KyleProhaska
Veteran
So I just got my Canon 5D. I did buy it first and foremost because I wanted a good still camera, but the video capabilities have interested me for a while so I've done heavy research. I unboxed it quickly, got the battery charged, etc. and got it up and running quickly. I got the settings in line for video recording, added a super flat preset, etc. I had never used the menu before but it took minutes to figure out and the rest of the camera is very self-explainatory. I was snapping pictures in moments and getting the hang of it's sensitivity re: the ISO readings and such given the lens I have (the F4 24-105mm that comes with the kit).
I was itching to take some video so I did and was off loading it constantly to see the resulting files. Definitely, the codec on these cams is the greatest downside and if Canon will allow a clean HDMI out next time around I could be game to take it more seriously. Granted, my ISO wasn't so great indoors but even so, it's pretty noisy and such. Outside was much better but I still had to set my ISO high for some reason. I couldn't figure that out. ISO 100 should've been easy but I was up to 1000 to get a good balance exposure, and no my aperture wasn't shut and my shutter was 1/50. No auto adjust was on either. Even so the footage was decent, it just had more muddiness to it than I would've hoped. Moire was apparent as was aliasing, but this was to be expected. I mean I've yet to get a truly clean shot with a very low ISO and seeing what the video looks like then so don't take this as my end all review or anything. I know the thing can be cleaner, I've seen the evidence. I just don't think I would be willing regardless of that to invest in all the accessories necessary to make this thing REALLY useful on a film with an actual budget. I'm not sure it's worth it for me.
I can however see why people want to use these at times, because having the power of a 35mm adapter (basically) in your hand with the ability to record is quite a liberating feeling. I still have my eye on the AF100 if I want this form factor AND video recording advantages. I'll never deck out this 5D to make the most of it video wise because I just can't see justifying the money. I'll put my money in some good lenses, enjoy it as a still cam with occasional play with video, and use my Canon lenses on my AF100 (if I get one). At least for this I can invest in good still lenses and then use them for video if I please. That's a plus. No double investment necessary! Just a side note I'll be getting a finger and forearm workout holding this thing because my gosh did it kill me after a while. My hands are still feeling it.
The stills were obviously very favorable and I'm happy to have a pro piece of equipment in my hands for that job. The lenses will be the greatest difference there but this F4 24-105mm will work very nice outdoors for stills or video. RAW files wouldn't open in photoshop and still don't which is annoying because I wanted to mess with them. Luckily I had it save a JPEG simultaneously so I could see my shots. I have other RAW files that open fine so I don't know what's up and Google wasn't much help. I'm sure I'll get it figured out just not right now.
Overall I'm happy to be on the 5D bandwagon. Another wonderful piece of equipment to check off my list! Also below are some grabs from the video I shot. Color-corrected (after being passed through 5DtoRGB and downrezzed to 853x480 and cropped). Decent results for a point and shoot while I was avoiding the misty rain.
I was itching to take some video so I did and was off loading it constantly to see the resulting files. Definitely, the codec on these cams is the greatest downside and if Canon will allow a clean HDMI out next time around I could be game to take it more seriously. Granted, my ISO wasn't so great indoors but even so, it's pretty noisy and such. Outside was much better but I still had to set my ISO high for some reason. I couldn't figure that out. ISO 100 should've been easy but I was up to 1000 to get a good balance exposure, and no my aperture wasn't shut and my shutter was 1/50. No auto adjust was on either. Even so the footage was decent, it just had more muddiness to it than I would've hoped. Moire was apparent as was aliasing, but this was to be expected. I mean I've yet to get a truly clean shot with a very low ISO and seeing what the video looks like then so don't take this as my end all review or anything. I know the thing can be cleaner, I've seen the evidence. I just don't think I would be willing regardless of that to invest in all the accessories necessary to make this thing REALLY useful on a film with an actual budget. I'm not sure it's worth it for me.
I can however see why people want to use these at times, because having the power of a 35mm adapter (basically) in your hand with the ability to record is quite a liberating feeling. I still have my eye on the AF100 if I want this form factor AND video recording advantages. I'll never deck out this 5D to make the most of it video wise because I just can't see justifying the money. I'll put my money in some good lenses, enjoy it as a still cam with occasional play with video, and use my Canon lenses on my AF100 (if I get one). At least for this I can invest in good still lenses and then use them for video if I please. That's a plus. No double investment necessary! Just a side note I'll be getting a finger and forearm workout holding this thing because my gosh did it kill me after a while. My hands are still feeling it.
The stills were obviously very favorable and I'm happy to have a pro piece of equipment in my hands for that job. The lenses will be the greatest difference there but this F4 24-105mm will work very nice outdoors for stills or video. RAW files wouldn't open in photoshop and still don't which is annoying because I wanted to mess with them. Luckily I had it save a JPEG simultaneously so I could see my shots. I have other RAW files that open fine so I don't know what's up and Google wasn't much help. I'm sure I'll get it figured out just not right now.
Overall I'm happy to be on the 5D bandwagon. Another wonderful piece of equipment to check off my list! Also below are some grabs from the video I shot. Color-corrected (after being passed through 5DtoRGB and downrezzed to 853x480 and cropped). Decent results for a point and shoot while I was avoiding the misty rain.
