Is Full-Frame video the Future?

G

Gene Sung

Veteran
I have a 7D and I love it. I have several APS-C oriented lenses Tokina 11-16, Sigma 30mm and Tamron 17-50.

I noticed that the Pros (people like Philipe Bloom and DP Sam Nicholson mentioned in another thread), tend to prefer the full-frame 5D.

So in the future, do you guys think things will shift towards full-frame? Or will there always be an APS-C market and a Full Frame market?

I kind of like APS-C because I video surfing, and the extra focal length is a big +. But the 5D you can get a really nice shallow DOF from the Full Frame format. Plus, I like the great lenses you can get on APS-C (like the Tokina 11-16 and the Sigma 30mm) that are cheaper than the Canon versions.

I'm thinking about upgrading to the Canon 17-55 f2.8 aps-c zoom, but I would hate for it to be obsolete in the next year or two.

Is the Red 2/3rd format basically a 1.6x crop? Or is it something different? Is that going to be their budget camera?

Along the same lines, I find the GH1 4/3rd format a bit perplexing because it's getting smaller (2x crop) and that just seems to be moving backwards.
 
I think the pros like the 5D for a lot of reasons, it doesn't have the overheating issues that the 7D can have, it's easier to get wider shots with the bigger sensor, you get the ability to use super shallow DOF, and it seems to have an overall edge in terms of image quality, so, it seems natural that pros would stick with the 5D MK2 over the 7D, but I mean, the 7D is great, the sensor size is super close to Super35, and you can use the aps-c lenses. I suppose if you can afford to go full frame, then there's no reason you shouldn't, but I wouldn't sweat it too much, the 5D and 7D are both great.

Don't knock the GH1 'til you try it though, especially if you're doing something where having extra focal length is a plus - strap on a 200mm f/2.8 and you've got a FOV equivalent of a 400mm with the light capturing ability of f/2.8 and the DOF of f/5.6 - that ain't bad! The GH1 sensor is still a nice big size, especially compared to typical video cameras - all these cams have their pros and cons, but they're all quite good. Having used them all (but I own the GH1) I feel confident that for my filmmaking style I could use any of them and get virtually the same results (except for ultra-wide shots possible on the 5D) - but I went GH1 because it can use any lens I can throw at it and I like older Zeiss lenses made for Contax/Rollei - and they're cheap now.
 
The 5d may be used in more professional applications because of the multiple firmware updates - both offiicial and unofficial, which have offered improved audio recording capabilities as well as added histograms and audio level displays. These are crucial features and come as standard on just about every pro camcorder.

Full frame has both advantages and disadvantages. As does APS-C or micro 4/3rds. But it's great to have a choice isn't it?

I shoot surfing as well so the GH1 was alot better than the 7d for me (for video... I would love 8fps stills!) because of the 2x crop and the EVF which is essential in bright sunlight at the beach. It also doesn't overheat when shooting for hours on end on hot summer days.

I wouldn't worry about APS-C being obsolete. There will be plenty of great APS-C camera made in the future, and even if you do upgrade to full frame, there will still be a used market for your lenses.
 
i'm pretty sure the full frame doesn't effect video, because the 1080 is cropped on the sensor anyways. but i think I am wrong :\
 
its only cropped to 16:9,i wish that canon would give us option with 1440 and 1080 resolution sizes for anamorphic lenses without sensor cropping.
 
aps-c size is never going away, IMO shooting narrative on full frame puts you at a disadvantage

http://www.dvxuser.com/V6/showthread.php?p=1931536#post1931536



J Davis said:
...

Still Photography Film
Full Frame Still Film is 36mm x 24mm

Movies Film
Three Perf Academy 35mm is 22mm x 12mm
Four Perf Academy 35mm is 22mm x 16mm
Three Perf Super 35mm is 24.89mm x 14mm
Four Perf Super 35mm is 24.89 x 18.66mm

Digital Full Frame DSLR (canon 5DM2)
36mm x 24mm

7d and t2i
22.3mm x 14.9mm
Click to expand...
 
also, I think, because full frame means more light-gathering (larger physical area to focus light onto), it's nicer to work with.

though, i've read that APS-C = size of 35mm movie film (i.e. traditional size for cinematographers). Photography full frame = larger than regular 35mm movie film.

resolution is independent of sensor size.
 
photography full frame means shallower depth of field at equiv field of view

which means harder to keep moving actors in focus

which means stopping down lens

which means light loss

edit:
an example would be a 50mm on a 5DM2 is the same field of view as a 35mm on a 7D, if both lenses were at f4 the dof on the 5DM2+50mm would be much shallower
2nd edit
(this is a quick calculation) but i think the 50mm in the above example would need to be at f5.2 to have equiv dof. roughly two third stops of light loss to match dof
 
Last edited:
It's important to remember that just because one person stops watching a tv show,it certainly doesn't mean it'll be cancelled.

No format is the death knell for another. Full Framd had advantages and disadvantages. The successful filmmaker will learn to
choose the best application for the project.
 
Kholi said:
It's important to remember that just because one person stops watching a tv show,it certainly doesn't mean it'll be cancelled.

No format is the death knell for another. Full Framd had advantages and disadvantages. The successful filmmaker will learn to
choose the best application for the project.
Click to expand...

^
^
^
i learned a lot thanks to this dudes posts, including dof matching from aps-c to full frame
 
Last edited:
Your tokina will still work from about 14-16mm on a full fram camera, so even though it's designed for crop sensors you'll still be able to protect some of your lens investment if you decided to go FF one day.
 
That's interesting J. Davis. I didn't even think about the light loss issue with full frames. Could see why it would be a problem for sure.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top