Testing the new 5DmkII 2.0.3 firmware on a news assignment
Posted by Dan Chung in Audio, Canon Eos5DmkII, DSLR video news on March 16, 2010
5DmkII firmware 2.0.3 audio test from Dan Chung on Vimeo.
Yesterday I had the chance to test the new 5DmkII firmware 2.0.3 in a real news environment. It that adds 1080/24p and 25p recording, Tv and Av modes for video and manual control of the audio levels in the camera. I used it on a bustling doorstep interview by visiting UK Foreign secretary David Miliband. Above is a very short test clip shot at 25p.
The audio was fed from a reporters mic with a Sennheiser SKP 100 radio transmitter to my very lovely Sound Devices MixPre audio mixer, then to a Pinknoise systems custom made XLR to minijack -45db PAD cable to the 5DmkII. The Pinknoise cable is necessary because otherwise the output of the mixer’s XLR’s is too hot for the camera’s mic level input.
The 5DmkII with Sound Devices mixer and Pinknoise cable
The beauty of this setup is that I can monitor what is being sent to the camera using headphones and on the mixers brightly lit LED meters. Once the correct level is set in camera I don’t have to touch the 5DmkII again as all the adjustments can then be done on the mixer instead. The preamps in the mixer are of far higher quality than those in the camera and so a lot of the hiss I would get before is removed. I can also use an XLR mic with Phantom power like the Audio Technica AT875R shotgun mic shown here.
I’m not convinced of the strength of the minijack connection in busy news environments like this and I’m worried it may fall out or become dislodged too easily. For that reason I actually set the record level in camera at just under half way on the meter. This is a compromise I’m trying for news so that if the jack does fall out I still get some sound from my internal camera mic. There is some slight hiss due to the camera’s noisy internal preamps, but I can live with it. Using the mixer I can also output to an audio recorder at the same time for insurance.
In a more controlled environment I would want to reduce the in camera level to near minimum and use the better quality pre-amps in the Sound Devices mixer to boost the level.
So far this is the best (and most expensive) option I have used for news audio. Other cheaper options I like that offer similar functionality are the Juicedlink CX231 with DN101 adapter attached , or the Tascam DR-100 recorder with a Pinknoise cable on the line output.
If you haven’t already installed the new firmware you can hop over here to download it.
I’m not going to go into all the detail on the firmware here but there a couple of great reads , one from Phil Bloom here and another from Planet5D
Here’s a quick run through of the new firmware’s features from Mitch at Planet5D
Guide to the Canon EOS 5D Mark II “cinema” update 2.0.3 from planetMitch on Vimeo.
Dan Chung filming China’s migrant children using the Canon 550D / T2i
Posted by Dan Chung in Canon 550D / T2i, DSLR video news on March 15, 2010
Guardian reporter Tania Branigan and I have been wanting to make a report about the children of migrant workers for a while now. Although many of them were born in Beijing, their access to education and other services is limited because of China’s household registration system, the hukou. It basically divides citizens into urban and rural dwellers and assigns them various rights. It made more sense in the 1950s, when China was a planned economy, but has created huge problems now that tens of millions of Chinese farmers have moved to cities to find work. Because the hukou is inherited, their kids struggle to access basic services too.
I knew that the best way to tell this story would be through the life of a child. We were fortunate to find a great subject in eight-year-old Yuhui, whose parents will do anything to ensure she gets a good education. Like many migrant kids, she has not been able to get a place in a state school and instead goes to a privately-run place in the city.
We had been trying to set up a visit to the school for a while and as luck would have it managed to arrange it just as my 550D cameras arrived. I couldn’t resist the opportunity to try them out on an assignment. I wanted the video to mix conventional news reporting with documentary style.
The schoolchildren check out the 550D
For the shoot I used both my 550D cameras shooting at 1080/25p, one rigged for slider action and the other in a regular configuration. I had a good range of lenses with me. the Zeiss ZE 28mm f2, 50mm f1.4 and 85mm f1.4, the Tokina 11-16mm f2.8, a Canon 100mm 2.8 macro lens and a 135mm f2 Canon lens. To aid focus I fitted my Zacuto Z-finder – the same one I use with my other Canon cameras.
I chose to shoot using just natural light and work around it – the interiors were all between 200 and 800 asa at between f2.8 and f5.6 , avoiding the ultra shallow depth of field look. This was an aesthetic choice as I felt it just made the end result a bit more ‘real’.
