COPYRIGHT LAFORET VISUALS INC. DO NOT COPY *(See Note at the end of this article)
I had it in my hands for less than 72 hours before I had to send it back - but the time I did have with a prototype of the Canon EOS 5D MKII will possibly change the path of my career as well as the photography industry to some degree.
(The video that will be released very shortly (to be notified when it does go live - go ahead and subscribe to this blog via RSS or e-mail…) I’ll announce it here soon - the main hold up is the large file size of the video - and finding a host for it… if only 100 people hit the video - we’ll hit 9 Gigabytes of streamed video… and that’s with the video that is downsized to 960 x 540 (which is 1/4 of 1080p!) in the Apple H.264 format from the full resolution 1080p RAW footage… the RAW footage that comes out of this camera is STUNNING - so much so that the entire video was cut with the RAW footage - untouched… in any way - no color, noise or exposure adjustment whatsoever… the images you are seeing on this blog - are frame grabs off of the video - those frame grabs were downsized from 1920 pixels wide to 700 pixels wide to fit the page width of this blog - and absolutely NOTHING was done to them either in Aperture/Photoshop or any other software. Also - the image above was shot with a 45mm tilt-shift lens)
Here is the story behind the short video that I produced with what I believe to be a “game changer”of a camera for the following reasons:
1. The 5D MKII camera produces the best stills in low light that I’ve ever seen - what you can see with you eye in the worst light (such as sodium-vapor street lights at 3 a.m. in Brooklyn) - this camera can capture it with ease.
2. It produces the best video in low light that I’ve ever seen - at 1080p. A top commercial film editor who who regularly edits RED camera footage - and has seen the raw footage from the 5D MKII - says the 5D MKII is “far superior to the RED camera” in terms of low light performance…
3. You can use your prime and zoom lenses from your Canon still cameras with it - and shoot wide open… so you can shoot films with fisheye lenses, 50mm 1.2 as well as the 200mm f2 or 400mm 2.8 that you may already own…
4. This camera is so easy to use - that you can work incredibly quickly, mostly handheld - without a huge production - and using natural light - ergo you don’t need a huge budget and tons of preparation anymore… forget the lighting trucks and generators that take up entire city blocks…
5. This camera will sell for approx. $2,700 - and perform better than many $100K plus video cameras out there…
6. Photojournalists in particular - will be able to take full advantage of this camera’s strengths - because they are used to walking into any room, and finding the best natural “available light” in the room - or knowing how to add a single light source to make it pop… they are used to working quickly and with small or no budgets… which is something this camera is begging you to do…
It has the potential to change our industry.
COPYRIGHT LAFORET VISUALS INC. DO NOT COPY. *(See Note at the end of this article)
Here’s a little more of the back story behind this video:
You should know that there was ZERO pre-planning with this project - and that it was done entirely independently from Canon.
While I had anticipated a replacement to the Canon EOS 5D - I had not heard any solid information from anyone. I went to Canon last Friday for lunch with Canon’s David Sparer - it had been more than 6 months since my last visit to the HQ (I am a Canon Explorer of Light - one of the photographers that works with them on making better cameras etc …)
Talk about good timing.
As I walked into the office - I caught a glimpse of a certain type of “box” - one that can only mean one thing… a prototype camera was in the midst…
People were also looking at me in an odd way, slowing their motions.
You see, as I was walking in, they were literally about to unpack the first few prototypes to land in the U.S. - for the very first time.
Someone quickly showed me aside into a cubicle where a blank NDA - a “Non-Disclosure Agreement” - was awaiting my signature… i.e. whatever I was about to see - was secret. After signing I was told:
“These are the prototypes of the Canon 5D MKII” they are the first to land in the U.S. - it can shoot high-definition 1080p video - at 30 fps, and it shoots 21 Megapixel still images. We haven’t had a chance to play with them yet.”
Wow.
We quickly started to work with one of the cameras - to see what the video format was in… at that point - no one even knew what exact video format the camera would produce (things change during the production of a camera…) It produces Apple’s Quicktime .mov files btw - simply copy them off of your CF Cards - double click on them - and they open up in the Quicktime player w/o a single hiccup at 1080p… Drop them into Final cut pro and start your edit… no rendering is necessary. Oh - and realize that it took us less than 20 minutes to copy over more than 12 hours of footage off of the CF cards…
I was amazed at the video quality. I knew right away that this camera would be a success - and that this was something big - I felt that this was something that had the potential to change this industry.
