canon 5d mark ii vs 1d mark iv

[Vincenzo Condorelli AIC]

i'm considering the option of buying soon a d-slr with 1080p hd shooting mode because i'm about to go on location recce on a feature documentary to be shot in many different countries and i'll need to shoot some working material (research, interviews) for the promo reel. considering that we'll be in shooting environments in which a heavier camera gear would be problematic for many reasons, at this stagepof prep, i'd definitely go with a d-slr with decent shooting performances.

 

at the moment my choice would be between the canon 5d mark ii or the canon 1s mark iv...up to now, i basically had no previous experience in shooting videos with d-slr therefore i'd like to get some feedback from more experienced cinematographers in this field.

 

thanks in advance for your help and advice...

Edited March 2, 2010 by Vincenzo Condorelli

[Oliver Christoph Kochs]

It's difficult to recommend one. Right now the 5D2 offers 29,976 frames per second shooting only. The drawback of all other Canon models is the crop factor of the sensor. The next firmware update for the 5D2 that allows 24 and 25p and should be available soon. The Mark4 does not resolve issues like rolling shutter or the audio auto gain function.

[Vincenzo Condorelli AIC]

It's difficult to recommend one. Right now the 5D2 offers 29,976 frames per second shooting only. The drawback of all other Canon models is the crop factor of the sensor. The next firmware update for the 5D2 that allows 24 and 25p and should be available soon. The Mark4 does not resolve issues like rolling shutter or the audio auto gain function.

 

 

well, i guess that rolling shutter issues are common to all cmos sensors cameras (including the red, and i've got some direct experience with that) not just d-slrs. i've read that the firmware you mention is due to be released by mid-march and should also sort out the problems with the audio auto gain.

 

anyhow, for the actual shoot i've strongly adviced the production to go s16mm (well, for me nothing can really beat film's reliability) and that's what we will adopt...but i'd like to use the d-slr as a b camera and for the recce...so my assumption is that at the moment you'd consider the mark ii as the most reliable one on the market, correct? therefore in this domain the mark iv does not really improve anything, right?

Edited March 2, 2010 by Vincenzo Condorelli

[Mathew Rudenberg]

well, i guess that rolling shutter issues are common to all cmos sensors cameras (including the red, and i've got some direct experience with that) not just d-slrs. i've read that the firmware you mention is due to be released by mid-march and should also sort out the problems with the audio auto gain.

 

anyhow, for the actual shoot i've strongly adviced the production to go s16mm (well, for me nothing can really beat film's reliability) and that's what we will adopt...but i'd like to use the d-slr as a b camera and for the recce...so my assumption is that at the moment you'd consider the mark ii as the most reliable one on the market, correct? therefore in this domain the mark iv does not really improve anything, right?

 

The rolling shutter issue is not the same on all cmos chips. The phantom is a cmos chip camera and it has a global shutter. The red is not global but they speed up the shutter so it's imperceptible on all but the most extreme events (eg camera flashes).

 

It is much worse on dslrs, and you will notice it on most vigorous horizontal camera or subject movement (cars driving past, quick pans). Philip Bloom has some tests up comparing the 7d and 5d rolling shutter. I'd say the 7d is very slightly better. It could just be a result of the smaller chip though.

 

I don't think I would consider any of the dslrs reliable - although they can make pretty pictures despite their issues.

 

I would expect the 1d to be 'more reliable' because they have had more time to work out the kinks of their video issues, and it's a heavy duty professional journalistic camera.

 

Why not save yourself some money and get a 7d though?

Edited March 3, 2010 by Mathew Rudenberg

[DJ Kast]

The firmware update is now out, and if budget is of any concern, go with the 5D. I would recomend getting a sound recording device like an H4N to get the cleanest, and most accurate audio. The 5d and the mk iv still are pretty much garbage for recording sound.

[Hal Smith]

One advantage of the 7D is that if you're used to thinking in 35mm terms the sensor is virtually the same size. As a result you'd be used to DOF vs. focal length and f-stop, lens view angles, etc.

 

An example of a 7D's 35mm synergy is that my Ultracam mattebox is going to work great on my 7D. It's shade is a perfect match for my 17-55mm F2.8 IS USM at its wide end and I have three hard mattes for other focal lengths. All I have to do is construct a riser to match its lens centerline to the Canon's. A usable swingaway mattebox I paid $100 for.