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Archive 2008 · Alts solve 5D2 video AE?

brainiac
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p.1 #1 · p.1 #1 · Alts solve 5D2 video AE?

In this article there is a good description of how 5D2 video exposure control works:
http://crystalclearmedia.net/blog/

If you use Canon lenses, then you have no direct aperture control when shooting video. Bummer. I won't be having that problem with my lovely old Contax and Oly lenses though. Yet another great reason to adapt lenses which have manual aperture controls. Even if you have to use EC to get the right exposure, a fixed aperture will be helpful when panning a shot past bright background lights.

Can someone confirm that AE works OK in video with alt lenses?

Does this mean 5D videographers will prefer ZF to ZE? Makes you think...

Dec 04, 2008 at 08:01 AM

Andi Dietrich
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p.1 #2 · p.1 #2 · Alts solve 5D2 video AE?

One of my friends already asked me for some alt lenses to try it with his 5dII he is going to get sometime.

Dec 04, 2008 at 08:12 AM

dcmiller
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p.1 #3 · p.1 #3 · Alts solve 5D2 video AE?

AE works but exposure would usually be locked before shooting. There are work arounds that using alt lenses not necessary.

Dec 04, 2008 at 08:25 AM

Planetwide
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p.1 #4 · p.1 #4 · Alts solve 5D2 video AE?

Since we are on the topic of 5d2, does it have the same mirror as the the 5d1 and its clearance issues with some Alt glass?

Dec 04, 2008 at 09:33 AM

thrice
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p.1 #5 · p.1 #5 · Alts solve 5D2 video AE?

Andrew Gough wrote:
Since we are on the topic of 5d2, does it have the same mirror as the the 5d1 and its clearance issues with some Alt glass?

Friend of mine inherited a 50/1.4 M42 SMC Tak that used to hang on my 5D, we should both get our Mark II's in the next couple of days, I'll get him to check on his in case it's even worse

Dec 04, 2008 at 09:37 AM

RobertP
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p.1 #6 · p.1 #6 · Alts solve 5D2 video AE?

I'm thinking you can just go around pointing the camera at different areas, until you find the shutterspeed/ISO you want.

So lets say, 1/60th, ISO 400... then LOCK the exposure. With an alternative lens mounted, then you can just walk around with the locked exposure and control the aperture yourself with the aperture ring on the lens. Easy peasy, eh?

I think this is much better than having the exposure jumping up and down everytime you move the camera, and having the aperture stop down, open up, stop down, open up...

The ideal video feature on a DSLR would allow a 1/48th shutter speed (which I don't think you can set on the 5D2 in video mode) and 24P recording for filmy goodness, but, oh well.

Dec 04, 2008 at 11:27 PM

brainiac
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p.1 #7 · p.1 #7 · Alts solve 5D2 video AE?

My hope is that using an alt lens will allow you to ensure that the aperture doesn't change during a pan, and it will also allow you to control exposure in a planned way during the shooting of a shot, if you're prepared to change the aperture during the shot. Alt lenses, in conjunction with the AE lock (*) should give the control over exposure and depth of field that the camera otherwise seems to lack due to the mandatory AE during filming.

Dec 05, 2008 at 02:18 PM

PhotoMaximum
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p.1 #8 · p.1 #8 · Alts solve 5D2 video AE?

There are a couple of 5D II video threads over on the Canon forum. Sounds like the video IQ is amazing but the handling and ease of use is nowhere near what you get from a dedicated camcorder.

I look forward to messing around with on sometime in the new year...

Dec 05, 2008 at 02:27 PM

ACElkins
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p.1 #9 · p.1 #9 · Alts solve 5D2 video AE?

I seem to recall that the feature length stop animation film "Nightmare before Christmas" was shot using a Canon 1DsM2 and Nikon lenses. The 1DsM2 for the highest resolution available at the time but had to use Nikon lenses for the manual aperture. Seems the electronic aperture of the Canon was not accurate enough to give consistant results in stop action animation, and caused a slight flicker to the image when viewed at 24 fps. The manual aperture of the Nikon would be set and locked to prevent this.

Dec 05, 2008 at 04:25 PM

Silentlight
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p.1 #10 · p.1 #10 · Alts solve 5D2 video AE?

From what I understood when I was talking to the canon rep a couple of months ago, the video works in the green mode. So if you changed the light (in your case, aperture) the ISO changes to compensate. But it takes a few seconds.

Dec 05, 2008 at 04:41 PM

dcmiller
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p.1 #11 · p.1 #11 · Alts solve 5D2 video AE?

I picked up the 5DII yesterday and setting video is frustrating. I'm used it with the 85L II, and the camera opens aperture before raising ISO. How does the camera know if I want a wide or narrow aperture? It doesn't.
I'm starting now with alt lenses which may be less frustrating

Dec 05, 2008 at 04:44 PM

steve g
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p.1 #12 · p.1 #12 · Alts solve 5D2 video AE?

Can you keep us posted on this.

Many of us thought there would be selectable aperture with video on this camera and the apparent lack of it is proving a frustration.

I hope alt lenses will be the answer!

Dec 05, 2008 at 06:21 PM

dcmiller
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p.1 #13 · p.1 #13 · Alts solve 5D2 video AE?

I'll make some points on this topic while I figure this out.

- At this point it seems that the only disadvantage of alt lenses is the lack of IS. But the best video will be produced on tripod anyway.

- It is possible to manipulate the camera's automatic algorithm to get various camera settings with eos lenses. First it's important to now what the camera wants to do with EOS lenses:

First, it wants to set shutter speed at 1/focal length. In low light, the 85L I've been testing with almost always gets a shutter speed of 1/80th. I want 1/30th. The camera will boost ISO before slowing the shutter. This is bad.
Second, in low light the camera opens up the lens before lowering shutter speed. The 85L shows f1.2 or f2. as the cameras choice. This would seldom work.

The camera will choose f1.2 or f2 in low light, and maybe f16 in bright light. So the problem is how to get the camera to stop down in low light (for dof) and how to get narrow dof in bright light.

The principal tools for this is exposure lock, user controllable exposure compensation, and a light source. I can turn the exposure compensation 2 stops to the minus, shine a light in the lens and get f5.6 ISO 100, and press exposure lock. Turning exposure compensation to the right gives me f5.6 ISO 1600. Exposure compensation seems to always change ISO.

With EOS lenses, is it possible to make more than 4 stops compensation? Will the camera do f11 ISO 1600? Not that I've been able to figure out so far.

With alt lenses and aperture rings the camera doesn't know aperture or focal length. This makes it easier to get exact ISO and fstop settings. I don't know about forcing a slow shutter.

It is astoundingly dumb for Canon to force its customers into this silliness. They are clearly holding back functionality, yet didn't design a comprehensive way for the exposure algorithm to work with their fast glass.

In green mode the camera allows the user to tell it if more or less dof is desired for Program shooting. If they allowed this slider to be used in movie mode, the algorithm would at least have an idea of user intent.

Dec 06, 2008 at 01:35 PM

RobertP
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p.1 #14 · p.1 #14 · Alts solve 5D2 video AE?

For narrow DOF in sunlight, it sounds like you'll need an alt lens, with the exposure lock set to base ISO, a slow shutter speed (preferred for a less video look) and a neutral density filter.

Dec 06, 2008 at 05:02 PM

dcmiller
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p.1 #15 · p.1 #15 · Alts solve 5D2 video AE?

Enough ND should do it. Below a certain EV the camera wants to open the lens. Outside the lens stopping down too much is more my concern.

Dec 06, 2008 at 05:34 PM


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