I then found out that these cameras were about to be shipped to a select group of photographers - and that they could not use the in public until the camera was announced… so these cameras would stay dormant for five more days…
“Can I try one out?” I asked.
“No. Sorry.”
Then came lunch. And I made my pitch to David: Allow me to borrow just one of these cameras over the weekend - and I’ll ship it off on Monday to the “chosen” photographer it was destined to go to. They weren’t going to be allowed to take them out into public prior to the big announcement anyway…
COPYRIGHT LAFORET VISUALS INC. DO NOT COPY.*(See Note at the end of this article)
He was interested with the idea - but he was experiencing more doubt than interest - as getting this little “project” off the ground would mean getting through a LOT of RED TAPE within a very short period…
As we returned to the Canon offices - my heart was beating fast - my mind was racing. If I do get this camera I asked myself, what on earth will I be able to shoot with it?
A few nerve-wrecking minutes later - I had my answer:
“You can borrow it for the weekend. You can then produce a video and stills completely independently from Canon U.S.A. If you produce anything interesting we just might be interested in using some of the footage on our website - we’ll talk about that then if that happens. We have no budget to offer you - so you are doing this completely independently from Canon. Deal?”
DEAL.
The problem was: I had no idea what to shoot. The weather forecast for the weekend was poor. It was Friday afternoon and I had a job that night - as well as on the Wednesday of the following week - and I had to get the camera shipped out on Monday…
Not to mention: I have never shot a film before - of any kind - in my life. (Other than 2 videos that I have cut of my son in the past 4 years of his life…)
My mind was racing, I was sweating and my heart was pounding. I was like a kid in a candy store unable to make up his mind on what treat to choose…
In the end - this video was shot with less than 12 hours of pre-production - from the time I got the camera to the time we shouted “Action.”
The budget I set for myself was around $5,000 total - which included $2,000 for a one hour helicopter flight over the city. The short film was shot over two nights - from 5 p.m. to 4 a.m. - with two models, three assistants, a co-director, one editor, and one makeup artist. Both video and still imagery. Along with behind the scenes footage.
Oh - and did I mention we only had ONE battery? (We had to plan on constantly re-charging that one battery throughout the shoot…)
It was shot with 100% still photography equipment (lenses, grip/mounts, and a single Profoto 7b battery strobe pack (the strobe wasn’t used - just the modeling light))- with the exception of an expensive video tripod and head, and an LED light…
If you can’t see how this can all be done in such a short period of time, with zero pre-production, not a single filming or location permit, and on such a small budget - you are missing one of the main reasons this camera is a “Game Changer.”
This camera is the ultimate “equalizer” - you no longer need half-million dollar’s worth of high definition video cameras and lenses delivered by a truck with its own driver to shoot a high definition film in low light - you just need a $2,700 camera and a few lenses - and talented and dedicated friends that you can call on last minute at the drop of a hat.
Everyone has been waiting for the video camera that can also take stills… here’s a still camera that can shoot stunning video.
This is a leap of change that is sped up - it’s happening overnight.
The video or “short film” or whatever you want to call it - will be up as soon as humanly possible (in this case it’s technologically actually - not humanly.) More details to come…. we’re also putting the finishing touches on a behind the scenes video that shows just exactly how this was done…
These are EXCITING TIMES!
*YOU MAY LINK TO THIS SITE - BUT YOU MAY NOT REPUBLISH ANY OF THESE IMAGES IN ANY WAY, SHAPE OR FORM IN ANY OTHER MEDIA WITHOUT PRIOR WRITTEN PERMISSION. GIVEN THAT THESE WERE SHOT WITH A PROTOTYPE CAMERA - I HAD TO DO A LOT TO OF MANEUVERING TO GET THESE OUT TO THE PUBLIC, WITH CANON. PLEASE DO NOT HELP THIS COME BACK TO HAUNT ME (AND POSSIBLY YOU AND/OR YOUR ORGANIZATION) BY STEALING THESE IMAGES AND/OR VIDEO WITHOUT PRIOR PERMISSION FROM BOTH CANON AND LAFORET VISUALS INC. IN WRITING.
