New 5D MkII Owner Rig & Post Questions at DVinfo.net

George Chinn · October 16th, 2009, 09:16 AM

Hello,

I have recently purchased the 5D MkII with the Kit 24-105 F4 Zoom + Canon 50mm 1.8 (non L version), and I am very pleased so far. I come from a sound recording and post production background, but I've become increasingly interested in the Camera world and need some advice.

I have a few questions for 5D owners out there:

1) What Tripods do people recommend for the 5D?

2) What Rigs are people using for hand held work, pros and cons?

3) What Follow Focuses are recommended?

4) Are people buying rigs that they can use later on with a Red Scarlet (2/3, S35), if so what parts can be used on the Red Scarlet (difficult question I know as it isn't out yet)?

5) Are people using Lens mounted ND filters or using Matte Box filters?

6) I am in PAL Land, what shutter speed should I use if I am often going to be outputting a Standard Def Anamorphic PAL, 1/50?

7) I am running Final Cut Studio 1 with FCP 5.1.4 . I have played with mpeg streamclip and have been using the Apple XDCAM1080 30P to transcode for editing with. Is this the best option, or do people have better alternatives.

I do apologise for the rather vast nature of my post. If you do have any contributions they will be greatly received.

Many thanks in advance

George Chinn

Chris Hurd · October 16th, 2009, 10:25 AM

Hi George, I'm pretty sure we have addressed each and every one of these several times over during in the past ten months, so in addition to whatever responses you receive here, you should roll up your sleeves and start reading through all of the discussions on this forum that are related to your questions. There's an awful lot of material covering these topics that's already been posted. Hope this helps,

David W. Taylor · October 16th, 2009, 01:37 PM

Hi George,

Interestingly, I'm also from a sound post production background and am in the UK.
Perhaps I can give some points from my 'learning curve'.

1) What Tripods do people recommend for the 5D?
> Well it's a small camera but with a long lens can be a very unbalanced item on a tripod. You'll need a proper video tripod with a 'smooth' head. I didn't want to spend too much initially, even though I knew I'd have to in the end. My first purchase was a Libec. Reasonably rated for it's low price. Alas the head hadn't got any decent 'drag' controls and the balance with the camera needed sorting. I currently have a Varizoom Zero Gravity head on the Libec legs.
That head is very unusual in the way it mounts the camera but at least it copes with the difficult forward balance a long lens produces on the camera.

2) What Rigs are people using for hand held work, pros and cons?
Something that you'll have to explore. It's the same problem of the camera balance that also needs to be overcome. There are 'pro' stabilizers like the Merlin that you could explore, or perhaps items like the Glidecam.

3) What Follow Focuses are recommended?
> I think here again you get what you pay for. I currently haven't invested in a follow focus and use a home made 'focus arm' when using my 70-200 lens. Same applies to a zoom control.

4) Are people buying rigs that they can use later on with a Red Scarlet (2/3, S35), if so what parts can be used on the Red Scarlet (difficult question I know as it isn't out yet)?
> One camera rig is all I can consider at the moment and the 5D2 produces great pics...I'll stay with that.

5) Are people using Lens mounted ND filters or using Matte Box filters?
> I have a variable ND, the cheap eBay one. Works well. I also use my old Cokin ND's but a cheaper and probably better made equivalent is the 'Kood' range. I also have a Kood bellows hood, cheaper than a matte box.

6) I am in PAL Land, what shutter speed should I use if I am often going to be outputting a Standard Def Anamorphic PAL, 1/50?
> The camera (still) runs at 30 frames, so the preferred shutter speed is 1/60 or possibly 1/30. however you are right to mention 1/50 as that's necessary when in tungsten lighting to remove the flicker. I find 1/30 doesn't flicker either.

7) I am running Final Cut Studio 1 with FCP 5.1.4 . I have played with mpeg streamclip and have been using the Apple XDCAM1080 30P to transcode for editing with. Is this the best option, or do people have better alternatives.
> Can't help there as I use Premiere Pro CS4 with Neoscene.

Other points not touched are are the requirement to improve the LCD viewing, which relates to focusing as well.
The best item is the Zacuto Z-finder, although I made do with the Hoodman and an iCuff sleeve for sometime.
I now need an external monitor and fancy the SmallHD. Ouch this is all getting expensive!

Good luck with the sound side of things as well. I use a 4 channel Ediriol R44 recorder, feeding 2 channels back into the camera to help with resyncing. That's thanks to Magic Lantern accepting an analogue input of about -10db.

