Using Canon hybrids for Video
|
Welcome to our Video primer - or the "how to shoot video on Canon hybrid DSLR guide". Using the DSLRV as a video camera is easy, but mastering it is a bit harder. It isn't exactly the same as using the simple Canon Camcorder you've been using to capture the rug rats running around the house. The DSLRV doesn't do the autofocus like your camcorder does and it isn't a fixed focal length either. Most of the experts are recommending you do manual focus "like the pros do" - there is a simple focus technique you can use to start out your shot, but after you begin a take, you'll have to make any focus adjustments manually.
A lot of this material comes from specific posts about the Canon EOS 5D Mark II - however, in most cases, it now applies to all of the Canon hybrid DSLRs.
Get started by reading thru this page and watching this video from the Event Videographer's Resource Overview (almost a marketing piece from Canon) and then the videos that come in the first section:
|
Getting Started
|
There are a few quick videos i would suggest you watch to get a feel for the camera and how to shoot video. Sure, you can struggle on your own (it isn't rocket science), but i found that a few quick lessons saved me some time getting started.
The DSLR Cinematography Guide a very good introduction to doing video with the VDSLR
Some good overview videos from jonvideo on youtube (make sure to watch in HD by clicking the link right below the video that says "Watch in High Quality")
|
Audio
|
These are some of the mics that work with the Canon EOS 5D Mark II as well as the Canon EOS 7D. The Canon Rebel T1i/500D does not have an external mic input so this doesn't apply to that camera.
- Chuck Westfall talks about the sync issue with other devices (copied from that page: "The technical issue here is that the EOS 5D Mark II captures video clips (HD or SD) at a true 30.00 fps, while your other A/V devices record and playback at 29.97 fps, which is the standard for video in North America. This difference eventually results in a loss of synchronization when combining the EOS 5D Mark II video with your other content. You can transcode the EOS 5D Mark II footage to 29.97 fps, but it will take a long time. Alternatively, you can make a 29.97 timeline, drop the 29.97 footage on it, then add the EOS 5D Mark II footage. You will have to adjust the start of each take to audio match. This can be done in video editing software such as Apple's Final Cut Pro, Adobe Premiere Pro or Avid Media Composer. It may be inconvenient, but at least it's doable, and it's the best workaround you're going to find for the time being.") NOTE: included in the comments now are discussions about the header of the files and that most likely, the videos are indeed shot at 29.97, the header just incorrectly reports 30fps. See also this blog post
DSLR Dual-System Audio: The 99.9% Solution Includes discussion of how to properly adjust Final Cut Pro for the differences in time codes.
|
Controlling Aperture
|
(Note: much of this comes from the Canon EOS 5D Mark II when it didn't have the advanced firmware to control the aperture settings... we've left it here for informational purposes)
Romy Ocon has some posts about camera settings for video - First post - Second post - Aperture control possible with 5D2 video
Behind the scenes 2 - The 14 Days of Vincent Laforet - Vincent comes in with another 'making of' with tips about filters/tripods etc.
From Vincent Laforet's blog:
Can you share with us any tips/tricks you’ve found for “forcing” a large aperture manually? It would be great to shoot with a shallow depth-of-field without the camera first selecting high ISO and a slow shutter speed if those weren’t necessary (like in daylight).
- Vincent Laforet Reply November 26th, 2008 at 9:51 pm - It can be a bit maddening to be honest. But it CAN be done… I wish it were a tad bit easier than it is. Remember that I shot Reverie at night - so it was never an issue. I was always wide open. During the day time - it helps to point the camera at a very dark object/shadow… the aperture will open up… then point it at your subject and lock the exposure down immediately - before it reverts to f11-f22. Sometimes it works perfectly - at other times - it’s doing a bit of weird science. Remember - I’ve been working with pre-production cameras - and I haven’t had a chance to get the final product in my hands - so it’s dangerous for me to say anything for certain.
|
|
CF Card Speed
|
(note the review talked about needing very fast UMDA cards to record video)... Chuck Westfall says contrary: "The comment you quoted on card writing speed requirements for movie mode with the EOS 5D Mark II is totally off base. Canon's actual specification for minimum card writing speed in movie mode is 8MB per second, which works out to approximately 64X according to the speed rating terms used by most of the popular memory card manufacturers. Most CF cards that are currently being sold are much faster than that, so generally speaking card writing speed is not a big issue for movie mode with the EOS 5D Mark II."
- The 5D mkII Handbook of Facts - Cinema5D forum with many good video ‘facts’ -- there's a good discussion about card speed in the middle of the first page
- Q: Do I have to have UMDA for the 5D mk ii?
- A: No.
- You need a CF card that is generally rated at least about 133x for decent use of the camera. It is a bit over the rated speed needs for video and you shouldn't have any problems.
- If you're planning on lots of frequent bursts of stills at the full 3.9fps, then you probably want a CF card that is UMDA
- You may want a UMDA card simply to get the data off the card faster (remember there are two directions where you may want speed). However, you'll also want a fast CF card reader to take advantage of that.
- Our forums have a thread about some cards causing the camera to totally freeze up
|
Editing your movies
|
"While I can *replay* the clips nicely from Quicktime or Windows Media Player, I'm not able to perform any native editing from Adobe Premiere CS4; the first few seconds play fine, but it's a complete halt soon after that, even in Draft mode. Basic tasks like trimming assets, tweaking ends points, adding and previewing transitions are out of my reach."
|
EXIF in video?
|
Jacuff on twitter answered my question about whether there was EXIF data for video files: @planetMitch EXIF info is stored in the .THM file of the .MOV. Just rename .THM to .JPG and view like normal.
|
External Monitor?
|
| |
Keying (greenscreen)
|
| |
LCD Monitors
|
| |
Music
|
Hopefully, you'll want to do the "right" thing by not using copyrighted music in your movies (unless you have specific rights granted to you from the artist of course), so you'll want to know where you can find good music to add to your soundtracks. Sometimes, the owner of the music will ask for a small donation - would be nice if you donated something to help them eat :)
|
Picture Styles
|
| |
Playing Video
|
- 5D Mark II video playback "Some of all us people on a pc might have some problems with the raw video form the Canon EOS 5D Mark II. This is due to quicktime not really supporting hardware on PC’s." Some tips on using VLC (a great multipurpose player for PC and Mac)
|
Pulling focus
|
| |
Requirements - or "Do i need a new PC?"
|
- Tyler Ginter posted on twitter: "Just noticed after the QT 7.6 update that my 5D MK II files play natively on my MBP 2.4GHz Dual Core 4GB of Ram. WHOOO, no more prores :)"
- Will a macBook Pro handle the video on from a 5D2? ForrestTanaka replies "On 2.33GHz 2nd gen MBP, 5D2 images on LR performance is fine, but 2GB DRAM causes a LOT of memory paging. 4GB would be good."
|
Steadicam
|
by the way, in a pinch, you can wrap the camera strap around your neck and hold the camera taughtly out from your chest giving some more support than just handholding. I think i saw this in the BEBB video first.
|
Video Accessories
|
|
|