Re: You lost a member with this review-stop colorite spam
Thanks for the review, Drew. I was hoping to see a good, solid test of the camera's video capability, and here you've done just what I had hoped.
I'm sure there are others doing reviews of the camera in "still" mode, and so I applaud your approach of thinking differently and checking out the video mode first.
I find it irritating that in this world of internet "noise" people are focusing on your ColorRight promotions as though they are particularly irritating, and ignoring the time and effort that has gone into your review. I already have a ColorRight and frankly I find it quite easy to ignore your ads and promotional eMails. I easily jumped right to the review link in the latest one.
I got my 5d Mk II on Tuesday so I can comment as someone who actually has a camera.
As background I have a 1Ds Mk III, a 1D Mk III, a 40D and a 50D, and so have some idea of what Canon high end cameras are like.
My initial impression of the 5D Mk II as a still camera is very favorable. It is really a 50D with full frame, but putting only 21Mp on a full frame as against 15Mp on a 1.6 FOVC is a much better combination, and it shows dramatically in the high ISO results.
However, the reason for this post is to respond to Drew's "review" of the 5D II's movie mode.
I didn't buy the camera as a full time movie camera, but hoped that I might take some action clips to go with my still Squash shots. I have tried the movie mode and have these comments.
Focus :- I was surprised that the focus is so "manual", but understand the reasons for it. However, you can automatically focus while shooting, though it doesn't track focus and it isn't always smooth. It does mean that you can change the point that you want to focus on and have the camera get you focussed on it. As far as manually focussing is concerned the only difficulty I had was with low contrast subjects which didn't have much of an edge and would be difficult to focus any way. I was using my 70 - 200 2.8 L IS zoom at the 200 end so the DOF was pretty small.
Sound :- Yes the internal microphone picks up camera and lens noise, which are noticeable compared to a silent subject, if there is something interesting being said in the scene it is probably not that objectionable. There is a simple microphone socket for a pro grade mic if you want to record quality sound. The built in mic is mono only (same signal on both channels) but the movie has full stereo which an external mic will supply.
Shot Length :- No one taking any sort of quality video needs to take a shot that is anywhere near 12 minutes. This is just not an issue, and hence the overheating is not an issue either.
Editing / Software :- I'm not a videographer, but I am a Mac user. For me, the movies are the easiest thing in the world. At the simplest, Quicktime (with the $20 Pro upgrade) opens and plays the files directly with no conversion or anything. You can even crop the movie in quicktime and assemble clips just with cut and paste. I have only used iMovie HD once before, but I dropped a 5D HD clip into it and was able to cut, edit, fade add effects and output an HD movie without any difficulty at all. I haven't tried the Canon supplied software, but since I have Apple's software probably won't bother. If you are a PC user I don't know how difficult it will be for you. But HD files are HUGE, so you are going to need some decent software, and a decent computer to work with them, but that is hardly Canon's fault. I am just delighted that the camera gives an easily usable file, and not one of those horrible mpeg encode files where you can't do anything with it without fighting through some decoding software.
Conclusion :-
The fact that I have taken the time to write this, probably indicates the degree of annoyance that I felt on reading Drew's scathing review. I think that he has completely missed the point on two counts.
First, this is a still camera that amazingly can do superb quality video. It is not a camera for taking hours of video of your family that no one but you is going to want to watch. There are plenty of cheap video cameras out there that will do an excellent job of that. I even have a Flip for just such use.
Secondly, producing high quality video is difficult! A few years ago I bought some (then) decent video gear with a view to taking some video. I found that the effort required to put all of the elements together that video requires, was very difficult, and that was before all of the time and effort that the editing process required. I couldn't produce something that I was happy with, with my existing level of expertise and without devoting more time to it than I was prepared to invest. I returned to still photography where I can produce something that I am at least marginally pleased without devoting weeks to it. Reverie, isn't "hype", it is an example of what someone who knows what they are doing and who is prepared to put in the enormous amount of time and effort that is required, can produce when given a quality piece of equipment. Drew is clearly not one of those people.
The 5D Mk II is not your family movie camera to hand to your wife to do point and shoot coverage of the school play. It is a camera that can add the ability to do some staggeringly interesting to the tool bag of the pro photographer who wants to put in the effort to learn video.