The two sliders – my small Singapore-made one and a larger Glidetrack – were also critical to the look of the piece. For the uninitiated, these are metal rails with small carriages that move along them, simulating the look of a traditional tripod dolly over short distances. The longer Glidetrack was mounted on my Miller DS-20 at one end and a light stand at the other – this setup was used for most of the slides. My mini Singapore slider was used in tight spots or for putting straight onto a table for close up-sliding.
Unlike on many news assignments, I had the time to stay and shoot over a longer period. Once the children got used to me and my camera being in the classroom they settled down and this allowed me to get far more natural shots.
The Glidetrack and 550D ready for action
For the outside shots I used 4×4 glass ND filters in a Genus mattebox (with Sunshade removed to try and keep a low profile). I would normally use a Fader ND filter for speed but in this instance, with a little more time on my hands, I thought I would go for the best quality possible.
As with the 7D and 1DmkIV the mic input only has automatic gain control and is pretty useless for high quality audio. Instead I used my new Tascam DR-100 field recorder with a Sanken CS-1 mic attached via XLR. I then synced the sound with the in-camera audio using Bruce Sharpe’s amazing Pluraleyes software for Final Cut Pro.
Editing was quite straightforward. I converted the clips to Prores 422 LT using MpegStreamclip before dropping them into Final Cut Pro. While I don’t usually put much of a grade on my news videos I felt that this feature deserved to be slightly more stylised – nothing too drastic; just a bit of a film look with a slight vignette on most shots, all done in Magic Bullet looks.
In terms of subject and technique this is one of the most satisfying short news features I have done. The performance of the 550D was nothing short of stunning for such a small, inexpensive camera. To my mind the equipment is not the barrier to creating great-looking news videos any more; it’s all about investing time in learning the skills and coupling it with some good old fashioned journalism.
To read Tania Branigan’s story on Migrant workers on the Guardian click here
TV shooter Simon Lee travels in Burma with the 5DmkII
Posted by Simon Lee in Canon Eos5DmkII, DSLR video news, Journalism on March 10, 2010
How DSLR allowed Simon to make great video while keeping a low profile in a country that is largely out of bounds to western media.
I have been involved in production and post production and taking photographs for over a decade now. When I saw the videos shot by Vincent Laforet and Dan Chung on the 5DmkII it was immediately apparent that I should invest in one.
After testing it out on a low budget video production, where it happened to save the day, I wanted to put the 5DmkII through its paces and I conjured up the idea of traveling through Myanmar.
Low profile shooting in Myanmar
Without delving into the intricacies of the situation there, what really set the tone before I went was the advice of an acquaintance who had set up an NGO in Myanmar. In essence, I ought to be wary approaching people and broaching sensitive subjects as this could seriously compromise them with the powers that be. They would be the ones to bear the consequences of the exchange, whether or not they imparted anything that might rattle the established order. I also heard that the military were less than fond of people taking pictures of them. Actually, I didn’t have a pressing journalistic agenda for this trip but I wanted at least to have a good look and get a feel for the place.
I had reason to suspect that my luggage would be checked on arrival so I purposely limited my equipment and decided not to bring any professional audio gear. I thought too many accessories would make the 5D appear more journalistic – otherwise it appears like any DSLR carried by tourists enthusiastic about photography. Light and low profile was the order of the day.
I took 3 Canon L lenses, an essential ND filter for shooting video, a polarizer screw on, step down rings for all the lenses and the very light and compact Gitzo traveler tripod. I also had a rain cover, which came in very handy when riding around in a powered boat. Finally, I bought an Archos 5 Internet Media tablet, to which I could connect a CF card reader and transfer files. I could also view jpgs on the Archos, though it wasn’t quite up to playing 1080p. All my equipment, except the 5DmkII body with lens, fitted comfortably into a small backpack and could go with me wherever I went.
Shooting with the raincover on
I used a simple guidebook to help navigate my way around the country. I was on my own time and could ramble around, seeking out things that interested me, choosing favorable shooting positions and waiting for good light. It was an enjoyable process. I could happily labour over composition, exposure and the use of filters. I could easily go around on foot or bicycle, even trek through forest and traverse hills with all the equipment. I could walk up hundreds of steps and then shoot the emerging vista in HD. The limitation with camera support meant that I had static camera the whole time, but I’m quite happy with what I achieved.
