latest settings, firmware and tips...

A

Alicia Ferrows

Member
Hi people,
I'm about to purchase a canon 5d mk2 for music videos/short films and from leaving my sony ex1 i know i have a lot to get used to and fast. Ive been rooting round the forums for days now trying to collate all the information necessary to make sure my camera will be up to date with the latest firmware, software, manual settings for best latitude etc however with so many new developments coming out it's hard for a new comer like myself to know exactly what are the latest settings and software i should be aware of.

despite some of the veterans of this forum possibly shooting me down for my request i think this would make for a good post/sticky for anyone wanting to know clear and direct info on the latest on the canon firmware/software/updates etc.

For anyone feeling sympathetic (blushes lol) please could you provide answers to the following:

latest firmware and verified place to get it:

Tried & tested settings for the best picture quality:

Traps and pitfalls to bare in mind and avoid:

common easy tips not found in the manual:

best codec or timeline setting for final cut pro:

is the lens provided with the stock kit any good for high end music videos/films (EF24-105) or is there a cheaper revelation on ebay/amazon etc :


Hope you guys can help me :)
 
you forgot to ask how to write a 90 page script which will sell for $1m in less than 3 days.

I think I'm going to re register to the site with a girls name, I bet I will get answers 10 times faster.
 
I've never read the manual so can't help you there. The important thing is to leave everything set to manual and treat it like a movie camera. You have to stabilize it, you can't run around with it handheld unless you're doing it for an effect.

Understand that you have to invest in support gear like an eyepiece, sound gear, rigs, filters, lenses, etc. It's a 10-20k investment rather than a 3k investment. Still cheap by professional standards. The great thing is you can get a basic rig together for say 5k and learn how to shoot amazing looking work.

Firmware 2.04 has the 24p update and is on the canon site.

There's good info on Philip Bloom's and Shane Hurlbut's sites. Cinema5D is great too.

Haven't used the kit lens but you usually get what you pay for. Most pro's shoot with L glass, zeiss primes, or old manual nikon primes which I prefer. Old pentax takumar primes are really cheap on eBay and very good right up there with zeiss and L glass. The kit lens like most cheap zooms probably breathes too much for cine use but as said I haven't tested it myself.

Apple prores is the best codec for editing.

There's an ongoing debate about the best picture profile settings. There's some good threads covering the topic at cinema5D.

Aliasing and moire are the biggest issues with the 5D.

Some people clients in particular think the 5D is a magic box and they can ask stills photographers to shoot beautiful films with it. Well some like Mike Kobal can but Mike has been wrestling with DSLRs since the D90 came out as have most pro shooters so be ambitious but do a lot of testing or it can go very wrong.

Have fun.
 
Alicia Ferrows said:
Tried & tested settings for the best picture quality:

Traps and pitfalls to bare in mind and avoid:

common easy tips not found in the manual:
Click to expand...

1. 'best' is subjective. depends on scene content & director's vision.
2. there are no shortcuts to quality footage besides practice, practice, practice until the tool feels second nature which you can't have overnight.
3. never rely on others opinion until you can try it out & experiment yourself.

you sound like wanting to catch up quickly on too many areas. i foresee frustration before being able to operate the 5D up to your ex1 skills.
shooting dslrs brings a number of caveat and issues that require diligent planning and knowhow. the rewards won't come without getting truly involved. maybe get philip bloom's dvd or do a workshop because seeking the easy fast path over forums is not the best way to progress...
at the moment, pursuing 'high end' music videos sounds pretty elusive without extensive training but i would just bring the camera and start shooting B roll until you feel comfortable and keep the ex1 for critical stuff...
good luck
 
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I'll get the ball rolling on FCP settings. Looking forward to any helpful feedback:

msg-127225653436.jpg
 
This part (FCP settings) might warrant a new thread!

Is there a noticeable difference between Apple ProRes 422 (LT), and 4444, or Apple ProRes (HQ)?

(Nice job on the response squig!)
 
