My quick test with the camera is both silly and functional. I couldn’t do this with the previous version successfully. You had to perform all these steps to force the Exposure/ Shutter speed lock to work which wasn’t really practical for a “real” production or shoot. I can now dolly past a foreground object that is darker or lighter then my set exposure. In my test I handheld the camera and moved from a dark undercover outdoor room past a pole and then to a bright outdoor setting without the exposure changing or the colour balance shifting. The ISO remained fixed also so no visible shifting of the image through dynamic electronic controls was noticed! Yeah! Finally we have manual control which is great!

Here is a link to a short video I uploaded to vimeo.com

The settings I used are as follows:

Once you have set the camera’s LiveView Function setting to “Stills + Movie” and set the LCD Screen settings to “Movie Display”, put the camera into M (Manual mode) & set your Shutter, ISO & Aperture to what ever you like. The 5D MKII will now record HD Video with full manual control.

Sadly for those of us that live in a PAL world or would like to shoot more film like, the update does not include the ability to shoot 24/25P! The frame rate is still stuck on 30P for some reason. I can’t understand why?! Surely 24/25P modes is less bandwidth in terms of the data rate then 30 Frames per second?? Why couldn’t this have been included into the update is beyond me. I don’t want to sound like I’m complaining about a “Free” update but it does feel like half the modern world has been ignored! In any case, I’m hoping that a quick update will follow shortly with both 24 and 25P FPS modes available.

I think the 5D MKII is a terrific camera platform. The current hardware, while not perfect, is definitely worth persisting with in terms of it’s software. I’m hoping Canon shares my point of view and continues to expand the capabilities of the existing 5D MKII camera hardware to maximise it’s potential and use it as a testing ground for all future models that combine both Video and Photography into one unit.

Just recently, I attended a new product launch held by Kodak in Melbourne, Australia. They were releasing a new 250D stock called 5207/7207 which utilises their new Vision 3 technology. Unbelievably, the fact that they are still developing new motion picture film stocks means that at least Kodak is committed to continuing production of traditional cinematography supplies. They will be in the future, releasing updated versions of all their products which will make use of this new Vision 3 technology. Now, in the face of all the new digital developments, it could be easy just to say “Why bother”! However, as my previous blog entry highlighted, “Film Technologies” have been proven reliable and of a high quality. For a Cinematographer, shooting 35mm is still the preferred route in most cases, when given the option. For me, it depends on the project, which takes into account things like budget, aesthetics and general workflows. I’m not in favour of any format that requires me to NOT hire the right people for the job, or use substandard gear from poorly maintained rental houses! Sadly this is often what’s asked from me when I’m dealing with “Feature Films” shot on motion picture film stock! Quite often, and I believe I’m not the only one, the Producers will ask everyone to do massive deals with Cast and Crew to enable them to shoot their project on 35mm film. This also results in little or no lighting equipment, poor conditions for crew with regard to covering their personal costs like Parking, Mobile Phone Bills, Food, Travel expenses etc. etc. I for one will no longer “do” these kinds of projects! Not because I’m a snob or carry some sort of “Union” banner but because these types of projects are often so over extended financially that they generally fall apart at the first sign of trouble. Mostly, there is also not enough support to help the Director achieve his or her aim and the end result is nothing but a series of compromises.

So what does this have to do with the Evolution of Motion photography? Well, I see it as the driving force. Digital technologies can rescue a project that would otherwise be impossible to shoot on a traditional medium such as film by allowing for proper crew rates, enough lighting, good conditions for Cast and Crew etc. Unfortunately, it’s also seen as the magic bullet and shooting digital appears to be a black art from many Producers points of view. A lack of understanding of the capabilities of “Digital” has created an environment of confusion amongst Producers who may have had some experience producing Television or Video based productions. The confusion over HD – what exactly is HD?, various video tape formats and now the emergence of full digital systems like RED, Phantom, Canon, Sony etc. has meant that a trend to minimise crew and their rates has continued unabated. They see camera manufacturer reports on Low light handling capabilities of their products as an excuse to not hire a gaffer or hire lighting equipment. A clapper loader’s job was seen as the first job to go, with the roll of the Camera Assistant reduced to a care taker of the camera. I’m generalising here obviously, but I can speak from personal experiences here. It did and still does happen!

