My first short shot with the Canon 7d: “Shaving it back”

DSLRs New film

I only got it this morning, but me being me meant I had to get something up asap. Even though I am now in Dublin for the first F-Stop Academy Workshop this weekend. I took a few silly shots in the bar whilst having a proper man’s cocktail then went for dinner. So I didn’t start shooting this until just before midnight.

beardWhat I most missed about using the 5dmkII a lot is the inability to do slow motion in camera. I am so used to it with cameras like the EX1/3, HVX200 etc and even the GH1. So I wanted to do my first short ultilising the ability to do slow motion.

In Pal mode you can shoot 720p 50p or in NTSC mode 720p 60p. I went with 720p, made sure my shutter speed matched the frequency of the Irish power supply, 50hz, so I had the shutter at 1/100th and shot the whole lot at 50p using just my Canon L series 50mm f1.2 (which effectively becomes an 80mm with the 1.6 crop  of the APS-C sensor) and my Canon 24mm f1.4.

Basically I just filmed myself in the bathroom having a shave. Very simple test. Tiny room, no additional lighting. All shot at 100 ISO or 200 ISO. I used my Marshall 6.5″ monitor mounted on top of the camera to help me shoot myself. The monitor only displays 480p when recording but it is so sharp that monitor that I was able to get focus pretty much spot on. Very simple film. Shot by me and starring me. Everyone else was asleep sensibly!

I brought the footage into my mac using my lexar fw800 reader. Converted to Pro Res LT with Mpeg streamclip then opened up Cinema tools and converted the whole lot from 50p to 25p which took about 5 seconds. What it does is simply change the metadata to say that the clip should play at 25fps instead of 50 which if you visualise it is almost stretching the clip out to 25p effectively doubling the length of the clip giving you perfect slow motion. This was graded with Magic Bullet Looks from REDGIANTSOFTWARE.COM use code bloom2o to get 20% off it at checkout.

There won’t be a review of the camera properly from me yet as I need to spend more time with it. But all I can say is I love the 720p 50p mode and I shot a little at 24p earlier and I love this camera. It’s a joy to use and the images out of it are awesome. Much more intuitive than the 5d and simple video buttons on the camera and ability to re-assign buttons is very useful. Yes I miss my full frame of the 5dmk2, but I don’t miss the 30p. I really hope they can bring out firmware for the 5d…we shall see.

If you can make Dublin this weekend we have just had one cancellation for the Sunday F-Stop Academy Urban Cinematography and there are a few spots left on Saturday so you can get hands on with all my equipment and that includes the 7d and Zacuto gear. More info here.

Shaving It Back: Canon 7d from Philip Bloom on Vimeo.

Filmed on a prototype Canon 7d in 720p 50p mode then converted to 25p using cinema tools to get overcrank.

Music is by Chris Montez

Shot with 50mm f1.2. and 24mm f1.4

142 comments

  1. OOO look at those gray hairs! Old man. I love how you conjure up something cool like this, edit it up, render, and upload in no time. True professional. Good stuff, can’t wait to get my 7D at the end of the month! BTW this is TH3D4RKKN1GH7 from Twitter LOL.

  2. To much shallow depht for me, but great idea to edit in reverse. For the firmwire of the 5DmkII it’s so easy to do a update to put 25p and 24p. Camon want to sell lot of 7D before doing the update on the 5D

  5. First off, thanks for staying up so late and doing this!

    That quickly put to rest all of my “but its a smaller sensor” issues. The quality looked great and being able to shoot 60 fps is a welcome addition in my book. I’m going to re-edit this, play it backwards and see if I can learn have to shave properly.

  8. Well, it’s no “Reverie,” 🙂 But I love the creativity of making the whole thing in reverse. The imagery looks pretty sweet. Can’t wait for your “proper” review.

    Thanks for all you do to help our industry.

  10. Great stuff,
    Wow Philip even your electric shaver looks like a microphone and it even has a zoom button, lucky chap.

    Looking forward to your full review. What bitrate does the 720p record at?

      1. That’s fantastic! Considering DV is 25Mb, DV50 is… 50Mb, HDV is 19Mb, XDCAM is 35Mb. I think this will be the 1st new camera since my 1st generation DVX100!!! I sure waited long enough.

        Cheers Phil!

  13. Was this endorsed by Tom Guilmette …hahaha

    I don’t know who’s the biggest clown, a bloke with a 5Dmk2 on his head or one with a 7D in his bathroom.

