I'm considering buying a 70D for Weddings

[Pete Cofrancesco]

I have a few questions:

1. 30 minutes record limitation:
I've read it's to get around EU tax. If this is the case does why still effect the USA version?
Does simple stop/start reset the 30 min?

2. Will a standard Manfrotto plate for a video head screw in and grip properly considering there is less mounting surface. Or is it better to use a cage to mount a tripod plate?

3. I've used dslr for photography. I know half depressed trigger focuses fully depressed takes the picture. Is it a problem accidentally refocusing instead of recording.

4. What's the best way monitor video outdoors in sun light.

5. How do you film slow motion? Looks like it can only film 720p in 60. I wanted 1080 do I have to down res the rest of my movie to incorporate the slomo sections?

[Roger Gunkel]

At the risk of getting my head bitten off, do you really feel that a DSLR is the right tool for you to film wedding video, or do you feel you need to follow that route because lots of others do? A DSLR is primarily a stills camera and a D70 does a good job, but from the questions you are asking, are you also ready for some of the other skills that may be necessary for shooting wedding video with it?

If you are not confident, you may perhaps consider getting a video camera that would be easier to get good shots and without a time limit. Also no requirement to regularly change lenses, less potential for focus problems etc. The advantages with a DSLR are larger sensor for better low light performance, shallower depth of field and interchangeable lenses, but the shallow DOF and lenses can also be a disadvantage a lot of the time.

You can of course get big sensors and interchangeable lenses on video cameras if you are prepared to pay big bucks, but for the price of a D70, you could also get a 4K video camera with unlimited recording time, high quality digital audio, external mic inputs, headphone monitoring and 20-25 times optical zoom and 5 axis stabilisation.

The choice is yours, but make sure it's the right one :-)

Roger

[Pete Cofrancesco]

I have client who wants that style. I'm hiring a 2nd shooter who Shoots with d70 and its easier to edit together multiple cameras that are the same type. He offer me to use his backup D70 but I need to practice pull focus. I plan using 17-55mm to avoid lens swapping

[Roger Gunkel]

Pete I'm not sure what you mean by 'That Style'. Do you mean style of camera or style of video? If you are not experienced at shooting a wedding with a DSLR and don't actually own a D70, wouldn't you be better using the other guy as the main cameraman and as he is lending you his other camera, you could be the second shooter.

Out of interest and in view of the way you are approaching this wedding, have you shot any weddings previously as the main camera person or are you just hoping to do something in a style that the client has shown you.

Roger

[Pete Cofrancesco]

We are going to be equals he will do the mobile steady cam I'll be on tripod/monopod.

Style of a shallow dof and low light performance that a dslr can achieve and the final product being a shorter and more polished music video.

In the past I have done many 1 manned , budget weddings. Where I give them a two hours with not much editing. I've found budget stuff takes as long to film and yields a weaker final result that can only be used to procure more of the same work.

I want to go beyond simply covering an event and make something with more artistic merit.

[Roger Gunkel]

Personally I think that budget filming takes the same skills as high end filming if you are professional in your work. The difference is the amount of equipment and perhaps personnel that you use, and of course the time spent on editing. I have never believed that budget filming means poor techmique, in fact I would probably take great care with a budget shoot to be very precise with single camera shooting to do most of the editing in camera. That would greatly reduce editing time, whereas a higher end video with perhaps quite a short running time would require more cameras more setting up of ancillary and audio equipment and very much more editing time.

Producing something with more artistic merit is as much about technique and vision as it is about the equipment, More equipment gives you more options and editing, but without imagination and technique won't give artistic merit on it's own.

The other thing to always be aware of, is what exactly your client expects. A 10 minutes superbly constructed highlights video may win you personal satisfaction and peer admiration, but if your client expects a full length documentary coverage, it's worth diddly squat! You say that your client wants a particular style which I assume is what you aspire to, but has the client seen examples of your work before booking you to produce it, and do you feel totally confident about meeting their expectations when you are using equipment that you are unfamiliar with?

I probably sound somewhat negative, but after over thirty years of filming every type of wedding, I know what the pressures of working out of your comfort zone can be. You also need to follow your ideas, so I wish you good luck with it :-)

Roger

[Greg Boston]

Originally Posted by Pete Cofrancesco

I have a few questions:

1. 30 minutes record limitation:
I've read it's to get around EU tax. If this is the case does why still effect the USA version?
Does simple stop/start reset the 30 min?

2. Will a standard Manfrotto plate for a video head screw in and grip properly considering there is less mounting surface. Or is it better to use a cage to mount a tripod plate?

3. I've used dslr for photography. I know half depressed trigger focuses fully depressed takes the picture. Is it a problem accidentally refocusing instead of recording.

4. What's the best way monitor video outdoors in sun light.

5. How do you film slow motion? Looks like it can only film 720p in 60. I wanted 1080 do I have to down res the rest of my movie to incorporate the slomo sections?

I assume you are referring to the Canon 70D.

1. If the time limit is an issue, you can always record to an external recorder via the HDMI out.

2. I have a plate on the bottom of mine that slides into a SteadyPod. It's very secure, but this plate has cork on top to help prevent slippage.

