Anyone mixing XDCAM HD and 5D Mark II Footage?
 

I'm wondering if anyone has worked on projects where XDCAM HD footage was intercut with 1920x1080P video from Canon's 5D Mark II? Are there differences in the white balances? I'm thinking of a two camera shoot and using the F335 XDCAM to record the audio and main camera/cover shots and then edit-in Broll/CUs from the Canon. I know the Canon has some pretty short record times and that would have to be managed closely. A little off topic for the group but I respect the opinions and expertise of the members.

Dan Larson

Generally speaking, difference's in the color balance can be fixed in post Dan, what can't be matched so easily is the usually startlingly different contrast and dynamic range in the images produced by these very different cameras. That said, if you shoot with the specific intention of matching the cameras later and / or make a stylistic feature of the differences then theres no reason you can't work with both together ... I've had a few projects pas through the edit suites that contains footage Canon DSLR's, Sony XDCAM HD and HDCAM and the've turned out well, although normally I try to avoid intercutting as much as possible.

Best
Andy

I've just made a test video with mixed 5DmkII images and PDW-F350 shots and indeed, the biggest difference is the contrast. I had to lower the contrast in the 5D and enhance it in the F350 to get a comparable result. I chose 'cinema 4' as the gamma setting in the F350 and contrast was set to 'minus 2' in the 5D.
As far as colour balance is concerned, I managed to get both quite close, after adjusting the contrast of course.

I use the 5D mainly as a 'steadycam' B-camera with ah 16mm wide-angle on my Merlin and boy, that 'floating result' is amazing, especially for fast travellings through a crowd.
Good shooting!

Luc, thank you for running your test. Interesting that contrast is the issue like Andy had mentioned and workable. I had thought the issue would be dealing with two manufacturers different views of color balance. I like your use of the 5D on a Merlin as a B-roll camera. Very portable and a low cost way to get steadicam type shots. I can definitly go that route. I know this was a little off topic and appreciate your comparison of the 5D to XDCAM.
Dan

There are all sorts of settings which would account for contrast being different between two cameras let alone two different kinds of cameras. It doesn't take much difference in pedestal, gamma or knee settings to end up with very different results when compared side by side. The question is what is your output going to be so you can match them up correctly. If you could compare them side by side while looking at a scope and a good monitor (which may not be possible) then you might come up with settings which match better before you shoot. Of course you can always try to fix it in post as well

The XDCAM cinegammas are designed for grading and as a result provide a very low contrast looking image, the intention being to retain as much subtle detail as possible for post production grading.

Hey Alistair. A while back you were tossing up whether to keep or sell the PDW700. Are you using the PMW350 or 700 more these days?

Peter.

I have shot several documentaries using my 700 as the main camera and the 5D2 as B cam. Really useful for filming in cars or confined spaces, or for grabbing shots where the 700 is too obvious. Also, for stylistic shots that I cannot achieve with the 700. They cut together just fine. I find it really handy to have a small B camera in the camera bag that I can grab out quickly, set up as a timelapse sometimes - or give to my Director for an alternative angle.

Ben,
What kind of a general purpose lens would you recommend for the Canon 5D Mark II? One that lets enough light in and offers a good focal length for use with a Merlin. I'd like to go for the Steady Cam look. I can add additional lens down the road but want one to get started with one that works well.
Dan

I use the 5DmkII as my steadycam-camera and the best results so far were with the 17-40mm. Amazing results if you move through a crowd for instance, especially on full wide-angle. The 24-105 will probably work well too, but I have to try and balance it on the Merlin on of these days.

I use either zeiss primes or nikon primes. They all have their place, but for your needs you may want to stick with the wider ones... 20, 24, 28, 35mm