Category: Canon EOS 5D mk2

14May

Canon 5D mark III 24p RAW test – A RAW in the park

Posted in 24p, 5d mark iii, 5d mk iii, 5d mk3, 5dmk3, Cameras, Canon EOS 5D mk2, Canon EOS 5D mk3, cinemaeos, eos, firmware, hack, hacking, lowlight, magic lantern, raw | Leave a comment

Yes, the source for the video above is a 1080p 14bit RAW shot with the 5D mark III!!! Here’s a framegrab. And a comparison to the Blackmagic Cinema Camera is in the works (give us some hours to finish the editing). But we can already say: The 5D mark III RAW module hack blows the BMCC far away!

Yesterday the developers working on the Magic Lantern hack for the Canon 5D mark III posted about their progress on a RAW hack that enables the Canon 5D mark III to shoot continuous 14bit RAW at 24 frames per second (!!!). The results are totally breathtaking, make sure you download and watch the source at vimeo: LINK

For a complete dummies GUIDE on how to achieve the RAW hack on your Canon 5D mark III see THIS ARTICLE.

TEST NOTES:

First and most important, I would like to thank the ML team for what they did. Adding RAW recording to a very popular camera and the plan to add RAW recording for most of Canon HDSLR family is earth shaking news. It is as big as allowing HDSLR cameras to shoot video.

johnnie_5dThis short test we did was shot in an hour and meant to test the following:
-The quality of footage coming out of the Canon 5d markIII in RAW shooting mode.
-Workflow from shooting to delivery (see the related article here:http://www.cinema5d.com/news/?p=17898)
-Cleanness of footage in ISO 1600 (see from minute 00:51:05)
-Comparison of few shots between this camera and the BMCC (coming soon)

RAW recording in this camera price range was till now only possible with the Blackmagic cinema camera which has a relatively small sensor, and unsatisfactory low light performance and in some conditions a major amount of moire. By introducing a RAW recording possibility for the Canon 5d MarkIII you can now enjoy full frame image, Canon’s extremely clean high ISO performance and almost moire free footage.

The high quality footage coming out from the camera in RAW mode is simply INSANE!. I recommend downloading and watching it on a big screen in order to appreciate what ML did. Yes, there are still some glitches like horizontal color lines popping up un-expectedly in the footage (you can see one at 00:53:22 ) and the actual digging in the ML menu in order to activate RAW recording can be a pain but all in all this feature implementation is huge!

If you buy a Canon 5D mark III, please get it HERE to reward our efforts and PLEASE ALSO MAKE SURE YOU DONATE TO MAGIC LANTERN FOR MAKING THIS AWESOME DEVELOPMENT POSSIBLE: LINK

Notes:
Tokina 11-16mm 2.8 used on 16mm focal length
Camera picture profile: Neutral

UPDATE:
The files are really strong. Some DNG RAW files if you would like to test it yourself (open in Photoshop):
000123.dng
000169.dng
38000310.dng

All credit is given to author cinema5DJohnnie Behiri

12May

Magic Lantern did it: 24fps raw video from the Canon 5D Mark III

Posted in 24p, 5dmk3, canon 5d mark iii, Canon EOS 5D mk2, Canon EOS 5D mk3, magic lantern, News, raw, technology | Leave a comment

5D_III_raw

Only a few weeks after Canon finally gave us the 5D Mark III firmware update for clean HDMI out and after the firmware hackers extraordinaire at Magic Lantern announced that raw video from the 5D Mark III is indeed a possibility, they have now managed to squeeze a very impressive 24 frames per second of continuous RAW video recording at 1920×850 pixels 1080p (!) out of said camera.

In other words: 24p raw from the Canon 5D Mark III is a reality and it looks MUCH better than the soft look we have grown accustomed to from Canon’s DSLRs over the years.

Check it out here – the video on top was recorded with the standard H.264 ALL-I codec, the bottom one is raw footage recorded onto a 1000x CF card (oh yes, you do need very fast and expensive cards, just like when recording 4K with the Canon 1DC):

The resolution of the raw footage is at 1928×850 at 24fps right now. User lourenco from the Magic Lantern forum said that frame rates above that resulted in the camera’s buffer to fill up.

Personally, I think this development is significant since the picture quality is much better even without additional grading involved. The notoriously bad sharpness of most Canon DSLRs (apart from the 1DC and 1DX) in video mode has tired us all over the years, especially because enhancements only reduced aliasing and increased light sensitivity – but with regards to sharpness, the 5D Mark III is almost as weak as the 5D Mark II, which makes it very hard to match with cameras such as Canon’s very own C300 or even C100.

