So… is it worth it? Should you consider buying an HD video-enabled SLR camera instead of a video camera today? Is the Canon EOS 5D Mark II the missing link between video and still cameras?
In short: No.
The camera itself enables you to shoot gorgeous Full HD 35mm video. It meets all the criteria of what Microfilmmakers are looking for from a technical perspective. It’s got the right specs.
But the camera fails in a practical sense. The inability to record clean audio is a serious limitation for film production. The lack of lower-resolution and higher compression HD options is a practical limitation. I would have gladly shot in higher compression for part of the time, and then jumped up to the lower compression for quality shots. 12 minutes on a card is difficult to deal with from a production perspective. (And, lest the reader assume I’m unfamiliar with shooting with non-linear card-based recording, my A-Camera is an HVX200, so I do it all the time.)
The camera’s usability for video is significantly limited due to the form factor of the housing, the position of controls, and the location of the LCD panel. Clearly, the design is ideal for photographers, but very hard for cinematographers to use. There are DSLR rigs available today, but that adds additional cost to the solution.
So there are several practical and technical issues with the camera for film production. The main limitation is really the design of the body, the actual video options, and the location of the displays and buttons. Some of these issues can be overcome with an optional DSLR rig. But others are simply features that are important for filmmaking that are missing in the design and options that are not currently available.
With that said, let's recap (or mention, if we haven't done so before) what’s missing:
- The camera records in 30 frame per second progressive video, but lacks the 24 frame per second progressive recording that gives the “movie look”.
- The camera does not provide variable speed recording that could be used for slow motion or fast motion effects.
- There are no options for higher compression/lower resolution tradeoffs in HD for better card utilization. Recording more than you need for a project just makes more work later when the extra data has to be discarded.
- 4GB maximum CF cards with 12 minute record time. Alternatives such as P2 cards go up to 32 GB and provide hot-swapping of cards while shooting. The WFT-E4A adapter is a wireless 802.11 LAN adapter for the Canon EOS 5D Mark II that enables the camera to store video to external storage. If this works well, it could be an improvement over cards. However, it adds another $800 to $1000 to the price of the kit.
- The camera lacks quality sound recording features, and is also missing professional audio features like XLR jacks and phantom power.
There is no external timecode synch, and no headphone jack, complicating monitoring and synchronizing of sound. Most demonstration videos shot with this camera have musical sound tracks.
- Form factor and button layout is awkward for video, DSLR rig is extra money. After you add a DSLR package, the price is back in the range of a prosumer HD video camera.
If I could get the video quality that this camera produces in a differently designed package – with these additional features, then this could be the ideal video camera for Microfilmmakers.
We are getting closer. The technology is so very close to give us what we want – a 35mm HD video camera with quality lenses at a reasonable price. But it's not there yet.
Final Note: While the highly anticipated 5D Mark II firmware update that's slated to come out later this month is designed to improve the iris, shutter speed, and ISO manual controls for the camera, it still won't add all the features that this camera really needs to make it the right choice for most filmmakers who want to use this as their A-Camera.
