Canon EOS-1D Mark II - Shoots TrueHD video, people put it against the RED

Sample of what the camera can shoot video wise:
http://www.usa.canon.com/dlc/controller?act=GetArticleAct&articleID=2326

Lensed and directed by Pulitzer winning stills photographer Vincent Laforet (who should keep taking stills and stay away from video)

And here's a link to the camera's specs:
http://www.usa.canon.com/dlc/controller?act=GetArticleAct&articleID=2186&productID=249&articleTypeID=125

I've heard about this on numerous podcast and read about it in many articles floating the net. Basically they market this with the tag line "were worlds collide" meaning a still photographer can shoot inexpensively good looking video at 1080p with all the fancy lenses you can hook up on a dSLR.

Now, that doesn't bother me, but then i saw this:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NfUUySn3y7w&feature=related

It's a very brief demo of the camera fitted on a tripod and a rig to look like a movie camera complete with matte box etc etc.

Needless to say, they made a couple of references to the red and how this is costing one quarter of the price. Then the guy picked it up to show how to hold the rig on "handheld" mode (watch closely how he almost impales himself with the rig and completely misses the shoulder pad) and then tries to give some camera movement tips. Tips like "You hold it from here and then you pull it like this...and look, it's heavier so it's steadier..". Now, a STILL photographer, who admitted never shot video before, giving lessons on camera movement is one thing, a guy who doesn't even now how to hold a camera, is another.

They are promoting this as a kind of a "red killer". But take a look at that vid, it's "bleeding" all over the place (and it's not the compression) and the thing records on mpeg4! Which, if you ever tampered with color correction or any other video manipulation process, is a pain in the arse.

Just say "you can shoot fancy family vids with great depth of field". Don't market this as the next red...specially with that guy behind the viewfinder.

Very, Very Cool!

However, have you seen footage shot on RED? It rivals film.

But HD photography is coming to masses for sure.

What impressed me the most about the video footage is how clean it is at night. Usually, even with HD video cameras, the video gets grainy, unless of course you have a really expensive camera. This baby was very nice though.

I wonder how much the camera will cost.

I love miss-information....
For starters, the camera in question is the Canon 5D markII, NOT the EOS-1D MarkII as stated in the thread title. For anyone interested, the camera was just released but is in very short supply. Expect to pay $2700 at leading retailers such as Adorama, B&H Photo...that is if they actually have any on hand.

I have the original 5D and it was a great camera. 90% of the people who will buy this camera are still photographers like myself and I for one see the video capability as nothing more than a 'bonus' feature. For me the extremely low noise, 14 bit image files, full frame 21MP sensor, and 3" LCD are what make this a great camera.

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[Post edited by Bosshog7 on Dec 9, 2008 - CST 8:41 PM]

forgive me for pasting the wrong model name.

Apart from that, i don't see any other kind of missinformation going on there.
They market the thing as a professional solution for video, which is not.

What are you talking about dude....Canon isn't promoting this camera as a 'professional' video camera. Laforet made the movie on his own just to see what the camera can do. The video link you posted is by Calumet....who sells photography equipment so of course they are going to promote the thing.

The hype around the 5D is simply that it has SURPRISINGLY good video for a SLR....nothing more, nothing less.

I like how the guy that shot the film acted like he made a couple home videos in his life nothing more and then shows his expensive setup for the camera that only someone that knows what they are doing would use. He was no newb.

I'd rather buy a cheap man's camera like the Panasonic Lumix DMC-TZ5K which can record video in 1280 x 720 HD resolution at 30 frames per second. Right now at amazon $219.95

Quote:
For me the extremely low noise, 14 bit image files, full frame 21MP sensor, and 3" LCD are what make this a great camera.

And it can take pics at ISO 6400 and they're apparently useable (due to the low noise full frame CMOS sensor). Henrys in Canada now has it available for preorder at about $3,000. But I can't see myself paying as much for a dSLR body as I would for a good lens. This body will be out of date within 3 or 4 years, but an L series lens will last a life time (and retain its resale value too).

I guess I'll hold on to my consumer quality Canon 40D a little longer still....