Myanmar is very hot and I would say that the most useful equipment I had – second only to the more technologically advanced sun block – was a hat. Luckily, I didn’t have any problems with the camera overheating. The equipment was very light and performed admirably and did not impede my travels at all. The Myanmar I discovered was a friendly one; certainly a place that seems wealthier in spirit than in anything else.
You can contact Simon and see more of his work here http://www.emotefilms.com/
Shooting Bufori cars on the Canon 7D
Posted by Matthew Allard in Canon Eos7D, DSLR video news on March 7, 2010
I usually shoot news and long feature pieces, but sometimes I get the chance to shoot something different. Bufori is a custom car company that hand makes luxury saloons and sports cars. They unveiled their brand new Bufori “Geneva” at the 80th Geneva International Motor Show and approached me about making a short film to showcase it, to be shown on various screens at the show. I decided to shoot this on my Canon 7D and also used three GoPro Hero Cams. In the old days I would have had to take a big broadcast camera and all the accessories to shoot something like this. Now I can take a much smaller DSLR camera, a few lenses and accomplish what you could only dream about a few years ago.
Bufori Geneva from Matthew Allard on Vimeo.
I shot both stills and a video for the company that were played on screens at the motor show. I decided to shoot the video on my Canon 7D using the following lenses – Canon 16-35mm f2.8, Canon 50mm f1.2 and a Tokina 11-16mm f2.8. For the on-board driving shots I utilized the GoPro HD Hero cams mounted on various parts of the car. I do have mounts and arms to put a full size DSLR on a car but decided against it (better to risk a $300 camera as opposed to a $1700 one!).
A GoPro HD ready to go
Inside the factory I shot various parts being manufactured and tried to concentrate on the detail of having almost every component made by hand. I cannot stress enough the importance of using good, fast glass when you shoot. Don’t let anyone tell you that it doesn’t matter as much which lenses you use when you’re shooting video, because it does. Would you put cheap tires on a Ferrari? In most cases you get what you pay for. My Canon 50mm f1.2 cost more than my camera but is worth every cent – the difference between the F1.2 and F1.4 is huge. My advice is to buy the most expensive lenses you can afford on your budget.
Dolly and 7D rig in action
For the shots of the car inside the factory I also utilized a broadcast jib and dolly. The Genus adapter plate is a fantastic piece of kit; it enables me to put my 7D straight onto my broadcast tripod or jib so you get rock-solid movement. I also used two Litepanels 1×1 LED lights to illuminate the car. I actually needed more light than I had but time constraints and the fact that I was doing this alone limited my options. The 7D was an absolute joy to use. It enabled me to work in low light with a small depth of field that allowed me to show incredible detail. I would not have been able to use a broadcast camera when shooting in the factory unless I used excessive light, something I try to stay away from.
7D ringlight rig
For the outside shots of the car I found a small road that had lots of twists and turns and plenty of character. By setting up in a variety of spots I was able to get plenty of different angles of the car without having to move around a lot. This was the first shoot that I used the Zacuto Z-Finder on. It is brilliant, but having said that I’m still waiting for someone to come out with an adjustable viewfinder so you can use it in whatever position you like. Coming from a broadcast background, I’m used to using cameras with viewfinders that move up and down so you can see what you’re doing regardless of where you put the camera. Someone needs to come up with one or take a leaf out of Sony’s Alpha range of DSLRs that have a moveable LCD screen on the back (are you listening Canon?). I spent a lot of time lying on the ground in the middle of the road to get some of the angles O wanted.
No matter how much I use the 7D, I’m continually blown away by the quality of the images. The DSLR has revolutionized the way I work. While it is not suitable for everything, it gives me a very useful addition to my arsenal of different cameras that I use on a daily basis.
Apart from the Hero cam vision all material is ungraded and shot on the standard camera settings. The entire video was shot in less than one day and I’d like to say thank you to Lee Ali, Mark Phillips and Felix Haller for all their help.