So you'll need to get the priority of purchases sorted I think....the results are really great though which is probably why we all keep slogging on and don't just buy a 'video camera'!

Dave T

George Chinn · October 16th, 2009, 03:33 PM

Chris: Thank you for your reply. I am amazed by the knowledge on Dvinfo, it is a truly great resource.

David: Thank you for your time and response, it's great to hear personal experiences from someone coming at in from the same angle. It's hard to work out what to purchase first, I imagine it's going to be the Vari ND, being the cheapest. Thanks again.

Mike Watson · October 18th, 2009, 11:49 PM

XDCam is a long GOP format, and not one I would transcode to for editing. ProRes would be perfect, but you won't get it unless you upgrade to FCP 6 or 7. I guess I'd suggest Apple Intermediate Codec, but I don't know a lot about it -- I wasn't in your position @ FCP5, and now that I am I have ProRes. :-)

George Chinn · October 19th, 2009, 03:48 AM

Hi Mike,

Thanks for the advice, much appreciated. I am currently using a Dual 2.0 Ghz G5 with the 128mb radeon 9600 pro graphics card. Do you know if my setup would be able to handle final cut 6? Also do you know of anywhere that sells Final Cut Studio 2 anymore?

Rickey Brillantes · October 19th, 2009, 07:40 AM

For $299 you can upgrade to FCP 7 thru Apple store.
Instead of buying the full version, buy the upgrade, since you have the prior version, (Not Academic). It will save you money.

http://store.apple.com/us_smb_78313/product/MB642

Mike Watson · October 19th, 2009, 09:23 PM

Your PowerPC won't run FCP7. I'm not sure if you can get an FCP6 upgrade, or how much that would cost - but it would get you ProRes.

Might be time to look into an Intel Mac upgrade, and FCS 2009....

Peter Damo · October 21st, 2009, 11:49 PM

Hi George,
Just got a payout? That's a bit of a shopping list you have there.
I spent quite a bit years back on good lenses after starting with a couple of basic ones. That experience was enough to make me aware if I wanted to produce material (photos initially) that was quality I had to buy appropriate equipment.

So with video gear I had already decided to buy the best I could afford. I hate buying gear and selling to buy something better that should have been got in the first place. Anyway I use a Vinten Vision 3 head and sticks. I really can't praise this unit enough. It contributes as much to the shoot as the quality of the camera for less. For panning even with 100-400 lens at 400mm its a dream. Perfect balance feature has also been mentioned a few times. You can read countless entries about people who have bought cheap stuff and are very dissatisfied with the result. Don't agonize over this.

For shoulder mount I use RedRock which I find satisfactory so far. Its solid enough and the FFocus is decent. Not overly fussed about the Hoodman and the level of clarity or sharpness it gives. Nor am I that happy with the RedRock/Hoodman attachment for the EyeSpy unit. Just a little too flimsy for my liking. I will in due course go for the Z-brand unless something as good but cheaper emerges.

I mount a VariND filter on the lens – no matte box.

As Chris mentioned there have been plenty of posts about most of the stuff you are asking for here. Good luck with the rest or feel free to ask more.

George Chinn · October 28th, 2009, 08:09 AM

Thank you all for your replies. Prioritising purchases is the order of the day. First two purchases will be a tripod and the Fader ND (Ebay one). I'll have to keep going with the G5 for a while, as a Mac pro is out of budget currently.

Does anyone know where to get a legitimate Final Cut Studio 2 upgrade?

Has anyone been able to purchase the ebay fader ND in a 77mm thread (for the Canon 24- 105)? Been checking their page for a while and haven't seen one.

I'd love to push the budget to a Vinten Vision 3, but I might have to look at a more economical tripod to start and upgrade later. What systems have people put together for around the £500 mark that can give pleasing results with the Canon 24 - 105?