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[...] Digital photography by Vincent Laforet [...]
Pingback by » Something Very Interesting is coming…both to this blog and to our … »Digital Photography 09.20.08 @ 2:24 pmNot to beat a dead horse or anything, but who called this out?
Years ago.
Interesting how yesterday’s heresy often becomes tomorrow’s truth..
interesting how that works.
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Comment by Patrick Yen 09.20.08 @ 2:26 pmWho called it out years ago? I know that Coppola predicated something like this happening years down the line in the 70’s…
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Comment by Vincent Laforet 09.20.08 @ 2:36 pmThis is great, can’t wait to see the vid. I have been reading the info on the 5DMKII and was debating on if it would be a needed investment over the original, but after this it seems like a no-brainer.
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Comment by Todd Bissonette 09.20.08 @ 2:39 pmThe fatal flaw of the D90 video mode is that it has rolling shutter lag, which makes the scene look like it was made of jelly when you pan the camera. Did Canon address this shortcoming?
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Comment by Chris 09.20.08 @ 2:51 pmThe panning looks great - no problems. Didn’t notice any problems at all in the footage…
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Vincent Laforet 09.20.08 @ 2:53 pmThanks for the article!
How did you find the shutter lag and focusing? Is it as sluggish as the original 5D?
Hopefully they’ll come up with something full frame between $2700 and the $7800 1DS.
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Comment by marc 09.20.08 @ 2:54 pmI didn’t notice any shutter lag - but truth be told - I had such little time with the camera that when I was shooting any still pictures - it was in the middle of my shooting a video clip - I wanted to show that both could be done w / the same lens, lighting and position etc. And the “lag” never came into play… The camera does momentarily pause of course when you take a picture - but it takes right back up after the picture taking is done and keeps rolling…
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Comment by Vincent Laforet 09.20.08 @ 2:59 pmSpecifically, a more recent example from early January 2006:
Gonzo Photojournalism Manifesto v0.89..
“III) Approach
A) We believe in producing shortform documentary style videos for internet and mobile distribution
that combine the use of video, stills, and audio interview
instead of the traditonal approach of using written word and stills in print journalism.”
“V) Equipment of the Future: Today
D) Small, less-intrusive cameras that can do it all are the future of journalism”
As for the specific prediction of DSLR HD video cameras,
I used to talk about that years ago, all the time in class at WKU
when I was still working on my New Media Photojournalism degree.
I’m sure others predicted it,
but I was adamant about it being the future. Nobody would listen to me.
Of course, that’s back when people were still married to print.
Here we are now. Hindsight being 20/20.
Yesterday’s heresy is tomorrow’s truth.
Other people can vouch for this.
Though, my predictions and philosophies are nothing compared to Tesla.
Tesla called out the internet over a hundred years ago.
On another note, my evangelical advocacy for multimedia
appears to be further legitimized by current market forces:
The Supply and Demand of Text vs. Multimedia Content
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Comment by Patrick Yen 09.20.08 @ 3:00 pmTeaser shots look absolutely fantastic. Q: What were your impressions of high-ISO stills compared to previous 5D / other cameras? Some people have talked about default noise reduction ’smearing’ some of the details. Hope you share your lighting information and tips once you post the video!! The lighting looks phenomenal!
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Comment by jean 09.20.08 @ 3:05 pmMhhhh… maybe I should not discard this camera right away after all. Can’t wait to see the movie !
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Comment by Ralph Lemarechal 09.20.08 @ 3:07 pmJust upload the damn clip to vimeo.com and let them eat the bandwith!
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Comment by Greg McKay 09.20.08 @ 3:14 pmI would love to see your settings! Just gotta know what the ISO is.
THanks
-T
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Comment by tanni 09.20.08 @ 3:14 pm[...] unknown wrote an interesting post today onHere’s a quick excerptThis camera is the ultimate “equalizer” - you no longer need half-million dollar high definition video cameras and lenses delivered by a truck with its own driver to shoot a high definition film in low light - you just need a $2700 … [...]
