SLR that shoots high-definition video, the 12.3megapixel D90 (720p/24p), and read our First Look report in the January issue of DV. Canon quickly followed suit with its digital SLR that shoots HD: the 21.1-megapixel EOS 5D Mark II (1080p/30p). The MSRP is $2,699 for the body only. A hefty unit, the EOS weighs close to 2 lb. Its full-frame 21.1megapixel CMOS sensor captures images at 5616x3744 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 pixelated 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 highspeed cards need apply. My review camera came with a 4GB SanDisk Extreme card. The “kit” lens is a very wide 24mm-105mm f/4 autofocus, image-stabilized zoom with lens shade and a lithium-ion LP-E6 battery rated at 850 shots (not really). 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 five-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 which of the two speeds you desire (HD or SD) from the menu. 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 Y While the Canon creates beautiful HD images, the SLR-style body does not lend itself well to shooting video. 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 VideoStudio 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 30fps, 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. Could the Canon EOS 5D Mark II be your only camcorder? Yes and no. You may get the sharpest videos you’ve ever shot, but in a package that’s awkward to hold. Lacking basic audio controls, it’s also basically an MOS camera. You’ll never get footage this good from a camcorder at this price, but you’ll have better 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. DV You’ll find an extended version of this story on our site. Visit DV online. 12 dv march 2009 www.dv.com http://www.dv.com http://www.dv.com

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Digital Video - March 2009 Contents MX02 Instant Expert First Look: EOS 5D Mark II Powerlight 1735W Color by the Numbers A Versatile Disc Indeed Slice/Dice DV101 Production Diary

Digital Video - March 2009

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