I'm not talking about changing aperture, I'm talking about changing zoom - the traditional way to focus with a video camera is to zoom all the way in on your subject, focus, then zoom back out to compose your shot. This only works though if the lens holds focus while zooming and my understanding is that if it's not parfocal this technique will not work.

yes it would be nice if some one could post a decent all purpose zoom the can hold focus,
could be from any manufacturer.

Do a Google search for "Canon parfocal zoom" and you'll find some good info on this topic.

For those of us that use VLC for video playback... you'll need to do the following to
get VLC to playback the 5D MkII footage... (gleaned from a different site)

H.264 codecs are pretty CPU intensive and VLC can't use multi-cores to decode it yet.

1. Open Tools/ Preferences
2. Click Show settings = All
3. Go to "Input/Codecs
4. Go to "Other codecs/ FFmpeg" subcategory
5. Set "Skip the loop filter for H.264 decoding" to ALL
6. Restart VLC

What Type of Video CoDec is Actually Used on the 5d Mark II?
 

I thought I knew the answer to this, as Canon described it as an H.264/MPEG-4 format, using a 38.6 Mbps rate. However, another announcement by Canon, in describing its new Digic-4 processor, gives some confusing information. They say that the video format with Digic-4 cameras will be a non B-frame (keyframe) type of H.264. They also say that about 6 MB of storage is needed for each second of HD video in the SX1 camera, which would give it a 48 Mbps rate. Elsewhere, in the SX1 owner's manual, it says that a 42.4 Mbps rate is used. Doesn't all MPEG-4 encoding use a B-frame or keyframe system? Does the SX1 ultrazoom/fixed-lens camera (About $600.-$700. predicted price), have a different video encoding system than the 5D Mark II? And does the SX1 use an even higher bit-rate?

Maybe, someone can straighten this out for me. Actually, having an HD video-capable camera as low-cost as the SX1 and with its great lens power and such a high bit-rate, with non B-frame encoding, would interest me. Here's the link to this Canon annoucement:

Canon Tips Off Enhanced Capabilities of Its New Image Processor -- Tech-On!

Apparently, it uses only I and P frames. B frames look forward and backward, and are more complicated to create.

In compression, the decoder is specified. You can encode anything you want, as long as it can be decoded by a standard decoder. So decoders are required to understand B frames. Encoders aren't required to produce them.

Just a random tidbit, when I posted on the 12th that it would have it, it wasn't speculation, I knew someone who used it. This a comment based on the thread Chris closed (rightly so) where I criptically made it sound like speculation, I just couldn't reveal my sourse is all.

I freely admit that I haven't yet seen much from this camera, but it seems to me that comparing to an HD video camera is in the same sphere as comparing a DSLR stills camera to snapping a shot on a mobile phone. Or am I being a bit harsh?!
Steve

well it's more like if that mobile phone had 8 mega pix and mini interchangeable lenses. That's why this 5d is raising so many eyebrows. The only thing really missing is 24p

speaking of which does anybody know how that's going, any word from canon?

What does it need 24P for? Surely no-one is seriously thinking of using this for cinema release?!

You're right. Instead they're seriously thinking of using the Nikon D90 D-SLR for cinema release, since it is indeed equipped with 24p.

If you are going to make a low/no budget feature length film with a Sony EX1 with a Letus, why not use the Mark II 5D? Better control, better low light, less noise at high gain. You would be recording the audio separately anyway. Used properly I can see this camera giving better results than an EX1/Letus combo.

Of course, you still aren't going to really need 24p, because seriously, what are the chances of needing to really go out to a film print?

Isn't 24p motion part of the cine look?

But Honestly I am one of the guys that can't see the emperors new cloths. I have never really *seen* 24p or any frame rate difference for that matter. But I know what looks like film and what doesn't.

Tyler, you must be joking?!!!

Idono I think tyler might be right. I never liked the ex/lex combo almost perfferd a stock hvx.