Win a 24-105mm f4L IS coffee cup
Posted by Dan Chung in DSLR video news on March 5, 2010
***Breaking news – Seeing as there has been a phenomenal response to this competition I went back to the supplier I got the 24-105mm cup from and managed to get some more. Obviously there were going to be a lot of disappointed people so I hope this will go some way to making up for it. The competition will continue and I will add an extra special prize for the winner, but for those who can’t wait to own a cup like this head over to Ebay now http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=330411657570#ht_500wt_1182 Apologies for the high shipping costs but they really are that bad from China. If anyone wants to club together for a shipment it should work out cheaper***
Now everybody has seen the Canon 70-200 f4L coffee cup over on pdnpulse given to sports photographers at the Winter games, it has caused so much of a stir that there is even a facebook group here
I have to say that I have one even better. This one is so authentic that when I first saw it I thought it was the real thing!
So I present to you the 24-105mm f4L IS coffee cup!
The 24-105 cup
Better still as a sign of my generosity I’m going to give one away to a lucky reader picked at random. All you have to do is register as a user on dslrnewsshooter with your real name and email, then post a comment below. At the end of March one lucky reader’s name will be picked out of a hat and I’ll be sending that cup out to them.
Comes complete with box
The 24-105mm f4L IS coffee cup in use
Be careful which one you fill with coffee
Canon officially announces 5DmkII firmware for 24 and 25p with manual audio control
Posted by Dan Chung in Canon Eos5DmkII, DSLR video news on March 1, 2010
Possibly the DSLR world’s worst kept secret was officially unveiled today. It gives the 5DmkII video mode 24fps (actual 23.976fps) and 25fps which filmmakers and newsgatherers alike have been calling for, it also changes the 30fps option to the NTSC video standard of 29.97fps. There is also a new feature of an onscreen histogram option to help gauge exposure.
A Canon 5DmkII with Rode Videomic on the Canon stand at a Chinese trade show
The firmware also gives users the option to manually fix the audio level using an onscreen level meter, a complete godsend for News shooters who have been wrestling with Auto Gain Control, external audio recorders, hacking the camera with Tramm Hudson’s Magic Lantern firmware, or using accessories like the Beachtek DXA5D or Juicedlink DN101/CX231 combo to get useable results. Now this doesn’t mean that you’ll be able to plug just any mic into the 5DmkII, it will still need to be a powered model such as the Rode Videomic or Sennheiser MKE400. Additionally the mic gain circuit in the camera is known not to be of the best quality, so for really good results an external pre-amp or audio mixer is still recommended. Adjusting the levels on screen will not be easy on the fly either, so for run and gun I intend to fix the 5DmkII audio level at minimum and then use the output of a mixer or audio recorder to provide the audio gain – with the added bonus of being able to adjust the levels with proper control knobs. The mixer/audio recorder method will also allow you to monitor what sound is being sent to the camera as even with the new firmware there is still no way to plug headphones into the 5DmkII for live monitoring. For the paranoid like myself I will also continue to record separate audio to a recorder and sync with Singular software’s Pluraleyes for important assignments and interviews so I can be really sure I have a good quality audio track.
Now the other big question is whether Canon will add this new audio functionality to its flagship news camera the 1DmkIV or indeed the highly popular 7D. There will surely be an outcry from owners of these cameras if no announcement is forthcoming.
Full details from Canon here
*Added – link to Canon sample video showing new firmware here
News photographer Rii Schroer tries her hand at film making and learns some lessons
Posted by Rii Schroer in Canon Eos5DmkII, DSLR video news on March 1, 2010
A snapper’s thoughts on how a stint in short-film shooting can provide valuable experience for creating cinematic documentary pieces
I am a newspaper photographer for The Daily/Sunday Telegraph and The Times (UK) and took my first steps into DSLR-video shooting when the Canon 5DmkII came out. I started with a “shut up and shoot” approach and an interest in short pieces I felt were better captured with video than pictures only, such as 16 Teeth, capturing Cumbria’s last traditional rakemakers:
16 TEETH – Cumbria’s last traditional rakemakers from Rii Schroer on Vimeo.
However, a recent stint in short-film making (taking part in the Canon/Vimeo contest: Beyond the Still by Vincent Laforet) was a real eye-opener into the wide possibilities of cinematic DSLR- video shooting. I found some of these experiences of great inspiration and good training for documentary/feature/news reporting.
In short-film making every sequence needs as much planning as possible, and the intensity of the visual side produces the discipline of looking at the shoot in-depth from as many different views as possible. It is about getting to grips with how to achieve certain shots technically and looking into what equipment can be useful in creating those shots.
HEARTBEAT – 5D Mark II from Rii Schroer on Vimeo.
