RAW record time on 6D?

C

crashwins

Active member
Couldn't get an answer to this in a previous thread..I understand it's specific to scaling. But what's the current *reliable* continuous record time for RAW in 6D & 5D3? I understand the 6D can't handle full 1080p, but this can be upscaled later, no? I need to film some interviews and am currently torn between the GH, 6D, and 5D3. Getting 1-2 minutes of reliable record time would be ideal. Of course, I'm a stills guy too so I REALLY don't want redundant cameras. I understand this is also dependent on card size. Thanks!
 
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You may have to read through the detail on Magic Lantern?



This thread summarizes the capabilities of all of the Canon cameras.

https://docs.google.com/a/mmurph.co...MOkAZTFHdFFIcFp1d0R5TzVPTVJXOEVyUndteGc#gid=5



That links to this chart on Google Docs.

This chart indicates the RAW capability of each camera, from best - 5DIII - to worst:

https://docs.google.com/a/mmurph.co...MOkAZTFHdFFIcFp1d0R5TzVPTVJXOEVyUndteGc#gid=5



That indicates the 5DIII can do contiguous recording at 1920x1280 at 24 fps.


Good luck!

Michael
 
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RAW works best on the 5DIII. As you mention either the 5DIII or 6D, here are additional resources for the 5DIII. Maybe change the title to get more replies?


1.) This is the ML starting point:

Beginners Guide, FAQ & Useful Links

http://www.magiclantern.fm/forum/index.php?topic=5520.0



2.) That links to the 5DIII specific page:

How to record: -- 30/24/25 fps RAW VIDEO ON 5D3 & others

http://www.magiclantern.fm/forum/index.php?topic=5441.0


With this note:

Need a 1000x CF card to get 1920x1080 at 24 fps.



3.) Cinema 5D has a guide from February, 2014 on:

Continous 1080p RAW 14 Bit on 5DIII

http://www.cinema5d.com/news/?p=17898
 
Thanks..SUPER helpful. May I ask if you -- or anyone -- has any thoughts on purchasing a 5D3 now in terms of timing? IE, is it a bad time to fork over $2.5K for a body because something better -- that is, for stills AND video -- is on the immediate horizon? I know this is like the age-old gear question, but I don't have my finger on the pulse like I used to gear-wise..
 
crashwins said:
Thanks..SUPER helpful. May I ask if you -- or anyone -- has any thoughts on purchasing a 5D3 now in terms of timing? IE, is it a bad time to fork over $2.5K for a body because something better -- that is, for stills AND video -- is on the immediate horizon?
Click to expand...

Unfortunately, I think this is an especially bad time to buy a 5DIII.

They are still an excellent choice for stills auto focus. But everyone is expecting a new 7DII to be announced in August for Photokina.

That is very likely to have Dual Pixel Auto Focus, like the 70D does, which would be very useful for video/live view.

Even more importantly, we are all HOPING that Canon finally gives us a new sensor, with improved DR, etc. It is far beyond the time for Canon to "up" their game, either on the 7DII or on another camera - full frame, or whatever.

(MY theory is that Canon has devoted their best sensor fab resources to teh much higher margin Cinema EOS series - the C500, C300, C100. Hence the delay for the DSLR's? We know taht they had a .18 micron (?) fab in 2012, but were still using the .5 fab ...)

+++

So - while it is always a "wait or buy" question, right now is really a time to only make tactical, near term decisions for the next 3-4 months. Just in case ...

If you had a few projects to shoot that would pay well and would require the 5DIII it might be worth calculating your "Net Cost of Ownership." The cost to buy, less the amount that you could sell it for. Then consider a "worst case", that Canon announces a great, full frame sensor shipping in October ...

Lets say you bought used at $2,200 and had to sell at $1,600 ... Net cost would be $600. Which is more depreciation that you would usually see in a year of owning a camera like that. But if you had weddings every weekend through teh season, that would not be a large net cost for teh performance.


Then compare that to renting the camera for the time periods that you require. I know that Lens Rentals has 5DII's with RAW capability:

http://www.lensrentals.com/rent/canon/cameras/canon-eos-5d-mark-iii-magic-lantern-raw-hack-kit

It looks like it rents for $165 for 4 days, plus $25 shipping. I think rates go down considerably for loner rental periods.

+++

I don't have a lot that I need to do this summer. I have a Canon T4i with 24-70, 70-200, and 18-135 mm STM for stills and video. That is my "base" camera.

I also bought 2 Canon EOS M kits with the 22 mm and 18-55 mm lenses to play with for about $250 each, or $500 total for 2 camera! Plus $75 for an EF to EF-M adapter.

Those are NOT very capable for RAW video. I am going to play with those for regular video, Magic Lantern, and similar for the summer.

You could look at something similar. Whet can you buy for little money that you could use short term, and then sell in 4-5 months if you switch gear?

It was interesting to see that the Canon 50D was the only crop camera that uses a CF card. It was treh highest rated crop sensor in that list. It still has aliasing & moire, but it might be worth looking at. I think I will read a little bit more about that camera. If they can get teh throughput it may be interesting...

+++

There are 2 other things going on with Magic Lantern that are interesting.

