What do you love about the 5D?

D

der4

Active member
Recently I've decided to purchase a DSLR. I've read several threads that are about comparing the DSLR's. Personally I can afford either. But I'm trying to make a decision on which one to buy first. I like a lot about the D5. I like that it has a 1:1 ration for lenses and that it does very well in low light. I don't like that it doesn't have 60P but hey it's going to have 24P soon.

I'm not as much interested in what is better or worse in other DSLR's because from my point of view both are great for the price! What I would like to know is for you, the filmmaker, to tell me what you love about the D5 technically, artistically etc. and it's shortcomings. (If you use particular gear that helps, especially lenses, that would be nice to know as well.)

Basically I just want to here from users on this thread of the D5 and the positives and negatives in using it. (I plan on posting something similar in the D7 forum to hear from their experiences as well.)

Thanks !
 
I like
- the manual control
- the video quality
- the WYSIWYG display
- the ability to start and stop video shooting using an IR remote (Only 5D and 7D can do this)
- the possibility to attach an extern monitor via HDMI
- that I can shoot a still photo while filming which is also placed into the movie.

I don't like
- the automatic audio gain
- the aliasing that can sometimes occur.
- that I can't use the viewfinder while filming
- that accurate focusing using the small 3" display is very difficult during shooting.
- The 5D "plastic" feel compared to a pro Nikon.

Note that I use the 5D locked on a tripod with an external monitor attached. Handheld shooting requires at least a z-finder like device to make focusing easier and to provide a third point of contact for more stable shooting.
You also need an external mic since the lens image stabilisation motor noise gets picked up by the internal microphone.
You only get high quality sound by using an external audio recorder which requires syncing in post or by using the Magic Lantern hack to turn off audio AGC and connecting an quality audio preamp.

I hope this helps.
 
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Great Image.
It has aliasing, and some skew, bit for the price, I think it is amazing.
I'm looking forward to the 24p firmware update, but to be honest, I haven't even thought about the 30p since I've been using it.
One thing I'll say about that. I shot for years in film, some 35mm, but mostly 16mm. We usually shot at 24fps, but if we had a bigger budget and we were shooting for TV, we'd shoot at 30fps as it matched the video frame rate and produced a sharper image. That was considered among many of our clients to be the superior way to shoot.
Seamus+
 
Well I guess that comes down to taste. I much prefer the look and movement of 24p and match that later to 29.97.

I love the fact that one can screengrab an image from the 5d's video, and because the codec is quite good, it can pass off as a still for most cases.

Oh and the image quality from the 5d in general.
 
One thing that has pleasantly surprised me about the 5d is how well the shadows hold up in post. I've been grading our footage and it's AMAZING how much I am able to bring up the bottom from our shoots at dusk or at night. I mean it's not like film, but it's better than a lot of stuff I've seen.

I really didn't enjoy how quickly we lost the highlights when shooting, but the bottom end is really, really nice.
 
BandanaDan said:
Well I guess that comes down to taste. I much prefer the look and movement of 24p and match that later to 29.97.
I love the fact that one can screengrab an image from the 5d's video, and because the codec is quite good, it can pass off as a still for most cases.

Oh and the image quality from the 5d in general.
Click to expand...

I actually prefer the look of 24fps myself, and I look forward to the firmware update.
I'm just stating that the 5D looks so good, I'm not overly concerned about the 30fps.
I was also making a statement that it was considered to be the better way to shoot 16mm by many clients in the 80's and 90's.
 
I myself think I will be selling it for the 7d. Really the ONLY thing the 5d has going for it is the FF and slightly better low light. 7d has normal 30p (the 5d's is actual 30p instead of 29.97p or something), it has 24p and the main thing for me right now is that I can't stand not having 60p! I really feel like I need it. Plus I hear the 7d is just more intuitive and the controls make more sense.


PS - IT'S CALLED THE 5D not the D5! Sorry that was bugging me. Nikon uses D_ and canon uses _D.
 
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