The Game Changer...New Canon SLR Shoots Amazing HD Video

[Chris C Sanner]

Canon EOS 5D MKII
Price: $2700 (body only)

This camera is going to change things drastically when it is finally released in America. A lot of the guys I know who do films and such are in awe about what this camera can do at the price. When you take into account it is an awesome still camera as well, it's hard to argue against it. Check out the video:

http://www.usa.canon.com/dlc/controller?act=GetArticleAct&articleID=2326

http://blog.vincentlaforet.com/2008...h-to-this-blog-and-to-our-industry/#more-1085

http://blog.vincentlaforet.com/2008/09/23/behind-the-scenes-video/

 

[Tyler Burg]

wow, that is some amazing low light video! very impressive, though I have not compared it to the Nikon D90, but I heard that shoots in 720p

 

[Chris C Sanner]

It is definitely better than the D90 video wise. There are some drawbacks to the 5D MkII's video. There isn't any real manual control set at all, shutter speed (for example) is full automatic. The file size limit 4GB allows for just 12 min clips. I don't think that's a HUGE deal for chasing so long as you shoot wisely and carry 2 cards with you and ingest one while shooting with the other. Having a partner would certainly help as well in that regards.

For me as a cinematographer, this changes everything going forward. You can get that shallow DOF film look and video quality that surpasses most cameras in the "low-budget" price range of less than $100k. For $8,000 you could have a couple of good lenses, the body, a few cards and a rig with a mattebox and follow focus and take video that will at least rival anything out there. Really exciting stuff.

Even though this really is an exciting piece of hardware, it still needs one more generation under it's belt before jumping in IMHO. More manual options are a must. But either way, I think the line between still and video has been completely blurred now and future generations will pretty much erase it.

 

[Mike Peregrine]

Hmmmm ... this looks pretty interesting to me. Think of the amazing wide angles a person could get too. We've been seeing the move to merge between the worlds of still and video ... this one might be the first real contender in that regard. The price tag really isn't all that bad, considering what you're getting, IMO. I'll be reading the full dpreview rundown on it.