ProRes, ProRes 4444 and ProRes HQ are overkill. LT or Proxy are really the only necessary codecs, because the data rate is so small to begin with.

24-105 is my preferred lens, love the quality of it. Yeah you lose a stop but you gain the ability to shoot convincingly professional handheld shots. The range of the zoom is perfect too, being able to do wide to long without losing any light or having to change lenses is a useful thing. There can be an argument made for the use of primes, but personally I prefer the utility of having one or two zoom lenses with me only (and my shoulders feel better not having to lug around 3-5 big old primes.)
 
Can anyone list any disadvantage to using the XDCAM 50 mb/s codec over the ProRes codecs? I'm using the 422 XDCAM codec and see no loss in quality whatsoever with minimal increase in file size.

Calomile, you're talking about this 24-105 lens I assume?:

.
 
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Advantage for me with using ProRes is the fact that I use Color also - I think if you're using Apple programs, you might as well use the codec they suggest using.

That is indeed the lens. The DOF isn't quite the same as the 24-70 for example, but the image stabilisation works very well indeed. I cannot speak highly enough of this lens, though I'm sure some people will disagree.
 
OK, thanks. I put a Nikkor zoom on the 5D and notice the backfocus is off no doubt because of the adapter, so I'm looking into getting a good Canon zoom.

.
 
Yeah that's a problem I've ran into with a few old Olympus lenses I have. I'm told it's possible to correct by adjusting the rear plane of glass in the lens, but that screams expensive to me.

Rumour has it that there is a 24-70 f2.8 IS coming out later in the summer that'll probably become a favourite with those who want the utility of a zoom and the even shallower DOF. Only draw back being it'll probably be about half as much again as the 24-105, both in price and weight.
 
how do you find using that lens for video in low light situations? as at f4 id assume you may not be able to enjoy some of the benefits of shooting at night without bigger light setups.
 
f/4 is pretty useless in available light. You can supplement a slow zoom with a 50mm f/1.4 prime. To get a classic shallow DOF film look with the 5D you would shoot at f/5.6 where you would be shooting at around t/2.8 on an S35 camera. If you want a super shallow DOF an f/4 zoom won't cut it. My wide primes are all f/2 and my tele's are f/2.8. A 24-105mm f/2.8 zoom would be great provided it didn't breathe. The other issue with zooms is they have short focus throws. Weight wise old primes are very light and a set doesn't weigh much more than a couple of big canon zooms.
 
see this is my dilema, if i buy the 5d with 24-105 lens thats pretty much a £700 purchase and now im wondering if that money would be better spent on primes off ebay. my husband prefers the real shallow dof however i myself dont like the overdone look where it looks like the subject is on greenscreen. i just want the bast bang for buck (well pound in my case) from the additional £700. ideally for my work i wouldnt mind starting off with a good 50mm and a decent 85mm, its just getting the right one as ive seen some 50mm lenses and the focus is so pin point that if the subject breathes they'l lose focus.
 
First I'd go down to a camera shop and test the lens to see how much it breathes while pulling focus. I have a 28-105mm Nikon and it breathes too much for film work. If you shoot stills then the zoom might be a good option supplemented with a fast 50mm prime.

As for pin point focus, that's only due to getting close to the subject and shooting wide open @ f/1.4. You'd only do that as a last resort or for effect, normally there'd be light on the subject and you'd stop down the lens. Faster lenses just give you more options with shallow DOF and low light capability.

Depending on your shooting style I'm not sure a 50mm and 85mm is a good start. Personally I like everything to look a bit surreal so I use my 24mm and 105mm the most. The 50mm is carried for low light shooting and I have a 35mm and 180mm in my bag. My 85mm sits in a cupboard.
 
thats really informative actually, im starting to think that maybe buying the 24-104 wont be as beneficial as getting some faster primes. i will be doing a fair bit of work outdoors in both day and evening using available light (aswell as some studio work with set lighting) so maybe the f/4 zoom isnt best suited to me when i have to really think about getting the best out of my £700.
 
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