Frame "Shifting" or "Stutter"
 

5D image shifting on Vimeo

Here's the vimeo link. I don't think it's too useful because the internet is giving an inherent stutter.

I've done some other tests and I get the frame shifting, skipping, stutter when the lens is hooked or unhooked. It's shifting just with image lock-on, tripod or handheld. Tried Nikon lenses and it's happening there too. I thought it might be the CF write speed but I'm using quality Lexar 300x 16gig UDMA.

Taking it to Canon Canada tomorrow. If I can't get it fixed, I'm going back to the HVX200/35 mm adaptor. Damn, I was really enjoying the size and low-light capabilities of the 5D. All the work-arounds were becoming bearable too.

t

I would have to see the original file to make anything of this. Vimeo (and the other video services) do a crappy job of displaying video.

I don't see stuttering natively in my 5D2 and I don't see many reports that aren't just playback problems. If you see this when playing back on the camera itself then you definitely have an unusual problem.

Mark is right. The 5D MkII doesn't seem to have any general stutter problem. Of course, a random defect could cause most any one-off problem.

The best way to check the results is to look at motion frame by frame on an original video. Once something has been re-encoded by the editor and/or the host site, all bets are off.

The 5D MkII shoots at 30p. Vimeo plays back at 24p. They do this by dropping every fifth frame. That certainly causes stuttering, as does a slow or overloaded computer.

The stutter is occurring during live recording through the camera's viewfinder and it's going to the card. QT 7.6 playback is replicating the same stutter/skip as seen on the viewfinder.

Is there a way that I can show you the original footage? The smallest clip I have is 180megs.

I'm going to Canon Canada HQ today to hopefully get some answers or a fix. I'm shooting a short film this weekend so I'll have make a decision quick if I need to go back to my HVX200/35mm set-up.

t

is your CF card fast enough?

Make sure you're shooting on a newly formatted (in camera) CF card too.

Hi I have noticed this myself when I disconnect the lens. But I found it to be the fact that the lens is not disconnected enough. By turning a few more mm the stuttering goes but sometimes I have to power off the camera to get it running correctly.

Its as if the pins of the body are connecting to the wrong points on the lens and it throws some internal error in the picture.

You will also see the display stutters not just the recording.

Just goes to show why its not a great idea to disconnect the lens like this. But we have no choice with canon lens.

I'm using a Lexar 300x 16 gig UDMA. I've formatted in the camera.

I tested to see if this stutter only happens when the card is near full (less buffer capacity?) but it also happens when the card is freshly formatted.

On my camera, which may be defective:

There is a very dramatic stutter if the lens is only partially disconnected when I'm at 500 ISO or below. A partial disconnection above 500 ISO, the dramatic stutter disappears but you get the original subtle stutter. Disconnecting the lens another turn, maybe 30% before it falls out, eliminates the dramatic stutter below 500 ISO but the original subtle stutter remains on all ISOs.

Taped contacts on a Canon lens and Nikon lens produce the stutter. Shooting on an locked Canon lens with just the Exposure Lock on produces the stutter.

This stutter/skip is obvious at times, usually with a pan or tilt and sometimes very subtle when filming an object moving (slow or fast) in frame. Subtle but enough to make the shot unusable.

t

I wonder if your memory card might be defective. For instance, if one of the address lines were stuck.

I'm not saying it is. It's just another possibility.

Tried using SanDisk Extreme 3 cards and still getting the same stutter.
t

Sorry to hear that it's not just a bad card. It's good to eliminate that variable though...

All reports are that slow cards cause the buffer indicator to show and warn of impending fullness. Then when it does fill up it stops recording totally. CF card performance should never cause the stuttering discussed here.

my 5D got the same stuttering problems too . seem like it maybe the firmware problem .

Hi,

Mine started the stutter after i updated the firmware....go figure.I guess I'll just need to make a few takes just in case.Hopefully it's fixed with the next firmware update.

Ryan

I'll have to check my old footage... my current footage, shot with the latest firmware does stutter, but I put it down to Windows not being able to play it back efficiently - even though my QuadCore shows only about 30% CPU utilization when playing back the 5D mk II files in QuickTime. I hope it's not a firmware issue as who knows how long it'll take Canon to fix it! I'll update this thread after I've tested the footage captured with the earlier firmware.

Julian....I've noticed the stutter during the actual recording on the rear lcd of my 5d.Either way I think it's better that the crushed blacks are fixed.It's much easier to fix the stutter then to bring back shadow detail that doesn't exist.My fingers are crossed that someone will find a fix quickly.

Ryan

Ah, ok, Ryan. I do not see stuttering on the camera's LCD during recording, or during playback. I did see it in the original firmware when using Canon lenses which were untwisted (specifically the 17-40mm L). It occurred when the lens was twisted loose by just a millimeter or so, as someone else pointed out above. When it was untwisted more, the stuttering went away.

Julian

oh good I'll try untwisting it more then.Thanks for the tip Julian!....I didn't notice any stuttering this weekend at a wedding I shot so maybe that's the ticket.I'll let you know what happens when I get a chance to toy around a bit more.

Ryan

You guys really should be using Mylar to block the electrical contacts instead of twisting the lens. It is very easy and much much safer.

See http://www.dvinfo.net/conf/1003370-post1.html

If you are unlocking lenses at all during camera operation, you may be asking for catastrophic failure eventually. The circuits may be designed to deal with a transient bad state whilst a lens is being swapped but a continuous bad state may be another matter.

The stutter and frame shift may occur because the central processor may be overworked trying to salvage the best image it can whilst trying to over-ride a problem it sees.

My personal preference would be to mask the conducting pins over with thin tape if you want to isolate the lens and use various strength or stacked ND filters to control exposure or force slower shutter speed.

Deep ND may in turn cause an unwanted colour cast due to IR contamination if the ND filters are not of good quality. Stacked NDs will cause other problems.


FOOTNOTE: Mark. You just beat me to the post with your reply.

Unless I misunderstand you, that is what I'm suggesting, except you don't have to line the tape up with the pins and there is no chance of the tape slipping off of a contact.

Yes, and the better the filters the less chance of problems. You can fix color in post but it is a PITA.