Okay, now who wins?
 

I, along with most of the indie film world, was very happy to hear about the new firmware.

I don't own either the 7D or the Mark II, but my understanding is that both have CMOS sensor (and the related jello cam effect) and both, when all is said and done, ultimately output about a quarter of the information available due to compression and down-sampling.

If you have say, $5 grand for a new cam and were looking to start shooting a feature in the late spring of 2010, would you buy either of these cameras now, or wait and see what happens between now and then?

I just have a feeling there will be a dedicated video camera with a big ole sensor coming down the pipe.

john

My reply would always be to wait until you actually need the camera before you buy it - allowing sufficient lead time to work with it prior to your actual shoot, of course. I wouldn't be surprised to see something around NAB with one of these new sensors.

Agreed. If you have to buy now, the 5D2 is the obvious winner due to Magic Lantern. (Although for some people, 24p is more important than sync sound, zebras, and all the other features of Magic Lantern.) There is also a tremendous lens selection advantage.

ALWAYS wait until the last possible minute. Digital cameras outdate almost as quickly as computers so why purchase technology that will be outdated before you need to?

There will be a video camera that uses the same size sensor as either the 5D MKII or the 7D but it will be way over your budget, most guesstimates are placing it in the $8k to $10k area which would make total sense based on Canon's history, (the new XL-H1 replacement?)

If you have $5,000.00 for a camera body, how much do you have budgeted to support, lenses, filters, matte box, rods, rod mount, follow focus, monitor, batteries, media and case? Oh yeah, and audio package if you buy a DSLR, they all have horrible audio. Realistically $5,000.00 buys about a $2,000.00 camera and all of the accessories needed to make movies, if you are smart and budget correctly.

Dan

I have a different approach: Try to buy near the start of a new product cycle. If the product you want has been out for two or more years, then try to wait until the last minute.

I got the 5D2 in December, so I've had nearly a year of use with no regrets. The camera still has great resale value. The firmware announcement tells us that Canon won't be replacing it overnight. It's still "fresh." In fact, with 24p, it will be "refreshed."

The worst thing is to buy the old product the day before the next generation product is announced. Ouch.

For the 5D/7D, I'm not entirely sure waiting till the last minute is a good idea. Both cameras have serious learning curves for those used to working with more traditional video cameras, and you don't want to have to learn it when you need it.

It's unlikely you'll be able to buy a 5D2 and the extras you'll need for shooting a feature for $5000, (add $1500-2500 for lenses, $200+ for memory cards, $250-$1500 for an external monitor, + tripod, follow focus, external audio recorder, etc...)

So aim for the 7D, you'll have just enough cash to pull it off.
And it never hurts to wait, but give yourself at least a month with the new camera before shooting.

BTW... REAL indie filmmakers never buy cameras... they just make friends with people who do.

"BTW... REAL indie filmmakers never buy cameras... they just make friends with people who do."

That's why I keep getting all those calls. All this time I thought it was because of my extensive talent, and good looks....

Thanks guys - pretty much what I was thinking. I have JVC 100 that I've thought about selling, but just can't bring myself to do it. Certainly not perfect and zero buzz for it at this point, but I've grown to love it.

That said, those bog 'ol sensors have me drooling.

john

Nope... it's the same as having a pick up truck. You don't need to own one, just have a good friend who does! :)

SELL IT NOW.
I've used my HD100 once since I bought the 5D2. It's sitting in my closet losing money and gathering dust. I need to sell it before it's worth about the price of a Big Mac.

How much are you selling it for?

Yo, V. Care to explain what you meant by this: "ultimately output about a quarter of the information available due to compression and down-sampling."

What he means is that the RAW stills on this puppy are 21 megapixels a pop, but the 1080p video is no where even close to that resolution. Thus, downsampling.

Gotcha. I figured that's what he meant; just making sure.