The technological march of “Digital” has also educated many people also. It’s taken a long time but I do believe there is now a better understanding of many of the processes, formats and suitability of digital equipment for various projects. The roll of the Focus Puller for instance was seen to be a job going into extinction in the Video world. With many new camera systems employing film style lenses and sporting 35mm sized sensors, Cinematographers have re introduced a powerful story telling technique called “Depth of Field”. It’s what makes things look more “filmic” by creating regions of focus. As with film, the focus puller’s job suddenly became important again. The Clapper Loaders roll previously required that person to reload film into Magazines of motion picture cameras on demand. Now that roll also includes handling data from the new digital camera systems. In both cases that persons responsibilities are the same  - The handling of “Raw” and “Exposed” footage. In the digital world, the roll is sometimes referred to as the Data Wrangler! My point here is that although technology is developing better equipment, these technologies are best leveraged by treating them in the same way we the Film Industry has treated traditional film – with care! Giving every scene the best possible chance to be in Focus, move from point A to point B smoothly and be well lit should be every filmmakers ambition. With the convergence of camera systems from the Photographic, Video and Cinematography worlds in full swing, these issues will be ongoing for some time I fear. Certainly Photographers who have never worked with a focus puller before, become convinced very quickly when they first start shooting motion imagery. The Canon 5D MKII is a professional grade stills camera that also shoots HD video in 1920 x 1080 30P format. Utilising Canon’s range of lenses with a full 35mm sized sensor provides for some pretty stunning images with all the focus trappings of traditional film. The problem is that camera does not have any automatic focusing in that mode at the moment, so Photographers shooting motion have to learn how to pull their own focus. This is tough to do while also concentrating on framing etc.

Other manufacturers I didn’t mention in my earlier blog entry include Dalsa, Sony and Silicon Imaging’s new product the SI-2K MINI. Silicon Imaging have just released a new MINI form factor digital camera system called the SI-2K MINI. It shoots 2048 x 1152 using a proprietary Codec called “CineForm RAW™” – It does this via a SiliconDVR recorder.

These cameras are like “Lipstick” cameras or Security Cameras on steroids. They aren’t complete units on their own as such but rather simply an optical block with a lens mount. By using the SiliconDVR unit in-conjunction with the MINI, you can record up to 4 hours of continuous shooting. I think one of its more unique features is the ability to tether this camera using a Gigabit ethernet cable over very long distances and still have full control of the camera. Stick two of them with the right Ocular offset and you have the ability to shoot 3D! The system can be used to record 72fps in 720P mode. Like the 5D MKII, you can purchase Arri style baseplates, handlebars, follow focus equipment etc. My only concern about this type if system is the proprietary Codec. This nearly always results in trouble later down the track. Either the editor will need to buy an expensive Codec Pack, or the manufacturer supplies it for free. Which ever, it still requires something to be downloaded and installed into the host application. The other issue is over time, the Codec disappears and the footage is unplayable by future editors of the footage. For instance, right now there are many different versions of AVC HD codec floating around, produced by Camera manufacturers. It’s a nightmare to work out if you haven’t been supplied information about where the footage has come from. That’s why I’m very much in favour of open source codecs and systems or standards like QuickTime or H.264 etc.

Dalsa is another manufacturer with several small cameras in release. DALSA’s Spyder3 Color is a color line scan camera system which can capture up to 4K in a small form factor. These cameras do not have any onboard recording ability though. They are simply the “Head” only. They are intended for “Machine Vision” applications for the robotic inspection of manufacturing processes.  DALSA’s Falcon line of cameras record using a “Global Shutter” which prevent Smearing due to motion blur and differ from other cameras that employ a “Rolling Shutter”. These cameras are not really meant for TV/Film work either but rather for stopping high speed action such as “Speeding Motorists” through traffic lights etc.

Dalsa also makes “Genie Cameras” which can record up to 300 frames per second depending on the exact model. They again have an gigabit Ethernet interface and have a CMOS sensors with global shutter. The Genie HM640 records at 300 fps with a max resolution of 640 x 480. While all these cameras do not have an immediate use in the Film & TV world, nor did the 5D MKII until recently! The technological change thats taking place right now is powering a change within the Film & TV industry also.

Probably one of the more interesting developments in recent days, was the announcement of  what Sony claims is the “world’s smallest” HD capable camera module. The MCB1172 HD camera module shown below is truly tiny. The sensor is an 8.3 megapixel sensor that can shoot 720p at 30fps video with image stabilization, face detection, high-ISO mode, and 120fps slow motion! You can read more about this at Engadget’s website. It’s not suitable for Film work necessarily either but the shear size and most likely power savings from a tiny form factor will be appealing to many. This could be a cheap stunt camera or a disposable camera that could be used with a transmitter for instance. I recently had a call for something like this on “Drop the Bomb” with Hamish & Andy.