Pingback by Something Very Interesting is coming…both to this blog and to our … 09.20.08 @ 3:14 pmJean - I shot one still with a 400mm 2.8 of a silhouette of a woman…. a beautiful woman - a model - and you could literally count the hairs on her face in a full head profile… at 3200 ASA -with close to ZERO noise… this camera is STUNNING - I’m not throwing around expletives needlessly here…
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Comment by Vincent Laforet 09.20.08 @ 3:15 pmAll stills were shot between 1600 ASA and 3200 ASA… you are not seeing stills here… you’re seeing frame grabs off of video…
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Comment by Vincent Laforet 09.20.08 @ 3:16 pmThe thing that bumms me out is the exact same thing that you are loving about this…. VIDEO
Don’t get me wrong, i’ve seen the videos and I am amazed. but VIDEO?
The pitch I hear is that all of the PJ’s were asking for video. BUt I do not know one PJ that relies on the 5d. I do know several that own 5d’s but none that use it as a primary.
IMO the core market has been the Wedding and small shop portrait shooters. The think that i have heard time and time and time again from those people (my colleagues) is. Fix the af ( i get 7:10 images out of focus at 1.2-2.2) give us a little more fps, better high iso (thank you canon)
But at the end of the day it seems like Canon missed the mark. Not with the video they added, but the features that video cannibalized that actual core shooters of this cam are desperately wanting
I am hoping to be proved wrong as i have preordered 2 already
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Comment by Eric Cotter 09.20.08 @ 3:20 pmHere is the finished manifesto, by the way..
Can You Argue With A Question?
circa Christmas 2006.
The unfinished manifesto prior to that, but after the GonzoPJ manifesto, can be read here..
Global Journalism Manifesto (Beta)
circa October 2006..
“visual communication is the most universally and globally accessible form of communication
compositions which can be
seen
heard
felt
and interacted with
can be more powerful and intimate than compositions
which can only be seen or read
strong visual communication skills are the foundation for
effective and stimulating multimedia storytelling”
The finished manifesto, Can You Argue With A Question, is politically neutral.
Because questions are politically neutral, as compared to statements.
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Comment by Patrick Yen 09.20.08 @ 3:23 pmThis sounds and looks incredible, I can’t wait to see what you guys produced…
Incredible that you put this all together so fast and with only 1 battery!
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Comment by Eric Baumann 09.20.08 @ 3:23 pmcan you change shutter speed while shooting video? did you have full manual control while shooting video? I cant find that information anywhere
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Comment by Sarin 09.20.08 @ 3:27 pmVery cool. Thank you so much for sharing. Now just tell Canon to make sure off center AF works good and I am all set!
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Comment by pcunite 09.20.08 @ 3:35 pmEric Cotter - you will not be disappointed… I can tell you that w/o any reservation… if you shoot sports or high action stuff where you need bigger buffers and more fps. then you’ll be eagerly waiting a 1D series camera - but not too eagerly… and it’s only a time before a “big brother” of this camera comes out - they obviously won’t allow their flagship 1D market to disappear… when will that be? I’ve gotten ZERO indication… but I can tell you that I won’t wait for that camera to come out… I’ve already pre-ordered not one, not two but FOUR of these cameras.
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icha Reply:
October 16th, 2008 at 7:33 am
Owh.. i thought 5D MK II is already allround camera remembering the high buck we spent to get the camera.
I didnt know for just get the sports or high action stuff we need to look for another higher models..
Is there any camera that we can get anything with about $2,600, including fast action shots, more focus points ?
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I like how your definition of “small budget” includes a $2000 helicopter ride 
Looking forward to the video!
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Comment by Alex 09.20.08 @ 3:38 pmSarin - I believe the Shutter speed can be set to either 1/60th or 1/125th…. and I’m unclear as to whether or not you can lock the exposure down in manual… I didn’t think you could - but have since heard that you can by pressing the asterisk down on the back of the camera… I set that to my AF button as I always do - so I may have missed it… once the video starts to roll - you can change the exposure w the back control dial mid way. Exposure wasn’t a problem for 95% of my shots (in fact this camera is the best “point and shoot” camera I’ve ever used… just click and go… don’t worry about the technical “irritations” I’m not sure what they did at Canon to make it so…) - out of all of the shots in the final video - only two showed signs of needing to lock down the exposure due to change in light (and we’re talking of severe changes mind you such as full night to high-beam headlights…) - mind you… these prototypes don’t come with a manual… no documentation at all in fact…
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Comment by Vincent Laforet 09.20.08 @ 3:40 pmAlex - compared to a motion picture or even a 30 second commercial video shoot … $5K is peanuts… or peanut shells to be more accurate…
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Comment by Vincent Laforet 09.20.08 @ 3:43 pmI can not believe you shot this with no light! Incredible!