So let’s see where this all leads, but it certainly makes the 5D Mark III a much more valuable proposition if you are willing to risk using the Magic Lantern firmware. After all, it has that unique full frame look, so having the option to get raw video out of it can make it a camera like no other – especially with all those enhancements the guys over at Magic Lantern are certainly working at.

Here’s another video from the Magic Lantern forum – it’s just a 1 second clip, but to investigate the quality, be sure to head over to the Vimeo page and download the ProRes 4444 version that user squig uploaded.

via nofilmschool

All credit is given to author cinema5DNino Leitner

28Nov

The Canon EOS 6D – beta test footage – as good as mark III?

Posted in 5d mark iii, Canon EOS 5D mk2, cinemaeos, eos, EOSCinema, HDSLR, mk3 | Leave a comment


We’ve had high hopes for the Canon EOS 6D as a full-frame HDSLR camera. Could it bring the 5D mark III’s HDSLR video strengths at a much lower price?

Looking at the beta EOS 6D we’ve had here in our office it looks just like we don’t get the same from it as we got from the 5D mark III.
Read on to find out more.

Johnnie Behiri took the new Canon EOS 6D out and shot this nice little short about a chocolate factory here in Vienna (upper video). And made an ISO test at ISO 800 and ISO 1250 (lower video).

The EOS 6D has a full-frame sensor that gives you the typical full-frame look at almost half the price of the 5D mark III. That sounds like a bargain. But for HDSLR the beta model of this camera shows that it’s not quite up to the standard we’d like to see nowadays.

It’s the aliasing and moiré patterns that have haunted HDSLR cameras since they came out. A very unpleasant side effect that we would like to see gone from our video recordings. Though soft the 5D mark III delivered a very clean image finally free of aliasing problems, but it looks like these have come back to the 6D again. At minute 1:26 in the chocolate video this becomes very clear. The overall image looks like there is less color depth than in 5D mark III material.

Another video feature we miss is that there is no headphone jack on the EOS 6D, and no audio coming from HDMI on this beta model, meaning that monitoring your video could prove to be impossible.

Even though these very important video features are missing the 6D still shoots very nice full-frame stills, seems to have good ISO performance and comes at a good price-point for this kind of DSLR. Let’s see some user reviews once the camera is out in December.

Here’s Johnnie Behiri’s assessment:

Canon 6D is the latest in Canon’s full frame HDSLR family and honestly, there is simply no substitute for the full frame sensor “look”.

The footage was taken with a pre production model camera and hopefully the video quality in the final version will be improved.

Camera strengths:
-Full frame sensor
-Clean high ISO in video mode (1250 is very mush usable).
-Manual audio adjusting
-PAL/NTSC

Camera weakness:
-Severe moire
-Soft image
-No headphone socket
-No audio through HDMI while recording (for monitoring audio on new EVF’s)
-No clean HDMI output

Notes:
-Format: 1080/25 All-I
-Video shot with available light. Litepanels 1×1 was used for the interview only
-Audio was recorded directly to the camera. No external audio recorder was used.
-ISO settings 640-1250
-Picture profile: Netural 0,-4,-1, 0
-30% sharpening was added in post (Adobe Premiere CS6)
-No CC was applied

Equipment used in this video:
Sachtler ACE L tripod
Vocas base plate
Lenses: Samyang 35mm, Canon 70-200 f4, Tokina 11-16mm
Various Kata bags
Litepanels 1×1
TvLogic VFM-056W

Johnnie Behiri is a BBC freelance cameraman/editor operating from Vienna Austria.
When not BBCing, Johnnie is filming documentaries, commercials, music videos and testimonials/image videos (johnniebehiri.com)

Pre-order Canon EOS 6D for $2100 here:

Pre-order Canon EOS 6D with 24-105mm kit lens for $2899 here:

All credit is given to author cinema5D newsSebastian

17Sep

New & capable full frame HDSLR by Canon: The EOS 6D

Posted in 5d mark iii, Announcements, Canon EOS 5D mk2, eos, full frame, HDSLR, mk3, movie, sensor | Leave a comment

Canon just introduced a new full frame DSLR camera. It comes at almost half the price of the 5D mark III and offers very similar HD recording features. So it comes with the usual HDSLR bling bling like manual audio, 25p, 30p and so on, the Canon rep on the phone said that movie recording is “same like on the 5D mark III“.

The press release also talks about the HD recording side of the camera which makes it look like a pretty capable HDSLR.