Going back to the Kodak launch of their new 250D stock, at the end of the evening, a Kodak representative opened up questions to the floor. The room was filled with very well regarded internationally renown Cinematographers and it remained completely silent! Simply the differences in the new stock verses that of the original Vision 2 250D was very slight! We looked at projected 35mm side by side comparison footage and although the new stock was comparably better in the high lights, I doubt an audience would notice the difference. I think most people in that room were very well acquainted with the earlier version of the 250D stock & didn’t need to ask any technical questions about it. It’s this familiarity I want to point out. HD or “Digital Systems” do not have this advantage. Film still has more latitude then any of these “Digital” formats. It has in my opinion a more pleasing colour rendition then most digital systems. Resolution wise, Film is still more then capable for most projects and for long time archive, film beats digital hands down! So why not just stick with shooting film. One reason only – price! The price is plainly outrageously expensive! Currently motion picture film stocks sell for about $700US for a 1000 ft load (Example Price). In reality, Production Companies can get this at a slightly cheaper price based on volume. Keep in mind that a 1000 ft load lasts for 10 minutes! And this price does not include processing and Telecine (scanning to Video). If the price of film stocks fell over night to even half their current level, I doubt that it would be enough to stop the mass exudes heading for Digital! If it can’t be made cheaper then I’m afraid no amount of technological improvements will stop it’s extinction.

I’m probably confusing you now. Where do I stand – Digital or Film. The answer is neither. I want good lenses, with a good crew who know what they are doing! I want gear that will not break my back, is quick to setup, durable and doesn’t cost a fortune. However most of all, I want a certain level of quality that Film was/is able to provide. I don’t want to compromise on anything when it comes to Resolution, Colour handling and Latitude. So until we have a system, Digital or Film that can deliver all these qualities, the debate will rage on! As with my last blog entry, I am excited about the future of Digital. Everyday there is something new being developed that breaks new ground. I’m also thankful that motion picture film still remains as a “Gold Standard” and quietly sits in the background as a backup medium. The convergence of Photographic, Video and Cinema Cameras will change the way we make motion picture films forever.

Today, I took a break from the hectic pace of shopping centers and busy city life and headed for the tiny island of Pulau Ubin. Just within Singapore’s grasp, the Island is easy to get to via a ferry from Changi Village. One note, the ferry captains or “Bumboat” Captains are crazy! I took some amazing video of them cutting each other off, overtaking and jostling for position at the Jetty! My Bumboat Captain stopped the motor half way to collect the fair which, if you remember the song – I paid the ferryman $2.50 Singaporean and he delivered me safely to the other side!

Once on the island, you kind-of walk back into time! The last remaining old Singapore style buildings can be found clustered in the small township. They are known as “Kampongs”. Many of them are used as restaurants and Bicycle Hire venues. I hired a bike for the princely sum of $2 Singaporean for the entire day! Setting off I literally traveled across the entire island. Despite the hot humid temperature, the ride was fun. I carried my pack with my 5D MKII onboard and a tripod, and used the bikes basket at the front to store all my loose bits. There are many interesting places to visit, including several old Quarries which have been flooded to form very picturesque lakes. The wetland areas known as “Chek Jawa” were very interesting. During low tide, you can walk along a boardwalk and look down onto the mudflats, which are full of sea life. Mudskippers, small crabs, Seahorse etc. Near this same area, I was sitting down, resting when a monkey strolled out of the jungle. Not long after a tribe of wild boar crossed the road. Other wildlife a did see but wasn’t quick enough to capture on camera include a local Rooster that is an ancestor to the modern day Rooster. There were other birds I observed but I have no idea what they were called. Needless to say, there were plenty of opportunities to photograph wildlife and natural settings – Something I didn’t think was possible in Singapore.

Couple of notes for anyone planning to visit wetlands and mangrove swamps anywhere around the world. Take precautions and protect yourself from Mosquitoes. Dengue Fever is prevalent in many of these sorts of places and is known to exist in Singapore. Malaria is another hazard. Drink plenty of water. The Island has many places you can buy chilled water, so you don’t have to bring it from the mainland. Take a hat! It gets hot in the sun and there are many roads which are in the open. Back in the township, you can buy a cheap lunch at one of the many Seafood restaurants. I spent $13 dollars on my meal which included Hong Kong Noodles, mixed veggies and Black Pepper Crab – Awesome!

So if your in Singapore and need to getaway from the shopping experience, I can highly recommend taking a visit to Pulau Ubin.

Puppy Play

Tourist Train

Market

At the Family Christmas dinner, I used my Canon Speedlite 580EX MKII. This unit is the best mobile flash I have ever used. It uses intelligent TTL metering and has a full range of manual settings as well. I used a Diffuser Cup over the flash to soften the light or simply bounced it into a white ceiling and with the 5D MKII’s Speedlite settings, I was able to shoot some fantastic pics! Being able to quickly dial up exposure compensation on the back of the speedlite was also incredible handy for adjusting the foreground exposure.

Driving Miss

Later, We travelled to Daylesford Victoria for the annual New Years Eve parade and various family activities at the Farm and the Town House. Both these places have served as my testing location for many different camera systems over the years because they are a rich hunting ground for Texture, Antiques and incredible vistas. For any photographer, they provide real world conditions to many common photographic situations. The Australian Harsh Sun can truly test any camera for it’s dynamic range capabilities as an example.