That’s something i’m really waiting for!
Post this video Vincent! I can’t wait to see it!
Thanks a lot and keep writing!
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Comment by Alexandre Fortes 09.20.08 @ 3:45 pmAlexandre - I did shoot it w/ one light source - 1 Pro 7B pack (a still camera battery pack strobe - w no strobe being used - just the “modeling” light) with either a beauty dish or head w/ reflector - or 1 LED light source for the helo and car scenes… I did mention that in the post… those lights were powered all the way down to not exceed the ambient light though (the idea was not to “flood” the natural light out as we’re so used to doing… instead it was to add a little touch of more carefully angled light… to the existing ambient light) - so we’re talking really LOW LIGHT - such a sodium-vapor lights in Brooklyn - you just normally CAN’T SHOOT in that light period… mostly because of the horrible color cast.. this camera did.
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Comment by Vincent Laforet 09.20.08 @ 3:47 pm[...] Re: Canon 5D MKII vs 1Ds MKIII Glowing report here for 5D MKII. Will wait to see quality of video & for Mark to eat his hat Vincent Laforet’s Blog [...]
Pingback by Canon 5D MKII vs 1Ds MKIII - Pixalo Photography Community 09.20.08 @ 4:04 pmI’m surprised there are so many negative comments about the video aspect of ‘the II.’ If you don’t need it or want it, ignore it, just like the Print button.
What you’re left with is this:
1DsMkIII image quality. But, better. And, better at high ISOs.
Imagine that. When i had a 5D, i was a bit envious of the 1DsIII’s file size. You now have that in a compact body. For $2700.
The 5D was a great camera. Still is. The AF isn’t 1D or D3 quality. It never was. Somehow, it didn’t seem to matter when it was THE hot camera. Somehow, even before there ever was autofocus, photographers shot horseracing, formula 1 races, football, what have you. Now, all of a sudden, we whine about Canon not producing a camera that allows idiots and newbies to accomplish the same things that it used to require skill to do.
Any AF is a bonus. If you need to shoot sports for a living, you don’t need 21MP, and you have a choice of another Canon camera.
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Comment by Derek Stanton 09.20.08 @ 4:06 pmwhat about sound? was recorded on the spot with camera or done in post production?
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Comment by izo 09.20.08 @ 4:09 pmVince,
“Big brother” hmmm is that 1D Mark IV ?.
TIA,
John
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Comment by John 09.20.08 @ 4:14 pmway to go vincent!!!
eagerly waiting for your video!!!
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Comment by Rajkumar 09.20.08 @ 4:15 pmThanks for the info and now sleepless nights ;).
I second the put it up on Vimeo.com comment. It’s like a HD version of youtube. It’s totally free and can handle the bandwidth. You can even choose to let people download the uncompressed file if you like and that comes off of their bandwidth.
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Comment by Zeke 09.20.08 @ 4:19 pmJohn - I have not idea what it will be called or when it will be released… remember: I did not know about the 5D MKII until 8 days ago… so when I hear about the big brother… you will too… maybe 8 days later though 
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Comment by Vincent Laforet 09.20.08 @ 4:19 pmIso - there is a headphone in Jack… the sound from the camera is ok - but you’ll have to use an external mic for any good audio or lav… anyone who shoots video will confirm that I’m sure…
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Comment by Vincent Laforet 09.20.08 @ 4:20 pmZeke - we’re looking into all of our options - including vimeo… here’s the issue - given that 1,200 have visited this blog since this post was made live less than an hour ago… that means that 106 GB of data would have been shared from a server were it the video… I think it’s safe to assume that at least 12,000 will see this video - heck perhaps even 120,000 people… that number would mean that (someone would have to pay for) 10.56 TERABYTES of info to go streaming out into the ether… so I know about Vimeo and many others - and NON will support that flow…So this is not some nifty way of “watering” your mouths… it’s a serious technical issue we have to figure out… we don’t want the video link to go dead within the first hours of it going live…
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Comment by Vincent Laforet 09.20.08 @ 4:25 pmvincent, why dont you ask canon to host the video???
like you said in the post, they were eager to take the material you come up with right!!!