    Come to think of it i have done something similar.

    Thanks Phil.

    Cheers Rambo

    1. i wanted to do something different and a bit silly. Also it was so late there was no way I was going to hit the streets “Sofia’s People” style at that time. 5dmk2 on head is def more clown like!!!;-)

  14. I am looking at getting either a 5D Mark 2 or a 7D. Its the low light i’m interested in obviously the 5d must be a lot better at this but are you able to put up a quick comparison video of both 5d and 7d shots in low light side by side?

  16. Thanks for posting this up in rapid-fire fashion! I really enjoy how you detail your routine step-by-step in these blogs. It really helps a newbie like me understand how the filming process is applied.

    Also, this camera seems to be the one I’ve been waiting for. That doesn’t mean I can afford it yet, but my eyes are all over this thing. Can’t wait to see some more footage. If F-Stop comes through Los Angeles, I would love to come by for a workshop.

  17. nice video. i’ve been holding off buying a new camera for a couple of years. could this be the one? looking forward to your full review and the f-stop academy starting up!

  18. The man is legend. Documenting the dawn of a new day in the life of – not only a beardless Bloom – but also of a cutting edge slow motion-capable HD DSLR in an innovative and subtly woven narrative by altering the passage of time. I thought of Kubrick’s 2001 – an epiphany for mankind: inspired by the power of the mysterious black monolith, mankind discovers the tools to alter his fate. The 7D has arrived and the man evolves!

    All this was achieved with a prototype camera in the early hours after a long journey with several drinks in the bar consumed (and of course filmed) while tweeting and blogging to thousands of DSLR devotees on multiple sites.

    I take my hat off to you sir. A stunning performance. And of course to anyone who assisted you in the process (even if only by priming you with magical Martini).

    I’m also glad the camera seems to hold up to expectations. Some of the 5D crowd, feeling jilted by Canon’s promiscuous gift of variable frame rates to the handsome new 7D boys are ready to savage and tear it to pieces.

    May you live long and prosper.

    1. Cheers Myles. It’s a been a tough couple of days. Am shattered and got hugely important weekend with our F-Stop workshop but had to get that 7d footage out there. If i hadn’t I wouldn’t be me!!

      2. Well, if the APS-C sensor size of the EOS 7D is considered “small,” just imagine how small it will be when you have to downziwe and shoot with a video camcorder that only has a 2/3-inch, 1/2-inch, or 1/3-inch size sensor!!!

        Tiny, tiny, tiny!!!!

  21. Bloom-
    Wicked creative mate, love the reverse imagery over the Chris Montez bed. I was on the fence at the 50mm f1.2 but I think you solidified this purchase for me. Spoke with Steve at Zacuto and the z-finder fits perfectly… this camera looks to be a game changer. Reminds me of when the original dvx100 first came out back in the day- exciting times in production indeed.

    Thanks again for all your hard work! Looking forward to the F-Stop Academy online.

    Cheers-
    Ash

    PS… I also hate shaving;-)

      1. Thanks for the kind words!

        I have to tell you I’ve been shooting for a long time now and even studied cinematography under Rick Waite (http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0005923/) in film school about a decade ago, but honestly, I learn something new and intrepid from you all the time. Can’t tell you how much what you’re doing helps the rest of us in the industry- keep up the good stuff!

        On a side note, just had a friend move back to Dublin from South Texas. I think she’s in climate shock going from 105 deg here to 45 deg there. Cheers-

  22. Heh… that electric razor definitely was ‘Philips’. 😉

    The camera’s looking great… I can live with the lack of audio features, but live HD HDMI out would have been really nice. It sounds like the bitrate is generous enough anyways though.

    Thanks for sacrificing sleep for us! Sounds like it’s going to be a great weekend in Dublin. Come to Canada sometime!

  23. Did we ever think that HD with this type of quality would be available for under 2k… It just amazes me. I do wish that they would update the firmware of the 5DmkII that I also have to allow for 50fps and 720p. Why would the 5D at almost 3k not be allowed to have the same functionality as a camera 1k dollars less? Com’on Canon…

    2. The 5d is more a photographers camera “that happens” to shoot video. The 7d is canon’s attempt to blend the crafts into one unit and they seemingly did a hell of a job. I was in a position to get a 5d, but will likely get the 7d now, i’m more willing to take sacrifices on the photography end (lack of full frame) for the benefits of better video than the 5d.