Riding in the forest

It’s here I really found that the 5D MKII has some amazing attributes over the original 5D (which I also own). The shear resolution of the camera is impressive. Generally I use to leave my 24-105mm Canon zoom on the 5D. On the new 5D MKII, I found that the resolution of this lens has been superseded by the capabilities of the sensor. To the ordinary lay person, it’s probably not noticeable, however I found the images with this lens were softer in nature and the Vignetting I used to find attractive on the Original 5D now appears too much on the New version. To clarify, I’m subjectively comparing both the 24-105 zoom lens on both cameras as well as comparing the sharpness taken on my 100-400mm Canon L Series Zoom Lens. I also have a 15mm semi fisheye Canon fixed lens. This also appears to be softer in nature but that is to be expected from a really wide angle lens. My point is that both 24-104 and the 15mm lenses on the new 5D MKII show their respective flaws much quicker and in a more obvious way then they ever did on the lesser sensor of the original 5D camera.

StarGate by Greg Johns

For me, it points out the importance of choosing the best glass possible when buying lenses. Testing the quality of lenses is quite a science whether it’s on a Stills Camera or on Motion Picture Camera’s. However there are a few things you should always do before buying. Physically test the lens for yourself and Read as many reviews as you can - Most likely others have already performed all the scientific tests for you, however pay attention to any bias towards brand names etc. Not everyone has an agnostic opinion when it comes to choice of manufacturer. There does appear to be quite a war between Canon and Nikon users which is a shame. Both are great Camera Manufacturers however there are others rising fast in the background. Sony, RED and Panasonic are all new names entering into the market with some pretty interesting gear! Third party manufacturers of Lenses also exist and Sigma for instance have some pretty nice lenses with Canon mounts.

Dogs

Puppy still wants to play

Lastly, when reading up on reviews from others about lenses, It pays to understand some of the science they used to test with. For me, this breaks down to 3 major factors – The lenses light gathering ability (T stop/ F stop), Resolving power (sharpness and detail), and Distortion amount (vignetting and lens aberration particularly at the edges). There are other factors but these are my main concern. Understanding how these three are tested is useful in decided the quality of the review. If a reviewer fails to explain his or her testing procedure, then you should treat the review as someone’s opinion only. I’m not going to go into the details of how to test a Lens here however googling around reveals plenty of great resources available on the Net. Here’s a good site on Lens Testing with some downloadable test targets.

http://www.normankoren.com/Tutorials/MTF5.html

StarGate

As for my testing of the 5D MKII, I was particularly impressed with the camera’s ability when I had a very good lens onboard. The 100 – 400mm L series Canon Zoom I own is amazing. It’s very clean and sharp and although the lens is a f4.5-5.6, the 5D MKII’s higher ISO with no perceptible noise increase (up to ISO 1600) makes this point mute! When I controlled the light by using the sun as a backlight or using a scrim, the picture looks very natural and smooth in the colour transitions. I deliberately setup a few different scenarios that pushed the dynamic range of the camera. That is, the camera’s capability to record the detail in the Whitest and Blackest sections of the image. I photographed my sisters new puppy “Gypsy” with a roll of white toilet paper. The scene was shot at sunset with the sun heavily backlighting the scene. I was amazed at how well information in the shadows was recorded while still retaining a good amount in the highlights. The highlights did blow out and ultimately I would still like to see a firmware upgrade to the camera that provides even more latitude in the highlights sometime soon. However, overall the colour handling was impressive. The transition from one colour to the next was smooth despite whichever RAW processor I used (I used both Apples Aperture and Adobes Camera Raw to process the RAW images). Other scenarios placed subjects in fields of Lavender, Grass and in partly shaded forests where again both the Colour handling and dynamic range can be seen. As far as erganomics of the camera are concered. There aren’t too many physical differences between the Original 5D and the new version. Differences can be found however within the menu structure. Everything is much faster to get to know, and sensibly categorised.

Sheep

Bean Bag

To end my ramblings, I was glad I took the time to really play with the camera before the New Year jobs roll on in. One thing I didn’t fully test was the 5D’s video capabilities. I have recorded some clips, but I find the process of shooting video on the 5D MKII quite difficult. Ergonomically it’s awkward. I would almost prefer to be able to look down the viewfinder while shooting video and not have to always use the “Live-view” mode. I simply can’t see focus on such a small screen on the back of the 5D as well as crane myself into an uncomfortable position to be able to see it! The lack of 24/25P recording is also a major factor. As a result I think the best approach at the moment is to shoot video that is static (no panning and tilting) in nature. Those tests look great but can only be described as “Photographs in motion”! Here again I hope Canon will post a firmware upgrade for the Camera soon. The Ergonomic issues could be solved with the use of an external monitor.