New Firmware Update

Jon Fairhurst · January 12th, 2009, 03:06 PM

Good observations, Julian.

I think adding manual control to the 5D won't change the market dynamics regarding the pro market very much. Manual control won't make the 5D a competent ENG cam. It won't make it a prime wedding cam. It won't make it right for long events. It wouldn't be the right choice for unscripted documentaries.

Where the 5D shines is for incidental pieces, like a glimpse of a day in the park or museum, or an overview of a ski trip, and for scripted shorts, where the takes are short, and we have time to do multiple takes and get it right. For long takes and unscripted events where you *can't* miss the big moment, the 5D is a poor choice as a primary cam.

Manual control wouldn't change this dynamic. I would still buy it for beautiful incidental pieces and 35mm-like scripted shorts - and I wouldn't buy any stinking 1/3" sensor cam for those applications.

No, the dynamics that would change are these: I'd recommend the 5D without reservation, I'd recommend EF lenses for the job, and I'd have a better feeling every time I hit the record button. As it is, I have mixed feelings about the product and the company, and I have no desire to buy their lenses.

Adding manual control to the 5D Mark II would benefit Canon far more than it would hurt them.

PS: The ~$1,200 Vixia HF S100 offers full manual control of A/V, including microphone levels, zebras, colorbars, tone, etc. The $250 PowerShot SX110 IS point-and-shoot offers full manual controls for still shooting.

That the $2,700 5D MkII lacks manual controls - and Canon apparently isn't willing to enable the function - is a low blow.

Tony Koorlander · January 17th, 2009, 04:03 PM

Maybe I'm being a bit too fussy, but since the upgrade, I've noticed more horizontal aliasing on edges in video mode ... color noise sort of thing. I'm going to try and match exact shooting conditions from v 1.06 firmware and check this. I had no black dots or banding anyway .. DOH!

Regarding the manual sthing .. yes .. I've got a growing list of Nikon lenses and the adaptor. However, you can still use the AE Lock sensibly and effectively have a quick manual set. Go out of range and the ISO variant will kick in though. This is definitely a camera that you get excellent results with if you spend time to think it through first.

I sold my XH A1 to get it .. and I'm so glad :-))

example video shot under a wide range to try and see what it would do .. all within 5 days of getting it from Best Buy Topeka KS ... and so near Christmas, that I had no time..... is up on my website as zip file downloads of the original .mov untouched.
Full auto.

go here .. Untitled Document

..remember that this is a much higher codec quality than HDV and about a 38Mb/sec data rate, so will stress most computers. It plays perfectly on my dual quad Xeon with 4 drive Raid0 SATA array.
My laptop just staggers along at about 8 FPS
Render it to .wmv and you'll see a smooth playback

January 12th, 2009, 03:06 PM	#16
Jon Fairhurst Inner Circle Join Date: May 2006 Location: Camas, WA, USA Posts: 5,513	Good observations, Julian. I think adding manual control to the 5D won't change the market dynamics regarding the pro market very much. Manual control won't make the 5D a competent ENG cam. It won't make it a prime wedding cam. It won't make it right for long events. It wouldn't be the right choice for unscripted documentaries. Where the 5D shines is for incidental pieces, like a glimpse of a day in the park or museum, or an overview of a ski trip, and for scripted shorts, where the takes are short, and we have time to do multiple takes and get it right. For long takes and unscripted events where you can't miss the big moment, the 5D is a poor choice as a primary cam. Manual control wouldn't change this dynamic. I would still buy it for beautiful incidental pieces and 35mm-like scripted shorts - and I wouldn't buy any stinking 1/3" sensor cam for those applications. No, the dynamics that would change are these: I'd recommend the 5D without reservation, I'd recommend EF lenses for the job, and I'd have a better feeling every time I hit the record button. As it is, I have mixed feelings about the product and the company, and I have no desire to buy their lenses. Adding manual control to the 5D Mark II would benefit Canon far more than it would hurt them. PS: The ~$1,200 Vixia HF S100 offers full manual control of A/V, including microphone levels, zebras, colorbars, tone, etc. The $250 PowerShot SX110 IS point-and-shoot offers full manual controls for still shooting. That the $2,700 5D MkII lacks manual controls - and Canon apparently isn't willing to enable the function - is a low blow. __________________ Jon Fairhurst

January 17th, 2009, 04:03 PM	#17
Tony Koorlander New Boot Join Date: Jan 2009 Location: Bideford Devon UK Posts: 12	Firmware upgrade Maybe I'm being a bit too fussy, but since the upgrade, I've noticed more horizontal aliasing on edges in video mode ... color noise sort of thing. I'm going to try and match exact shooting conditions from v 1.06 firmware and check this. I had no black dots or banding anyway .. DOH! Regarding the manual sthing .. yes .. I've got a growing list of Nikon lenses and the adaptor. However, you can still use the AE Lock sensibly and effectively have a quick manual set. Go out of range and the ISO variant will kick in though. This is definitely a camera that you get excellent results with if you spend time to think it through first. I sold my XH A1 to get it .. and I'm so glad :-)) example video shot under a wide range to try and see what it would do .. all within 5 days of getting it from Best Buy Topeka KS ... and so near Christmas, that I had no time..... is up on my website as zip file downloads of the original .mov untouched. Full auto. go here .. Untitled Document ..remember that this is a much higher codec quality than HDV and about a 38Mb/sec data rate, so will stress most computers. It plays perfectly on my dual quad Xeon with 4 drive Raid0 SATA array. My laptop just staggers along at about 8 FPS Render it to .wmv and you'll see a smooth playback