October 16th, 2009, 09:16 AM	#1
George Chinn New Boot Join Date: Jan 2009 Location: UK Posts: 22	New 5D MkII Owner Rig & Post Questions Hello, I have recently purchased the 5D MkII with the Kit 24-105 F4 Zoom + Canon 50mm 1.8 (non L version), and I am very pleased so far. I come from a sound recording and post production background, but I've become increasingly interested in the Camera world and need some advice. I have a few questions for 5D owners out there: 1) What Tripods do people recommend for the 5D? 2) What Rigs are people using for hand held work, pros and cons? 3) What Follow Focuses are recommended? 4) Are people buying rigs that they can use later on with a Red Scarlet (2/3, S35), if so what parts can be used on the Red Scarlet (difficult question I know as it isn't out yet)? 5) Are people using Lens mounted ND filters or using Matte Box filters? 6) I am in PAL Land, what shutter speed should I use if I am often going to be outputting a Standard Def Anamorphic PAL, 1/50? 7) I am running Final Cut Studio 1 with FCP 5.1.4 . I have played with mpeg streamclip and have been using the Apple XDCAM1080 30P to transcode for editing with. Is this the best option, or do people have better alternatives. I do apologise for the rather vast nature of my post. If you do have any contributions they will be greatly received. Many thanks in advance George Chinn

October 16th, 2009, 10:25 AM	#2
Chris Hurd Obstreperous Rex Join Date: Jan 2001 Location: San Marcos, TX Posts: 27,366 Images: 513	Hi George, I'm pretty sure we have addressed each and every one of these several times over during in the past ten months, so in addition to whatever responses you receive here, you should roll up your sleeves and start reading through all of the discussions on this forum that are related to your questions. There's an awful lot of material covering these topics that's already been posted. Hope this helps, __________________ CH Search DV Info Net \| 20 years of DVi \| ...Tuesday is Soylent Green Day!

October 19th, 2009, 07:40 AM	#7
Rickey Brillantes Major Player Join Date: Jun 2005 Location: Ontario, California Posts: 309	For $299 you can upgrade to FCP 7 thru Apple store. Instead of buying the full version, buy the upgrade, since you have the prior version, (Not Academic). It will save you money. http://store.apple.com/us_smb_78313/product/MB642 Last edited by Rickey Brillantes; October 19th, 2009 at 07:46 AM. Reason: adding text

October 16th, 2009, 01:37 PM	#3
David W. Taylor Regular Crew Join Date: May 2009 Location: Pinewood Film Studios, Bucks, United Kingdom Posts: 80	Hi George, Interestingly, I'm also from a sound post production background and am in the UK. Perhaps I can give some points from my 'learning curve'. 1) What Tripods do people recommend for the 5D? > Well it's a small camera but with a long lens can be a very unbalanced item on a tripod. You'll need a proper video tripod with a 'smooth' head. I didn't want to spend too much initially, even though I knew I'd have to in the end. My first purchase was a Libec. Reasonably rated for it's low price. Alas the head hadn't got any decent 'drag' controls and the balance with the camera needed sorting. I currently have a Varizoom Zero Gravity head on the Libec legs. That head is very unusual in the way it mounts the camera but at least it copes with the difficult forward balance a long lens produces on the camera. 2) What Rigs are people using for hand held work, pros and cons? Something that you'll have to explore. It's the same problem of the camera balance that also needs to be overcome. There are 'pro' stabilizers like the Merlin that you could explore, or perhaps items like the Glidecam. 3) What Follow Focuses are recommended? > I think here again you get what you pay for. I currently haven't invested in a follow focus and use a home made 'focus arm' when using my 70-200 lens. Same applies to a zoom control. 4) Are people buying rigs that they can use later on with a Red Scarlet (2/3, S35), if so what parts can be used on the Red Scarlet (difficult question I know as it isn't out yet)? > One camera rig is all I can consider at the moment and the 5D2 produces great pics...I'll stay with that. 5) Are people using Lens mounted ND filters or using Matte Box filters? > I have a variable ND, the cheap eBay one. Works well. I also use my old Cokin ND's but a cheaper and probably better made equivalent is the 'Kood' range. I also have a Kood bellows hood, cheaper than a matte box. 6) I am in PAL Land, what shutter speed should I use if I am often going to be outputting a Standard Def Anamorphic PAL, 1/50? > The camera (still) runs at 30 frames, so the preferred shutter speed is 1/60 or possibly 1/30. however you are right to mention 1/50 as that's necessary when in tungsten lighting to remove the flicker. I find 1/30 doesn't flicker either. 7) I am running Final Cut Studio 1 with FCP 5.1.4 . I have played with mpeg streamclip and have been using the Apple XDCAM1080 30P to transcode for editing with. Is this the best option, or do people have better alternatives. > Can't help there as I use Premiere Pro CS4 with Neoscene. Other points not touched are are the requirement to improve the LCD viewing, which relates to focusing as well. The best item is the Zacuto Z-finder, although I made do with the Hoodman and an iCuff sleeve for sometime. I now need an external monitor and fancy the SmallHD. Ouch this is all getting expensive! Good luck with the sound side of things as well. I use a 4 channel Ediriol R44 recorder, feeding 2 channels back into the camera to help with resyncing. That's thanks to Magic Lantern accepting an analogue input of about -10db. So you'll need to get the priority of purchases sorted I think....the results are really great though which is probably why we all keep slogging on and don't just buy a 'video camera'! Dave T

