7D+7D, or, 7D+5D !!?

firemountain

firemountain

Member
Ok, so i have a very serious decision to make.
I am new here on this board but am totally impressed with the community and knowledge and would very much like to join and be part.

So, yes, and important decision, and i was hoping some board members would weigh in with their thoughts

I going to be involved in a 5 month travel project coming up in January. I am totally ready to use DSLRs for a certain part of the project.
I am going to be supplying them, so they are my personal investment in equipment.
Currently i Have both the 5Dmk2 and a 7D.

i just sold basically all my lenses to change them out for more project specific ones. i cant really start getting those yet until i decide this 7D&7D or 7D&5D thing,

I was planning on taking two 7D's with me for the 24p. But i am attached to the 5Dmk2 because i just feel the image is... richer..?

anyways, what do you you all think. if you were going to be shooting in a foreign country for 5 months and could only take two cameras. ..

out of the two which would you take? and why?
 
I'd say (and I own) a 7D and a 5DII (provided the 24p firmware update is out in time for your trip.) Why?

Simple. Crop factor.

I can carry two prime lenses, a 24mm and a 50mm, and give myself essentially four different focal lengths. The 24 "becomes" a 38mm on the 7D. The 50mm "becomes" an 80mm on the 7D. It's a nice range of options to have in most situations I shoot in.

Combine those two prime focal lengths with a good all-purpose zoom lens (if you want) and you'll have a number of options to choose from in just about any shooting situation.

--SM
 
Good Point Man.
also good to hear form someone using both cams together

But my big issue is i don't think the 24p is coming before January when i got to go. . .

do you think having the lens flexibility plus the 5D image advantage outweighs not having the 24p on the 5Dmk2.
Whats the big deal with conforming to 24p in your mind?

Seriously.. thanks a lot for the input.
 
For me, no 24p is a deal-breaker. No 24p, no 5DII. (Others may not agree, of course.)

I also don't think there's much difference in the 7D and 5DII images (but that's for another thread).

Conforming 24p is a time-consuming pain in the ass, especially if you have a lot of footage to work with.

If you have to go with 2 7Ds, I'd grab something in the 17-55mm range and perhaps a 70-200mm zoom as well. Then get a prime (or a couple) and you'll have a very flexible kit.
 
It's an interesting question. You don't tell us the subject matter, but if 24p is important to you, then I'd take the 7Ds. You can convert the 30p to 24p, but it's never as pretty as just shooting that way in the first place.

To address the crop factor, it's really only an issue in one instance. When you need to get REALLY wide. So, buy a 14 or 18mm prime, and an 18- 80mm or whatever and you're all set for wides. A fast mid-zoom and a long lens, and you're all done. Not buying the body that's $1k more leaves room for 2-3 lenses.
 
The subject matter is life in refugee camps. the vast majority of the part of the project i was going to use the DSLRS for is recreation story telling, so 24p film style is essential.

There will be dialog, but all the audio is going to be captured separately and synced later.

Am i wrong in thinking that i can just conform all the 5D footage over to 23.976 in one LONG go and not have to deal with this issue again?

I have never worked with different frame rates in post before getting these cameras a few months ago.

thanks everyone for chiming in.
 
firemountain said:
also

PerroneFord- What sort of "non-prettiness" do you encounter in the conforming of the 30p to 24p with 5D?
Click to expand...

You're asking the software to discard 6 frames per second. It doesn't always do this smoothly. Imagine if it just chose the last six frames each second...
 
mcgeegital- are you just not bothered by the loss of 6 frames per second,. or do you not conform the 5d footage to 24p? you do use the both together right?


I mean seriously it would be really amazing to have the stills capacity of the 5D as a bonus. but the headaches to endure from using two different cameras with two different frame rates i can imagine could be terrible.


BTW Thank you Everyone so much!
 
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When I use them together I just shoot 29.97 on the 7d and conform the 5dII to 29.97 during conversion.

I will use them more together once the 24p firmware is released for the 5dii.
 
pending the firmware I think they will make a great pair

14mm for example is uber on a 5

200mm is a good tele on a 7

But once the firm is out maybe two 5d are better,

S
 
Yes, but all of this talk of the firmware update is irrelevant considering 24p for the 5D won't be out in January, now will it?

He's using it for a 5 month project - I would make it easier on myself and take two 7Ds - I personally don't have any experience with using them together, however I wouldn't want to be conforming footage after thinking about the frames lost. I would simply try to make my editing as painless as possible by using two of the same cameras so I'm dealing with the same frame rates.