3. The 70D shines in its autofocus ability. You don't use the regular shutter release to start/stop video. There is a button on the back for that. A square on the fold out touch screen lets you designate the subject to focus on. You can even do focus pulls by tapping near and far items.

4. Either a hood on the fold out screen, or an external monitor with hood, such as the SmallHD units.

5. Yes, 1080 30P is the limit. You might try up res of the 720 slow mo shots to 1080. Otherwise, I'm afraid you have to down res the 1080 to match the 720P slo mo shots.

The 70D makes great video images and can optionally shoot in all I-frame mode to the internal card. While it does have an external audio input, it lacks headphone output so monitoring the actual recorded audio isn't possible. However, you can have audio meters on the LCD so that you know you are recording audio, just not the quality of it.

The STM series lenses are best for video as they have silent focusing motors although they don't offer a direct connect focus ring, merely electronic with no physical stops.

So with that info, maybe you can decide if this is the right camera for your desired application.

-gb-

[Erick Perdomo]

Hello there. I have the 70D and it's a great B camera. I wouldn't use it as my main camera for a long format wedding. No audio monitoring!! this is crucial! No headphone! Sure the audio meters are on the screen but can't listen to it. For the longer portions of weddings I have used a ENG type camera, a Canon XF300 or XF100. But recently I got a C100 mkii.
Now back to the 70D. I use it with a Sigma 18-35mm f1.8 and when used with a neutral pic profile the pic is very acceptable. I even used it a third camera for a choir concert and it recorded 30 minutes straight then it stopped but I pressed record again and I got an extra 20 minutes- I got overheated and shut down. But I got plenty of footage that i could mix with the footage from the XF300 and XF100.
Pls note that the HDMI is not clean and it cannot be used with an external recorder like a ninja...
so B camera is ok but not for a main camera (but I like the "cinematic look" so I got a C100 mkii-couldnt resist)...
the autofocus is really good. Not perfect but I get better results than when I do it manual-most of the times. The face priority setting is really good I think. Autofocus can be deactived temporarily with a simply touch on the screen and re-activated when needed. Very useful and practical. It's not meant to be on all the time. I also have several STM lenses- 18-135mm/50mm f1.8 etc but the Sigma is a good match for the camera. It sure looks nice and the video is sharp even wide open, but at f4 is even better.
Using an external Monitor (I have a lilliput 7"-good enough for the price!) is a problem because if I plug it into the camera, the build LCD on the 70D goes blank and so I lose the touch screen functions! darn!
so I don't use it regularly but if I want to show a client the footage after recording the interview for example then I plug it in and play it back. I prefer to use a DIY hood on the LCD screen.
(again, this is why I got a C100 mkii that is a real camera with the DSLR look).

Slow mo? not really.It would have to be done in post-production.Maybe down to 60% at the max..the 720 is not the best...but it can be ok for slow moving parts...don't expect real slow mo...(the canon C100 mkii in MP4 codec has 1080p 60p-more usable but nothing extraordinary).
I don't use the higher quality recording on the 70D- the default is just fine...

so I have enjoyed using the Canon 70D a lot. It has added a lot to my videos. But I wouldn't use it as my main camera.
good luck
E

[Pete Cofrancesco]

Thx for the reply. I made this thread a while ago since then I bought the 70d, filmed a wedding last weekend and answered my own questions. I once owned a nikon d70 and frequently get the two names mixed up.

Overall I'm very happy with the camera: touch screen, autofocus, image quality...

A few other questions I encountered:

1. I can't seem to display how many more minutes and/or space is remaining on the memory card.

2. The exposure levels disappears when you start recording.

3. The mode dial shutter aperture priority doesn't work like you expect when filming video. As a result I only use full manual.

4. Auto iso doesn't tell you what it's currently at.

[Robert Benda]

If you're going to get a DSLR, would a 4K option be better at this point?
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If you really are talking about the Canon 70D, then Greg Boston pointed out pretty much everything... we mostly use the touchscreen for focusing.

We use the Canon STM lenses for smooth focusing. I haven't done a full set of tests with nicer lenses (like "L") to see if they are also good for the focus tracking, like, say, a person walking down the aisle. With cheaper lenses, there is a lot of noise and hunt and peck. With STM its smooth and steady and silent.
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For slow motion, you'll be better of with a different camera. Even a GoPro Hero4 Black can shoot 60fps at 2.7K, or 120 fps at 1080.

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I'm reasonably happy with our 70Ds. NOT a particularly good low light camera. Visible noise at ISO 1600, noticeable at 3200, and pretty much unusable at 6400. We also have 5d Mark iis we use in lower light. The 70D at 3200 is probably about the same as the 5d Mark ii at 6400... maybe it isn't even that close, maybe more like 2500 to 6400

[Pete Cofrancesco]

I don't do enough weddings to justify more expensive equipment. I'd upgrade if I get more work. This was my first foray into cinematic look and the 70d does all I need for now. It's low light performance is well beyond my 1/3 chip camera.

I'm not that interested in 4k and the gh4 isn't better in low light it actually has a smaller sensor and crop. For low light you're left with c100, 5d and A7