Comments on: Review: First take on the Canon 5D Mark II

By: Q & A: The Canon 5D Mark II | mophojo

Q & A: The Canon 5D Mark II | mophojo — Thu, 07 May 2009 01:25:43 +0000

[...] to an Apple Store and try it out. I’d recommend buying a new MacBook Pro. I’ve run down my system and software versions here. The big thing is to make sure your software is up to date (FCP, OS [...]

By: mophojo

mophojo — Wed, 08 Apr 2009 03:25:54 +0000

Michael,

FWIW, an interesting tip from a pro film maker on theeoscars.com

“Tip for 5d MkII filmmakers: USE AN ND8 FILTER ON HOT SUMMER DAYS AND A FIELD SOUND RECORDER AT 30fps Nondrop”

Not sure what’s behind that suggestion, or if it would clear up that problem you outlined.

Full post here:

http://theeoscars.com/5dblog/2009/03/lucky-day-mg-studio/

By: George Rindon

George Rindon — Sat, 14 Mar 2009 07:32:57 +0000

Finally, a wonderful piece on related FCP/5D MkII workflow–love it! Keep it coming….

By: Michael White

Michael White — Wed, 28 Jan 2009 18:39:58 +0000

Here’s the Canon EOS 5D audio sync issue or problem.

Last Wednesday I used my two 5D MkII’s in a 3 camera music video shoot. The third camera was a Sony PMW-EX1. Audio was recorded on two additional devices. One audio recording device was an Edirol R4 Pro. The other audio recording setup was a Tascam USB Interface to a MacBook Pro.

The Sony Camera, Edirol, and Tascam/MacBook Pro devices all synced sound perfectly over the full duration of the shoot (just over 20 minutes). To clarify – once the different sources are sync’d quickly and easily to the slate clap on the waveform at the beginning of the shoot they all stayed perfectly in sync for the rest of the video.

Both Canon cameras audio and video sync’d perfectly to each other but drifted significantly from the other 3 devices even over a 3 minute segment. That is a very serious problem for me and one that introduces significant post-production trouble and expense.

This issue was so unexpected (I haven’t run into this in years of working with a range of equipment) that I performed 3 subsequent tests to confirm that the 5D MkII’s run too fast. The results from the tests show both of my 5D Mark II’s run about 14 frames too fast in 10 minutes. Audio that is 1 full frame out of sync is noticeable on sharp sounds causing an echo. Audio that is 2 or 3 frames out of sync causes echo on any sound and looks odd in terms of lip sync.

That the two Canon cameras audio sync’d OK to each other tells me that the cameras can be calibrated to a standard. Evidently they are just calibrated to an incorrect standard.

I have shot since then by slating at the beginning and the end but this only works for short segments. This is a deal-breaker for me for shooting with the 5D for most of what I do and it makes me very sad.

Anybody else experience this? Does anybody really know if this is likely a chip issue or a firmware issue? Does anyone know an easy, reliable way to get the clips to conform to the standard without time-consuming constant tweaking?

I contacted Canon tech support and the girl there wasn’t too concerned. She said: There is no fix and that the 5d isn’t really a video camera so what did I expect? Nice!

By: Canon 5D tips » Blog Archive » My new 5DMrkII favorite clip

Canon 5D tips » Blog Archive » My new 5DMrkII favorite clip — Thu, 08 Jan 2009 14:56:49 +0000

[...] creator of the clip also made a great blog post giving insider information about how it was shot and outline some of the limitations of the camera [...]

By: mophojo

mophojo — Thu, 08 Jan 2009 13:55:37 +0000

Canon has released a firmware update for the 5D Mark II which is supposed to address the “black dot” issue and vertical banding.

http://www.mophojo.com/2009/01/canon-releases-black-dot-fix-with-firmware-update/

By: mophojo

mophojo — Thu, 08 Jan 2009 13:54:10 +0000

Joe, I have not yet transcoded the 5D files before editing in Final Cut. I also don’t have to render anything in the timeline (no dreaded red bars) for the most part. I’m guessing there is some kind of sequence setting you should look into. I’m using FCP, but surely there’s not some deficiency in FCE that would do that to you? I would hope not. Make sure all your software, including Quicktime and your OS, is up to date.

By: Joe Burns

Joe Burns — Thu, 08 Jan 2009 04:40:11 +0000

Wow. I love the Rocky video. Did you this without the transcoding? I love the camera, but editing the clips in Final Cut Express and rendering constantly is driving me crazy.

By: david

david — Mon, 05 Jan 2009 19:33:57 +0000

There’s so much I liked about this that extends past the the camera, superb, as it is. The direction, theme music and Amy’s V/O.

Amy’s V/O blend of script and delivery is as engaging as the vid itself. That last para wrap up? Nice!

Despite the kinetic nature of the sport, which usually calls on aggressive shooting (I used to shoot for Lennox Lewis when he was fighting, say, Tyson) the timing, pathos on this is methodical and contemplative.

David’s holding shot on Rocky towards the end is a treat in visual aesthetics.

Bravo people. Time to make Rocky your own, a shoot worth going back to over the years.

Cheers

David, UK, Viewmagazine.tv
Blog, viewmag

By: Ken Jones

Ken Jones — Mon, 05 Jan 2009 09:15:16 +0000

I just adjusted your unaltered frame grab in Photoshop to see if there was detail in the blacks. I am happy to say that there is detail. Try it out. The histogram looks like a U shape. This is strange, but there is detail in that contrasty picture. I wonder how much a Schneider 4×4 Digicon filter will help. Oops I did say 4×4, doubt if you plan on running around with a matte box anytime soon.

Fantastic review. The info you provided is super helpful. Thank you!