Doing a cinematic short, you try to figure out how emotion, a sense of place, action, or the revealing of layers can be solved technically. What visual look and feel do you want to give your piece to transmit your message? How can this look be created? It is a good playground for trying out various techniques and equipment, such as pulling focus, car suction mounts and Glidetracks. You are also considering when to use static shots or steady/Glidecam/handheld rig images, what ratio of wide, middle, tight shots to go for, or whether a panoramic shot, timelapse or slow motion sequence might add to the story.
Experimenting with creating a short film was a fun experience, although a quite time consuming one. I have been told by a filmmaker, add 2 or 3 times the time you expect it to take, which was about right in this instance.
Day 2: Lucy running her heals off...took us a while to get the stop in the middle of the tree group right, but got there in the end, exactly when the sun came out. Nice!
Day 2: Yorkshire tea break - a finger warm up desperately needed!
Our piece was created in two-and-a-half weeks from the idea, through scriptwriting and three days of shooting, to editing – alongside our day jobs. Locations had to be scouted; permission for shooting in the parks obtained; schedules for team, composer, and actors drawn up (this was a no budget production); equipment, insurance and props organized; whilst praying for the weather to stay stable (no rain or snowstorms!)
We wanted to try out as much equipment as we could get our hands on to get as much experience as possible. Lighting for the moving image proved to be challenging; for example, in the moving car scene, getting rid of reflections from our modelling light flash units. LCD-lighting panels, which we gelled with CTOs, were great to use for the night scenes. As we did not go for much dialogue, we put sound issues to one side during the shoot. In retrospect it proved to be a mistake, costing valuable hours in the editing suite.
Not only did we acquire valuable experience during the shoot, we also learnt a lot in retrospect, analysing what we could have done differently and more coherently – especially regarding the running scenes (shorter edit, more camera movement). Setting a deadline for your project feels important though.
I found that, even if some equipment will not always be of use for documentary film-making (eg if you have to keep it small-scale for a “fly on the wall” approach), gaining knowledge about what works well in certain situations and how to use it is immensely helpful. No matter what field one is in, it is beautiful to create visually attractive pieces, and this is the fun part of using your photographic knowledge.
Day 3: Lantern Theatre, Sheffield was absolutely lovely - what a gem! Wished we could have used it more.
The five amazing entries that made it to the final of the Beyond the Still competition were produced by professional production/videographer teams not by the targeted sector of “photographers becoming filmmakers.” This is an interesting trend that was confirmed at the recent Broadcast Video Expo in London; it seems that it is the professional filmmakers, who are going crazy about DSLR shooting. But watching and creating cinematic shorts can be exciting for the documentary shooter and useful for creating strong sequences and story telling in the documentary field of work. And the amazing technical possibilities offered by HD DSLR cameras leave no excuse not to get your hands on one and use your knowledge and expertise, already acquired through photographic reportage/news work, to create those stories you want to tell.
Rii Schroer
www.riischroer.de
http://www.vimeo.com/user1008646
Haiti – how MSNBC’s David Friedman covered the quake on the 5DMkII
Posted by David Friedman in Canon Eos5DmkII, DSLR video news, Journalism on February 26, 2010
By David Friedman, photojournalist & multimedia producer, msnbc.com
“The earthquake happened. Now we cannot live here. We can’t. It’s unsecure,” Ramon Crespo told the dozen Haitian orphans gathered under a tarp for a somber meeting. It was six days after the earthquake and the orphans and staff had spent those days living in a makeshift camp – in limbo – in the garden. The meeting was a pivotal moment in the tale of the orphans and the church group caring for them. It was a moment I knew I needed to shoot as video, edit, transmit and get published on our site as quickly as possible that morning.
Reporter Bill Dedman and I were embedded with members of a church group from Allentown, Penn. They headed to Port-au-Prince the day after the quake to take care of the children at the Rescue Children orphanage, which their church ran. We were staying with them and publishing daily updates on their story in blog form on news website msnbc.com.
The wrap-up piece we produced after the trip, Bill Dedman narrates.
While Bill was covering the written word, my task was to shoot and transmit both stills and video from the field daily and gather material for a comprehensive piece afterward. For the first time in my career as a multimedia producer at msnbc.com I was doing both with the same camera, a Canon 5D MkII – that’s a big deal. Trying to shoot both well on a single, developing story is always complicated, so the ability to do both with a single camera is nothing short of revolutionary.
