Canon 5D MkII with HD video - What on earth is the point!?

When I heard that the Canon 5D MkII was going to include HD 1080p video / .264 I have to be very honest and thought; in fact was rather vocal about wondering what on earth was the point?!

This short movie has completely changed my view in 5 minutes from Canon making a stupid mistake including HD video with the 5D MkII - to it being potentially a move of pure genius. And as I am often rather stubborn, that's quite a feat in such a short space of time. Click the pic to launch the movie in a seperate window [Traffic has become high on this video - so you may have to wait a little - sorry!] There's a Vimeo version below with lower quality.

  

If you want HD video with all the bells as whistles, then get a prosumer level HD video setup. And, if you want a prosumer, high quality SLR, then get one of those. Just don't mix the two up. Leave that job to the point and shoot cameras that double up as camcorders - After all, that is actually quite sensible in terms of less to carry when you are out and about.

BUT, having watched this movie (admittedly, it's done by a filming professional - apparently not - which makes it even more impressive - Thanks for the correction Jonathan) I was totally blown away at the quality, the use of depth of field, the moods achieved and the multitude of lenses that were used. There are some obvious post production techniques employed, as in the shot above. But that only adds to the point that this could indeed be something very special indeed. Time for Photoshop CS3 / CS4 Extended to make sense and get a good hammering?

Could Canon have hit on something quite revolutionary and be about to change everthing in the non-professional till / video market, either by intention or by accident?

Let's go to the basics and review what they have actually given us in this new box...

Normally I would advise an amateur seeking our opinion to look at the lens system they would like to use rather than be drawn in by the gizmos on the camera body, as it is likely to be the lenses that will last their photography career lifetime, but likely they will have many bodies over that period. If for no other reason than they have a finite life span. Once you commit to a lens system, that is where the bulk of your investment lies, so you really need to be happy with the choice as changing really can be very expensive indeed.

This camera however, in my opinion does change this advice we have given to date. If the buyer would really be interested in the production of movies as well as high end photography, intends to get a good spread of lenses for stills use, this body offers a lot more than it appears at first glance. A hell of a lot more!

Let's look at a typical Canon SLR user - Body, wide angle zoom, 50mm prime, longer zoom, macro, flash.

To get HD filming equipment that would match this would potentially cost $100,000. Now, canon are making available to new and current EF system users the ability to match this arsenal of equipment for about $3000 for existing users and about $6000 for new users. Of course it won't be as good as the kit being used in Hollywood (...maybe it will) but the fact that you will have full manual control over absolutely everything in real time is really quite amazing. What's more you will have all the other cool tools that you find on the new generation of bodies, AI tracking, autofocus, ISO 3200 and a hell of a lot more!

In fact, as I write this I am getting quite excited about it, which I can guarantee you is the exact opposite of how I felt last week. And for those who know me well, know it takes some doing doing to get me that animated about camera gimmicks.

I love dabbling with filming and post production when I get the time. This will just take it to a whole new level. At its very basic level, just think of the increase in the level of creativity of videos you're going to find on YouTube and other similar sites. All of a sudden, you have put into the hands of the public for a very reasonable price, the level of control and abilities that until now have only been available to a very small group of professionals.

Of course, Canon are very into the production of prosumer and pro level HD video (broadcast capable) equipment and lenses, so the question has to arise, are they in fact shooting themselves in the foot? Personally, I think that they are not. And in fact being very clever in providing a transition point that does not currently exist.

As with everything, if you make available affordable equipment and abilities to the masses, a larger percentage will progress to a higher level and thus the more expensive equipment than without. 

If you still can't see the amazing benefits for those keen, enthusiastic and even professional photographers who are also interested in movie production. But, where the functionality of camcorders are too limited and the cost of the next level of equipment is too expensive, this IS going to meet your needs. And give you a very desirable stills camera body in process.

My final thought, is I feel the most important by a long way...

Over night, a video system will be in the hands of people with the level of experience and creative approach to their use of composition, light and mood. The result will undoubtably be a deluge of utterly stunning short movies that are going to come from these people. And will, I feel, be astounding in their level of quilty. If we have people filming in the way that they would prepare and execute for stills. We are in store for a visual treat.

After all - Hollywood and other large film producers are now bringing on board top photographers to be the directors of photography on the sets of ever increasing number of very high budget movies - And the results speak for themselves. 

Yes we will see a load of crap too - But that's not a problem, it won't be long before they too start producing better and better material as the number of shorts start to come out and communities grow.

This could lead to a paradigm shift in what we see out there from the professional and amateur photographic communities alike. And I don't think anyone can really predict where this could lead - And that's what makes it all so exciting. I suspect I'll be returning to this post a lot in the coming months, updating and adding.

So, to quote "bring it on!"

UPDATE: Here's the same video embedded as some have found issues viewing it - And as it is definitely worth watching, a new source can't hurt...

Movie Sample with Canon5D MkII from BaifAudio on Vimeo.

Comments

[Jonathan]

Quote "BUT, having watched this movie (admittedly, it's done by a filming professional)"

I think you will find that Vincent is not a filming professional but a Photography professional, he has no to little experience in film making (he makes that very clear on his blog)

[Ginkgo]

Thanks for the clarification...

It kinda helps illustrate my thoughts if he is in fact not a filming professional, but a photography professional. And yet I naturally assumed he was. So impressive was the quality.

Next time I will be sure to look deeper and not get so easily excited by the potential of all this ;-)

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