The wait is stretching me thin….
Looking at the screen grabs from the video, the camera’s technology and your artistry… Man i gotta see the video!!!!
Thanks for your time and effort in doing this!!!
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Comment by Rajkumar 09.20.08 @ 4:30 pmWhat about distributing the video trough a free BitTorrent solution like Vuze?
http://www.vuze.com/
http://faq.vuze.com/
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Comment by Havard 09.20.08 @ 4:34 pmAs a staffer for a daily newspaper that requires I shoot video for nearly every assignment, in addition to stills… this is one of the most encouraging things I’ve read. I will definitely be buying one.
Also, Vincent, do you see video production becoming something you do on a regular basis when on assignment?
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Comment by Max Oden 09.20.08 @ 4:34 pmRajkumar… I have asked Canon to host the video.. and they are looking into it…. making a multi-national company turn on a dime is not easy… so patience is key… I’d love nothing more than to share it… we’re working on it full steam …
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adrian mctiernan Reply:
December 4th, 2008 at 3:16 pm
I WOULD LOVE TO SEE THE MOVIE - but don’t want to spend hours downloading the thing.
We have recordable DVD’s, so why not put the film on a DVD, and just send them out by post - at a reasonable price, of course - I would buy one, just to see what all the comments are about. I asked Hasselblad for some pix, and they sent me a CD with shots on it - unfortunately, it was someone in the office who took the shots, and most dull weather pix too. Again, I asked Peartree to send me some from the new 60 megapixel back, and they promised, but nothing after 2 weeks or so. Please, can you put the film on a DVD and post me one?
If you can, I will send the money and my address - hope to hear soon, looks stunning - just what I want.
Regards
Adrian McTiernan
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Max - I don’t plan on shooting a single assignment solely with stills ever again… shooting video with is camera over the weekend ranks up there as one of the most fun things I’ve ever done in my career… I can’t wait to get my hands on this camera again…
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Comment by Vincent Laforet 09.20.08 @ 4:37 pmvincent, thanks again.
its just that your blog post is much more effective than the canons moon teaser campaign.
yes. patience is the key… i agree..
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Comment by Rajkumar 09.20.08 @ 4:39 pmAlso Max - the quality of this video is so high - that I see you pulling stills from it - and not needing to shoot still unless there are special circumstances ( i.e. you need to run the image vertically on a cover… or you need to stop fast action such as sports) That is unless you can set this camera to faster than 1/125th of a second in terms of video shutter speed… heck you may be able to… I just don’t know… and we shot only at night so I didn’t test it out for that… remember: they didn’t give me a manual (at Canon) and hadn’t had a chance to play with it themselves prior to letting me leave the building with it…
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Comment by Vincent Laforet 09.20.08 @ 4:40 pm[...] Vincent Laforet has a very, very interesting post up about the Canon EOS 5D Mark II. It features the first shots from the camera, and while they are stunning in their own right (Vincent shoots some of the best photos on the planet, so no surprise there), the most amazing thing is that they’re shot while in video mode. That’s right. They’re straight from the RAW .mov file that the camera produces when recording 1080p video. Simply astounding. I’m getting one. Hands down. [...]
Pingback by Vincent Laforet Shows The First Shots from the Canon EOS 5D Mark II | Mats Lindh 09.20.08 @ 4:41 pmHey Vincent,
Great job. Looks like you (and Canon) have caused quite a stir. Can’t wait to see the video!
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Comment by David 09.20.08 @ 4:44 pmJonny - thought about that too. But this is video from a prototype camera… and no company in the world would allow people to download a file to their hard drives and analyze data from a prototype camera… and given that this prototype’s footage is flawless… I’m kinda scared to see what the final production model can do! That’s the other issue…
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Comment by Vincent Laforet 09.20.08 @ 4:50 pmReally jaw dropping that these images where OUT OF THE VIDEO!!!!!!! Just incredible!
