I agree, try convincing the Photog you brought a DSLR to take video, how would you feel if a Photog brings a Video Camera and say's he's using it to take stills. Works both ways.

there is NO threat from photographers using the 5d mkII...how can there be? they need to learn how to edit, they can't film multi-cam, the audio won't be good, they can only record for minutes at a time....the list goes on....

if the bride wants a short snippet of her putting her veil on in great visual clarity, then yes, they can offer that :)

With all the buzz surrounding the 5D's video capability Canon would be nuts not to incorporate this into a proper video camera. Granted, I'm a bit of a pessimist, but when they do introduce said camera I'm guessing we'll be asked to pay $5000+ for the "luxury" of good audio, proper manual control, and familiar design. Who knows, maybe they'll surprise us and not throw a hefty premium on it, I wouldn't complain about that.

You're probably right, Canon would be CRAZY not to migrate this technology into their video line. I'm not going to hold my breath however, I'm counting down the days until November 13's big announcement from RED.

With Red, it's a good idea not to hold your breath. It's the whole "change without notice" thing that'll getcha.

$5 says that the announcement will be some specs and a closeup 3D render that will leave you wondering what exactly you're looking at... is it a handle? or the camera?

But if I put myself in the photographers shoes, i can sell a small highlight video package as an add on for $1500 and hire someone to edit the thing for $400-$500. Outsource your weakness.

That's a nice little nugget of sound advice.

I don't see the limitations of the new Canon... OK, it's 30P, but a darn fine 30P... OK, it's got a 30 minute time cap, after which you can restart immediately with a new card... OK, so it's got shallow DOF, I presume that by choosing different lenses and aperatures you can control this and I'd rather have the shallow DOF easily accessable with a lens swap than having to dial in a twitchy rig... maybe I don't understand the DOF adapters, but seems to me the Canon pretty well covers what they do...


In my mind the concept of a dual use camera has advantages and disadvantages - I'm using the SR11 and CX12 - both pretty darn good dual use cams, and the CX actually has a "smile shutter" that does the photography job for you while you're filming - I got a couple good stills of the bride and groom while the cameras were unmanned and shooting video with the SS function on...

I don't see the Canon as a "only cam", but if you are a shop that offers photo AND video with more than one shooter, this offers some interesting possibilities. Having the still shooter also picking up video gives you one more source of footage, and vice versa. Who couldn't appreciate another camera angle, especially a manned one?

All that said, I find it's pretty hard while under pressure to nail the video to pop off a still... your brain is already pretty well overloaded already, but the smile shutter capability offers an interesting insight into the next layer of technical evolution...

Some more lovely footage:

Click here

drool,
jones

Don't get me wrong i love the new 5D Mark III and will end-up buying a few for sure, but here are my three major problems with the present options, well maybe only two because i will use another source for my audio capture, but automatic exposure and the automatic focus.

With the present settings you cannot lock exposure and the auto focus is very choppy. Playing with the manual focus on the lens tens to make the whole unit shake and transfers very easily to your footage.

BUT here is half of these issues already addressed.

Photography: Redrock's Cinematizing Kit to Turn Video DSLRs Into Proper Movie Cams

What do you guys think?

Interesting Idea, the cost must be going quiet high though with one of these rigs, I think for pre planned setup situations this setup would be awesome, but not realtime/doco shooting styles.

Keep in mind that most high-end photographers have exclusivity clauses in their contracts stating they can be the only professional photographer there. You could certainly run into problems bringing this along.

I also think that certain photographers with a good eye could put together a highlights clip that could compete with what many of us do and just use this cam. The footage this thing can produce doesn't even resemble what many of us deliver.

All things considered though, it isn't a huge cost savings to have an A1 + brevis + rails vs the 5d. The the A1 setup you get full manual control and 24P. The unit is larger but it also gives you more stability. I have shot handheld with the MK11 and while it works quite well, racking is very very tough. The cam, or at least the prototype I used, was auto ISO so it was good in low light but it was also very noisy and not something you could control.

P.

Here's issue# 4 resolved. It's pretty interesting how fast new accessories are being introduce for this new workflow.

Zacuto Joins Pro Video Scene for Nikon D90 and Canon 5D Mark II Photography Bay | Digital Camera Reviews, News and Resources

The Zacuto rig looks nice, but a bit sparse from the camera back. That's a lot of empty space. The second picture is way, way better than the first. Hellooooo Zacuto model.

The Redrock setup looks more compact, but it doesn't have a shoulder pad does it? Either way you go, these setups look a little ridiculous, but then again so do most of these same setups with the HV20/35mm Adapter thingies.

Back to the topic of photographers doing video with their cameras, I don't think you can do both jobs at the same time and do it well.

I haven't looked closely at the specs - what features make it work so much better in low light than their full sized counterparts?

jones