In a Dark Nightclub. Would you shoot with HMC150 or 5D Mark II?

JoeJITSU

JoeJITSU

Veteran
If you had a choice and you had a 24mm f2.0 lens. Would you shoot with a HMC150 or 5D Mark II. Im trying to decide which camera to get next. This will be used at a Night Club ....(so imagine,no lights...just flickering lights and natural warm lanterns) on a weekly basis. Thanks
 
The 5DMarkII is infinitely more sensitive in this circumstance. The bigger captor is part of the boost as well. However, just be aware of some repeating patterns on clothing, disco balls, etc. This can create artifacts and aliasing on the Canon.
 
Now lets say concerts, which occurs about once a week as well. Im thinking that the flashing from cameras will cause the "streaks" from the sensors, correct?
 
I'd go with the HMC150 + on camera light like my Comer 1800 LED lamp (gelled to match the ambient light).

If you think you can pull focus in the dark with the 5DmkII, go for it though.
 
I have them both. I would use the 5d. However I would use my 85mm 1.2 or my 50 1.4. Anything less you might have to turn your iso to high and get that grainy look we all hate.
 
i've shot with both before and i'd definitely take the 5dmk2. i do love my panny but those really low lights are still a pain to work with. cant wait to actually buy the 5dmk2.
 
JoeJITSU said:
How bout a wider lens like the 24mm 1.4?
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24 will be fine, with that apature. Any thing less than 1.8 will be pushing it. Most of these shots in my latest video are the 85mm 1.2 L USMII. I tried my 2.8..but no way! Put right back in my bag.

 
I've shot clubs and dance parties with a 28mm f/2, 35mm f/1.4 and 50mm f/1.4 @ 1250 ISO with a comer 1800 LED dimmed right down just for a bit of fill on people without washing out the club lights. Most of the time the comer is too bright even dimmed down so I sometimes bounce it off a ceiling. You don't want your footage to look like ENG at a crime scene, it will kill the vibe.

I get the most use from the 35mm, you might find a 24mm a bit wide most of the time on a full frame camera. Samyang have a new 35mm f/1.4 coming out soon which may be good wide open.

Most of the realtime footage in this is mine (I shot better footage than this but I wasn't the editor) the slo-mo is by a guy with a 7D and sigma 30mm f/1.4 (45mm full frame equivalent) The sigma is for crop sensor cameras only.
http://www.weownthenight.com.au/view-videos/20/digdeep+-+high+flyers+%91little+secret%92+pa.html

Strobes can be a bit of a problem with CMOS rolling shutter but other than that the 5D destroys puny sensor video cameras for this kind of work.

Focussing isn't a problem if you have a shoulder rig, z-finder, lens with long focus travel or follow focus. A lot of the time you would be focussing at or close to infinity in large venues.

The new nikon D7000 with a 24mm f/1.4 might be a better low light option than the 5D but we won't know for sure until some dvxusers put it through it's paces sometime around November.
 
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I have them both. Low light the 5D2 is the better camera provided you have fast lenses, f1.2, f1.4, f2 and maybe f2.8. Any slower than this and it's a wash.
 
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Another nod for the 5D2, try to pull focus with an external monitor... that will make it easier. But bigger sensor on the 5D2 just cannot be beat. That is all the rage about these cameras from the beginning... low light and bigger lens for more DOF.
 
JoeJITSU said:
Anyone think the GH2 is going to be any good? should I wait or just get the MII?
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Depends how soon you need a camera, if you can wait a month we will know whether the GH2 and D7000 have an edge on the 5D. So far they look pretty good but until some seasoned pro's get their hands on them there's no telling.

If I had to buy a camera today to shoot in clubs I'd probably get a 60D and a 24mm f/1.4 L lens specifically for that job. Early reports suggest that the D7000 and GH2 may outclass the 60D in low light, unfortunately the D7000 doesn't do slo-mo. Any of these cameras will serve you well in low light, lens selection is probably more important. Forget about f/2.8, you need something that's sharp at f/1.4 or f/2.

My old nikon 35mm f/2 ai performs well at f/2 and you can pick them up for around $200. I have a nikon 35mm f/1.4 ai too but it's lousy at f/1.4 and performs the same as the f/2 @ f/2. The sigma 24mm f/1.8 is worth a look for a crop sensor camera, I've read mixed reports on this lens, I think it's partly a quality control issue and partly because still photographers don't like flares like cinematographers do.
 
squig said:
Depends how soon you need a camera, if you can wait a month we will know whether the GH2 and D7000 have an edge on the 5D. So far they look pretty good but until some seasoned pro's get their hands on them there's no telling.

If I had to buy a camera today to shoot in clubs I'd probably get a 60D and a 24mm f/1.4 L lens specifically for that job. Early reports suggest that the D7000 and GH2 may outclass the 60D in low light, unfortunately the D7000 doesn't do slo-mo. Any of these cameras will serve you well in low light, lens selection is probably more important. Forget about f/2.8, you need something that's sharp at f/1.4 or f/2.

My old nikon 35mm f/2 ai performs well at f/2 and you can pick them up for around $200. I have a nikon 35mm f/1.4 ai too but it's lousy at f/1.4 and performs the same as the f/2 @ f/2. The sigma 24mm f/1.8 is worth a look for a crop sensor camera, I've read mixed reports on this lens, I think it's partly a quality control issue and partly because still photographers don't like flares like cinematographers do.
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Does the 60D have the same sensor as the 5dM2?
Price looks pretty good. Might have to think about that for sure.
 
No it does not. The 5dMarkII is a full frame sensor..thats why its so pricy. The 60d is a crop sensor like the 7d,t2i.
 
I agree. Good luck pulling focus at any low light event @ 1.4- impossible.
Notice all these DSLR online videos consist of slo-mo shots with people looking into the lens? (yawn)
Try a DSLR in a real world event situation - a world where people actually move.
 
Actually thats the good news. I will have 2 other cameras...The GH1 and HMC40 (with onboard light) all shooting at the same time. Plus we usually get bits and pieces.
 
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