“Any AF is a bonus. If you need to shoot sports for a living, you don’t need 21MP, and you have a choice of another Canon camera.”
I second that!
Thanks Vincent
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Comment by Thomas 09.20.08 @ 4:50 pmI have very good experience with MiniNova and their content distribution system for large files. We published 2 GB worth of Nikon D90 test clips on MiniNova. As an official torrent from The Norwegian Broadcasting Corporation. Absolutely no problems.
Please let me know if you want some help distributing the clip. If you don’t like MiniNova I can also help you put it on Amazon S3 using BitTorrent. That helped our company distributing 120 000 files of 700 MB each. Terrabytes of data and a total bill of a couple of hundred dollars…
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Comment by eirikso 09.20.08 @ 4:52 pmOK. Just read your last comment. Seems like you’re not allowed to put it on BitTorrent. Because you don’t want people to download it…
Ok. How about Vimeo.com, they provide HD quality browser based Flash video.
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Comment by eirikso 09.20.08 @ 4:55 pmeirikso…. please check back in the comments section… all conventional venues of distribution has been explored and assessed as unusable because of size/traffic/prototype status of the video…
Vincent, can you tell us waht format the final video is in???
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Comment by Rajkumar 09.20.08 @ 4:58 pmeirkso - I’m not the one that doesn’t want it to be downloaded… Canon Japan is… I don’t think there’s anything to worry about… given how amazing the quality of the video is that comes straight out of the camera - I frankly can’t understand it - but I have to respect it. They respected me enough to lend me the camera… so I need to do it the right way… so that I get a chance of ever doing it again… make sense?
Whatever I do - I need to get it cleared by Canon… theses posts help put the pressure on them - and to let them know there is a real appetite to get this video out there… so pls keep visiting - send links to friends - AND POST COMMENTS… I can forward it to them… I am not running any ads on this blog - so it’s not like I ‘m asking you to do this to drive up income…;) We need to put the pressure on!!!! Once I find a good solution - they still need to give me final clearance…
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Comment by Vincent Laforet 09.20.08 @ 5:01 pmThis is sounding very interesting, I have to say I really didn’t want to start with the whole video thing at weddings, but perhaps this is going to be the way forward mixing the stills and video together.
Did you try handholding the camera for video, Im interested if it can still produce the goods then or if its going to be tripod mounted, also what is the focusing like for tracking movement in video mode.
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Comment by Andy Brown 09.20.08 @ 5:05 pmVincent,
Thanks for the great article!
Could you control the ISO and Aperture for the video? Also, how is the contrast based AF for video? Is it usable or too slow?
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Comment by Stephen 09.20.08 @ 5:10 pmI am truly impressed! Can’t wait to see the video footage. The stills look fantastic! Thanks for a great blog btw!
http://terjeaalrust.blogspot.com/
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Comment by Terje 09.20.08 @ 5:11 pmSecond the question about the tripod. Also how quickly can you change from video to stills and back again?
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Comment by Michael Kramer 09.20.08 @ 5:12 pmFrom your perspective, this camera seems like something that I am really really looking forward to upgrading to. Is there anything you wished they had in it or did better?
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Comment by Ted Nghiem 09.20.08 @ 5:12 pm[...] agree with Vincent Laforet. This camera is a game changer: 1. The 5D MKII camera produces the best stills in low light that [...]
Pingback by eirikso.com » One gadget to change an industry 09.20.08 @ 5:19 pmVincent, I noticed your comment:
“The camera does momentarily pause of course when you take a picture - but it takes right back up after the picture taking is done and keeps rolling…”
Are you talking msec here or what time frame?
CANON! WE NEED TO SEE THIS CLIP NOW! Please.
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Comment by Thomas 09.20.08 @ 5:20 pmAndy - I handheld the camera for 90% of my shots… so you’ll be fine.