      Great little short Philp.
      I’m curious what rod kit from zacuto you used, I will be looking to get one.

      1. yes and no The 5d huge sensor is such an amazing tool. Essentially Vistavision, but yes the 7d is a remarkable film makers tool. Only problem with it is lack of fast wide primes for that size sensor.

        I have the zacuto mini baseplate. Email mandy@zacuto.com and she can help you. Mention my name and she will sort you out.

        1. You were mentioning using the 24-105 4L on 5D MkII. How do you think will 17-55 2.8 on 7D compare to the previous combination? Would that help a bit with the lack of wide fast lens?

    3. Good question Marucs. here is my guesstimate answer to it:

      The EOS 5D Mk II was Canon’s FIRST GENERATION HD-SLR. It had, and continues to have, severe limitations as a “professional video camera.”

      Which is why Canon came out now with their SECOND GENERATION HD-SLR, the EOS 7D. This new camera remedies many of the 5D2’s shortcomings on the video side.

      However, if we wait until the fall of 2010, I am sure that Canon will be releasing their THIRD GENERAYION HD-SLR model that will likely outdoo what the 7D can now do for us.

  25. Hmm, I’m just picturing flowers jumping from the ground into Den’s hands as he’s bitch slapped in slo mo reverse for being late. (Sorry Den..) You could call it Eirever.

    I really need a nice evening to suction cup my 5D to the car and drive around 🙂

  27. Nice work. Check out THE BIG SHAVE by Martin Scorsese sometime for a laugh. I’m curious what the aspect ratio you have chosen for presentation is, and why.

    For indie film making and eventual transfer to 35mm film, one starts to wonder about the possibility of using Russian cine Anamorphic lenses with this camera body. Just not sure about the behind-the-lens clearance issues.

    If you think of it, please post a pic of the camera’s sensor and mount with the mirror locked up. How does it compare to say, the T1 “rebel’s” throat?

      1. Actual, in the world of movies the 1.85:1 aspect ratio is usually considered more “cinematic,” especially since a whole lot more movies are being shot in the 1.85:1 AR even today than in the 2.35:1 or 2.39:1 scope AR.

        I heard of many weird things in my life, I suppose, but I haven’t yet heard of someone wanting to put an anamorphic cinema lens on a little DSLR camera.

        Also, why would anyone who wants to end up with a 35mm film positive print even contemplate shooting the material with an HD-SLR? Beats me.

  28. This does look pretty darn good but I want to see it at 1080p on a good monitor and see how it holds up. Lots of this stuff looks great on Vimeo but doesn’t hold up on a real monitor. Of course if it’s only destined for web …..

    1. it was shot 720p Scott so there is no 1080p version. It’s not as clean as the 5dmk2. It’s still very clean compared to most video cameras but the smaller sensor makes it a wee bit noisier. Still an awesome camera. I have ordered one

  30. Awesome work Philip, and thank you so much for taking the time to test this camera for us all!

    I have one minor request: please, please, please do a test to show if “jello” effects this camera in both 720P and 1080P.

    Thank you again for all your hardwork!!

  31. This is awesome, the only thing I need to see now is the upcoming Nikon D700x or D700s.

    After I see what it can do… hopefully they’ll have the sense of giving Phillip a test unit, I’ll make up my mind.

    Great work!

  32. I was wondering if it would be possible to use 5d2 clips which I already have with the new 7d, if they would blend well, if the light sensitivity was the same so that clips wold match without much color grading or additional noise from the 7d at a higher ISO.

    I was going to use my EX1 for slo-mo and try to grade that with the 5D2.
    It seems like such a BEAST now with the Ultimate adapter etc, LOL.

    I for one am completely miffed at Canon for this slap in the face, for leaving the 5D2 owners out in the cold and having the 7D out, cheaper with all the functions we want in the 5D2.

    Makes me want to wait for Nikons reply!

    But that may be a long wait.

    1. yes they will blend well…but depends on the frame rate.

      It’s not really a slap in the face. The 50d needed replacing. They have learnt from their mistakes with the 5dmk2 and implemented them onto the 7d. Surely that is better than them deliberately hampering the 7d so it isn’t as good as the 5dmk2. Yes it’s not ideal and all we can do is HOPE they can upgrade the firmware on the 5dmk2. After all I have two of them!!

