Come to Papa - Canon 5D Mark II

[alfake]

And 2499€/2699$! Hopefully this will make the A900 prices (3000€/$) come down rapidly…
Alfonso

[bossel]

Certainly not a bad camera, well done Canon. Well done also to Sony for the A900 and Nikon for the D700.

But what annoys me, I had a quick look at dpr, are all these "my canon is better thatn your sony than your nikon than your canon" threads. I've decided to stay out of there, look at sample images when available and have a look myself.

Voila!!

[Javelin]

Certainly a nice addition to their line. and a long time comming. hope they pulled the video off better than nikon did on theirs.

[Javelin]

wow the canon forums are very negative. I think they should be happy with this camera.

Funny though how everyone sort of expected Sony to come out wilh all the bells whistles and wizbang parts when in the end Sony looks more like the conservative serious camera.

[rogprov]

The strange thing is, a week or so ago I did a straw poll on another forum asking who wanted/used live-view and nobody really did. Now I see Amateur Photographer are polling video in dSLRs and about three quarters of replies are against. Bear in mind that AP readers and forum users are from across all the makes ... now we have manufactures turning out these multi-function cameras against the desires of many users .... it all seems mighty odd

[Winston]

The news and editorial industry wants video bigtime as it can eliminate the need for photojournaists and reporters to carry a video camera, or the need to bring a videographer with at times.

You can bet these dual purpose machines will take over the market, eventually.

-Sonolta

If the incremental cost is low, and I suspect it is, "eventually" will be quite short.

[Javelin]

I'm surprised to hear you talk this way. the more info that comes out the worse it looks. now there saying it doesn't AF in live view or movie mode at all. Sounds rushed to me and considering how long it took them to come out with it theres little excuse. I don't often look at the other cameras just whatever jumps out at me but a nikon D90 story that came out was this rolling shutter bug. that looks horendous and people were excusing it away as being just the nature of the beast and I think thats rediculous but if it is then the Canon is likely to have that problem too.

Looks like a very formidable machine to my eyes...this is a machine I could consider replacing my old KM5D and some of my lesser used stuff for. Live View, 1080P video, ISO 50-25,600...still almost 4FPS @ 21MP. I like body SS but I bet I could learn to like something else in it's place... -Sonolta

[bakubo]

I am new to this combo DSLR/video camera thing so I am not clear on how you use it. Do you just look through the vf while in video mode or are you forced to use the rear LCD? If the latter then how are you supposed to see anything when you are shooting outside? Can you zoom while using video mode? If you can and you must use the rear LCD then how do you also use the the zoom control? Does the rear LCD tilt and twist? It all seems very awkward and pretty much unusable unless you can use the vf. I'm hoping someone can clarify this for me. Thanks!

[bakubo]

1. Why would you not be able to see through the viewfinder?

I don't know, that was my question. Although you didn't answer it, I guess, the answer is that you can use the vf while in video mode. Is that right? Does that mean the mirror is constantly flipping up and down during video mode?

[rogprov]

Well this is all very wonderful, and I'm sure will make some people happy, but not me as I have no interest in either taking or watching videos

[David Kilpatrick]

PS...Stock HD footage is in...most stock still photos are becoming dime a dozen by the day.

This is the key to it. Getty is doing it, others are - my good friend Jason Smalley (a confirmed Canon user who has written a couple of reports for our magazines) started shooting video clips a year or more ago, moving away from Alamy still shooting. HDTV clips - even just 10 second 'stills' of the right subjects but with movement and sound - are tomorrow's stock snaps. The problem is still one of delivery as they are such huge files, but it's not impossible.

The problem with the Nikon D90 (I get mine to test in a few days) is not the 720p resolution which will be fine for many purposes including stock clips, it's the mono sound and the duration limit which will prevent use for recording concert numbers. You need a at least five minutes (its limit) for many continuous events with sound, which are filmed these days in one take. When I learned film production, the sound may have been continuously recorded, but the 'takes' were hardly ever longer than 20 seconds and we were shot down if many takes were over 10 seconds. The average duration per take was targeted as 7 seconds. Today, film-makers work in an entirely different way and may use long continuous takes - and for popular DSLR-video uses, like capturing concerts or an entire sports event (like a race), card limited duration is what people will expect.

David

[bakubo]

you can not use the viewfinder for video and please do look at the sample video before you deem it unusable. Might as well rip the LCD off your a700, eh? Unusable in daylight just like the d90's...what a pitty. Joke.

Why do you always have to act like such a jerk? I had a simple question and you get so hot and bothered about it and cannot communicate in a civil manner. It is really tiresome.

I suppose if the camera is on a tripod and you put a towel over your head and the camera to block most extraneous light then it would be usable outside. Just trying to hold the camera directly out in front of me, looking at the washed out and difficult to see rear LCD, with my right hand on the grip and my left hand extended even further out to support the lens and try to work the zoom ring, and at the same time trying to remain reasonably steady just seems so difficult. The LCD doesn't tilt/twist so that makes it even more difficult. In a studio on a tripod I guess it could work out. Oh, and I find my A700 LCD to be almost useless outside unless I get it in the shade. Even then it isn't great until I get it indoors. My Canon 30D and other cameras were the same though.

[bossel]

I guess they're going to love you in the Canon forums

btw, what are the storage requirements per minute/second? Do they record proper mpeg (with intermediate frames or whatever they're called) or just a sequence of jpgs, I mean an mpeg where every frame is a full picture?

[bakubo]

I did look at some of the videos. They don't show the answers to any of my questions. Please don't respond to me. I have no interest in having any more communication with you.

[Javelin]

Maybe but the only video i've ever seen from the camera was this one.

http://s477.photobucket.com/albums/rr13 ... C_0012.flv

Sorry but no matter how you stack it. that camera can't keep up with a child at a birthday party ... that was a new user and he was complaining. I know he was "missusing" the camera but it should have steaked before it rolled like that no matter what Nikon shows on their site. the video just is not fast enough. So I read through the thread that was from and they report that Canon has the same problem on some of their true video cameras... sorry but that is a black eye for Canon no matter what. If the technology isn't ready... leave it in the box until it is

er.. 1 reply is enough I can't keep up with you

Outstanding D90 video samples and a comparison with a $5000 HD camera:

-Sonolta