1.) there are samples around of teh "Dual ISO" tests. Shooting both ISO 100 ans ISO 400 at the same time, which gives a gain of (I would guess) 2 stops DR in post. I have to see which cameras can shoot that, and

2.) The 3x crop mode gives cleaner RAW on some cameras. That is similar to the "zoom" mode that Canon offered on the T3i, where they just read the direct 1920x1080 pixels with no skipping or binning. A 3x crop would imply a 24 mm lens becomes a 72 mm ...

I know that some folks have had success uprezzing from less than HD to HD, as long as they start with a nice, clean RAW feed from the camera.


I am just starting to learn about all of this, getting up teh learning curve and looking at interesting experiments for the summer. I don't have a lot of expertise, so others with actual knowledge can probably help too.

Cheers! Good luck. Keep us updated on your decisions.

Best,
Michael
 
Wow, thanks for such a comprehensive answer! REALLY helpful and appreciated.

You make a compelling point and Photokina in August. I'm not a Pro, but I'm tired of the buying/selling racket and just want to splurge and make a purchase on something and stick with it. But, if now's not the time, so be it. Your recommendations on other bodies is great, but the thing is that I'm definitely partial to stills shooting on FF bodies. I went the Fuji route awhile and loved it, but ultimately went back to my 5D2 (before I sold it). So, I'm in the trouble area of buying redundant gear it seems..If I'm financially more able one day, I'd love to have a FF body and the X100s again.

One option may be to invest in more manual lenses -- Nikkors, Rokinons, etc, for video -- and buy an older body like a 5D2 again with the expectation to sell down the road..I can't imagine that whatever Canon has in its lineup it won't be C-mount so that may be a smart idea. I wouldn't, EG, want a GH2 and a 5D2 -- that's jus way too much kit. I'm partial to the GH2 video, but I can't have both. I haven't really caught up with ML RAW on the 5D2, but I'm guessing it doesn't have the best rap, but I may have to look in more detail.

So, in considering the Canon roadmap and your suggestion not to take a major financial plunge into the 5D3, maybe grabbing the 5D2 and some glass may not be a bad idea as someone who shoots 80% stills and 20% video. Sound crazy? :)
 
Ok, this is a quick & somewhat scattered response. I'll think through & loop back later - wife home soon & etc. :)

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A Canon 5DII might make some sense for the short term!! It looks like they run in the $1,100 range, based on a quick look. It really depends on how much & how serious FF stills work you would do over the summer.

I also looked around at the 50D. You can probably pick up a 50D body for around $300. Maybe a little less, maybe a bit more. But it is not a lot of investment to begin with, and you wouldn't lose much on the sale! You can then rez up to full HD from the RAW in the same way that you would from a 5DII.

+++

The Lexar 1066x CF cards were on sale. I think the 64 GB were only $90. The 32 GB is still about $64 at B&H, but taht is proportionally higher than the 64. I iwll check Adorama to see if tehy are still on sale there.

http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/1022076-REG/lexar_lcf32gcrbna1066_32_gb_pro_compact.html


+++

I am also a Canon stills shooter, so I have the same "problems" that you do!

The video only people can jump around a bit more, but for us that often means two complete systems with two fulls sets of lenses! So a GH4 is at least $3,000+ with lenses & etc., in addition to the $5,000-$6,000 minimum investment I will maintain for best Canon L glass and a body ... just crazy expensive. Thus the "marginal" cost to go from Canon video to M4/3 and similar is a lot higher than for others.

+++

I used to have a studio and was a "low end" pro. I have chronic pain and closed that and am not working much now. But anything I do still has to meet my own previous expectations. :)

My base kit right now is Canon. To me that means I will keep my Canon 24-70 2.8 L II and my 70-200 2.8 L II lenses, about a $3,600 investment. And I need those lenses, because I want to be able to go full frame, not be stuck with crop lenses.

I have owned both the Canon 5DIII and the 1DX. For serious event work, those are the only camera that have the precision auto focus that is needed.

Luckily, I won't be working much over the summer. So I am just keeping my T4i for now, about a $300-$400 investment.

I also have the Canon 18-135 mm STM that I like on the T4i for auto focus with video. That is a pretty decent quality lens for a kit zoom.

If there was nothing new coming right now, I would buy a 5DIII for most of my stills work.

I would also buy a 70D for Dual Pixel Auto Focus for video, as well as a backup for stills. You can buy one for about $775 "net" as part of a kit at Adorama, after selling off the 18-135 mm lens and printer that comes with it. So I am somewhat thinking about "swapping out" my T4i to a 70D, for a net expense of about $400 to upgrade.

Although I have stuff that I need to sell first - I am always buying!!

++++

The Canon EOS M lenses are also STM. The 22 mm is very good quality, and the 18-55 mm IS is pretty good - better than almost al other kit lenses.

I have a set of older Canon FD manual lenses to use with the EOS M via a $10 adapter. I have a 24 mm (actually Nikkor, but), 28 mm, 35 mm, and a 35-70 mm zoom. The total cost of the Canon FD manual lenses is under $200. The Nikkor is about $300+

I wouldn't use those on a full frame camera, but on a crop they are OK. Mostly just to "play around with" , as I will use my L glass and the 18-135 mm for most "run & gun" things.

So I think I will play with the EOS M, 22 mm, 18-55 mm, and 18-135 mm for the summer. Plus the FD lenses, and Magic Lantern.

The next step up would be to get a 50D, plus a good CF card, and play with that with the same lenses.

+++

I don't think that is a clear answer for you, but more later! :)

Best,Michael
 
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