With all the talks about the 7D, it might be a good time to step back and look at one of the most useful feature of the 5D Mark II: its high megapixel count. While the 7D is very close to the 5D in terms of pixels, the 5D still has about 20% more and, for someone like me, it matters.
Most people will tell you megapixel are just a marketing trick to lure less knowledgeable photographers toward “newer camera models”. While this claim is true for Joe Average trying to buy a new camera, for the serious photographer, megapixels are important. Even if you are not planning to print anything larger than 8×12, the more you have, the more comfortable you will be in your edit.
Remember my hint from a previous post about a new secret product I was working on? Well, I am glad to say that prototype #1 is about to be completed and I am going to use it next weekend to test it out in the field.
If it proves useful, the next step will be to start manufacturing a small batch for resell but, before doing so, I would like to have some feedback from you guys. Basically, I can build it two ways:
• DIY style, which means it will look like a DIY project, made out of wood, etc…
• Pro level version which means painting everything black, curved corners, no nuts coming out of the module, etc..
Of course, one option is much more expensive than the other. This is why I would like to poll you guys about the importance of looks for you.
Notice I am not talking about features or prices, I just need to know if I should invest time in prettifying the whole thing or not.
Sorry if I don’t give more details but until I am ready to sell there, I rather keep everything secret to protect myself against copycats.
Since I got my random flipping shutter issue, I have done a lot of Googling to see if other people have had the same issue. During this process, I discovered a few other issues 5D Mark II owners might have and thought it would be a good idea to list them.
While looking at this list, remember that Canon has sold tons of these camera and most of them have no problems. The web is a big ecochamber where one person complaining can generate more noise than a thousand happy customer.
Random flipping shutter
In live view mode (while not recording) the shutter randomly start flipping. I already talked about it here. My camera is still at Canon for repairs. I will write back on this once I receive their incident report.
Burned sensor
This issue has been identified by extraordinaire photographer Sam Hassas. The guy is well known for framing the sun with his subjects to create big and nice sun flares. Go look at his stuff and see how cool it is. The downside of this technique is that it seems like he burned the sensor in four spot. Since he has been doing this for a while and probably shot thousand of stills framing the sun, there are probably no reason to panic but it is better to be aware of this.
We are still waiting for details but you can follow the thread here.
Black dot
While still present after the 1.1.0 firmware update, this issue is not getting a lot of press anymore. I guess people accepted the limitation and moved on to complain about the lack of 24p. You can read about it here.
24P
Some user have reported that they cannot shoot in 24p, citing this as a major issue. We are still waiting for an update from Canon to see if they aknowledge the problem.
I have always been a big fan of Chase Jarvis. The guy has style, shoot cool things (like Ninjas!) and is really engaged with the community.
So, as soon as I read about him releasing an iPhone app I knew it would be something cool and different. Basically, it replaces your ‘normal’ camera with a twist. Actually, two twists!
First it gives you a few (12) filters to apply to your picture, some classics (B&W) and some others more creative. While the effects are cool, this is not the first camera app to have these so lets move to the other cool feature: the social dimension.
With a single tap you can share your picture on various networks (Facebook, Twitter, email and thebestcamera.com). Actually, you can spam all these network with your pictures with a single tap. If you have nothing to do or need some inspiration, you can tap on the globe icon to see pictures taken by others. I just wasted a few minutes doing so and found a few very creative ones that made me feel like a very bad photographer… I think this is the most interesting part of the app. You can leave it open and pictures are going to fade/fade out in turns.
My only complain is that it does not use the geo location service. Since I use my iPhone camera mostly when doing recon for shoots, if I want to edit a picture before sending it to someone, I have to shoot it with the standard camera, then load it in The Best Camera.
I think the message Chase is getting is message across: the best camera is the one you have with you.
Chase back his claim by releasing a book displaying pictures he has taken with his iPhone. I guess he got the idea of this when he was tired of carrying his Hasselblad around…
By the way, anyone knows about a good camera app for taking recon shots? Something with geotagging, maps and voice notes would be perfect!
It seems like I forgot the most obvious output when I did my analysis of this rumor… The USB plug! I cant believe I forgot it! It has enough bandwidth to carry a RAW signal to the hypothetical module. It would basically be the same thing as when shooting in tethering mode, except for video. Suddenly, such a product looks much more viable (and still as desirable!).
Of course, we have no idea if it is remotely possible from a technical point of view and if the rumor is actually true. Lets just hope it does not come from the same guy who said a 24-70L2.8IS would come soon!
If you use a Beachtek DXA-5D to capture sound while recording with your 5D, you should take a look at the new droplet my friend Mathieu has created. The droplet convert the file to ProRes HQ and remove the low frequency used to disable the audio gain. Simple, but effective.
If you would rather use other devices, take a look at this post on audio devices.
Welcome to the last section of the part 2 of the Gorilla rigs review. Due to technical issues with one of my 5DMrkII, this review will not contain the video I had planned to shoot for it (sorry!).
Meet the Tactical Shooter
The Tactical shooter is the big daddy of the Gorilla set. With it, you can create a Quick Draw (review) or a Rapid Fire (review) according to the needs of the moment.
Read the rest of this entry »
Robert saw this on Canon Rumors coming from the Red User forum:
“A little birdy just whispered something pretty remarkable into my ear. I cannot verify this AT ALL but rumor has it that Canon may be prepping to unveil a RAW or sRAW recording module for the 5D2, 7D, etc, which would record possibly via the CF card slot. Apparently they are being tested and used now.Will post more details later if I get any. Don’t know about framerates or RAW vs sRAW. And again, this is totally unconfirmed, from a single “high-placed” source.”
And the news has also been covered by Mitch.
While it is hard to give much faith in a rumor like this, still, I would like it very much to happen. Everyone who has been on this site for long enough knows that every single time I try to back a rumor, it blew up in my face. So, I am going to resist the urge and simply analyze the information we have so far. Read the rest of this entry »
A few people asked me to give more details about how we shot the love story clip (posted here). Instead of writing a structured post, I am just going to go with the flow and write everything that comes to my mind.
The clip was shot on two days. Originally, it was all planed to be done in a single afternoon (and end with a sunset shot) but a series of incidents (read: traffic) slowed us down and delayed everything so we had to split the shoot.
Pro Tip: Plan your itinerary ahead of time, map it in Google Map and make sure everyone has a copy. Park the car as close as you can to the location. Walking from one location to the next is a big time sink. Even more so when you have to carry tripods, sliders, bags, props, etc… Try to travel with as few cars as possible to reduce time spent finding a parking spot.
The crew was: Robert as the main shooter/director, me getting the wide shots and details, Christina to carry stuff and use the reflector and Florin as a photographer.
Pro tip: have the smallest crew you can manage and make sure everyone know his role. The less you are, the easier it is to manage and the faster you can move and make decisions.
This is right off the press, Red Rock Micro updated their offering for DSLR Rigs. In fact, it is such a scoop that they have not updated their website yet! Here is the press release:
Hollywood, CA (September 17, 2009) — Redrock Micro, the leading provider of cinema accessories for digital filmmakers, today announced a wide range of new accessories to enhance video DSLRs. Collectively these new accessories significantly reduce weight and increase the options available to exactly match customers’ desired features and configuration.
Highlights of products in this release include:
Carbon Fiber rods that cut weight a dramatic 66% – Redrock’s second-generation carbon fiber rods deliver state-of-the-art precision and strength, and are 66% lighter than comparable stainless steel rods. All Redrock DSLR rigs are now shipping with carbon fiber rods. Read the rest of this entry »