    2. Nikon? Plueeeese….

      Yeah, the old 5D2 was good while it lasted. Now, we’ve got the new EOS 7D to froth about, especially when it comes to its video recording capabilities!

      “The King is dead. Long live the king!” 🙂

  33. Thanks for putting this video up so soon, Philip, great stuff.

    I wonder, can you or anyone point me in the right direction for getting my head around these lens/sensor issues? What do you mean by “…using just my Canon L series 50mm f1.2 (which effectively becomes an 80mm with the 1.6 crop of the APS-C sensor)”?

    1. I can actually asnwer that for you as I had such a similar confusion for the longest time. Hopefully this is actually correct, and i’m not just making an idiot of myself on Philip’s website 😉

      Think of it like this:

      Imagine the lens is a movie theatre projector, and the sensor is the screen. The projector always projects the image to the same size, because it’s a fixed distance from the screen.

      But what if you change the screen size? Well, if you make it smaller, the projected image will spill off the screen and onto the wall behind, right?

      So what you get with DSLRs is that the lens still projects the full image, but the sensor just isn’t large enough to capture it all. That’s why Full Frame cameras are what people generally like, because you get the same image as you would on a frame of 35mm film, and you don’t get confused as to the magnification, or “crop factor” 😉

      Keep in mind though, that the actual mm rating and distance measurements of the lens are still what they would normally be (ie: focus to 15ft is still focus to 15ft). When people talk about the lens “equivalent”, all they’re talking about is what the image size looks like in comparison to what you’d see on a full frame camera. ie: the image I get on my nikon d80 with my 35mm lens is roughly equivalent to the size of image you’d see from a 52mm on a full frame camera.

      That was very long winded… my appologies, but I hope it helps… I’m actually surprised i came up with a half decent analogy :p

      Cheers!

      2. Also keep in mind that a still photography camera’s “full frame” size has got nothing do with a 35mm motion picture camera’s “full frame” size. They are two different sizes.

        Are you more into still pictures or movies?

        1. you are forgetting a lot of people here, including me have used full frame for quite some time now with 35mm adaptors.

          Scarlet is coming out with a full frame cinema camera and the fact the 5mkII is full frame was part of the reason it is appealing. This is a huge sensor, something we have never had before in a video camera hence why we love it so much, irregardless of the academy size frame.

          1. I hate to be always the contrarian, but I guess I always am. Someone’s gotta do it, right? 😉

            Now, let’s say we are looking at the PHYSICAL SIZE of the sensor, say the photographic “full size” of 36x24mm. That would not be too bad by itself — provided that on this 36x24mm surface area you would have soemthing like 1920×1080 pixels or maybe 2,048×1080 pixels maximum. As more than that many pixels, we do not really need in the world of pro video, right? That would make each pixel much larger in size and the sensor would be all the more sensitive to light.

            Unfortunately, since these HD-SLRs are primarily still pghotography cameras and not video camcorders, they squeeze onto their large sensors 18K, 20K, 22K pixels. The vast majority of which is actually lost in downsampling for 1920×1080 or 1280×720 video recording, correct?

            ARRI is coming out with a new D-film camera called the “Alexa.”

            http://arridigital.com/teaser

            http://blog.abelcine.com/2009/09/11/new-line-arri-digital/

            http://fdtimes.wordpress.com/2009/09/11/arri-blue/

            http://fdtimes.files.wordpress.com/2009/09/arri_alexa-blue_fdtimes27.pdf

            The “base model” A-EV actually does not look too bad at all for around 50K in price.

            What I really like is that this new Arricam will have a 3.5K size sensor, but of course you are only capturing a 2.2K HD/2K image with it. Which means that you will be able to “see around” the frame markers in the VF or on the attached LCD monitor, just like you do in a film camera’s VF. You’ll see outside the captured image’s border in all four directions! Hurrah!!!

            That’s what kills me with DSLR and video cameras in general, the maximum you get is a 100% WYSIWYG coverage. You can never see the mic hanging over the top frameline, or a C-stand just to the right. Now, you can with these new Arri suckers.

            We’ll see if they can keep the price “reasonable,” since these cameras do internal recording to hard drive as well, just like the Silicon Imaging/P+S Technik SI-2K.

            So, on the one end, you will soon have this new and rather expensive Arri Alexa with “only” a 3.5K CMOS sensor. But you will be able to record at HD and 2K and see all around the frame in all four directions, see what you are not recording (mic, C-stand, etc) as well. Cool!