The point in the weeklong trip when I was fully convinced of the DSLR revolution was the morning of that meeting. Mission leader Crespo told the orphans they would leave their home in two days. The church group had grown increasingly concerned for the children’s safety as the days progressed and relief had yet to reach the surrounding neighborhood. As soon as the meeting was over, I began ingesting, transcoding and editing my footage, and Bill began writing and filing a new text piece. In Avid I hurriedly threw together a natsound piece from the meeting with Crespo explaining the move to the kids, some cover shots from packing belongings, and the prayer that closed the meeting. After some minutes compressing the piece in Sorenson Squeeze down to our site video publish specs, I fired up the BGAN satellite transmitter to begin transferring the video.
Crespo tells the orphans they’re moving. Shot, edited, transmitted and published that morning.
Just after I began the BGAN upload, there was some commotion at the gate. I grabbed my camera, now somewhat stripped down into “stills” mode and went to look. A large crowd from the neighborhood had gathered to beg for food, water and electricity – supplies the orphanage couldn’t spare. I fired off a few frames while it lasted and then moved to another scene where a smaller group of woman begged for water across a barbed-wire barrier. I fired off a few more frames there before the crowd dispersed. It was a tense couple of minutes.
Women from the neighborhood around Rescue Children orphanage beg for water. (David Friedman / msnbc.com
Bill went to send an update to the story he’d already filed, and I sat back down to quickly send a couple of the stills I’d just shot. My earlier video upload was done before I’d finished ingesting my new stills and the BGAN was still connected. I captioned, toned and sent one still from each crowd scene. While those were still transmitting, I heard across the garden that the church leaders had decided to move the kids that afternoon. They were packing up and evacuating their compound and Bill and I had to pack up and go with them. The website was leading with our coverage and we were loading into vehicles to follow the kids’ journey.
In a couple of hours a lot had transpired and I got good video and stills from a single camera. Could I have done the same work with separate video and still cameras? Of course. But the transition from one camera to the other would likely have taken me longer and I might have missed shots. Add to that the need to travel light and the Canon video DSLR revolutionizes my work. Oh yeah, the video quality is beautiful too!
Now some words about our gear and workflow. We’re an Avid shop and edit in the field on laptops running Avid. PluralEyes isn’t an option for us and we can’t afford to spend time manually syncing audio to every shot. But we’re also not willing to live with Canon AGC running roughshod over our sound. So our solution is to capture audio in the camera, with a JuicedLink box, external microphone(s) and running Magic Lantern firmware to get control over levels (plus other video niceties).
Was everything perfect with my kit in Haiti? Hardly. In full “video” mode, with a Sennheiser ME-66 shotgun mounted in the camera’s hotshoe and a Zacuto Z-Finder on the LCD, I couldn’t even get my eye to the stills viewfinder. If I wanted to quickly grab a still I couldn’t. So one thing I’ll change is adding a small Sennheiser MKE-400 mic to the kit for those times when I want to dynamically switch back and forth between stills and video. I’ll give up a bit of sound quality vs. the bigger shotgun, but I can still run it through the JuicedLink and Magic Lantern (Sennheiser makes a nifty XLR adapter for it), get my eye to the stills viewfinder and get a smaller, lighter rig. Also, our 5D MkII kits were so new when the earthquake struck I didn’t have an ND filter with me – that would have been a huge help shooting video outside down there. I have one now.
All of our blog posts are here (in reverse chronological order):
http://worldblog.msnbc.msn.com/archive/category/1402.aspx
A slideshow of stills (also reverse chronological):
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/34850400/from/ET/?beginSlide=1
A playlist of the video pieces I filed while down there:
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/21134540/vp/35100898#35100898
The Canon 550D / T2i – first video and initial thoughts
Posted by Dan Chung in Canon 550D / T2i, DSLR video news on February 25, 2010
Canon 550D / T2i production video – Zhongguancun gadget city from Dan Chung on Vimeo.
