Quick helt - settings for video
 

Hi guys,

I've ordered a 7D and was promised to have it last week - but no! The plan was to use it in a music video shoot tomorrow.

INSTEAD I've borrowed (from my camera dealer) a brand new 5D (out of the box) with nice lenses.

BUT - since I've only got a day to learn the camera I need some help how to setup the video settings.

Sure - I could look around, but my mom died yesterday and I don't have the power to look through a lot of threads... so I'm just looking for some quick help to get good settings. Also just a link to a proper thread would be great!

Hello Joachim

I'm very sorry for your mom. It's a heavy situation. Nothing to do about it. Hope you can keep yourself strong!

I think this link: Canon Digital Learning Center - EOS 5D Mark II: How to Use Manual Video Exposure
must help you a lot. All the basic information for film mode is mentioned in that page!

I wish you a lot of success on your shoot tomorrow Joachim!

Good luck man

Thanks Gerdy!

That seems like a suitable instruction... I've not been looking too deep, but I hope it also tells me how to avoid aliasing, noise and all "auto"-stuff :)

And very kind of you for caring...

For the aliasing problems you can use a softening filter. With a shallow DOF, aliasing is only a problem in the in-focus areas. The other thing you can do to avoid aliasing is to throw things slightly out of focus. But this technique would require testing and practice!
The aliasing and moire is a known artifact with the 5d but the majority of people won't even notice it.

Here's another link that is recommended to watch for a shoot with the 5d!:
Canon Digital Learning Center - EOS 5D Mark II: Movie Mode Basics

More detailled information:
Canon EOS 5D Mark II review Cameralabs features: Movie Mode

If you want to avoid the noise indoors you better don't use a high iso!
You need to read a few things... It would help you a lot.

Greetings
Gerdy

Joachim,

Really sorry about your mom.

If you're still going ahead with the shoot with the 5d2, I'd advise you to treat the camera more like a film camera. That is don't do fast sweeping pans. Also the things that artifact badly are vertical/horizontal stripes. So don't have your talent dressed in stripes. You can avoid the noise with faster lenses. Personally I think the F4.0 24-105 is a little slow for indoors without extra light, but if you go to f2.8 or faster you can keep the ISO down.

And the beauty of the camera is that you are able to monitor via live view (in fact you have to when shooting video). Use the 5x and 10x to set your focus. Seeing this is a music video and not a live event, I'm sure you'll be OK. You'll get 12 minutes out of a 4gb card, so 24 from an 8gb etc.

Good Luck!

Thanks again guys!

Even if I haven't been filming with a DSLR before - I'm well aware of the goods and cons :)
So I will treat the equipment right and avoid all jello-effects! I've read a lot before deciding for my (un-arrived) 7D - but haven't (of course) not yet been concerned about the settings...

About lenses I have my own Canon 50 mm f1.4 and a Sigma 18-50 mm F2.8.
My camera supplier has been kind to borrow me a Tamron SP 14 mm f2.8 and a huge 70-200 mm f2.8 L IS USM...

So I'm trying to prepare for a real heads-on-start with DSLR-filming tomorrow! We'll also have quite good lighs 2x650W and 1x800W.

If you haven't seen it, here is a music vid shot on the 5d2 that I like by Logan McMillan. It was shot in New Zealand.

YouTube - The Unfaithful Ways "I Can't Get Your Cruel Love Off My Mind" HD

"I Can't Get Your Cruel Love Off My Mind"... reminds me of my mother *LOL*
Actually, she could be quite annoying, caring TOO much.. I'll guess I will somehow miss that too.

Anyway... First tries have been made filming with the 5D. I notice some flickering after changing exposure time. I suppose that I must choose something like 1/60, 1/120(125) and so on to avoid this?

EDIT:
Hey... that's strange! I just noticed that the flickering is when I haven't chose 1/50, 1/100 and so on. I was under the assumption that 5D only could capture video with 30 fps?

(After reading more - the 5D mkII just seem to capture video at 30fps, even if there is a setting PAL/NTSC. BUT - why is there flickering at 1/60 and 1/125, and NO flickering at 1/50 and 1/100? Seems unlogical!)

TO avoid flickering set your shutter speed to 50 so it doesn't clash with the frequency of the lights.

Avey

Ahhh... yes, of course! Stupid if me... I actually knew that, but somehow I was thinking strange :)

Sorry to hear about your Mom

yes the flicker is cause by the light frequency. so set it at 50 60 or 100 120 depend where you are in the world just set it untill you didn't see it anymore. The camera will recorded at 30fps but set your shutter speed to double that (1/60). Make sure your 5D have the lates firmware to be able to use the Manual mode. Make sure you choose the 1920x1080 and not the 640x480. Do not crank your ISO to more than 1600. When you done shooting use square5.com to convert your footage to 24p or 25p if you want that what i learn from Phillip bloom instrucstional DVD for the 5D. if you have more question post and i'll see if i can help i'm not expert just i happen to watch the dvd and spend more time reading that all. good luck

Thanks guys!

The shoot went very well and I'm pleased with the footage from the 5D!
We filmed in very low light...

A small teaser (filmed in saturday, quick edit test yesterday)
Joachim Ljungquist On ExposureRoom

Password: burn

Congrats Joachim. You have to know about settings for shooting that kind of footage. Good choice to film with DSLR like the 5d or 7d!

The only thing I would do is making the shots with the white light a little bit warmer so the contrast isn't to big between the fireshots and the other shots. But maybe you wanted to achieve that!

Greetings from Belgium
G

Thanks Gerdy,

The settings were no big problem... Mainly I needed information about what auto settings to turn off!

Yes, the clip showed in Exposure Room link is not color corrected to match. It was mainly a teaser for the band to get a glimpse of how the final video might look like.

By the way...

Most shots with the 5D was with my own (cheap) 50mm 1.8 lens.
The settings were: ISO200-ISO400, 1/100 and mostly f2.4.