David.
P.S. I also object to the inclusion of yet more ads for the Color Right.
White Balance so easy, even our 5 year old can do it.- Melissa Strickland
I too second the ColorRight SPAMATHON...PLEASE STOP!
You mail me it seems EVERY DAY with more sales info spam on your ColorRight. And I even bought one when it first came out.
I am unlikely to renew my subscription too. I feel like I am being up sold at a car dealer. It affects my view of everything you do. You are compromising the site's editorial integrity with your recent late night TV advertorial style.
Also very much agree with the previous posters about the 5dMk2 video capability. You do not seem to understand the implications for the real use of this outside of still photography and how video cameras are used in pro situations. Internal mics are just used for slate, if used at all, and external radio mics are cheap and work perfectly. It is clearly not a camcorder and unless you are shooting hand held deliberately you nearly always have a video camera on a tripod...
I shoot video often as well as stills and this little camera will pay for itself in 2 jobs for me. The indie film makers, reality TV and music video makers here in LA are drooling at the mouth. The fact that I can use the same camera on set and get the same look for stills is a real wow factor.
The still capture quality of this camera is quite amazing, it is a real new world at a very affordable price. That alone makes it worth while, while the video capability is truly fabulous for folk who know what they are doing shooting moving pics...
Will Henshall
White Balance so easy, even our 5 year old can do it.- Melissa Strickland
Considering the cost of the camera ($2700) and it's functionality as a still camera, it's an amazing piece of technology. Vince Laforet put the video together in 72 hours without an owners manual. This points to the camera's value as a field tool.
You left out the part where the camera changes the ISO to compensate for light changes aperture and exposure time stay the same. Consider the visual impact of this in available light shooting.
You also failed to mention that the video frames are high enough resolution to print from. This feature is useful when you are shooting a person and want to capture the exact moment without a noisy camera and flash popping. It's a silent 30 frame per second motor drive. The HD video progressive scan can easily make a good 8x10, and larger with care.
I saw the 5D MarkII in the prototype stage and knew I had to have it. It's a game changer and I have mine on order.
White Balance so easy, even our 5 year old can do it.- Melissa Strickland
It is really a 50D with full frame, but putting only 21Mp on a full frame as against 15Mp on a 1.6 FOVC is a much better combination, and it shows dramatically in the high ISO results.
Thanks David for this answer. Boy, that simple statement is what means a lot to me. Now, if someone could compare this to Nikon, I'd be even happier. I hope we see more posts from you soon on the camera.
White Balance so easy, even our 5 year old can do it.- Melissa Strickland
Just out of curiosity, Doug, are you planning to buy a 5DM2 or a D700 (or D3?) based on which model has better high ISO noise performance?
I have a D3 and a 1DM3. The D3 is a bit better at 3200, and a lot better at 6400, although it still won't make very good-looking prints (IMO) at such high ISO settings. I doubt that the 5DM2 would be as good as the D3, just as Nikon's own brand-new high-resolution D3x can't match the D3's high ISO noise performance.
Of course, this is only speculation. I am also interested in seeing some side-by-side comparisons between the 5DM2 and the D3.
I would consider getting a 5DM2, but more so because of the possibilities with the video, as opposed to its noise characteristics.
White Balance so easy, even our 5 year old can do it.- Melissa Strickland
Just out of curiosity, Doug, are you planning to buy a 5DM2 or a D700 (or D3?) based on which model has better high ISO noise performance?
It's one of the biggest factors in my wish list for sure. Most everything else is now covered. Although some people seem to find shots at 6400 acceptable, I find very few of my customers are happy with them. I'm doing a lot more hockey, skating, gymnastics & swimming indoors as well as available light at weddings and I need every extra bit of ISO I can find without breaking the bank. We're so terribly close to what I need.
I just shot an available light wedding on Saturday. Late afternoon wedding and I desperately wanted to catch as much of the old inn/candlelight feeling as I could. I even succumbed to raw shooting just to eek out another few stops of latitude. It's OK, but an extra 2 stops would have been worth it.
White Balance so easy, even our 5 year old can do it.- Melissa Strickland
It's OK, but an extra 2 stops would have been worth it. 
Linear Mode