            On the HD-SLR line, you have these 20K sized sensors which still can only capture a 1920×1080 moving image, and further, they cannot show you imemdiately around the captured frame to see what you are missing.

            BTW, this comapny “Red,” is that really still around? I heard something to the effect that they folded, or will soon fold. The “Scarlet” you are talking about, would that be the same model camera that this company had announced in April 2007 at the 2009 NAB. but then never followed through with and actually delivered to the marketplace?

  34. Phillip, is the HDMI-out full HD before you press record. If so you should really contact Mike Shell over at Convergent Desgin and try to get a test unit of the nanoflash recorder. 160kbps xdcam codec on a dslr would be fantastic. Not to mention HDMI and SDI i/o and conversion.

  35. Thanks, Philip for the wonderful test. I was just about to commit to the 5d mII until I started reading about this new one. Now I have to start the research all over. When you get around to full testing, is there a place you can post full, uncompressed, samples online? Even if they are very short.
    -Peter (ex-pat Brit in the US)

  36. Yeah, sweet stuff. I’m always worried though, after a few drinks, I’m tired, sharp stuff, and really expensive stuff. Not a good mix for me. But apparently for you it’s just the right mix. I really like this camera and the images it’s creating. I use the 5D quite a bit and it’s awesome. Next summer, another camera is needed for the biz and this might be the one.
    Now, when are you coming to Denver, Colorado, we have more beauty here than the rest of the world?!!

      1. You are invited! Heck, you can even stay with me, you buy beverages. But no, seriously, consider yourself invited. I’m a back fan, I love the way you and Den discuss in plain terms what is important, why it is so, what makes a shot or film good. I love how you guys are about the story and not necessarily the gear (although the gear is very, very fun) Keep coming with the great gear reviews, the great little tips on doing this and that, the great little films and all the rest. I love using our 5D’s and next summer I will probably get a 7D so my girlfriend can have her cameras back. Thanks for everything, and it really is awesome in Colorado.

  37. Hey Philip.

    Thanks for referencing me to your blog site. I get email notification from exposure room stating your new video but you blog doesn’t. LOL So immediately went to go scope the 7D video out by the famous Philip B.

    Bravo for the details and the break down of what you did to create this video. Very impressed again on the quality be even more impressed about the amount of time you took to put this together and probably are the first one in the world to do this so quickly on the Canon 7D. I’ve always enjoyed videos but i don’t have the knowledge or tools yet to compile something like your videos. I hope you don’t turn your back on the 5D because I’m still excited to see some more footage of that but i completely agree with the simple buttons that Canon added for the video feature. Cant wait to see your review of the camera and what you think of it. I must say also that I’m jealous of what glass you had when you filmed this because most average individuals like me cant shot with 1.2-1.4 L glass (to much $$$). Will you be around the northwest U.S. anytime soon to put on a workshop? Also i would have never thought of making sure the camera settings were correct for the 50hz power supplies (genius in my case but normal to videographers ).

    Jonathan Martinez
    Jmartinezstudios.com
    http://jmartinezstudios.blogspot.com

  39. Phillip,
    So do I understand correctly that montoring while recording is only composite SD video via the AV jack? So then does HDMI only work for play back?I am hoping to monitor while recording on my steadicam’s old SD monitor.
    Thanks,
    Chris

  40. Philip,

    You seem to be liking your GH1 lately. How does the 7D compare to the GH1? (except for the obvious bit rate issue and the 1080p GH1 problem)

    Personally I still like the GH1 for the fact that the system is made to be quite to allow for continual auto focus which is useful in real world situations. I fear someday Canon will develop a similar system that will require new lenses. Lenses have alway been the safe investment in this otherwise rapidly changing art form. Maybe no longer.

    Thoughts?

    Thanks!
    Greg

  41. Dear Canon,you have stolen Xmas,please release an update for my brand new Canon 5DMK2,i am going to send a follow up letter as soon as i stop crying and my mates stop laughing at my reaction when i saw the slow motion.
    Excellent video Phillip,i got that scratchy feeling when it seemed you were shaving against the grain,i really connected with the narrative…always moisturize. peace

    1. Allister, the Canon EOS 5D MkII is a SINGLE FRAME RATE camera. Whereas the second generation EOS 7D can handle THREE DIFFERENT FRAME RATES.