Kegan
 
For a 24/5 project NOW I would take two 7s

Im using a 5 and a 7 just running the 5 at 30/25 - slomo for cutins

In terms of using any two cameras (canons) it gets interesting

no timecode
file names can be duplicated
no meta recording the framerate
(I shoot different cards for different FPS on the 7)

dicipline is reqired

s
 
thanks a lot everyone.

all the input is helping me sort things out.

I think there is major benefit to using the combo. 5D+7D if only for the stills the 5D can produce.

Yet, i am leaning towards two 7D's because its less complicated.

unfortunate..though because i will be loosing the capability to take those 5Dmk2 amazing stills and in selling my 5Dmk2 i'm looking at taking at least a $500 loss in the resale.

anyone want to buy a 4month old 5Dmk2?

or i could just risk it all, and not shoot any video with the 5D until the firmware comes out, and just download it in some dusty web shack/pirate DVD factory when it comes out. But damn that would be a risk now wouldn't it. how bout a vote when ya'll think the firmware is coming out? If it is out by february i would seriously consider the webshack download. hmmm.. this idea just came to me..
 
It seems like a better idea to have the consistency as well. As it turns out, we were shooting on both for a while. We ran extensive tests (as well as talking with our Avid reps who were running the same tests coincidentally). In the end, believe it or not... although the 5D does very well in low light, the bit rate is lower on its video. So, as the video is more compressed than the 7D, the 7D is superior on overall video quality.

Where we noticed it a lot was on green screening. The 5D was a bit difficult to get a good key on. (And we're using a reflecmedia screen, so it wasn't a lighting problem). It took a lot of effort to get rid of ghosting.

With that in mind, I do have to say that the bigger sensor performed much better in low light. We shot a music video on both, and used the 5D in natural light at 10pm in Golden Gate Park here in San Francisco. I'll post up the video as soon as it's out of editing.

I guess it depends on what you're more weighted for. The 5D for stills, or the 7D for video. Both are pretty badass at both, they're just a bit more weighted to one or the other.

Anyway, if for nothing else, keep it simple and consistent. Good luck. It sounds like you already made the decision, just figured I'd put in my 2 cents.
 
taudronis said:
It seems like a better idea to have the consistency as well. As it turns out, we were shooting on both for a while. We ran extensive tests (as well as talking with our Avid reps who were running the same tests coincidentally). In the end, believe it or not... although the 5D does very well in low light, the bit rate is lower on its video. So, as the video is more compressed than the 7D, the 7D is superior on overall video quality.

Where we noticed it a lot was on green screening. The 5D was a bit difficult to get a good key on. (And we're using a reflecmedia screen, so it wasn't a lighting problem). It took a lot of effort to get rid of ghosting.

With that in mind, I do have to say that the bigger sensor performed much better in low light. We shot a music video on both, and used the 5D in natural light at 10pm in Golden Gate Park here in San Francisco. I'll post up the video as soon as it's out of editing.

I guess it depends on what you're more weighted for. The 5D for stills, or the 7D for video. Both are pretty badass at both, they're just a bit more weighted to one or the other.

Anyway, if for nothing else, keep it simple and consistent. Good luck. It sounds like you already made the decision, just figured I'd put in my 2 cents.
Click to expand...
Sounds like we have a very similar setup but i've never had an issue with green screen keys or ghosting. I know I would not pay 2699 for a 5d for stills unless I was a full time photog. As for the comparison of both cams on a timeline the 5d outshines the 7d imo and I can't put my finger on why...even using super flat on both. I'm ready for Canon to bring out a video camera with the same capabilities.
 
having a 5Dmk2 makes me feel like a pro-photog :)

Yeah with my testing i also feel the 5D outshines the 7D in the timeline. i also test them with super flat. but like yourself i find it hard to describe how, something about reaching towards the 3rd dimension.... thats my shot at a comparison description..

anyways, im still undecided,

any guesses as to when the firmware will come out.. ?
 
One question, why do you have to go 24p? What is your final destination for this work?
McGee does it the way I would, go 29.97 and 30 conformed to same.
I also like the two lens, two camera solution=4 focal lengths as well.
If you are really set on 24p you could shoot just with the 7D and still use the 5D for stills.
In the end I would go with the most FLEXIBLE solution and this seems to be it without spending too much money or being weighted down.
 
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