So will we get a 5D mark III like HDSLR for half the price then??
Well, that’s uncertain. The nice thing about the 5D mark III is that due to its sensor design it has very limited moiré and aliasing pollution which allows for a much nicer HDSLR image than on all other Canon HDSLR’s. The EOS 6D sensor has a tad less pixels (20,2 MP) than the mark III (22,3 MP) which to my knowledge could indicate that it might be less ideal for movie recording.
BUT the press release says that the video mode is enhanced due to the DIGIC 5+ processor which sounds very promising:

The DIGIC 5+ processor also dramatically improves video response times and helps to reduce color artifacts, aberrations, and moiré while providing the ability to record with sensitivities up to ISO 25600 in H mode.

This sounds a lot like less rolling shutter, aliasing and moiré.
We’ll have to wait until October to find out how good this camera really is.

Main features:
- built-in wireless to offload your media (nice!)
- 20,2 megapixel full frame CMOS sensor
- DIGIC 5+ processor
- can do 60 frames at 720p
- up to 29 minutes 59 seconds recording
- IPB & All-I codec’s
- can control manual audio during recording!

The EOS 6D will be $2100 and see the light of day in October. You can pre-order through the button below. I’d recommend also getting the 24-105mm f4 L lens package as this glass has a really great Image Stabilizer that works well for video. We did the NAB 2012 and IBC 2012 coverage only with that lens.

Pre-order Canon EOS 6D for $2100 here:

Pre-order Canon EOS 6D with 24-105mm kit lens for $2899 here:

All credit is given to author cinema5D newsSebastian

22Aug

Zacuto’s Revenge of Great Camera Shootout 2012 – part 3

Posted in Canon EOS 5D mk2, Canon EOS 7D, comparison, film, FS100, GH2, HDSLR, lowlight, Panasonic, sony, T3i, technology, vs, zacuto | Leave a comment

In case you missed it, Zacuto released a part 3 of their Great Camera Shootout 2012. If you haven’t seen the first two parts it’s really worth checking them out.
Part 1: LINK
Part 2: LINK

If you’re serious about being a cinematographer you shouldn’t miss this series. It’s free to watch on Zacuto’s page. They just released the third and final part, continuing an in-depth comparison between today’s most important tools for digital cinematography ranging from the Sony F65 down to the iPhone 4S.

Just like last year a professional team of cinematographers compared the cameras in a controlled studio environment, later presented the results to filmmakers in the form of a digital cinema projection and eventually made a documentary about the whole thing which gives you a great scope of opinions and thoughts on the matter.
This year they added some life to the test by allowing the shooting teams to alter the light setup to perfectly fit each camera’s needs which I think is a very cool approach to show what each camera is really capable of. Because as we know each camera’s strength also depends on what people make out of it.

Cameras used: Arri Alexa, Canon C300, Canon 7D, Panasonic GH2, Sony F3, Sony F65, iPhone 4S, RED Epic

All credit is given to author cinema5D newsSebastian

25Jul

Magic Lantern 2.3 is here – and it looks pretty good

Posted in Canon EOS 5D mk2, control, eos, firmware, fps, hack, hacking, Highspeed, magic lantern, T3i | Leave a comment


The testing phase for Magic Lantern 2.3 is over. Magic Lantern 2.3 release version is now here and the creators say it’s no longer a “hack”.

We can safely say it’s no longer a hack, but it’s strongly heading towards a solid piece of engineering that you can trust.
We have worked a lot on bug-fixing and usability improvements and we sincerely hope you will find it a great companion for all your shooting sessions – from hobbyist to professional.

Key Features:
- Full support for 5D mark II
- Supports latest Canon firmware for 5D mark II, 60D, 600D and 50D
- Fast Zebras
- Customizable menu and shortcut keys
- Automatic HDR bracketing
- Timelapse features
- Advanced ISO control (ISO 80, improved highlight rolloff, ISO 51200…)
- Advanced FPS control (24.000 FPS and 0.2 FPS possible)
- New menu design
- Image analysis tools in photo mode
- Contrast and saturation adjustments for LiveView
- Improved Stability
- Very fast playback zoom

I really liked the video that showcases the Magic Lantern HDR functionality:

For more details see this nice overview page: LINK

ML 2.3 works on Canon 5D Mark II 2.1.2, 550D 1.0.9, 60D 1.1.1, 600D 1.0.2, 50D 1.0.9 and 500D 1.1.1.

Download the Magic Lantern not-hack here: LINK (bottom of page)

Discuss Magic Lantern in our dedicated firmware forum

All credit is given to author cinema5D newsSebastian

15Jul

Zacuto’s Revenge of Great Camera Shootout 2012 – part 2

Posted in Canon EOS 5D mk2, Canon EOS 7D, comparison, film, FS100, GH2, HDSLR, lowlight, Panasonic, sony, T3i, technology, vs, zacuto | Leave a comment

Have you seen PART 1 of Zacuto’s Camera Shootout 2012? If you haven’t go here. If you have, you’re probably eager to find out which camera was which in their scientific and philosophic comparison between the most important up to date small and big digital film cameras.