      Life’s not fair, I take it? 🙁

        1. Touche. I guess it acquires at FIVE rates, not just three, my bad. Maybe I meant to say was that you can play back whatever you shoot at three different frame rates.

          Only two of which is of any practical use (25 and 29.97), since other than showing a 35mm positive film print at 24fps in an old fashioned celluloid movie theater, there is precious little one can do with 24fps these days, right?

            1. That’s strange, since we always shot at 25fps for European television, never at 24fps, and I was even involved in one or two film shoots in the US that was shot at 30fps ON FILM!!!!, since it went straight to television broadcast. Different strokes to different folks, I suppose.

              I guess you can shoot at just about any frame rate, of course, but it can ever be broadcast in only two, depending on which part of the world you are talking about.

              I am rather surprised that the EBU pushed through the new EU HDTV standard as being 720/50p. Does that mean that one would be better off shooting for European television natively at their new broadcast standard of 720/50p, as opposed to maybe shooting at something else, like 720/25p, 720/24p, 1080i, or 1080p?

              This is in Germany and elsewhere in Continental Europe, I am not sure what the HDTV broadcast standard calls for in the UK, however? Amazingly, whatever it is, it seems that this little EOS 7D can handle it.

  42. mr bloom, hope ur well.any chance u cud also upload ur blog-vids via youtube?that wud mean that ppl like me who use pocketpcs, smartphones etc. can watch them on the go-a youtube client app plays them perfectly on these devices.ta n hopefully c u soon.

  43. “Well, it’s no ‘Reverie,’ “—Ron Dawson

    Phil, this short of yours does much more for me than Reverie! You have proven that I can do what I have wanted to do all along with the EX1, and all without a DOF adapter! Thank you so much for staying up so late making this video, and also growing such a large beard! Haha. The first thing I’m going to shoot when my 7D arrives is me shaving. I’m not going to until it’s here.

    2. Whereas the Canons have a LiveView active output via their mini-HDMI spigot, I understand the GH1 does not.

      Also, keep in mind that the new Canon 7D has dual CPUs inside! Much better for crunching bits, thus the much higher bitrate attainable.

  45. Great shaving !
    Why do you shoot in 720 50p and no in 1080 25p ? – Do you think that 1080 25p is less good than 720 50p ( on the 7d ) ?
    excuse my rough english !
    Greetings from France ( Pyrenées Mountains – a very nice place )
    Bertrand

  46. You mentioned testing jello, further up. May I suggest you try and mount the 7D atop one of the ex cameras (focal planes aligned), and do a panning test with the aprox. same framing? If you find the time, perhaps you could do this with some of your other cmos cameras as well? It’s a very good way of comparing rolling shutter artifacts.

    Also, I forgot to mention the video was way cool.

  47. Hi Phil, pleasure as always to look t your stuff.
    You are quite unique in your posting of footage for cams. I You always display technical details via real footage and at the same time do it in an artistic fashion ….. brilliant.

    Big question for me is how this unit stacks up to GH1 and its 17mbps codec.
    on a calibrated 100″ 1080p projection room .
    What is your gut feeling at this time..

    Mark

    1. Whereas I am not Phil, admittedly, but my own “gut feeling” on this would be that a 48Mb/sec recording bitrate (EOS 7D) will give you a somewhat better image quality overall using the same exact codec than a 17Mb/sec recording bitrate (Panny GH1) would provide.

      But what do you think, Phil?

        1. Yeah, the Panny GH1 is US$200 less expensive than the EOS 7D, and it comes with a stock 10x focal range zoom lens that has AF and is almost totally silent. With the 7D, you get the body only for $1,699.

  48. Hi Phillip, This is great stuff demonstrating the potentials of this camera. I am seriously considering upgrading my HV20 and this camera seems ideal. Just one more question for you since you’ve got a real camera at your hand:

    How long can you continuously film in 1080p mode before the camera overheat and shut down?

    I read into the online instruction manual and there are languages about overheating in the movie mode. I wish I can film at least continuously 30 minutes in 1080p mode (I can hit the record button once the 12 minutes limit is hit). This could be very useful as I sometimes do events and record people speeches…

    I posted this question on your vimeo post as well, and look forward to your answer.

    Thank you so much!!

    1. I have no clue about the time limit, but the couple of people who I know use these DSLRs professionally for video have TWO (and in one case, THREE) identical cameras. Since the CMOS heats up like crazy and will give you all sorts of crazy artifacts, you will probably have to switch to a fresh n’ cool camera every 20-30 minutes, for sure.