Today I bought some two Canon 550D HDDSLR’s which I intend to use as a general carry around cameras and for situations where I don’t want to risk damaging a 5DmkII or 7D. It retails for around £700 in the UK and so I wasn’t expecting too much on the video front. As it turns out this little camera is a really competent performer and the footage I’ve shot so far looks pretty much the same as my 7D to my eye. As with previous cameras I thought the best way to test it would be to shoot a short film. This time I shot in Zhongguancun, Beijing’s electronics district where you can find pretty much every gadget know to man. The results speak for themselves. The footage you see here is shot at 1080p/25 frames a second and not graded with only minor adjustments of gamma, sharpening and a little smoothcam in Final Cut Pro. The sharpness, contrast and saturation were reduced in the camera by using Picture Style as I do with my other Canons. The H.264 files from the camera were converted to Apple Prores LT before editing in Final Cut Pro. I shot mainly on a Canon 100mm f2.8 macro lens, a Canon 35mm f1.4L lens and the Tokina 11-16mm f2.8 lens. To get the gliding effect I used a small slider similar to a Glidetrack but sadly it was a little damaged meaning I couldn’t get it as smooth as I wanted, this may account for a slight stuttering in the image and is not a fault of the camera. The opening shots are at 1600asa and the interiors are mainly 400 and 800asa.
The Canon 550D/T2i with Zacuto Z-finder fitted
I’ve had the Canon 550D/T2i for precisely twelve hours at time of writing so these are my initial findings. It features almost identical video specification to it’s more expensive sibling, the 7D. It has 1080p at 24/25/30 fps as well as 720p 50 and 60 fps. It has a connection for an external mic via minijack but has no manual control over the input volume, same as the 7D. Instead of using compact flash cards it uses the smaller SDHC or the newer SDXC cards, I used a 16gb class 6 SDHC card with no problems for an hour today.
The camera is small but feels robust considering its size but I do find the controls a little fiddly compared to a 5DmkII or 7D. The camera does away with many of the more advanced controls of the 5DmkII and 7D for stills which mean the top plate and rear are relatively uncluttered. As with the 7D there is a dedicated video trigger button but unlike the 7D there is no rear control dial for aperture, instead you have to press a button on the back plate and then rotate the same dial you use to set shutter speed. Most of the other controls are accessed by using the menus on the rear LCD and there is a simple mode dial on the top plate that is used to select the video mode. Sadly I’ve found this dial can easily be knocked out of your chosen mode, in a similar way to the dial on the 5DmkII – I do wish Canon would fix this.
The 550D top plate
The large rear LCD is very nice indeed and has 1.04 million pixels compared to 920K on the 7D. When mated with the Zacuto Z-finder the image was easy to see and very clear, I’d go as far as to say its up there with the best I’ve seen. There is a new battery the LP-E8, sadly not compatible with the earlier cameras, which gave me at least an hour actual shooting today – pretty good going. Another key difference is the lack of the ability to dial in a precise Kelvin value for white balance, instead you have to choose one of the presets like daylight, shady, tungsten etc… or alternatively balance off a white card. The camera has a smaller range of ISO choices compared to the more expensive siblings, it has 100, 200, 400, 800 ASA etc… and misses the inbetween third stop values like 160 and 320 ASA. On the plus side it has Picture styles the same as the 7D, the ability to set Highlight tone priority in video to combat clipped highlights, and an IR trigger the same as the 7D and 5DmkII.
Rear view of the 550D showing the excellent new LCD screen
In terms of video image quality I think it is too early to make definitive judgements about quality, moire, aliasing and rolling shutter issues but I will do more testing later.
The Canon DSLR family compared - 550D, 7D, 5Dmk II and 1Dmk IV
In conclusion I think this camera is cheap enough that there is now little reason for pros who have not yet bought a HD-DSLR to not put their toes in the water and see if they like shooting video. This camera is excellent value and puts great video in the reach of many.
How to add a little Mojo to your video
Posted by Dan Chung in Video editing on February 24, 2010
Intro To Magic Bullet Mojo from Red Giant Software on Vimeo.
Here’s a great tutorial by Stu Maschwitz about Magic Bullet’s easy to use Mojo colour treatment software which can give your video more “Hollywood” look. I’ve been using Mojo’s sister software Magic Bullet Looks for a while now and can recommend the company. While I would personally draw the line at using this on live hard news videos, I think for some feature work it is acceptable and can really enhance the feel of a piece. Indeed, quite extreme colour grading is seen in television documentary all the time.
If you are going to use colour grading software on your DSLR please remember to dial back the in camera saturation, sharpness and contrast settings using Picture Profiles to get the best results, I would recommend you do this all the time but I know a lot of news shooters don’t as they worry more about speed. Here’s another good tutorial by a guy called Luka on the subject.
How to increase the Canon 7D dynamic range (Tutorial) from Luka on Vimeo.