October 16th, 2009, 03:33 PM	#4
George Chinn New Boot Join Date: Jan 2009 Location: UK Posts: 22	Chris: Thank you for your reply. I am amazed by the knowledge on Dvinfo, it is a truly great resource. David: Thank you for your time and response, it's great to hear personal experiences from someone coming at in from the same angle. It's hard to work out what to purchase first, I imagine it's going to be the Vari ND, being the cheapest. Thanks again.

October 18th, 2009, 11:49 PM	#5
Mike Watson Trustee Join Date: Aug 2006 Location: San Diego, CA Posts: 1,082	XDCam is a long GOP format, and not one I would transcode to for editing. ProRes would be perfect, but you won't get it unless you upgrade to FCP 6 or 7. I guess I'd suggest Apple Intermediate Codec, but I don't know a lot about it -- I wasn't in your position @ FCP5, and now that I am I have ProRes. :-)

October 19th, 2009, 03:48 AM	#6
George Chinn New Boot Join Date: Jan 2009 Location: UK Posts: 22	Hi Mike, Thanks for the advice, much appreciated. I am currently using a Dual 2.0 Ghz G5 with the 128mb radeon 9600 pro graphics card. Do you know if my setup would be able to handle final cut 6? Also do you know of anywhere that sells Final Cut Studio 2 anymore?

October 19th, 2009, 09:23 PM	#8
Mike Watson Trustee Join Date: Aug 2006 Location: San Diego, CA Posts: 1,082	Your PowerPC won't run FCP7. I'm not sure if you can get an FCP6 upgrade, or how much that would cost - but it would get you ProRes. Might be time to look into an Intel Mac upgrade, and FCS 2009....

October 21st, 2009, 11:49 PM	#9
Peter Damo Regular Crew Join Date: Jun 2009 Location: Sydney, NSW Posts: 90	Hi George, Just got a payout? That's a bit of a shopping list you have there. I spent quite a bit years back on good lenses after starting with a couple of basic ones. That experience was enough to make me aware if I wanted to produce material (photos initially) that was quality I had to buy appropriate equipment. So with video gear I had already decided to buy the best I could afford. I hate buying gear and selling to buy something better that should have been got in the first place. Anyway I use a Vinten Vision 3 head and sticks. I really can't praise this unit enough. It contributes as much to the shoot as the quality of the camera for less. For panning even with 100-400 lens at 400mm its a dream. Perfect balance feature has also been mentioned a few times. You can read countless entries about people who have bought cheap stuff and are very dissatisfied with the result. Don't agonize over this. For shoulder mount I use RedRock which I find satisfactory so far. Its solid enough and the FFocus is decent. Not overly fussed about the Hoodman and the level of clarity or sharpness it gives. Nor am I that happy with the RedRock/Hoodman attachment for the EyeSpy unit. Just a little too flimsy for my liking. I will in due course go for the Z-brand unless something as good but cheaper emerges. I mount a VariND filter on the lens – no matte box. As Chris mentioned there have been plenty of posts about most of the stuff you are asking for here. Good luck with the rest or feel free to ask more.

October 28th, 2009, 08:09 AM	#10
George Chinn New Boot Join Date: Jan 2009 Location: UK Posts: 22	Thank you all for your replies. Prioritising purchases is the order of the day. First two purchases will be a tripod and the Fader ND (Ebay one). I'll have to keep going with the G5 for a while, as a Mac pro is out of budget currently. Does anyone know where to get a legitimate Final Cut Studio 2 upgrade? Has anyone been able to purchase the ebay fader ND in a 77mm thread (for the Canon 24- 105)? Been checking their page for a while and haven't seen one. I'd love to push the budget to a Vinten Vision 3, but I might have to look at a more economical tripod to start and upgrade later. What systems have people put together for around the £500 mark that can give pleasing results with the Canon 24 - 105?