If you’re serious about being a cinematographer you shouldn’t miss this series. It’s free to watch on Zacuto’s page. They just released the second part, continuing an in-depth look at today’s most important tools for cinematography ranging from the Sony F65 down to the iPhone 4S.

Just like last year a professional team of cinematographers compared the cameras in a controlled studio environment, later presented the results to filmmakers in the form of a digital cinema projection and eventually made a documentary about the whole thing which gives you a great scope of opinions and thoughts on the matter.
This year they added some life to the test by allowing the shooting teams to alter the light setup to perfectly fit each camera’s needs which I think is a very cool approach to show what each camera is really capable of. Because as we know each camera’s strength also depends on what people make out of it.

Here’s part 2: LINK

Cameras used: Arri Alexa, Canon C300, Canon 7D, Panasonic GH2, Sony F3, Sony F65, iPhone 4S, RED Epic

All credit is given to author cinema5D newsSebastian

09Jul

Magic Lantern 2.3 RC1 testing just started

Posted in Announcements, Canon EOS 5D mk2, control, eos, firmware, fps, hack, hacking, Highspeed, magic lantern, T3i | Leave a comment

Some promising news comes from the Magic Lantern website today.

Feature highlights of the upcoming version:
- First full support for 5D mark II
- Supports latest Canon firmware for 5D mark II, 60D, 600D and 50D
- Advanced ISO control (ISO 80, improved highlight rolloff, ISO 51200…)
- Advanced FPS control (24.000 FPS and 0.2 FPS possible)
- High speed operating through shortcuts (read more)
- New menu design
- Much improved stability (read more)

This is what they wrote:
As promised last week, we are very close to the 2.3 release. We’d like to run a release candidate testing first (RC1), so we’ll start this today.

As a special gesture to the donors and contributors to the ML project, we would like to thank them by giving them access to the release candidate in the forum section accessible to contributors and supporters. Currently we match donors and forum members by hand, so if we miss any of you, please contact me or Bart via PM.

For providing testing feedback, you will have to complete a small quiz. Your feedback will help us fix any remaining problems and announce a release date for the stable v2.3, which will be available to those who donate at least 10 euro to keep us running. After three weeks, this version will become free for everybody.

ML 2.3 RC1 works on Canon 5D Mark II 2.1.2, 550D 1.0.9, 60D 1.1.1, 600D 1.0.2, 50D 1.0.9 and 500D 1.1.1.

via MagicLantern.fm

All credit is given to author cinema5D newsSebastian

17Jun

Zacuto’s Revenge of Great Camera Shootout 2012 – part 1

Posted in Canon EOS 5D mk2, Canon EOS 7D, comparison, film, FS100, GH2, HDSLR, lowlight, Panasonic, sony, T3i, technology, vs, zacuto | Leave a comment

Zacuto presents its much anticipated Camera Shootout 2012. A both scientific and philosophic comparison between the most important up to date small and big digital film cameras.

If you’re serious about being a cinematographer you shouldn’t miss this series. It’s free to watch on Zacuto’s page.

Here’s part 1: LINK

Excerpt from the site:
We’ve got a lot to prove in Revenge of the Great Camera Shootout 2012. Some of it will surprise you, some of it will shock you, and some of it will change the way you work forever. Let’s make this clear: This is not the shootout you’re expecting.

Watch last year’s shootout series here.

Cameras used: Arri Alexa, Canon C300, Canon 7D, Panasonic GH2, Sony F3, Sony F65, iPhone 4S, RED Epic

So what letter was your favorite camera?
Have you written down your rankings?

All credit is given to author cinema5D newsSebastian

21May

Moiré & aliasing free Canon 7D is here! T2i,T3i,60D,D800 soon

Posted in 5d mark ii, aliasing, Aliasing / Moiré, Canon EOS 5D mk2, Canon EOS 7D, eos, moire | Leave a comment

Remember when we first heard about the Mosaic Engineering anti-aliasing / anti-moiré filter for 5D mark II in August of 2011? What a great invention that would solve our biggest problem with HDSLR.

Now that the 5D mark III is out, healed from moiré problems, people have a good reason to upgrade, but then there’s the issue with the price: The 5D mark III is $3500, hefty for many HDSLR shooters.

How good that the guys over at Mosaic Engineering have now officially started selling their filter for the 7D: The VAF-7D.
This upgrade will set you back by $325, but put you into the aliasing and moiré free realm of the mark III.

Versions for the Nikon D800, T2i/T3i and 60D are in production.

LINK: Mosaic Engineering Store

All credit is given to author cinema5D newsSebastian