Canon 5D Mark2 Firmware 2.0.4 update

Canon have now released an updated firmware 2.0.4 for the Canon 5D mark2 DSLR that includes new video features like 24 fps and adjustable audio levels.

Canon 5D Mark 2 (mk II) Video Editing HDMI cables

Using the Canon 5D mark2 for video means you can produce movies at 1080p resolution. Normal DVD does not support this level of quality so unless you have a Blu-Ray player you will be unable to view your Canon 5D2 movies in their optimum resolution.

However there is a solution that doesn't involve the expense of getting a dedicated bluray player. You can use a Western Digital Media player (WD Player) connected to an external hard drive to play your movies on an HD TV at 1080p resolution. This does require an HDMI cable to get the best possible picture quality.

I have tested a cable purchased for £4.99 from Sainsburys and was amazed by the quality from such a cheap component when similar cables are available for up to £100 and more. Which magazine have today published a survey that shows exactly the same results for HDMI cables and recommend the cheaper cables as being the best option.

The quality from the Canon 5D2 video played at 1080p on a Sony HD TV is stunning and really shows the benefits of the large format sensor on the camera. Once Canon release the same control features as available on the Canon 7D then the camera will be an awesome piece of kit.

Editing and Playing HD Video from Canon 5D Mark2

If you have read previous blog posts you will have seen the problems that I have encountered viewing and editing the HD video from the Canon 5D Mark II on a PC. Due to the files being Apple Quicktime MOV format there appears to be no issue using them on an Apple Mac but due to the need to decode on a PC they do not play smoothly.

I have now discovered some software called Cineform NeoScene which enables the MOV files to be converted to native AVI files that both play and can be edited without problems on a PC. The conversion process is very fast and allows both single file and batch conversions.

Although not cheap at $130 this appears to be the perfect solution for being able to edit video from the 5D2 on a PC.

Canon 5D Mark II High ISO Test

Having had the Canon 5D mark 2 for over a week I decided it was time to put it through its paces and test the high ISO performance and noise levels showing. I was fortunate to be having a shoot with new model Bekki and took a number of shots in sequence ramping up the ISO between them.

The results show that noise is very controlled up to ISO 6400 but beyond that the images would only be suitable for emergency use. As a sign of both the quality of the full frame sensor in the 5D mark II and the improvement in camera design I looked at the images from my first digital camera, the Nikon Coolpix 775 back in 2002. The noise levels at ISO 100 are higher than those at ISO 6400 from the Canon 5D II.

Canon 5D Mark2 Camera Shooting HD 1080p Video

I've now purchased a Canon 5D Mark2 camera and am currently testing the HD (high Definitiion) video capability at 1080p. Over the next couple of weeks I hope to show some example movies shot with the camera that demonstrate its stunning high ISO performance.

The initial impressions of the video from the camera are that it is stunning quality but very unforgiving of anything but the fastest computer and graphics cards. In many configurations the video can show dropped frames but considering that 1080p HD video is 1920 x 1080 pixels at 30 frames per second the volume of data being processed is massive.

The movies are stored as MOV files that can be opened by Apple Quicktime software but this appears to drop more frames than the Canon ZoomBrowser software that is bundled with the camera. I have tested this with a variety of graphics cards and it certainly appears that the Canon Zoombrowser software is far more reliable and plays the movies much more smoothly than Apple QuickTime software.

I've retested using an upgraded graphics card in the PC I use for editing but it still appears that QuickTime drops frames but Canon ZoomBrowser does not.
(Note : The PC used is dual core 64 bit processor with 4Gb RAM, SATA drives running Windows XP Service Pack3 with nVidia Quadro NVS290 graphics card, with lower spec nVidia GeForce 6200 card the number of dropped frames is noticably higher)

Video and Still Photography

Hot on the heels of my previous post it looks like the prediction of merging of video & stills was spot on. Vincent Laforet a Pulitzer prize winning photographer from the States has produced a video shot entirely with the new Canon 5D Mark2. The quality of the film is stunning and truly shows the potential that this camera can offer. You can view the film here.

http://www.usa.canon.com/dlc/controller?act=GetArticleAct&articleID=2086

I will be getting a hands-on preview of the camera next week and will post my followup thoughts after that.

New Canon 5D camera to revolutionise wedding photography?

Canon have today announced the much anticipated replacement for their 5D camera. This camera has become the tool of choice for wedding and portrait photographers for its stunning images and low light performance since it was released 3 years ago. All the photographers in the team currently use Canon 5D cameras for exactly this reason.

The replacement 5D Mark2 nearly doubles the sensor pixel count to 21Megapixels and adds even better low light capability. In addition one feature that could revolutionise the wedding photography market is the inclusion of HD video capability in the camera. It now means that as well as taking still photos for your wedding album the photographer can also take short video clips to include in the DVD slideshow of photos. It is one feature that we are very keen on testing and aim to offer in our Kent wedding photography packages for 2009.

We will be testing the Canon 5D Mark 2 as soon as it is available in the UK so watch this space for more news of the advances that it can offer for your wedding photography.