I have just finished my first test run of the 5D Mark II video function. Click here to watch my test video in HD.
(Update: [Jan/13/2009] after digging deeper, it turns out there are mainly two ways the camera gives me control over the video. First is the thumb wheel, which lets me dial in exposure compensation and second is the * (asterisk) key that lets me lock the exposure. The key right of the asterisk key (the focus point key) unlocks the exposure lock again. Do you know any other ways to manually control any other aspects of the video, such as shutter speed or aperture? If yes, please leave a comment)
The video function of the 5DMkII doesn’t give me as much control as I would like, but after the first couple of hours of playing with it, I know that even though it’s not perfect, the Canon EOS 5D Mark II is as much a game changer as the 300D was five years ago.
Cinematic depth of field, access to all your lenses, superb low-light performance and more.
The built-in sound is okay as long as you don’t focus, or use image stabilization or touch any other key on the camera, and as long as you’re inside. Any sort of motion in the air or dials that you change on your cam will be audible. Get an external microphone (I recommend the Beyerdynamic MCE 72 CAM) and you’ll be much more happy.
And: don’t get me wrong, this is not your everyday DV camera when it comes to video features. For example don’t expect it to be as fast in terms of autofocus as your DV cam. Image stabilization is only possible by using IS lenses.
About this video: I didn’t have the camera long enough to really know what I was doing. ISO is at 3200 (but I’m not sure if the camera automatically changes it during video), frame rate is not always ideal (as you can see in the flicker) but I’m sure this can be changed. I did not post process the colors, this is right out of the camera, shot with a pretty warmish white balance.
More test results (yes, also with regards to photography) soon.
Very good.
I’d get one.
If I had the money.
Is it yours Chris?
I too wonder about the auto ISO when filming video, a quick Google search didn’t net anything the confirmed or denied.
Yep, the ISO changes automatically between 100 and 3200 depending on the lighting.
Hey Chris,
Had a similar reaction to yours with my 5DMKII. It does automatically change the ISO to whatever it needs to get the scene. However, I’ve also seen that even at the higher ISO you can barely tell (at least I can’t) that there is much noise. I agree it’s not your everyday DV camera, I actually think it’s more! I’ve been using mine a lot with my daughter since I don’t need to take the time to copy from the DV camera and watch through the whole thing. I can just copy the file off my CF card with all of my other pictures and it stays with the shoot I was doing, which is great!
I’m going to have to check out that mic though, I agree with you that the noise from moving things around on the camera is a little distracting. However it does pick up a lot of sound which I was a little surprised by.
I haven’t found another way to control the aperture other than what you’ve posted. I would assume you can’t change the shutter speed since it’s video and the shutter is always open? However, good post Chris! Still love the show and would like you to do an audio photo walk like you used to do (ie. the cow episode). Thanks.
One more quick thing that I just found. You can use your user defined Picture Styles while using the video feature. So, for instance, you can use the Monochromatic Picture Style to create a BW video. Just another tip.
Hey, good stuff - thanks for sharing. We’ve got some info on the video page about controlling aperture and stuff.
We’ve added this to the 5D wiki at http://planet5d.com We’ve got more 5D reviews/still/video samples than anywhere else on the planet.
Good test video, Chris. It shows the decent video capabilities of the 5D MkII. Unfortunately for Canon though, Nikon’s D90 is a lot less expensive (DX format, but aimed at the home user market) and is outselling the 5D MkII by a vast margin. Th results from the D90 are every bit as impressive as those from the 5D MkII. Hopefully Canon will release video functionality on their next lower market model, otherwise Nikon will have grasped yet another lead from Canon.
With careful planning, this camera produces results that rival several orders of magnitude more expensive video equipment. I can not stress enough the planning part. This is not a grab-a-quick-snapshot-kind of video camera.
The shutter speed and aperture can be controlled, or should I say fooled, by obscuring the lens and using the * (AEL) function plus the back wheel (mind the on-off-L position of the lever). I was not able to get speeds over 250 yet, and of course it will not go below 30 (since it is 30p video) and would likely stay around 50/60.
Tapeless workflow is fine using either FCP or APP.