Entire 5D wedding workflow Question
 

Hi folks.. I love the 5D2 but I cant figure out how can the entire wedding be shot on it from the current limitations. Are a lot of u hooking up the 5D2 with the juicklink and something like the Redrock eye spy?

My largest fear is the need to delivery "documentation" of the event. Althought I will educate the client that the focus is on shooting for the SDE, there are still expectations to deliver documentation.

Would be grateful if I can get some inputs.

I don't think it's possible to shoot an ENTIRE wedding with a single 5D2. UNLESS you are just shooting a highlights type short form. Personally I record audio with my XLH1 and a Senn G2 wireless system which could be used with an adapter, and shoot b-roll and pretty shots with the 5D2. Usually the ceremony lasts 15+ minutes, and you'd need all the audio.
I'm actually shooting weddings solo with 3-cams right now, which is overkill, but until I get more comfortable using the 5D2, that's what I do.

One drawback to the 5D2 (though it's worth it) is the need to manually focus, and when using fast lenses, focus becomes pretty critical. Another thing is that the 5D2 requires a tripod or solid stabilization which makes it trickier to be mobile.

Good question, I do wonder if those shooting with 5D2 only are missing some priceless moments at times, not to mention shooting that once in a lifetime unexpected moment out of focus!

Steve

Sean,
I just shot a wedding 2 weeks ago solo and I have both the Canon 5d mkii and the Canon HF S10.....I was sweating bullets not knowing which camera to use because of certain differences and issues I had to consider.....Ken is right, with the 5D, it has to be pretty stable or you get the jello effect.. plus I knew once the ceremony started I'd only have 12 minutes to record. Also, I had an issue with the HF S10. I couldn't transcode clips that were 5 minutes or longer so I was stuck......I went with the HF S10 because I've had that camera longer and was more comfortable...(Details on how I shot the wedding).......Because I hadn't figured out the transcode issue at that point I shot the entire wedding with most scenes being under or around 5 minutes. There were some scenes where I couln't use this method such as when the couple exchanged vows That was at least 12 minutes or so from when I started recording.......If you plan to use the 5D make sure you shoot as much extra footage as possible during the wedding, ie: guests, flower arrangements, etc.....that way when you edit you can always cut to something to help fill in the gaps when you stopped recording..... I didn't know what type of response my client was gonna give but they loved it. I think the HD image played a major part, not to mention, I glued everything together pretty nicely.....hope this helps

Reggie

12 minutes issue only comes in picture, when you are have a long speech. Even than, there are pauses when you can start stop your shot. Your only limitation than is your CF card capacity. Otherwise for Wedding you can pretty much cover everything with 5D2. Mobility is a issue that I have not overcome (glidecam/merlin), as I have problem with lens focus. You always have to have a second camera rolling for backup, but you need that for every camera. Audio is not an issue as I always use separate recording device like H4 or lavalier mic & recorder. And you can have a boom mic on backup camera during reception and/or ceremony.

I just wanted to say that I LOVE this thread. Great info. The cutaway tip is excellent. Ramesh (and others who have them) can you talk more about the Glidecam/Steadicam focus problem you're having?

I would like to know more about the glide cam issue as well for the 5D......I guess my question is can an Auto Focus lens be used.......What type of lens do most cinematographers/videographers use to stay in focus when using a steadicam? I'm assumming an AF lens, right?

There is no way to auto-focus with the 5D. So even with a slider and steadicam/glidecam, you set your focus distance and start shooting. You'll need to stay within a certain distance from your subject to maintain that focus.

I've resorted to shooting with a wide-angle lenses and stopping down as much as possible to maintain sharp focus.

It doesn't matter whether your lens is AF or not, it still won't auto-focus while flying a steadicam.

I've actually shot more priceless moments after switching to the mkii. With it being so small, I've been able to squeeze into nooks, closets and packed restrooms in order to get a shot. It's all manual focus anyways so a free hand is always on the focusing ring. With the nice DOF you get, the in/out focus shots looks intentional 90% of the time.

Great info, Raymond! What about Image Stabilization - does having an IS lens make a difference with the 5D shooting video? Also, are there any cheaper lens alternatives such as Tamron that would be a good first or second lens for the 5D?

Thanks Raymond, you definitely answered my question........I gotta do some practicing.

Do you like to use a putter as a driver too? The MKII is a nice camera and is a great addition to add to your collection of cameras. But why would anyone want to shoot everything with it? It can shoot some great beauty shots and b-roll; but a "do-it-all" camera? No thank you. There are a number of shooting situations where its large sensor and the resulting shallow depth of field is a problem, not a feature. I have seen some examples of this as well as over-correcting focus that look pretty bad. Use the right tool for the job. There are some shooting situations where the MKII does a superb job and others where it looks pretty bad. The only reason to use the MKII as your only camera is if Canon hires you as a "missionary" and pays you BIG money to use only the MKII.

One of the most compelling reasons for using the 5d at weddings can be seen here

5Dmk2 vs HV30 low light test on Vimeo

This was my first time using the 5d with a glidecam 2000. I used both a Sigma 15mm fisheye and a 50mm f1.4. The Sigma is far more tolerant of missed focus. The 50mm f1.4 is not very forgiving. Of course I'm always shooting at 1.4 (hehehe). There's some beautiful shots later on in this wedding, from a tripod. But this is just the prep - that was shot entirely with the 5d. IMHO, the 5d is best on a tripod.

Erin - Bridal Prep on Vimeo

Ken, The MkII is a good camera to use at a wedding. I'm not being critical of it. The only point that I am trying to make it that it is a good camera to use as ONE of the cameras to use at a wedding. You can shoot some footage with it that definitely adds some real production value but it isn't a "one-camera-does-all" wedding camera.

Absolutely agree Jim. I've only used mine at 3 weddings, and I'm getting more and more comfortable using it, but NO WAY would I ONLY use the 5d unless I was just shooting a highlight type reel. Even then you'd have to be pretty used to the camera. You need to set WB, ISO, Shutter speed and focus for nearly all shots. You at least have to focus every shot, and in order to do so, you need the 5x and 10x zoom to do so. A BIG difference from a camcorder. Even if you did manually focus your camera - the shallow dof (for a live event) is a double edged sword.