      Either that, or shoot with a pro video camcorder.

  51. Ok Mr. Bloom. I don’t care if you’re busy or not. You are one of the few who have access to the 7D. Share the love! Post something! Anything! Side by side with 5D II would be great. Shoot a zone chart. Or just tell us about it.

  52. Ah so you are getting pre production Canon kit now. You will not be able to answer this I guess but… Do you have any inside knowledge of a new Canon pro video system. I’m convinced that Canon have had something up their sleeves or in development for sometime? They have held back till now but I think something will arrive very very soon and will be very nice. I still love the XH-A1 but there has to be something new on the horizon… perhaps coming with the big Canon product launch later this month of what seems to be a large number of products? Also more firmware for the 5d mk2 seems likely?

    Kaveh.

    1. For people needing more firmware updates for their EOS 5D2, maybe they should be looking into trading up for a 7D?

      Kaveh, I was wondering about the Canon 1/3-inch camera line-up, too. What they have now for 1/3-inch camcorders are old, stale stuff. Yesteryear’s news. All of what they sell now in that category are obsolete. And now, with their 5D2 and 7D out, they cannibialized right into their own camcorder product offerings most seriously indeed.

      I think Canon will do one of two things real soon:

      (A) Retire their entire video camcorder line, and concentrate on their Cine-DSLRs exclusively in the future.

      – or –

      (B) Comee up with a new type of video camera, maybe a hybrid DSLR/camcorder, that will blow everyone else out of the water.

      I hope it will be (B).

  53. Nobody who grew up with a film camera or a video camera will “miss” 36x24mm full frame sensors. Those are for still photography. In the world of pro film and video, we have smaller sensors that 36mm x 24mm, and that is all there is to it, really. No reason to “miss it” at all.

    And instead of bugging Canon for even more “firmware updates” for their first-generation HD-SLR, how about getting their second generation HD-SLR, the EOS 7D instead? Everything you hope for in an unpromised 5D2 firmare update, the 7D already has, and more.

    C’mon people, stop the whining.

    1. i disagree. that is what made the 5dmk2 special. Full frame. This was unique as gave the camera a stunning image. i want 5dmk2 firmware upgrade like everyone else! is it possible? that i do not know.

      1. I guess there are too many PHOTOGRAPHERS here maybe, and not enough old timer film and video people? There is no such thing as “full frame” in film or video. Only in SLR/DSLR photography.

        The “full frame” or “FF” that some folks are referring to is known in the film world as the “VistaVision frame.” Not as a “full frame.” It’s not used all that much anymore, actually. VistaVision, I mean.

        And why would that be any sort of a “full frame,” anyhow, then you have the IMAX frame situated horizontally on 65mm film negative that is approximatley four times the surface area of a VistaVision frame and therefore also about FOUR TIMES the sensor area of the 5D2? So, comparing it to that particular acquisiton format, the Canon EOS 5D2’s “FF” sensor would only be a “quarter full frame” in size, correct?

        “Full frame,” my foot. 🙂

        1. I have to agree with Philip on this one. Whilst the “FF” format is bigger than the main prevailing motion image formats, many of these achieved their dominance for reasons of technical practicality, economics and sufficient quality for the delivery mediums of the day. Therefore it’s surely possible that aesthetically better formats will come along as things progress. After all 4:3 was dominant for many years but few are arguing that is a reason in itself for sticking with it.

          That all said “FF” may well prove a step too far for many, it’s greatest strength, shallow depth of field, being also it’s greatest weakness in many shooting situations. I think a fair few will have unfortunate experiences shooting with it.

          The 7D appears to have addressed a lot of the issues with the 5D and with it’s perhaps more practical, and closer to movie 35mm format, will probably be a better solution for many everyday uses.

          1. I think there is a really important point in the development of these products. So far it has been very accidental and more about film makers seeing the potential in these cameras and wanting this kind of depth of field and solid state etc rather than companies like Canon designing purpose made products. This has been supported by the a flood of photographers jumping into video as the market value of photography crashes and commercial internet video production takes hold. It will be interesting to see if Canon can bring this technology into a product designed from the outset for the purpose of film making as so far they have really just been reacting to a phenomenon that has caught them by surprise.

            I hope he won’t mind me saying but I still think Philip’s work shot on DVCAM for channel 5 is the best work on his site. No big chips but there’s no compromise and it shows.

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