Stephen - you can control the Aperture - my understanding is the ISO changes to compensate for light - but I’m not going to make too many such comments until I read a manual!!! The AF based AF is slower than normal AF of course…it works well in normal to low light - and didn’t have time to test it in low light (didn’t even know there were different “modes” to try it with) - but given that I was shooting almost everything at f2 or f2.8 - I used the 10X liveview to do the focusing on every shot… the results were darn good…
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Comment by Vincent Laforet 09.20.08 @ 5:25 pmTed - honestly no… I think we’ll want to be able to zoom w/ our lenses the same way we do w/ video at some point…i.e.. w/ a back button with W/T on it… that way you have the chance to do it manually or automatically…
Thomas - I’d say under a second - you can notice the break in the video of course… but given the quality of a 1920 X 1080 video clip… you really have to ask yourself… why would anyone want to shoot a still in the midst of a video shot (unless you ‘re in the examples I gave above..) or shooting a sporting event where you needed to shoot action.
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Comment by Vincent Laforet 09.20.08 @ 5:28 pmHey Vincent,
Question — based on your experience so far, do you think this camera’s build quality and performance could stand up to daily newspaper work? The regular 5D exhibited a slightly sluggish feel — has the Mark II eliminated that problem? It seems this camera could be a great given the extensive cost cutting in the newsrooms, especially for new staff camera gear.
Thanks again,
Erik Lunsford
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Comment by erik lunsford 09.20.08 @ 5:29 pmErik- put it to you this way: I think this camera will be back-ordered for more than one year. And I’m not exaggerating that - you can call me on that assumption one year from now and see if I was off… unless Nikon has something up it’s sleeve… I think every single newspaper photographer will want one of these… and many photographers from other photography markets as well… even video people and film makers… definitely indy film makers and documentary film makers - nothing comes close to this camera in terms of shooting in low light (that I’ve seen or heard of) - and nothing comes close in terms of price…
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Comment by Vincent Laforet 09.20.08 @ 5:30 pmWhat about handheld ? Also a lot of the concerns about the camera are the focusing and shutter lag, I see you use a 1ds, how did you find the 5dll compared to the 1ds.
Cheers Andy
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Comment by Andy Brown 09.20.08 @ 5:31 pmDid you shoot with an IS lens? If so, did the IS kick-in and stay on while the video was running?
Thanks!
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Comment by Stephen 09.20.08 @ 5:33 pmSo the new 5D Mark II has a mic jack but you can’t adjust the audio level, so I read. I think the first firmware update needs to be allow manual control for sound recording.
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Comment by Larry Vaughn 09.20.08 @ 5:34 pmAndy - did not compare the two… no time… was a mad dash of a weekend…
Stephen - did not play w/ IS either… wish I had though of that…smart… I got a gyro instead- but I would have needed that for the helo at night anyway… IS doesn’t work in a helo…
Larry - you’re right… all of your comments will be read by Canon…people at Canon are already reading this blog apparently…they are listening!
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Comment by Vincent Laforet 09.20.08 @ 5:37 pmI completely understand that it’s not you that are stopping the distribution. I’ve also tested the camera and was clearly told that we could not publish any videos or images. It’s a pity, because this is stunning stuff. Even for a pre-production model.
Later, we managed to get hold of a clip and took the liberty of publishing some details about it here:
http://nrkbeta.no/video-test-clips-from-canon-5d-mark-ii-gets-analyzed/
Personally I can’t possibly understand why Canon don’t want the publicity they’ll get if they let you publish the video. Come on guys! Let him publish. Let him add a big warning sign saying that this is a pre-production model. And then show the world that you’ll change the industry with this baby.
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Comment by eirikso 09.20.08 @ 5:37 pm[...] Vincent Laforet’s Blog I just peed my pants. (tags: canon) [...]
Pingback by GFMorris.com » links for 2008-09-20 09.20.08 @ 5:37 pm@Stephen
I have been told by a Canon representative that the IS kicks in while in video recording mode.
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Comment by eirikso 09.20.08 @ 5:39 pmAwesome, thanks Vincent. We have Canon XH-A1 kits for all of our photographers (at the St. Louis Post-Dispatch). I hope this new camera finds its way into our kits. Hopefully merging the video and stills into one tool will help increase our multimedia options while decreasing production time for both the print and web editions. I’m excited, that’s for sure.
Erik
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Comment by erik lunsford 09.20.08 @ 5:42 pm
Julie Flavin Reply:
January 4th, 2009 at 12:19 pm
@Vincent Laforet, you are the bomb! I live in Oregon and just had massive flooding and destruction at our house. Can I come to NY and carry your camera equipment to help you????????
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